About

mission

Delivering HR solutions to employ, develop, and engage a dynamic City workforce.

vision

The City of Los Angeles, Personnel Department is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce that serves locally, thinks globally, and acts boldly.

values

Acting with integrity
Customer service that exceeds expectations
Promoting and recognizing excellence
Treating our customers and one another with respect
Learning voraciously
Embodying the power of team

leadership

(VACANT)

general manager

Letty Ortiz

Assistant
general manager

Client Services

Grayce Liu

City Engagement Officer

Classification
Selection
Workforce Development
PIROE (Personnel Innovation Recognition On-Boarding and Engagement)
Systems
Office of Workplace Equity

Paula Dayes

Assistant
general manager

Employee Benefits
Occupational Safety & Health
Workers' Compensation
Administrative Services

Aaron McCraney

Assistant
general manager

Public Safety
Backgrounds
Medical Services

Adrienne Chavez

Chief personnel analyst

Background Investigation

Bruce Whidden

Public information director

Civil Service Commission

Gina
Tervalon

Personnel Director III

Client Services

Hosie L. Thomas Jr.

Personnel Director III

Client Services

Howard Wada

Personnel Director III

Client Services

Jenny M.
Yau

Chief Management analyst

Administrative Services

Joanne O'Brien

Medical Services Administrator

Medical Services

Jamie Kim

Chief personnel analyst

Office of Workplace Equity

Melissa Hamamoto

Chief Personnel analyst

Public Safety

Najma Bashar

Safety Administrator

Occupational Safety and Health

Paul Makowski

Chief Management analyst

Benefits

Steve Rivera

Chief personnel analyst

Selection

Tyrone Spears

Workers' Compensation Administrator II

Workers' Compensation

Vincent Cordero

Chief personnel analyst

Classification

divisions

We have many divisions within the City of Los Angeles Personnel Department that perform a variety of functions. Please select any division to learn more about what they do.

Admininistrative Services

The Personnel Department, Administrative Services Division (ASD) is an internal service division responsible for the Personnel Department’s budget, contracts, grants, purchasing, payroll, accounting, administrative services, facilities maintenance, and emergency preparedness operations. The division provides administrative support to the Executive Office and works closely with division managers to achieve department and division goals.

Civil Service Commission

The Board of Civil Service Commissioners is a City Charter created body of five members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. Members serve a five year term. The Commission meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

The Board has the authority and duty to make and enforce, through the Personnel Department, the Civil Service Rules and Personnel Department Policies as well as establish and maintain the civil service system in accordance with the Los Angeles City Charter and laws of the State of California.

Civil Service Commission Page

Classification and
CERS

Classification

Establishes minimum requirements and duties statement for exam bulletins; reviews employee requests for reinstatement following probationary termination; investigates out-of-class complaints; responds to the Employee Relations Board on unit determination requests; works with operating departments to address various workforce planning issues which may include evaluation of functions, reclassification of positions, staffing, and reorganization; and provides technical assistance to operating departments in resolving various personnel issues.

Classification also reviews and determines the proper allocation and reallocation of positions for City departments; creates and revises class specifications; consolidates, splits, and/or abolishes classes; conducts class surveys; and designates positions or classes as temporary training, Safety Sensitive, or Management classes. Prepares status and assignment rights determinations; determines class group for purposes of Layoff or Displacement; tracks and reviews exemption requests pursuant to Charter Section 1001 (b), (c), and (d), and reviews all citywide personnel services contracts in accordance with Charter Section 1022. In addition, this Division approves the Citywide transfers, voluntary reversions and Charter Section 1014 requests.

Candidate & Employment Record Services (CERS)

The Backgrounds Unit reviews the applications of all candidates on an eligible list to ensure that they meet City background standards. The process includes a review of work experience, admitted conviction information, and any special license, education or training required. Staff fingerprints new City employees and notifies departments of any potentially disqualifying criminal history information received from the Department of Justice.

The Certifications Unit receives requests from City departments to certify eligible lists and generates certification lists by utilizing Neogov, the online certification process.

The Employee Folders Unit maintains the civil service folders for all active City employees and the Civil Service and departmental folders of terminated employees. Staff is responsible for maintaining the employee work history database, and for filing, copying, and maintaining employment-related documents in employee folders.

The Records Unit reviews and processes a variety of personnel transactions, such as transfers, leave of absences, suspensions and terminations of City employees to ensure compliance with Civil Service Rules and Personnel Polices. Staff reviews the disposition of all certifications to ensure appointments are in accordance with the Rule of Three Whole Scores.

CERS Page

Client Services

Through partnerships and collaborations with various Departments, the Client Services Division is committed to providing the best Human Resources services to our fellow City employees through teamwork, trust, integrity, support, and confidentiality.

Client Services is divided into three Divisions, each headed by a Personnel Director III. Each Client Services Division provides Human Resources services to various Departments. Client Services is responsible for Human Resources functions such as discipline, grievances, facilitating Departmental hiring needs, EEO investigations, reasonable accommodations and other specialized functions that may be time-consuming and may require specific expertise. Client Services staff is trained, knowledgeable, and dedicated in handling various critical Human Resources functions.

