DATE: August 6, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, Department of Human Resources
SUBJECT: Amendment to Personnel Rule 7025 - Leave to Seek Office
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve the Amendment to Personnel Rule 7025 - Leave to Seek Office, as reflected in Appendix “B”, effective August 12, 2019.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action would serve to further define County expectations and establish specific parameters regarding a leave policy for County employees seeking to run for elected office. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended action, Personnel Rule 7025 would remain unchanged.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action.
DISCUSSION:
Your Board’s representatives sent notice to all County representation units and met and conferred with those that responded. As a public entity, the County of Fresno, has a duty and responsibility to its residents to remain transparent in order to maintain public trust. As a result, the County has rules and procedures governing leave requests from employees in the Classified Civil Service for leave to seek elective office. In conjunction with the October 23, 2018 amendment to County Ordinance Code deleting section 3.08.120 and adding section 3.04.030, these proposed changes to the Personnel Rules would explicitly extend coverage of the County’s Personnel Rule 7025 to non-civil service employees as well, except for elected officials. The recommended changes to Personnel Rule 7025 separate and distinguish a County employee’s duties and responsibilities as a civil servant and steward of public funds and his/her role as a public citizen choosing to exercise his/her constitutional right to declare and run for elected office. The updated policy clarifies expectations for all County employees by mandating that an employee take leave during a specified time frame during an election cycle for which they are running, and allows for the voluntary use of extended leave to be used for campaign activities. Furthermore, employees seeking elected office are restricted from campaigning on County time.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Appendix “B”
PR 7025
CAO ANALYST:
Debbie Paolinelli