Legislative Recorder

About the Department

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of injustice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.    

Why join the City of Oakland's City Clerk Department?
The Office of the City Clerk delivers high-quality, professional services to the citizens of the City of Oakland, elected officials, and the internal organization that facilitates their needs and seamless access to information to fully participate in the decision-making processes affecting the quality of life for everyone in the City of Oakland. The Legislative Recorder supports the Agenda Management Unit and the Elections and Compliance Unit.  

We are looking for someone who is:  

• A Team Player. You will thrive as a team player by actively contributing and valuing diverse perspectives.
• Detail-oriented. You will excel by applying strong attention to detail and ensuring accuracy in every record you produce.
• Able to Thrive in a Fast-Paced Environment. You will succeed in a fast-paced environment by staying focused, organized, and adaptable.
• Great with Time Management. You will shine by managing your time effectively and balancing multiple priorities with ease.
• Capable of Working Independently. You will feel confident working independently and taking ownership of tasks from start to finish.
• An Excellent Communicator (Orally and in Writing). You will stand out through clear, professional communication — both verbally and in writing.
• A Fast Learner. You will grow quickly in this role by learning new processes and concepts with confidence and curiosity.

What you will typically be responsible for: 

• Recording and transcribing minutes of the City Council meetings
• Facilitating meetings with members of the public and elected officials 
• Managing City records 
• Ensuring City legislation is correct 
• Noticing meetings according to the Brown Act and Sunshine Ordinance 
• Training City staff 
• Assisting in reviewing and editing approved election materials and documents  

Read the complete job description here: Legislative Recorder.

*Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland!

Working for the City of Oakland

A few reasons you might love this job:  

• You like varied jobs; no two days are the same.
• You like keeping abreast of City issues; you will attend City Council meetings where members of the public share their voice 
• You enjoy working closely with community leaders, and you will collaborate with those who are deeply invested in strengthening Oakland. 
• You like challenging jobs, and you thrive in situations that push you to think critically and adapt quickly. 
• You enjoy civic pride, and you thrive in roles where you can contribute to the community’s growth and vitality.
  

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You may be required to work late nights; City of Oakland meetings can be long. 
• You may find yourself in fast-paced Council meetings that challenge you to stay composed and maintain accurate documentation even as conversations shift quickly.
• You may need to produce clear and accurate meeting documentation while interacting with individuals who hold strong or differing perspectives.

Competencies Required:

• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires.
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products.
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity.
• Listening: Fully comprehending spoken communication.
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue.
• Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability.
• Reading Comprehension: Understanding and using written information.
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing.

Minimum Qualifications

This recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City and Port of Oakland employees who maintain employment for the duration of the recruitment and pass all stages of the recruitment process. The open list will be for all other applicants who pass all stages of the recruitment process.

This is a public contact position. The City highly encourages all bilingual candidates to apply! Some positions may require bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin. Under the authority of Civil Service Rules Section 5.03, if a position requires bilingual language skills, only those candidates who have indicated they are bilingual in the required language(s) will be referred. Bilingual candidates will be required to successfully pass a language proficiency test if selected for hire. 

Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the following minimum qualifications may be acceptable.

Education:  

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.

Experience: 

Four years of increasingly responsible experience performing secretarial work with emphasis on transcribing, preparing agendas and minutes, handling large volumes of paper, and performing record-keeping tasks. 

Desirable Qualifications: 

• Knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order
• Knowledge of the Brown Act 
• Experience Working Directly with Hybrid Public Participation Technology 
• Strong organizational, Technical, and Communication skills 
• The ability to thrive in a deadline-driven environment 
  
  
  

Other Qualifications

The Recruitment Process: 

The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas. 

Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications.

In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.

For this recruitment, all qualified candidates will be invited to participate in an online typing assessment (weighted pass/fail). The typing assessment will consist of three five-minute timed typing tests. The scores attained on the three typing assessments will be averaged to determine the candidate's average net WPM. The tentative date that the typing test will be sent to you for completion is the week of August 31, 2026.

Those who pass the typing test will be invited to participate in the job simulation exercise (sometimes referred to as a performance exam) (weighted 100%). The tentative date of the performance exam is the week of September 14, 2026.

Candidates requesting reasonable accommodations for the examination process must request accommodations no later than one week before they are scheduled to take the exam; otherwise, it may not be possible to arrange accommodations for the selection process. Please complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation in Testing form by clicking on this link or by copying and pasting the link into your browser to open it: https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Request-for-Reasonable-Accommodation-in-Testing-2.9.22-Fillable.pdf. Send the completed form and any supporting documentation to the exam analyst: Christina Dennis at cdennis@oaklandca.gov.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

 What’s in it for you? 

• 15 paid holidays 
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security 
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans 
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents 
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents 
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

*Benefits described here do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found here: Working for Oakland | City of Oakland, CA

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Benefits

The City of Oakland is committed to the wellbeing of its employees and offers comprehensive health and wellness services along with an array of other benefits for most positions.  Benefits may include*:

• CalPERS Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Medical Waiver Plan – Cash-In-Lieu
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Benefits
• Group & Supplemental Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH)
• Pension Benefits
• Deferred Compensation

* Specific benefits may vary depending on the assigned specific bargaining unit.  Information regarding most benefits can be reviewed here: Employee Benefits Information  Current MOUs may be reviewed here: City of Oakland Labor Agreements

 

Supplemental Questions

01

Please be sure to answer the supplemental questions thoroughly and accurately. Applicants are responsible for clearly, completely, and accurately identifying their qualifications. Responses to the supplemental questions may determine your application status. By answering "yes" to this question, I certify that I have read and understand the statement above concerning submission of supplemental question responses.

