One target was measurable; another was not
Kern County’s 2024–26 talent strategy listed a 2023 average hiring time of 55 days and a 2026 target of 42. The 2024–25 Grand Jury reported that Human Resources had already reached 42 days—a 13-day, 23.6% reduction.
The same strategy placed fully engaged employees at 25% and targeted 40%, a 15-percentage-point increase. But the jury said Human Resources could not provide a definition and that interviewed employees had no clear answer. Without a definition, the target cannot be independently interpreted or reproduced.
| Metric | 2023 state | 2026 target | Accountability issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average time to hire | 55 days | 42 days | Jury says target reached |
| Fully engaged employees | 25% | 40% | No clear definition supplied |
| Voluntary turnover | 15% | 10% | Later result not reported |
| Health claims | $131M | $120M | Later result not reported |
The undefined measure carried a large improvement claim
Moving from 25% to 40% would represent a 60% relative increase. That calculation sounds precise, but precision is illusory if the numerator—who qualifies as fully engaged—and the survey population are not defined.
The jury recommended defining the term or removing it from the strategy by December 2025. It also recommended more job fairs and continued work toward the remaining talent metrics.
The report also records improvement
The jury described improved staff quality and attitude during its inquiry and called the hiring-time change significant. It did not allege manipulation or misuse of funds.
This distinction matters: the public-record problem is measurement governance. A target can guide management only when employees and the public know what is counted, how it is surveyed and whether results are comparable across years.
Method and limitation
The newsroom transcribed the strategy’s baseline and target figures from the grand-jury report and calculated percentage changes. The report reflects interviews and attendance at employee orientation; this newsroom did not conduct its own employee survey.
The source was released May 15, 2025 and does not provide final 2026 results or a later county response. The article therefore does not claim that the definition remains unresolved today; it establishes that a major target was undefined in the reviewed oversight record.