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Police and fire unions urge proactive recruitment as Palo Alto reports lower vacancy rate under AB 2561
Summary
City HR staff reported a citywide vacancy rate of roughly 10% and faster onboarding; police and fire union representatives warned of operational stress, high training failure rates in police field training and a statewide paramedic shortage for fire services, urging cooperative recruitment and retention measures.
The City of Palo Alto presented a statutorily required public hearing May 4 under AB 2561 on city vacancies and recruitment efforts. HR Director Sandra Blanch and Manager of Labor and Employee Relations Tori Post told council the citywide vacancy rate in April 2026 was about 10 percent, onboarding time has dropped from over 60 days to an average of 23 days from offer to start, and Phase 2 of a recruitment strategic plan is underway.
"We have a citywide vacancy of approximately 10%,"…
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