Client Services Page

Employee Benefits

Employee Benefits supports the health and wellbeing of Los Angeles City employees and their families.

The City of Los Angeles Personnel Department’s Employee Benefits Division administers the following programs:

LAwell, the Civilian Employee Benefits Program
LIVEwell, the Civilian Employee Wellness Program
COMMUTEwell, the Commute Options & Parking Program
The Deferred Compensation Plan (for full-time and half-time employees)
The Pension Savings Plan (for part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees)

Employee Benefits Page

Medical Services

The Medical Services Division is divided into three distinct sections: Correctional Care (Medical clinics operating within City jail), Occupational Health, and Psychology. The primary goal is to provide quality medical and specialty care services to the populations served in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.

Correctional Care

The purpose of Correctional Care is to provide high-quality medical care at three designated City jails: Parker Center, Van Nuys, and 77th Street Station. Medical care is provided for arrestees 24-hours per day, seven days a week. In addition to serving the arrestee population, medical care may also be provided to City employees at any of these sites.

The medical and nursing care provided includes pre- and post- booking examinations and treatment, routine daily sick calls and follow-up evaluations and treatments. When presented with complex medical conditions requiring a higher level of care than can be provided at the jail clinic, local medical centers are utilized. In these cases, there is collaboration between law enforcement, correctional care medical services and the receiving medical provider to assure that the highest quality of medical care is provided. Oversight for external medical service agreements is the responsibility of the Medical Services Division.

Occupational Health

The purpose of occupational health is to medically evaluate individuals so a safe and healthy workforce can be maintained; to assist in the prevention and reduction of work place injuries and illnesses; and provide expert consultation. Services are provided by a highly skilled staff and are available to all City employees and departments.

Psychology

The purpose of the Psychology Section is to evaluate individuals to maintain a safe and healthy workforce, to evaluate threats of work place violence, to provide post-critical incident assessments, and provide expert consultation. Extensive psychological assessments and testing are performed as necessary by a highly skilled staff of psychologists. Services are available to all City employees upon request.

Medical Services Page

Occupational Safety
& Health

The mission of the Occupational Safety & Health Division (OSHD) is to maintain a safe and healthy workplace for all City employees, City contractors, volunteers, and vendors; maintain compliance with all applicable law and regulations; and promote a positive attitude towards safety by establishing safety and health objectives for all levels of management and employees.

OSHD works collaboratively with all City departments towards our shared goal of managing risk for the benefit of the safety and wellness of the City workforce. In order to provide a safe and hazard-free workplace for our employees, many core functions come into play. We achieve our mission through various means, including support and guidance, outreach and training, compliance assistance, and technical expertise.

OSHD comprises a team of expert professionals - Safety Engineer(s), Industrial Hygienist(s), and Ergonomist(s) who provide citywide health and safety program support and services.

Safety Engineer(s) provides technical support on the subject of safety, risk, and hazards. Safety Engineer(s) is assigned to various City departments/offices and assists them in developing and administering the Cal/OSHA mandated safety programs including the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP); conducts workplace inspections, accident investigations, training, facilitates safety committee meetings, and provides safety consultation and regulatory support as needed.

Industrial Hygienist(s) focuses on a wide variety of services including exposure monitoring (lead, asbestos, noise, etc.), indoor air quality/ventilation assessments, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and recommendations on hazardous chemical management; performs a wide array of testing/samplings by using unique industrial hygiene equipment and laboratory supplies.

Ergonomist(s) provides individual and group ergonomic assessments and training to increase awareness of ergonomic risk factors associated with work behaviors and proper use of equipment in both office and field settings. Recommends appropriate equipment as needed. Also maintains an ergonomic lab which provides City employees the opportunity to try a variety of chairs, computer monitor set-ups, keyboards, desk configurations, ergonomic mouse and more.

OSHD Page

Office of Workplace
Equity

The Office of Workplace Equity (OWE) was created to support the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts Citywide by developing new policies and procedures, investigating reports of Equity Violations, leading the City’s Reasonable Accommodation, partnering with departments to advise and assist their DEI efforts, and developing and sourcing training programs that instruct and inspire new ways of working more inclusively and equitably.

OWE Page

PIROE

The Personnel, Innovation, Recognition, Onboarding, and Engagement (PIROE) division oversees an array of functions within the Personnel Department.

PIROE staff

Administers and tracks online training through the City's training platform
Manages and facilitates the City's Core Supervisory training program
Develops and tracks Citywide surveys related to employee engagement and development needs
Assists with the development of Department presentations, training programs, onboarding strategies, and reports
Provides input to other Personnel Divisions or City Departments related to the implementation of process improvements/innovations

.....and more!

Although the PIROE team is small, they take pride in helping with some BIG projects in the Personnel Department and across the City.

Public Safety
Division

The Public Safety Division manages the recruitment and selection of entry and promotional-level candidates to ensure that City departments have a sufficient pool of qualified and diverse public safety candidates from which to select.

