BERKELEY, Calif. — Managers in city offices across Berkeley have spent the better part of the year trying to recruit staff and patch holes in work schedules as vacancies careened upward, leaving some departments operating with too few employees to provide the services residents need and expect.
The staffing woes are affecting services throughout the city — from police and fire departments, and public works, to health services and libraries. More troubles loom with upcoming retirements that could further impact the employee counts.
Nearly 30% of the budgeted positions at the Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch library have been vacant this year, creating stressful conditions for workers and problems for users, said librarian Andrea Mullarkey, who curates the Berkeley Public Library’s teen collection.
