Chapter 2.16 — PERSONNEL SYSTEM

In order to establish an equitable and uniform procedure for dealing with personnel matters; to attract to municipal service the best and most competent persons available; to assure the appointments and promotions of employees will be based on merit and fitness; and to provide a reasonable degree of security for quality employees, the following personnel system is hereby adopted.

(Prior code § 2-58)

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

Classification. All positions sufficiently similar in duties, authority and responsibility to permit grouping under a common title in the application with equity of common standards of selection, transfer, promotion, demotion and salary.

Competitive service. All positions of employment in the service of the City except those specifically excluded by this chapter.

Consanguinity. No person related to a member of the City Council by consanguinity within the second degree shall be employed by the City. The degrees of consanguinity shall be determined as follows:

• A. First Degree: Spouses or registered domestic partners, parent; children or step-children, daughter-in-law, son-in-law.

• B. Second Degree: Grandchildren, grandparents, brothers and sisters, half-brother, half-sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law.

Employee. Shall mean any person, excluding an appointive position on a City Commission, who receives a paycheck for services rendered to the City for the purposes of this section. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no employee or commissioner serving on the effective date of this chapter, shall be discharged, or otherwise removed, solely as the result of the subsequent election of a member to the City Council. Further, the employment of a spouse shall not be prohibited unless based on a bona fide occupa-tional qualification, or except when based upon applicable security regulations established by the United States or the State of California; the City of Paramount reserves the right to reasonably regulate, for reasons of supervision in the same department, division or facility, consistent with rules and regulations adopted by the City.

Days. Calendar days unless otherwise stated.

Demotion. The movement of an employee from one class to another class having a lower maximum rate of pay.

Examination. Selection techniques used to measure the relative capacities of the persons applying for positions within the competitive service.

Full-time position. A position requiring an employee to work a minimum of 40 hours per week.

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City of Paramount, CA § 2.16.020

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 2.16.030

Layoff. The separation of employees from the active work force due to lack of work or funds, or to the abolition of positions by the City Council for the above reasons or due to organizational changes.

Position. A group of duties and responsibilities in the competitive service requiring the full-time or part-time employment of one person.

Promotion. The movement of an employee from one class to another class having a higher maximum rate of pay.

Provisional appointment. An appointment of a person who possesses the minimum qualifications established for a particular class and who has been appointed to a position in that class in the absence of available eligible persons.

Regular employee. A full-time employee who has successfully completed his or her training period.

Reinstatement. The reemployment, without examination, of a former regular employee or an employee in their training period.

Suspension. The temporary separation from the service of an employee without pay, for disciplinary purposes.

Training period. A working test period during which an employee is required to demonstrate his or her fitness for the position to which he or she is appointed by actual performance of the duties of the position.

Transfer. A change of an employee from one position to another position in the same class or in a comparable class.

(Prior code § 2-59; Ord. 1155 § 2, 2021)

The City Manager shall administer the City personnel system and may delegate any of the powers and duties of such administration to any other officer or employee of the City or may recommend that such powers and duties be performed under contract. The City Manager shall:

• A. Act as the appointing authority for the City in accordance with this chapter.

• B. Administer all the provisions of this chapter and of the personnel policies not specifically reserved to the Council.

• C. Prepare or cause to be prepared personnel rules and provisions and amendments to such rules.

• D. Recommend to the City Council personnel policy issues involving financial commitments such as, but not limited to, pay rates and employee benefit programs.

• E. Prepare, or cause to be prepared, a position classification plan, including class specifications, and revisions of the plan. The plan, and any revisions thereof, shall become effective upon approval by the City Council.

• F. Prepare, or cause to be prepared, a plan of compensation, and revisions thereof, covering all classification titles for authorized City positions. The plan and any revisions thereof shall become effective upon approval of the Council.

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City of Paramount, CA § 2.16.030

ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL

§ 2.16.050

• G. Have the authority to discipline employees in accordance with this chapter and the personnel rules and as amended from time to time.

• (Prior code § 2-60)

The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all offices, positions, and employments in the competitive service of the City, except:

• A. City Manager;

• B. Deputy City Manager;

• C. Department heads and other administrative positions as designated by the City Manager;

• D. Elective officers;

• E. Members of appointive boards, commissions, and committees;

• F. City Attorney;

• G. Persons engaged under contract to supply expert, professional, technical, or any other services;

• H. Volunteer personnel;

• I. Emergency employees who are hired to meet the immediate requirements of an emergency condition, such as extraordinary fire, flood, or earthquake which threatens life or property; emergency employee positions include those positions funded through special County, State, or Federal employment programs; and

• J. Employees, other than those listed elsewhere in this section, who are not employed in regular full-time positions.

The above employees serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

(Prior code § 2-63)

Personnel rules shall be adopted by resolution of the City Council after notice of such action has been publicly posted in at least three public places designated by the City Council, and at least five days prior to City Council consideration. Amendments and revisions may be suggested by any interested party and shall be processed as provided in personnel rules. The rules shall establish regulations governing the personnel system which may include:

• A. Preparation, installation, revision, and maintenance of a position classification plan covering all positions in the competitive service, including employment standards and qualifications for each class.

