Ventura council approves new labor contracts with SEIU, police unions

The Ventura City Council approved new labor contracts with three employee groups at its July 14 meeting, covering pay and benefit terms effective July 1 through 2029, according to the council's July 14 action agenda.

The council voted 5-0 to approve Memoranda of Understanding with the Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents General, Professional, and Supervisory unit employees, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Two-year MOUs with the Ventura Police Officers' Association and the Ventura Police Management Association run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, per the agenda. The agreements were numbered 2026-112, 2026-113, and 2026-114.

Councilmembers also adopted six revised salary resolutions providing for a systematic classification of positions and standardized salaries, effective July 4, 2026. Four of the resolutions cover SEIU Local 721 members, VPOA, VPMA, and certain paid officers and employees of the city (Executive, Management, Confidential and Police/Fire Recruits). A fifth resolution provides benefits and additional compensation for unrepresented employees, also effective July 4, 2026. A sixth resolution updates medical, vision, dental, and employee assistance benefits for active City Council members, effective January 1, 2027. The resolutions were numbered 2026-49 through 2026-54.

The meeting was the first for the new fiscal year, which began July 1. Councilmembers Liz Campos, Bill McReynolds, Jim Duran, Deputy Mayor Doug Halter, and Mayor Dr. Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios voted in favor. Councilmembers Ryyn Schumacher and Alex Mangone were absent.

The contracts were negotiated by City Manager Bill Ayub, Human Resources Director Valerie Barroso, and Adrianna Guzman of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, the city's labor law firm. The council also met in closed session on labor negotiations with seven employee organizations, including the Ventura Fire Management Association, Ventura City Firefighters' Association, and Ventura Maintenance Employees Association, though that session was not completed and was continued to the close of the regular meeting.