Atherton staffing report: town shows low vacancy rate but police union warns of chronic operational strain

Staff presented the annual staffing and recruitment report required by Government Code section 3502.3 (AB 2561), reporting 43 authorized positions and three current vacancies: a police dispatcher, a police management analyst and a public-works role. Staff said recruitment is underway for all vacancies and the town’s overall staffing is about 94 percent, below statutory vacancy thresholds that would prompt extra reporting. The town also described recruitment channels, salary survey work, and upcoming labor negotiations starting next July.

Sergeant David Mezer, speaking for the Atherton Police Officers Association, said budgeted positions do not always reflect operational needs. Mezer said the department has relied on overtime, restricted vacation use, and left specialized assignments (a detective and a traffic position) unfilled to maintain core patrol services. He warned that those practices have reduced certain services, caused fatigue and morale concerns, and lengthened investigator response times.

Staff acknowledged operational pressures and noted plans to continue recruitment, work with the APOA in negotiations and monitor candidate pipelines. Councilmembers asked about succession planning and how long typical recruitments take; staff said non-police recruitments can take about three months from posting to offer, while police hires often take four months or longer because of extensive background checks and academy time.

The item was presented as informational only; no formal action was required. Council and staff agreed to continue outreach to candidates and to examine longer-term staffing and retention strategies as part of the budget and upcoming labor negotiations.