The Solana Beach City Council approved a status report regarding open jobs with the city June 24, fulfilling a state law requiring more transparency for vacant positions and local government efforts to fill them.
The state law, AB 2561, requires a hearing once a year to discuss vacancies, recruitment and retention with the goal of increasing transparency.
“This update should include details about any obstacles encountered in the hiring process,” according to a council agenda report. “In instances where the vacancy rate within a bargaining unit reaches 20% or higher, agencies are required to present additional vacancy information if requested by a recognized employee organization. Furthermore, these agencies must permit the recognized employee organization for a bargaining group to make a presentation during the hearing.”
The report added that the only vacancy rate greater than 20% for the 2025 calendar year was in the Confidential Employees Group, which includes positions such as administrative assistant and financial services specialist, and is not represented by an employee organization. “The vacancy rate is due to the small size of the unit,” the report said.
The three bargaining groups in Solana Beach were notified of the agenda item at the council meeting but did not make presentations.
There were 16 vacancies in Solana Beach in the 2025 calendar year, 10 recruitments and 13 total hires, according to the city, all excluding temporary and seasonal staff.
“We try to cast a very wide net to make sure we’re attracting as many qualified applicants as possible, and the way that we do that is we advertise in as many places as possible,” Jose Gonzalez, a senior human resources analyst with the city of Solana Beach.
