The City of Santa Ana is the first public agency in Orange County to offer paid parental leave to eligible employees.
Under Memoranda of Understanding approved by the Santa Ana City Council, over 100 employees who are members of the Santa Ana Management Association (SAMA) or the Confidential Association of Santa Ana (CASA) will receive the new benefit. The City Council approved the SAMA agreement on June 6, 2023, and the CASA agreement on July 18, 2023.
“Our employees are the backbone of City government and work diligently every day to provide high-quality service to our community,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “I’m proud that Santa Ana is leading the way in providing this groundbreaking parental leave benefit and showing our employees how much we value them.”
During the contract negotiation process, the City and the two labor groups agreed to allow eligible employees to receive up to eight weeks of employer-paid parental leave for the birth, adoption, or foster of a child. The City of Santa Ana is not only the first public agency in Orange County, but also is believed to be one of the first in California to provide full pay for parental leave.
The terms of both contracts are July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025.