• Yes
• No

02

This recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City employees who maintain employment for the duration of the recruitment and pass all stages of the recruitment process. The open list will be for all other applicants who pass all stages of the recruitment process. Are you a current full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City of Oakland employee?

• Yes
• No

03

If you are a current City or Port of Oakland employee, what is your job title and employee ID number?

If you are not a City or Port employee, type "N/A."

04

Have you previously been employed by the City of Oakland?

• Yes
• No

05

If you have previously been employed by the City of Oakland, please enter any other name(s) used below.

If not applicable, type "N/A"

06

Please list other names used while employed by the City of Oakland. If you have not been employed by the City of Oakland put "N/A".

07

Do you confirm that the address on your application matches your current residency?

• Yes
• No

08

If the address on your application does not match your current residence, please enter your address and update it in your application profile. If not applicable, type "N/A"

09

What is the highest level of education you currently possess? *Please note that your response must be supported by information contained in the "Education" section of your application. Answers not supported by information in the education section will not be considered.

• High School Diploma/GED
• Completion of 1-14 semester / 1-21 quarter units of college level coursework
• Completion of 15-29 semester / 22-44 quarter units of college level coursework
• Completion of 30-59 semester / 45-89 quarter units of college level coursework
• Completion of 60-89 semester / 90-134 quarter units of college level coursework
• Completion of 90+ semester / 135+ quarter units of college level coursework
• Completion of a Bachelors degree
• Completion of a Master's Degree
• Completion of a Ph.D.
• None of the above

10

If you indicated your highest educational achievement is "Some college credits", how many units of college level coursework have you completed?

• 1-14 semester / 1-21 quarter units / or equivalent
• 15-29 semester / 22-44 quarter units / or equivalent
• 30-59 semester / 45-89 quarter units / or equivalent
• 60-89 semester / 90-134 quarter units / or equivalent
• 90+ semester / 135+ quarter units / or equivalent
• N/A

11

If you indicated that you have attained a Bachelor's degree or above, please list the field of study (major) in each degree attained. (for example: BA degree - Environmental Science & MA degree - Business Administration) If this doesn't apply, please indicate "NA".

12

If you selected "Other", please list the major for your degree. If you did not select "Other", please type "N/A".

13

How many years of experience do you have performing secretarial duties that include transcription, agenda and minute preparation, and extensive record-keeping?

• I possess 7 or more years of experience as described
• I possess 6 or more years, but less than 7 years, of experience as described
• I possess 5 or more years, but less than 6 years, of experience as described
• I possess 4 or more years, but less than 5 years, of experience as described
• I possess 3 or more years, but less than 4 years, of experience as described
• I possess 2 or more years, but less than 3 years, of experience as described
• I possess 1 year, but less than 2 years, of experience as described
• I possess less than 1 year of experience as described
• I do not possess any experience as described

14

Please describe your experience and the related duties you performed in Legislative Recorder or a related role. If you do not have this experience, type "N/A".

15

This is a public contact position. Although no current vacancies require bilingual skills in a specific language, the eligible list generated from this announcement will be used to fill positions that may or may not require bilingual language skills. For positions in this classification not requiring bilingual language skills, names will be certified in rank order (in accordance with Civil Service Rules, Section 5.02).

For positions in this classification requiring selective certification of bilingual language skills, names of eligible candidates certified to the hiring authority shall be the highest ranking candidates willing to accept employment and who possess the additional and special qualifications required (in accordance with Civil Service Rules, Section 5.03, Selective Certification). Such positions will require selective bilingual skills in one or more of the following languages: Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Please note, identified bilingual skills will be tested prior to a final offer of employment. Candidates must pass the bilingual skills test to be considered for selectively certified positions.

Identify the language(s) for which you have bilingual conversational proficiency. If you do not have bilingual conversational proficiency in any of the identified languages, check the appropriate box.

• Cantonese
• Mandarin
• Spanish
• I do not have bilingual conversational proficiency in any of the identified languages, but I am still interested in the position.

16

Acting assignments: If you have served in an Acting assignment that you would like considered as experience towards the minimum qualifications requirement, please list the Acting assignment(s) separately in the "Work experience" section of your application. For each Acting assignment, the description must include the Acting job title (use the word Acting as part of the job title), dates and hours served, and duties performed. I understand the above statement and will list any Acting assignments separately in the "Work experience" section of my application form

• Yes
• No

17

Answers to the above supplemental questions MUST be supported by information contained in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of this application. Answers not supported by information contained in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of this application will NOT be considered. I have read and understand this statement.

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Agency Information

Employer

City of Oakland

Address

150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza - 2nd Floor








Oakland, California, 94612

Phone

(510) 238-3112

Website

http://www.oaklandca.gov/