Hermosa Beach : 4-Day Workweek Adopted

The City Council voted to close City Hall on Fridays and extend its hours Monday through Thursday for a six-month trial beginning Nov. 30.

City Hall will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the four-day workweek. The changes were made at the request of the Teamsters Union, which represents many of the city’s employees.

Phone calls, however, will be accepted only between 8 a.m. and noon and 1 and 5 p.m.

City Clerk Kathleen Midstokke said she opposed the change because it will restrict people’s access to public records and because most inquiries are made by telephone.

A city survey of 416 people who use City Hall services showed that 70% of the respondents favored the four-day-a-week schedule, which includes having city offices opened during the noon hour.

Parking enforcement and animal control officers will still work seven days a week. Non-sworn employees of the Police Department have been working four-day weeks since Sept. 5 on a six-month trial basis.

Only 17% of the people surveyed prefer the current schedule, which has City Hall open from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.