GCEA Board of Director’s Meeting March 2026

GCEA BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors was held on March 18, 2026, in person in the GCEA office and on TEAMS. Meeting was called to order by Sean Toro, GCEA President at 12:05 p.m. and roll was called. Guest in attendance was Raymond Badalyan.

MEETING AGENDA APPROVAL:

Motion was made by Elisabeth Bergman to accept the printed agenda for the January meeting. The motion was seconded by Bertha Albright. All in favor, motion carried.

FINANCE REPORT:

The February Profit and Loss report was reviewed by the Finance committee and approved via email. The report will be distributed with approved February Minutes. 

MINUTES APPROVAL:

February meeting minutes were approved via email.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT AND DISCUSSION:

·         Matt and Sean will have a meeting tomorrow, March 19, 2026, with Rubik and Human Resources to discuss transitioning City Hall to a 4/10 schedule. This proposal would include all GWP and would result in all customer counters being closed every Friday.

·         We will be changing our committee reporting format. Each chair will need to submit a report to Stephanie the day prior to the meeting. Stephanie will compile the information and send it to Sean and Matt for reporting purposes.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT AND DISCUSSION:

·         Matt had nothing to add to report.

Committee Reports

Community Alliance – Joe Palos reported that Bertha Albright is the new Chair of this committee. Bertha shared that due to recent press reports regarding Cesar Chavez, the committee has decided not to participate in the event at this time. Joe will inform Parks Department of our decision. The reports include criminal activity and misconduct of various kinds. The committee feels it is appropriate to refrain from participation until more information is available and the allegations are either substantiated or deemed unfounded. Future participation may be considered next year depending on the outcome.

Political Alliance – Ronnie Lira gave report in absence of Gerald Mendoza. The committee is currently meeting with incumbents as well as candidates registered on the upcoming ballot to fill upcoming city council vacancies. Ronnie met with Dan Brotman last week, who confirmed that his position continues to support moving forward with clean energy initiatives.  The committee will continue hosting meetings with potential candidates.

Benefits – Joe Palos, chair reported on the expectations for the upcoming City Benefits meeting next week. It is his opinion that the city will be open to discussions regarding changes in coverage rather than changes in brokers. Other bargaining units are expected to attend.

Digital Communications – Elisabeth Bergman, chair reported an increase in traffic to MemberDeals following the recent email sent to membership. Stephanie has also been consistently updating the website to ensure our content remains current.

Scholarships – Leslie Fox, chair reported that this committee will host a meeting March 19, 2026, upcoming changes and scholarship offerings.

New Employee Orientation – Elisabeth Bergman, chair reported that the committee is still working to obtain a photo from Matt Mancini for use on the website and in the NEO slideshow presentations. By June, the committee will need to convert the slides into a digital format. Elizabeth, Greg and Stephanie will meet on March 25 to discuss three potential options for welcome bag items. Once finalized the options and pricing will be presented to the Board for a vote.

Bylaws – Nothing to report.

Disciplinary – Nothing to report.

DISCUSSION:

Damary inquired about the GCEA contributing to National Telecommunication Week. Sean suggested contribution of $100, consistent with the amount previously approved for the Parks Department. The Board will need to meet to determine a standard contribution amount for future requests from departments seeking donations within the city. These donations will be expensed to the Employee Relations line item.

OLD BUSINESS:

Election of Executive Committee. Sean Toro nominated Elisabeth Bergman; Matt Mancini nominated Steve Morris; the board nominated Greg Asaturian.

Executive Committee purpose - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

The executive committee will be elected from the board of directors consisting of three (3) members. The committee is expected to provide strategic and operational leadership and ensure effective governance when needed. The committee will make oversight to the body of the GCEA in the absence of the President or Vice President. This committee shall have decision making powers on behalf of the President and Vice President in their absence. The committee will act on behalf of the full board. 

 Matt Mancini made a motion to adjourn. Isabella Alvarez seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned 1:22 pm.

Minutes respectfully submitted by: Stephanie Kinnison