Do you need a diploma in gender studies to be in the HR department of West Covina? Does a city planner need a degree in ethnic studies to qualify for the job? West Covina is joining others, like Gov. Newsom in raising qualifications for government jobs by lowering degrees needed to hold a government job.
“Anyone “with a combination of education and experience” could soon apply for department head positions, including city manager, in the city of West Covina. The City Council on Tuesday, May 6, directed city staff to review the policy, including details on how years of experience, supervisory background, and any relevant certifications can apply.
“The goal is to open pathways for highly qualified individuals who may not hold a traditional college degree but have a proven track record, leadership skills, and equivalent job experience,” said Councilmember Brian Gutierrez, who first requested the study at the city’s council meeting on Feb. 18. “I believe talent and capability shouldn’t be limited by educational background alone, especially when someone has demonstrated excellence in public service or a related field. This potential shift would also bring our local practices more in line with how the state and federal governments evaluate candidates—balancing formal education with practical.”
What a concept! Being qualified for the job. Having experience to do the job! Hiring qualified people, not ideological robots for a government job. This is a needed revolution.
West Covina City Council explores dropping degree requirements for city job seekers
The move would digress from standard best practice among city governments.
By Anissa Rivera, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 5/8/25 https://www.sgvtribune.com/2025/05/08/west-covina-city-council-explores-dropping-degree-requirements-for-city-job-seekers/
The city of West Covina is exploring modifying job descriptions to allow people without a bachelor’s degree to apply for city positions where that standard is currently the minimum requirement.
Anyone “with a combination of education and experience” could soon apply for department head positions, including city manager, in the city of West Covina. The City Council on Tuesday, May 6, directed city staff to review the policy, including details on how years of experience, supervisory background, and any relevant certifications can apply.
“The goal is to open pathways for highly qualified individuals who may not hold a traditional college degree but have a proven track record, leadership skills, and equivalent job experience,” said Councilmember Brian Gutierrez, who first requested the study at the city’s council meeting on Feb. 18. “I believe talent and capability shouldn’t be limited by educational background alone, especially when someone has demonstrated excellence in public service or a related field. This potential shift would also bring our local practices more in line with how the state and federal governments evaluate candidates—balancing formal education with practical experience.”
The push would keep the educational requirements for positions that carry a high level of public trust, such as the finance director, or assistant city clerk, Gutierrez said.
“I value my education, and I also value the diverse paths that bring people into meaningful work,” he added.
Mayor Tony Wu said the change will open the door for candidates who don’t have a bachelor’s degree but may have equivalent job experience.
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“We need to give those people a chance, because working hard, having the innovation and imagination, it doesn’t come from a college degree,” he said. “This gives us more room to pick the right person for the job.”
Wu, who holds a master’s degree in fine arts himself, said he recalls turning away an applicant for fire chief in 2019 who had 27 years of experience working for the department, but no college degree.
“We have this man working his whole life who was a proven leader, and we couldn’t hire him, it was such a waste of talent,” Wu said. “A degree doesn’t equal ability.”
In her report, city manager Paulina Morales and staff surveyed similarly-sized cities in the area, including Covina, Diamond Bar, El Monte, Glendora, Pomona and Whittier. She reported all of them require a bachelor’s degree, at a minimum, for department director-level positions. A master’s degree is preferred. She added that some cities did include language allowing a combination of education and experience in place of formal degrees. This was the option the City Council voted on.
“The best practice is to require at minimum, a bachelor’s degree for these types of executive level positions,” Morales said.
Morales herself graduated with a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Cal Poly Pomona and also earned a construction management certificate from UC Berkeley. She was appointed city manager in May last year, after serving as assistant city manager from 2021.
The order for further review passed with Gutierrez, Councilmember Letty Lopez-Viado and Wu voting yes, Cantos voting no and Diaz abstaining.
Councilmember Ollie Cantos voted against the proposal, calling lowering education standards a big mistake.
“We need to keep the requirements the same,” Cantos said. “To me, it is not a question of whether or not education is important or experience is important. It’s good for us to have both. We already adhere to and have and expect high standards of our applicants. This enables us to continue to attract high quality individuals.”
Former Mayor Brian Tabatabai spoke out against the proposal during public comment, calling it a calculated decision that “erodes accountability, weakens professional oversight, and opens the door to political patronage.”
“This is not a move grounded in equity,” Tabatabai said. “We already struggle to recruit and retain public sector professionals, if we abandon baseline educational standards for the most critical executive positions in the city, we risk losing insurance coverage, credibility and the trust of those we are trying to attract.”
He added the move mocks every qualified public servant who has earned their education.
“Let’s not trade professionalism for patronage,” he said.
Morales will draft revised job descriptions from most executive positions down to entry-level openings, which will then be reviewed for legal and operational impacts. These will then be submitted to employee associations and City Council approval before implementation.
