To: Board of Supervisors
From: Ann Elliott, Human Resources Director
Report Title: Hearing to receive the Human Resources Department's Annual Report regarding vacancies, and recruitment and retention efforts in compliance with Assembly Bill ("AB") 2561
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
OPEN the public hearing to receive the Human Resources Department's Annual Report regarding vacancies, and recruitment and retention efforts in compliance with Assembly Bill ("AB") 2561, as of April 2026. RECEIVE testimony and CLOSE the public hearing.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
On September 22, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2561 into law which added Government Code Section 3502.3 to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act and created a new obligation for public agencies.
Effective January 1, 2025, AB-2561 requires public agencies to present the status of vacancies, and recruitment and retention efforts at a public hearing at least once per fiscal year and entitle the recognized employee organizations to present at the hearing.
The law also requires the public agency to report whether the job vacancy rate within a single bargaining unit meets or exceeds 20 percent of the total number of authorized full-time positions. The results of the annual vacancy rate reporting confirm that Contra Costa County does not meet or exceed the 20 percent vacancy threshold for any bargaining units.
Filling vacant positions is a high priority for the County, resulting in decreasing vacancy rates. The current countywide vacancy rate is 11% as of April 2026. Recruitment initiatives focus on continuing to lower the average time to hire and expanding visibility and outreach in the Bay Area and surrounding areas. Retention efforts include providing programs and services such as low-cost medical insurance options, a variety of benefit offerings, pension and 457(b) retirement programs, flexible schedules, remote work ...
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