Simi Falling Short in Minority Hiring : Affirmative action: Despite problems in reaching self-imposed goals, city officials say they are pleased with progress being made.

Although half the new workers employed by Simi Valley over the past year were women or minorities, none was hired as a top administrator or police officer, causing the city to falter in reaching its own affirmative-action goals.

Of 70 employees hired by the city in 1994, 15 were white women and 20 were minorities, according to a report presented Monday to the City Council.

But only eight of those were considered affirmative-action hires under the city’s five-year plan to fill certain positions, including administrative jobs, with minorities.

Mayor Greg Stratton said that despite the shortfalls, he is pleased with the progress the city has made in hiring minorities.

“These goals we set up are really rather arbitrary,” Stratton said. “The fact is that we are making a strong effort to attract well-qualified minorities, and that effort is paying off.”

Simi Valley has surpassed its affirmative-action goals for maintenance workers and clerical support. But to reach its five-year goal of 33 affirmative-action hires, the city must fill 12 targeted jobs with women and minorities in the coming year.

In the last four years, the city has hired just two Latinos in top administrative and professional positions. The plan calls for the hiring of three more Latinos by the time the program ends next December.

By the end of 1995, the plan also directs the city to hire four minorities and two women as police officers.

So far, no minorities and just one woman have been hired as officers since 1990. Since 1991, the percentage of white men working as police officers has risen slightly from 85.3% to 85.7%

Councilman Bill Davis said the city has a hard time attracting minority candidates, who may not be interested in working in Simi Valley.

“When we advertise for these jobs, we certainly go outside of Simi Valley,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, I think a lot of people still consider us to be out in the boonies, so we don’t always get the diverse application pool we might like.”

A year and a half ago, Simi Valley’s highest-ranking African American police officer filed a federal discrimination suit against the city, alleging he was stuck for 16 years at the rank of a sergeant because of his race. The suit was settled in August for $20,000, and the officer has retired.

In the coming year, the city, whose population is 80% white, plans to step up minority recruiting efforts through job fairs and advertisements in trade magazines, said Laura Herron, director of general services.

Of the city’s 522 employees, 79% are white and 54% are white men. Four years ago, when the affirmative-action plan went into effect, the city employed 490 workers. Of that, 81% were white and 55% were white men.

In the past year, the city hired white males to fill openings for a new police chief and a new deputy city manager. Both jobs were vacated by white males. Herron was promoted from deputy city manager to head the General Services Department, the first woman to hold that position.

“The city is making a good-faith effort,” Councilman Paul Miller said. “The turnover is low and the job market is such that Simi Valley can pick the cream of the crop. That means the city can hire the best candidates, regardless of race or gender.”