Under a proposal authored by Councilmember Raul Campillo, city of San Diego employees would receive three months of fully paid parental leave, which would cost taxpayers between $5 and $6 million annually.
The plan would cost San Diego city taxpayers between $5 and $6 million a year — up from $1.5 million currently. But, Campillo said, it would recoup some costs by decreasing staff turnover and overtime.
“We are going to achieve multiple benefits: It will make our employees feel taken care of, they will stay to work with us, and we want to see good health outcomes for our employees and their newborn children,” he said. In 2020, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors rejected a plan to provide eight weeks parental leave to county employees, leaving them with only what the state provides. That’s 60% to 70% of their pay for up to six weeks. Other cities, including Minneapolis and Chicago, recently boosted their paid leave to 12 weeks.
The proposal can be approved by Gloria without going before City Council. But it will require negotiations with city unions and council members vote on any new labor agreements.