Covina reports lower turnover and outlines recruitment steps under AB 2561; 49 vacancies created in 2025

At the April 21 council meeting, Human Resources Manager Joanna Espinosa presented the city’s annual report on vacancies, recruitment and retention required by Assembly Bill 2561. The report covered calendar-year 2025 staffing activity and proposed operational responses.

Espinosa said the city had 191 budgeted full-time positions, 49 vacancies were created in 2025 and 46 were filled during the year; three positions remained vacant as of Dec. 31. She reported an average vacancy rate for the year of 8.6% and an annual staffing turnover rate of 9%, down from 14% the prior year. The presentation included a breakdown by bargaining unit and the average calendar days to fill vacancies depending on recruitment type: ongoing eligibility lists averaged 174 days, external recruitments averaged 123 days and internal recruitments averaged 78 days.

For recruitment and retention, Espinosa described measures the city has taken and proposed next steps: a citywide compensation survey to position pay in the market (targeting the 60th–65th percentile), police hiring bonuses and temporary double-overtime incentives for dispatchers, continuous-exam processes to condense hiring timelines, and classification changes to support promotions.

Council members commended HR and police for the work; Police Chief Walzak and council members highlighted cooperation between departments to reach full sworn staffing and praised creative incentives and one-day recruitments to expedite hiring. Council received and filed the report by motion.

What’s next: staff will continue the compensation survey, work with bargaining units on pay considerations and implement streamlined recruiting practices described in the presentation.