Council approves CalPERS contract amendment process and 2025 pay adjustments for unrepresented executives

The El Cajon City Council on June 24 approved steps to amend the contract with the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) to implement previously discussed changes and adopted updates to city policy A-29 governing compensation for unrepresented executive employees.

Deputy City Manager Marisol Thorn said the CalPERS contract amendment is part of a three-step process and follows a May resolution in which the council agreed to a 1% additional CalPERS employee contribution for executive management and the police chief. The ordinance introduced June 24 initiates the formal contract amendment process with CalPERS.

Council also adopted revisions to Council Policy A-29 for unrepresented employees. Staff said most unrepresented classifications will receive a 3% cost-of-living increase effective June 21, 2025; the police chief will receive a 4.5% increase to match the police management group. Staff also proposed a January 2026 cafeteria allowance increase to $1,700 per month for alignment with mid-management. The council approved the personnel compensation actions by unanimous vote.

Thorn summarized the list of local agency executives covered by the report, including the city manager, city attorney, assistant and deputy city managers, department heads and the police chief. Council approved a resolution implementing the described CalPERS contract amendment steps and adopted the A-29 changes.