• B. Public announcements of all examinations and acceptance of applications for employment.

• C. Preparation and conducting of tests.

• D. Appointment of persons.

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City of Paramount, CA

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 2.16.050

§ 2.16.080

• E. Establishment of training periods and evaluation of employees during the training period.

• F. Transfer, promotion, demotion, reinstatement, disciplinary action, and layoff of employees in the competitive service.

• G. Separation of employees from the City service.

• H. The establishment of adequate personnel records.

• I. The establishment of appeal procedures concerning the interpretation or application of this chapter and any rules adopted hereunder.

• (Prior code § 2-64)

• A. Appointments to vacant positions in the competitive service shall be made in accordance with the personnel rules. Appointments and promotions shall be based on merit and fitness to be ascertained so far as practical by competitive examination. Examinations may be used and conducted to aid in the selection of qualified employees and shall consist of selection techniques which will test fairly the qualifications of candidates such as written tests, personal interviews, performance tests, physical agility tests, evaluation of daily work performance, work samples or any combination of these or other tests. The training period shall be considered an extension of the examination process. Health screenings may be given as a part of the appointment process.

• B. In any examination, the personnel officer may include, in addition to competitive tests, a qualifying test, and set minimum standards therefor.

• C. Appointments shall be made by the City Manager, or by the officer in whom the power to make appointments is vested.

• (Prior code § 2-65)

• A. All regular full-time and temporary part-time appointments, including promotional appointments, shall be for a training period of not more than one year to allow the City the opportunity to observe the employee's work performance before granting regular status. During the training period, the employee may be rejected at any time without the right of appeal or hearing. The training period may be extended for any employee who is off work for more than two weeks during the initial one-year training period.

• B. An employee rejected during the training period from a position to which he or she has been promoted may be reinstated to a position in the class from which he or she was promoted unless he or she is discharged from the City service as provided in this chapter and the rules.

• C. An employee in the competitive service, promoted or transferred to a position not included in the competitive service, may be reinstated to a position in the class from which he or she was promoted or transferred if action is taken to reject him or her unless he or she is discharged in the manner provided in this chapter and the personnel rules for positions in the competitive service.

• (Prior code § 2-66)

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City of Paramount, CA § 2.16.080

ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL

§ 2.16.120

• A. Any person holding a position included in the competitive service who, on the effective date of this chapter, shall have served continuously in such position, or in some other position in the competitive service, for a period equal to the training period prescribed in the rules for his or her class, shall assume regular status in the competitive service in the position held on such effective date without qualifying test, and shall thereafter be subject in all respects to the provisions of this chapter and the personnel rules.

• B. All other persons holding positions in the competitive service shall be regarded as employees in their training period who are serving out the balance of their training periods as prescribed in the rules before obtaining regular status. The training period shall be computed from the date of appointment or employment.

• (Prior code § 2-67)

The provisions of the personnel rules relating to attendance and leaves shall apply to the incumbents of full-time exempt positions, unless otherwise specified. (Prior code § 2-68)

• A. The appointing power shall have the right, for due cause, to demote, dismiss, reduce in pay or suspend without pay for 30 calendar days any regular full-time employee. Notice of such action must be in writing. Such notice shall specify the penalty and contain a statement of the reason or reasons therefor.

• B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to reductions in pay which are a part of a general plan to reduce salaries and wages or to eliminate positions.

• (Prior code § 2-69)

The appeal rights of employees in the competitive service shall be provided in accordance with the requirements and the procedures as set forth in the personnel rules and as amended from time to time.

(Prior code § 2-70)

• A. Whenever in the judgment of the City Council it becomes necessary in the interest of economy, or because the necessity for a position no longer exists, the City Council may abolish any position or employment in the competitive service; and the employee holding such position for employment may be laid off without taking disciplinary action and without the right of appeal.

• B. The order of layoff of employees shall be established by the Personnel Officer on the recommendation of the department head involved. Where skill, ability, and job performance are equal, length of service will be the determining factor when preparing a layoff list. No regular employee or employee in their training period shall be laid off from his or her position in any department while any emergency, temporary or provisional

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City of Paramount, CA

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 2.16.120

§ 2.16.140

employee is serving in the same class in that department.

• C. Employees to be laid off shall be given at least 14 days' prior notice.

• D. The names of regular employees and employees who are in their training period who are laid off shall be placed upon reemployment lists for those classes requiring basically the same qualifications, duties and responsibilities of the class from which a layoff was made. Persons whose names are placed on reemployment lists in accordance with this section, and who are reemployed, shall be regarded as having been on leave of absence during this period. Persons whose names are placed on reemployment lists will lose all length of service and recall rights after one year.

(Prior code § 2-71)

The political activities of City employees shall conform to pertinent provisions of State law. (Prior code § 2-72)

No person in the competitive service, or seeking admission thereto, shall be employed, promoted, demoted or discharged, or in any way favored or discriminated against because of political opinions or affiliations, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religious creed, sex, age, handicap, marital status, or the exercise of his or her rights under Section 3502 of the Government Code.

(Prior code § 2-73)

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City of Paramount, CA § 2.20.010

ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL

§ 2.20.050