Civil Service Commission hearing policies and procedures

August 2, 2022

Read the rules for Civil Service Commission meetings and hearings.

  1. Location
  2. Documents submitted by people making an appeal (appellants)
    1. Document format
    2. Public viewing of materials
  3. Written departmental staff reports
    1. Public viewing of written reports
    2. Requesting copies of written reports
  4. Changes to the hearing schedule
    1. Scheduling a hearing after business hours
    2. Postponing a hearing
    3. Requesting a private hearing (closed session)
    4. Hearing agenda items out of order at the meeting
  5. Meeting procedure
    1. If a proposed personal services contract is severed from the Ratification Agenda:
    2. If a matter is severed from the Consent Agenda:
    3. For items on the Regular Agenda:
    4. For items on the Separations Agenda:
    5. Recordings of hearings
  6. Speaking before the Civil Service Commission
    1. Public comment during a meeting

Sections

  1. Location
  2. Documents submitted by people making an appeal (appellants)
    1. Document format
    2. Public viewing of materials
  3. Written departmental staff reports
    1. Public viewing of written reports
    2. Requesting copies of written reports
  4. Changes to the hearing schedule
    1. Scheduling a hearing after business hours
    2. Postponing a hearing
    3. Requesting a private hearing (closed session)
    4. Hearing agenda items out of order at the meeting
  5. Meeting procedure
    1. If a proposed personal services contract is severed from the Ratification Agenda:
    2. If a matter is severed from the Consent Agenda:
    3. For items on the Regular Agenda:
    4. For items on the Separations Agenda:
    5. Recordings of hearings
  6. Speaking before the Civil Service Commission
    1. Public comment during a meeting
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Location

Civil Service Commission meetings and hearings usually happen in:

City Hall - Room 400
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Hearings are in person. During the COVID-19 emergency, some Commissioners may join remotely. 

The Civil Service Commission office is located at:

25 Van Ness Avenue
Suite 720
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 628-652-1100
Fax: 628-652-1109
Email: civilservice@sfgov.org

 

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Documents submitted by people making an appeal (appellants)

If a person making an appeal has written material to support their case, they must submit it to the Commission by the deadline.

The deadline is 5 p.m. 4 business days before the scheduled meeting. So if the meeting is on a Monday, they must submit the documents by the previous Tuesday. 

Learn how to get ready for an appeal hearing.

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Document format

The person making the appeal must submit:

  • Original hardcopy of all documents
  • Electronic documents

All paperwork must:

  • Have page numbers centered on the bottom
  • Be on 8.5 x 11 inch paper
  • Have three holes punches on the left margin so they will fit in a 3-ring binder
  • Have private information blacked out (such as - social security number, personal phone number, home address) 

Learn how to prepare documents for a Civil Service Commission appeal.

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Public viewing of materials

All written material people submit to the Commission for review becomes part of the public record. Anyone can go view the documents at the Civil Service Commission office or on the website (add link). 

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Written departmental staff reports

Most agenda items must be supported by a written staff report. Commission or departmental staff create the report. 

Staff must follow the rules for submitting the report and get it in on time. If not, the item will not be added to the meeting calendar. 

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Public viewing of written reports

Anyone can review staff reports in the Commission office or on the website. They are available 72 hours before the scheduled meeting. 

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Requesting copies of written reports

Anyone can call the Commission Office and ask for a copy of a public viewing report. Commission staff can give digital copies of reports for free. 

Hard copies cost 10 cents ($0.10) per page.

Get a copy of a Civil Service Commission report.

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Changes to the hearing schedule

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Scheduling a hearing after business hours

If you need to have a hearing held after 5 p.m., ask as soon as possible. Call or e-mail the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission at 628-652-1100 or civilservice@sfgov.org. You may also request/confirm in writing by either:

  • Bringing it to our offices
  • Mailing it to our offices
    • 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 720, San Francisco, CA 94102
  • Faxing it to 628-652-1109

Ask to reschedule a Civil Service Commission hearing.

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Postponing a hearing

Call or e-mail the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission at 628-652-1100 or civilservice@sfgov.org to postpone a hearing (request a continuance). You may also request/confirm in writing by either:

  • Bringing it to our offices
  • Mailing it to our offices
    • 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 720, San Francisco, CA 94102
  • Faxing it to 628-652-1109

Request a delay for a Civil Service Commission hearing.

Before making a decision, the Executive Officer may ask for a recommendation from another City official. 

If the Civil Service Commission denies the request, you get a second chance. You can ask during the beginning of the meeting after the “Announcement of Changes."

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Requesting a private hearing (closed session)

Ask the Executive Officer in advance of the meeting or ask the Commission President at the start of the meeting during the agenda. The President will make a decision.

If the President allows a private hearing for confidential information (such as - discipline, medical, legal), it will be heard at the next meeting.

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Hearing agenda items out of order at the meeting

Ask the Executive Officer in advance of the meeting or ask the Commission President at the start of the meeting to hear agenda items out of order. The President will make the final decision.

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Meeting procedure

The Commission has the right to ask each party questions during their presentations. The Commission can also change the amount of time people have to speak and adjust other requirements.

  • The requester's presentation must be 5 minutes or less
  • The opponent’s presentation must be 5 minutes or less
  • The departmental representative’s response must also be 5 minutes or less
  • The departmental representative’s presentation must be 5 minutes or less
  • The opponent’s response must also be 5 minutes or less
  • The departmental representative’s presentation must be 10 minutes or less
  • The employee or employee representative’s response must also be 10 minutes or less

Each presentation shall follow this model:

  1. Opening summary of case (brief overview)
  2. Discussion of evidence
  3. Corroborating witnesses, if necessary
  4. Closing remarks

Each side gets 5 minutes to respond to the other’s presentation.

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Recordings of hearings

We record all Commission meetings and keep the recordings for at least 10 days. Recordings are available for public review starting on the day after the Commission meeting in the Commission office.

Listen to audio recordings of previous Civil Service Commission meetings.

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Speaking before the Civil Service Commission

Speakers do not need to have speaker cards.

If people want to speak (give testimony) about an item on the agenda, they need to do it when the Commission is hearing that item. This means:

  • People need to wait to speak until the Commission calls on them
  • People cannot give testimony after the Commission has ended the discussion and moved on to the next agenda item

People making an appeal: Learn how to get ready for a hearing.

City staff: Learn how to represent your department during a hearing.

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Public comment during a meeting

Anyone can talk to the Commission about something not on the agenda, as long as the topic is within the Commission’s jurisdiction. This happens during the “requests to speak” item on the agenda. 

Speakers don’t have to say their name. Each person gets 3 minutes to speak. 

"Requests to speak” lasts 3 minutes or less unless the Commission extends it.

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