Supervisors accept grand jury's hiring findings but delay staffing commitment pending budget review

The Board of Supervisors Government Audit and Oversight Committee heard a civil grand jury report on the city's hiring practices and accepted its central finding that current hiring procedures can confuse applicants and limit protections for workers.

Richard Rothman, subcommittee chair for the 02/2011 civil grand jury, outlined five findings and related recommendations including a call that "the Commission should be authorized to hire 1 additional senior analyst position" to help protect workers' appeal rights and expedite reviews. The jury emphasized confusion between traditional class-based testing and position-based testing and urged clearer notices so applicants know when they may appeal.

The Civil Service Commission's executive officer, Anita Sanchez, told the committee the commission agrees that extra staff would expedite analysis and help review department reports, though the office has been addressing appeals in a timely manner. Jennifer Johnson of the Department of Human Resources clarified that DHR oversees examinations conducted in departments, countering a grand jury assumption that the commission handled operational exam administration.

Supervisor Mark Farrell said he "completely understand[s]" the value of expediting processes but questioned whether an additional analyst is a necessity amid large budget shortfalls. Farrell moved to accept Finding 5 but not to immediately endorse the staffing recommendation; committee leadership proposed and the panel adopted amended language directing the Board to "evaluate the need for additional staffing of a senior personnel analyst within the constraints of the budget and the commission's requirements." The motion passed without objection.

Public commenters recounted lengthy appeals and alleged instances of discouraged testing and delayed investigations. Douglas Yap said supervisors were "verbally discouraged from taking tests" in his experience at San Francisco General Hospital; Patrick Manet Shaw and others disputed commonly cited city employee counts and raised concerns about transparency in hiring and pension debates.

The committee also noted other grand jury recommendations: simplifying appeal notices for applicants, tightening HR procedures for denial letters, moving toward knowledge-based examinations, and clarifying which departments may use eligibility lists from position-based tests. The Clerk said actions taken at this hearing will appear on the Oct. 4 Board agenda.

Next steps: the Board took the committee's amended response and left the staffing recommendation open for evaluation during the budget development process.