Public Safety Page

Selection

The Selection division includes three sections:

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES SECTION – Staff from the Employment Services Section distributes job bulletins and responds to inquiries from City employees and the general public regarding City employment opportunities. Staff utilizes the Personnel Department’s on-line application system to accept and process applications for City employment and determines if applicants meet minimum qualifications. The section is responsible for interpreting bulletin requirements, as well as analyzing and responding to applicant appeals.
CENTRAL SERVICES SECTION – The Central Services Section provides support functions related to the administration and processing of all civil service examinations, including scheduling candidates, duplicating test materials, scoring, data entry, record keeping, securing test locations, proctoring, reviewing videos for test disqualifications, staffing the interview room, and producing eligible lists.
EXAMINING SECTION – The Examining Section is responsible for the civil service examinations for civilian classifications, which total over 900. These examinations result in producing eligible lists that serve the hiring needs of departments throughout the City, including all proprietary departments. Additionally, this section handles candidate claims against examinations, works with subject matter experts from City departments in exam development and test validation, develops job analyses through competency modeling for City classes, administers contracts with test vendors, and conducts other selection related research to incorporate the use of innovative selection methods and new or emerging technologies for assessments.

Systems

The Personnel's Technology section comprises two teams; Infrastructure and Application Development. The Infrastructure team supports and maintains the department's hardware and technology assets. Including the deployment of computers and the management of Personnel's network. They are also responsible for procuring IT solutions that streamline the many functions of the Personnel department. The Application Development team creates and maintains the department's software requirements. This includes both the Intranet as well as the public facing website. The Application Development team also develops taylored applications in order to support the unique operations performed by Personnel employees. Both teams work in conjunction to support all the Information Technology needs of Personnel employees and to ensure that safe cybersecurity is practiced throughout the entire department.

Workforce
Development

The Workforce Development Section is designed to improve and diversify the City’s workforce by identifying workforce needs and solutions, as well as creating alternative pathways into Civil Service careers through the LA Local Hire programs and Workforce Planning efforts.

LA Local Hire Programs

The LA Local Hire Programs create alternative pathways into civil service careers through the Targeted Local Hire Program and the Bridge to Jobs Program. The purpose of these programs is to create workforce pipelines by partnering with the City’s WorkSource Centers, Community-Based Organizations, and educational institutions. At the same time, these programs focus on connecting under-served and under-employed populations to rewarding Civil Service careers with the City of Los Angeles; thus, creating a unique opportunity for individuals to enter into Civil Service by using non-traditional civil service exams that involve on-the-job training and a working test period.

Workforce Planning

In compliance with Mayoral Executive Order, Workforce Planning improves the City’s workforce by partnering with City departments; assists all City Departments with the development and submission of their annual Equitable Workforce and Service Restoration Plans; analyzes department plans and provides recommendations to address citywide workforce challenges and priority objectives; and identifies classifications and high risk positions that are at risk of being impacted by potential retirements.

Workforce Development Page

Workers'
Compensation

Workers' compensation is the oldest social insurance program; it was adopted in most states, including California, during the second decade of the 20th century. It is a no-fault system, meaning that injured employees need not prove the injury was someone else's fault in order to receive workers' compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury.

The workers' compensation system is premised on a trade-off between employees and employers. Employees are supposed to receive the prompt delivery of defined statutory workers' compensation benefits for on-the-job injuries, and in return, the defined workers' compensation benefits are, for the most part, the exclusive remedy for injured employees against their employer, even when the employer negligently caused the injury.

The Workers' Compensation Division (WC Division) operates and monitors a complete permissibly self-insured workers' compensation program ensuring the full provision of benefits under the law to employees whose injuries arose in the course and scope of employment. This program oversees the administration of approximately 15,000 workers' compensation claims.

Currently, the City of Los Angeles utilizes a combination of in-house staff and contracts with private firms for the administration of workers' compensation claims. These firms are called workers' compensation third party administrators. The WC Division provides continuous on-site workers' compensation third party administration contract monitoring. Additionally, the WC Division provides customer service designed to assist injured workers and departments to resolve workers' compensation claim issues by providing subject matter expertise.

Workers' Compensation Page

about us

mission

vision

values

leadership

(VACANT)

general manager

Letty Ortiz

Assistant general manager

Grayce Liu

City Engagement Officer

Paula Dayes

Assistant general manager

Aaron McCraney

Assistant general manager

Adrienne Chavez

Chief personnel analyst

Bruce Whidden

Public information director

Gina Tervalon

Personnel Director III

Hosie L. Thomas Jr.

Personnel Director III

Howard Wada

Personnel Director III

Jenny M. Yau

Chief Management analyst

Joanne O'Brien

Medical Services Administrator

Jamie Kim

Chief personnel analyst

Melissa Hamamoto

Chief Personnel analyst

Najma Bashar

Safety Administrator

Paul Makowski

Chief Management analyst

Steve Rivera

Chief personnel analyst

Tyrone Spears

Workers' Compensation Administrator II

Vincent Cordero

Chief personnel analyst

divisions

Assistant
general manager

Assistant
general manager

Assistant
general manager

Gina
Tervalon

Jenny M.
Yau