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Unions, personnel department press council on high vacancy rates and hiring delays ahead of Olympics
Summary
Labor representatives and Personnel Department staff told the council that several bargaining units show elevated vacancy rates (including sanitation and wastewater mechanics) and urged expanding continuous exams and campus recruitment; Personnel outlined online testing, recruiter outreach, and staffing constraints for the selection process.
Labor coalition representatives and Personnel Department staff used the council’s Item 37 hearing May 27 to frame a citywide workforce problem they said needs addressing before the Olympics and upcoming large events.
Speakers from a coalition representing building trades, Teamsters and other unions presented vacancy data and said some classifications have double-digit vacancy rates. A presenter said, “The bureau of sanitation and their high vacancy rate, they are at 23 percent,” and listed other operations with significant gaps in staffing that, they said, pose risks to basic services.
Personnel Department presenters (Samantha and Steve Rivera) outlined the city’s recruitment and selection activities: posting exams on governmentjobs.com and the Personnel Department site, maintaining continuous exams (about 60 currently), using social media (LinkedIn, X, YouTube) and campus recruitment, and offering Recruiter Connect sessions to explain the selection process to applicants. They said the city administers about 185–190 exams per year plus continuous exams and receives tens of thousands of applications annually.
Councilmembers raised equity and process questions: Councilmember Jurado asked how testing and exam design could be made less exclusionary and faster for everyday Angelenos; Councilmember Blumenfield asked whether the council could make charter changes or free constraints to achieve faster, on‑demand hiring. Personnel staff said online testing and process improvements cut average bulletin-to-placement timelines (they cited a reduction from 185 days to roughly 125 days for some processes) but said additional staff and expanded continuous exams are needed to achieve further reductions.
What happens next: Personnel asked for resources to expand continuous and campus exams and promised to follow up with requested metrics; the council voted (roll call recorded 12 ayes on Item 37) to proceed with the hearing and receive the vacancy reports. Several councilmembers asked Personnel to return with more specific data, including retention rates for targeted local hire pathways.
