H.B. council takes a step toward giving the public a say in labor talks with city employees

Huntington Beach is a step closer to adopting an ordinance intended to increase transparency in city labor negotiations with public employees, including police officers, firefighters and non-public-safety personnel.

The City Council voted 5 to 2 Monday to approve the first reading of an ordinance aimed at allowing residents to provide input on labor talks.

The ordinance requires a second vote during a future council meeting. If approved then, the law would go into effect 30 days afterward.

The ordinance would require the city to:

• Use an independent negotiator (when requested) who would not benefit from the outcome;
• Publicize the costs of a contract and any changes to it;
• Publicize all offers and counteroffers, except for the first offer from both sides;
• Disclose all verbal, written and electronic communications among the parties involved;
• Post a memorandum of understanding on the city’s website and have the contract heard twice before final approval.

Mayor Jill Hardy and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Katapodis dissented in Monday’s vote. Though both say they believe in making labor negotiations more transparent, they believe the rules should be approved as a policy rather than an ordinance.

A policy would allow council members to fine-tune the rules as negotiations occur, while an ordinance would be more rigid.