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 ensure that appointments and promotions of employees will be based on merit and fitness and to provide a reasonable degree of security for qualified employees, the following personnel system is adopted.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall be used as indicated:
"Administrative staff"
means the organizational title held by the incumbent in each of the following classifications: assistant city manager, city planner.
"Class"
means 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.
"Days"
means calendar days, unless otherwise stated.
"Demotion"
means the movement of an employee from one class to another class having a lower maximum rate of pay, or the reduction in pay of any employee for disciplinary reasons or in the event his or her service in a class is deemed by the city manager to be unsatisfactory.
"Layoff"
means 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.
"Municipal service"
means all positions of employment in the service of the city except those specifically excluded by Section 2.20.050 of this chapter.
"Position"
means a group of duties and responsibilities in the municipal service requiring the full time or part time employment of one person.
"Probationary period"
means 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.
"Promotion"
means the movement of an employee from one class to another class having a higher maximum rate of pay.
"Reinstatement"
means the re-employment of a former regular employee or probationary employee.
"Suspension"
means the temporary separation from the service of an employee without pay, for disciplinary purposes.
"Temporary appointment"
means an appointment of a person who preferably possesses the desirable qualifications established for a particular class and who has been appointed to a position in that class in the absence of the availability of a regular employee.
"Transfer"
means a change of an employee from one position to another position in the same class or in a comparable class.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
The city manager shall be the personnel officer. The city manager may delegate any of the powers and duties conferred upon him or her as personnel officer under this chapter to any other employee of the city or may recommend that such powers and duties be performed under contract as provided in Section 2.20.040. The personnel officer shall:
A. 
Administer all the provisions of this chapter and of the personnel rules not specifically reserved to the city council;
B. 
Prepare and recommend to the city council personnel rules and revisions and amendments to such rules;
C. 
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 council;
D. 
Provide for the publishing or posting of notices of positions in the competitive service; the receiving of applications therefor; the conducting of interviews, tests and the appointment of applicants to positions.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
The city manager shall consider and make recommendations to the city council regarding the extent to which the city shall contract for the performance of technical services in connection with the operation of the personnel system. The city council may contract with any qualified person or public or private agency for the performance of all or any of the following responsibilities and duties imposed by this chapter:
A. 
The preparation of personnel rules and subsequent revisions and amendments thereof;
B. 
The preparation of a position classification plan, and subsequent revisions and amendments thereof;
C. 
The preparation, conduct and grading of competitive tests;
D. 
The conduct of employee training programs;
E. 
The conduct of salary surveys;
F. 
Special and technical services of advisory or informational character on matters relating to personnel administration.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all offices, positions and employees in the service of the city, except:
A. 
City manager;
B. 
City attorney;
C. 
City treasurer;
D. 
Elective officers;
E. 
Members of appointive boards, commissions and committees;
F. 
Persons engaged under contract to supply expert, professional, technical and any other services;
G. 
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;
H. 
Volunteers who provide clerical, maintenance or other services to the city without compensation;
I. 
Employees, other than those listed elsewhere in this section, who are not regularly employed in permanent positions.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
Appointments to vacant positions in the municipal 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 practicable by a competitive process. 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 achievement and aptitude tests, written tests, personal interviews, performance tests, physical agility tests, evaluations of daily work performance, work samples, or any combination of these or other tests. The probationary period shall be considered an extension of the examination process. Physical and medical tests may be given as part of any examination.
For any appointment, the city manager may include, in addition to competitive tests, a qualifying test or tests, and set minimum standards therefor.
All appointments shall be made by the city manager.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
All regular appointments, including promotional appointments, shall be for a probationary period of not less than one year for administrative employees, and six months for other employees. During the probationary period, the employee may be rejected at any time without the right of appeal or hearing.
An employee rejected during the probationary period from a position to which he or she has been promoted shall be reinstated to a position in the class from which he or she was promoted, unless he or she is discharged from the municipal service provided in this chapter and the rules.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
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 in the municipal service, and the employee holding such position may be laid off without the right of appeal.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
The city manager shall have the right, for due cause, to demote, reduce the salary of, dismiss or suspend without pay for 30 calendar days, any regular employee. Notice of such action shall be served within ten working days in advance of the action taken. Such notice shall specify the penalty and contain a statement of the reason or reasons therefor.
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.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
Any person holding a position included in the municipal service who, on the effective date of this chapter, shall have served continuously in such position, or in some other position in the municipal service, for a period equal to the probationary period prescribed in the rules for their class, shall assume regular status in the municipal service in the position held on such effective date without a qualifying test, and shall thereafter be subject in all respects to the provisions of this chapter and the personnel rules.
Any other persons holding positions in the municipal service shall be regarded as probationers who are serving out the balance of their probationary periods as prescribed in the rules before obtaining regular status. The probationary period shall be computed from the date of appointment or employment.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
It is the policy of the city of La Cañada Flintridge to provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees in every phase of personnel administration. Discrimination on the basis of race, creed, ancestry, national origin, color, religious or political beliefs and affiliations, gender, age, physical handicap, marital status, other nonmerit factors, or because of the exercise of rights under Section 3502 of the California Government Code, shall be prohibited.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)
Personnel rules may be adopted by resolution of the city council. The rules may establish procedures governing the personnel system including:
A. 
Preparation, installation, revision and maintenance of a position, classification plan covering all positions in the municipal service, including employment standards and qualifications for each class;
B. 
Public announcement for all open positions and acceptance dates of applications for employment;
C. 
Preparation and conduct of tests;
D. 
Appointment of persons to regular status and the making of provisional appointments;
E. 
Establishment of probationary periods;
F. 
Evaluation of employees throughout their municipal service;
G. 
Transfer, promotion, demotion, reinstatement, disciplinary action and layoff of employees in the municipal service;
H. 
Separation of employees from the municipal service;
I. 
The establishment of adequate personnel records;
J. 
The establishment of appeal procedures concerning the interpretation or application of this chapter and any rules adopted hereunder;
K. 
The establishment of an employee training program;
L. 
The establishment of procedures governing employee leaves, holidays and the compensation plan.
(Ord. 46 § 1, 1978)