Consider Directing Staff to Enact a Policy to Give All City Employees the Option to Use Any Paid Leave, such as Sick, Vacation, or Other Paid Time Off, to Supplement Pay while out on Paid Family Leave.  (Councilmember Vella)
Nine eight considered directing staff to enact a policy to give all city employees the option to use any paid leave, such as sick vacation or other paid time off to supplement pay while out on paid family leave. This item was placed on the agenda at the request of Councilmember Vela. Okay. Councilmember Vela. So my referral is really as stated, it's pretty simple. I think that the what I'd be looking for is to direct staff to look at this option as well as other options and look into whether or not this is possible and the pros and cons of it. This came up partially for me when I was out on leave, but also I started looking into this issue a little bit more. And not that I've even exhausted my leave or been able to take it, I think. Well, first of all, we don't get, uh, leave being on city council, so we're volunteers in this job. I basically make less than the minimum wage. So. Although it's still work. And I was back here, I think, what, ten days postpartum. I think, which is a bit. Uh. Bit extreme. But anyways, with California paid family leave, it's partial wage reimbursement, not all. And I think that there's an extremely high cost of living in the Bay Area. And so if you're taking time off to care for a sick family member, taking a wage reduction while you're doing so could be a lot. I know we have different policies on the books, depending our on our different employee groups. It's not that we don't allow them to supplement, but this would just be asking staff to look into, um, all of the types of leave that folks are allowed to take and run to supplement and seeing what we could do with that. Okay. Are there any council questions or comments? Um. Vice Mayor. And do we have any speakers on that, please? Vice Mayor. Not quite sure you can. I mean, given the direction we to give you kind of calibration on how we would want it to be looked at or just come out with a variety of options. QUESTIONER I think it. I think it would be fairly open ended to have staff look into this in terms of the options I've laid out, the different I don't know, all the different types of leave that we have. I don't know what our contracts currently state for each bargaining unit group. But one thought is just to make sure that people are allowed to supplement with various types of leave. And the other would be, you know, what the benefit or cost of the city would be relative to that. And I mean, the con the city manager did that. Vice Mayor Knox, why did you finish your remarks or your clarifying question? I have no comment for me. I mean, you've been. Doing conversations, right? And my my concern was with the wording, although the explanation I heard might have been a little different, but it says, consider directing staff to enact a policy. And I'm a little hesitant about directing staff, I think, you know, to to actually enact a policy. I think, you know, looking into it, coming back, we have bargaining units. But let's hear from the city manager. All I was going to say is that our director and myself has talked to Councilmember Vella and the way she explained it just now, we're supportive of that concept of looking at the different options and bringing back proposals with options for the council's consideration. Okay. That that that helps. Okay. Council, what's your pleasure? So it's so if I'm understanding the city manager correctly, he and our H.R. director, Nancy Bronstein, who's in the audience, are amenable to doing some some research on this and bring it back to us early next year, I would imagine, because we've got one more December meeting and we've already approved that agenda, so. Okay, so that's on the table. Councilmember Odie. Sure. I mean, I'll make just a few brief comments. Even though it's not that late, I think it's particularly poignant that we had this discussion today, given the person that advocated on the national level for six months family leave and our Senator Harris decided to end her presidential campaign. So I think a lot of us, you know, talk about how we want our national leaders and our state leaders to promote this type of policy. And this gives us a chance to actually do something locally and, you know, do our part, too. So I think it's a good idea and I'm glad that the referral is brought forward. And with the clarification, you know, I'd be willing to move move it forward. Make a motion to move it forward. Okay. We have a motion, but, um, do you want to hold the motion so we can go down and. Okay. I will come back to you for the motion. Councilor Villa. I was. Yeah. If he makes a motion, we can suck it in, then we can discuss. Yeah, we can do that too. Okay. Okay. So I'll second. Okay. We have a motion in the second. And so councilman days are going to be comments. Vice Mayor Knox White. I was a member of the board, I think is an example of a time when we probably should have had more of a requirement and the time limit ongoing. I just encourage the staff as part of their expertize and then the work. I'm okay. And I too, am agreeable to having the H.R. director and city manager bring this back to us with some details of how it might be implemented here. And I would just note for the record that we still have Senator Harris in the Senate. Right. And, yes, so that's his politicals. I mean, again, on the national level for now. Okay. So we have a motion, we have a second. And the motion is what what I stated to. Move the item forward with the clarification that was discussed. The city manager. Okay. And it's been seconded. All in favor. Oh. Wait, wait, wait, wait. To say we did so well. I think that's. Not quite. Right. Odie. Yes. I mayor. As the Ashcraft. Yes. Carries by. Five days. All right. That passes unanimously. We move on to Council Communications. Council members, let's start with Councilmember Vela. Any communications?