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APCD engineer urges anonymous staff survey and better private office space after staffing concerns
Summary
An APCD air quality engineer told the Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board the district has not conducted internal employee satisfaction surveys since 2012, urged an anonymous survey and repeated measure, and raised privacy and trust concerns about the newly appointed Administrative Services Director's office assignment.
Laura Kranzler, an air quality engineer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, told the board during public comment that since she joined the district in 2012 it has not conducted internal employee satisfaction surveys.
"Since I joined the Ventura County APCD in June of 2012, we have not had employee satisfaction surveys conducted internally by the district. Not ever," Kranzler said, and offered to provide the third‑party report she referenced if board members had not seen it.
Kranzler said a comprehensive third‑party survey conducted about a year earlier by an organization she named the Organization Network produced recommendations to restructure the district's HR function. She also described an informal SEIU survey taken in 2020 and linked those earlier efforts to staff concerns following "the unexplained leave of Michelle," which she said underscored the need for clearer, confidential complaint and response processes.
She urged the board to direct the newly appointed Administrative Services Director to conduct a "truly anonymous" employee satisfaction survey and to repeat it three to five months later to measure progress. She recommended coordinating with the district's Process Improvement Team (PIT) to implement recommended actions.
Kranzler also raised specific concerns about the director's office assignment. She said the office built for the Administrative Services Director is located directly across from HR manager Nancy Mendoza and the district director, and is "not fully enclosed," making it difficult for staff to hold discreet or confidential conversations.
"If we want employees to feel safe coming forward with workplace issues, we must ensure that there is truly private, secure space where those conversations can happen," Kranzler said, and invited board members to visit the district building to see the office configuration for themselves.
Chair Parvin and other board members did not offer substantive response during board comments; no formal action was taken following the public comment.
