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Placentia city employees urge council to boost pay and equity as labor talks proceed in closed session
Summary
Union representatives and long‑service city employees told the council their wages are not keeping pace with costs and urged equitable pay across sworn and non‑sworn public safety roles; council recessed to closed session on labor matters and later reported direction was given.
Several longtime Placentia employees and union representatives used the council’s public comment periods on Sept. 16 to press for higher pay and parity across public‑safety roles, telling the City Council that current bargaining offers fall short of cost‑of‑living needs.
Eddie Rodriguez, introduced as president of the Placentia City Employee Association, said he has worked for the city for 21 years and that “our wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living. The city's current bargaining proposal provides no cost of living adjustment,” and warned that employees are being forced to consider leaving.
Felipe Zambrano, identified as a 30‑year city employee, and a dispatch center representative (identified in the record as Shay/Sheila Rodriguez) described understaffing and high overtime; the dispatch representative said she volunteered extended overtime hours and argued that non‑sworn public‑safety staff deserve the same consideration given to sworn officers. Veronica Rodarte, described in the record as an operations manager and the lead negotiator for the Placentia City Employees Association, urged transparent dialogue and a fair outcome that recognizes the contributions of the workforce.
The council had earlier recessed to closed session for several items that included labor negotiations and a public‑employee performance evaluation under California Government Code sections cited at the meeting. At the closed‑session report‑out the city attorney said: “We had discussion on each one of them. There was direction given, and there's nothing further to report.” The council did not disclose specific negotiation details in open session.
What to watch: labor negotiations were listed explicitly as a closed‑session item; the council’s public record shows staff will return with any formal actions. Employees requested the council prioritize cost‑of‑living adjustments and equity across roles as staff and negotiators continue talks.
