Council hears first reading on six‑week paid parental leave; members ask refinements

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. — City Administrator Chip presented a proposed ordinance on June 3 to add six weeks of paid parental leave (PPL) to the municipal code for employees who have worked 12 months and experience a qualifying parental event. The council introduced the ordinance for first reading and asked staff to return in July with refined language.

Chip said the program would give eligible employees up to six consecutive weeks of paid leave (run concurrently with federally and state‑mandated family leave protections). Staff described the expected fiscal impact as modest — roughly $15,000 per year for the first employee using the benefit — and said the city would codify the benefit rather than leave it solely to memorandum-of-understanding negotiations.

Council discussion focused on three principal adjustments: the length of paid leave, coordination with state short‑term disability insurance (SDI), and an administrative clause that allowed the city administrator to terminate the benefit. Several council members said they supported either increasing the six weeks or preserving flexibility to expand the program later. They also asked that if a future bargaining unit opts into SDI, the ordinance be drafted so SDI payments would not reduce the city’s PPL in ways that leave employees worse off; staff was asked to return with clearer coordinating language. Members also asked removal of the provision that would let the city administrator unilaterally terminate the policy.

Council members and staff did not vote to adopt final language at the meeting; the item will return for a second reading and adoption in July after staff incorporates council direction and clarifies interactions with SDI and FMLA/CFRA.