Victorville officials point to falling unsheltered homelessness as HR and firefighters detail hiring gains under AB 2561 review

At a May 5 council meeting, city staff and the Victorville Professional Firefighters Association presented the City of Victorville’s annual AB 2561 report on vacancies, recruitment and retention requirements ahead of the fiscal‑year budget.

The report, presented by Human Resources Officer Heather Barber, showed the city had 570 authorized positions at year‑end 2025 — 72 for the fire department and 498 for other city functions — with an average 2025 vacancy rate of 10.7%. Barber reported that as of 12/31/2025 the professional firefighters’ bargaining unit had an 8.3% vacancy rate (six vacancies) and that the citywide vacancy count and rate had improved: the city posted 47 vacancies (8.2%) as of 04/21/2026 and hired nine new employees on 04/16/2026 (four firefighter paramedics and five firefighter EMTs).

Why it matters: Assembly Bill 2561 requires public agencies to review hiring and vacancy data annually before adopting their fiscal budgets and to hold a public hearing that permits…