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Committee advances ordinance renaming Personnel Department and creation of deputy HR position pending city attorney language
Summary
Cara Garcia, the city personnel director, asked the committee to rename the Personnel Department to the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations and to create a deputy director position to serve a roughly 593‑person workforce; the committee voted to send both items to the full council pending city attorney review of final language and budget classification.
The committee advanced two related personnel items June 23 after hearing from Cara Garcia, the city’s personnel director.
Garcia asked the committee to change the department name from Personnel to the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations and to change her title accordingly, arguing the older term “personnel” carries outdated military connotations and does not reflect modern workforce management. "Renaming our department to the Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations also means that my title from personnel director to director of Human Resources and Labor Relations would be a title that accurately reflects the full scope of this role," Garcia said.
Garcia also requested creation of a deputy director of human resources position to support roughly 593 employees across more than 10 departments and multiple unions; she said the new position is included in the city’s approved budget. Councilors discussed compensation classification (grade/step), whether the post should be union or nonunion (Garcia said it would be nonunion), and requested the city attorney verify ordinance language. The committee voted to send both the renaming ordinance and the deputy director creation to the full council with favorable recommendations pending city attorney confirmation; one councilor recorded an abstention on the creation item.
