{"id":83669,"date":"2025-07-22T16:49:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/83669\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T16:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:49:11","slug":"city-of-la-mesa-recognized-as-age-friendly-employer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/83669\/","title":{"rendered":"City of La Mesa recognized as age-friendly employer\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tOverview: La Mesa values older employees<\/p>\n

La Mesa was one of the first cities in California to be highlighted for its efforts to hire and maintain an older workforce.<\/p>\n

Being over the age of 50 can have many meanings in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

One such meaning is that it can be hard to find and keep a job as one grows older. Although older employees often possess valuable experience and knowledge, some employers seek a fresh start when hiring and evaluating their businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it comes to the city of La Mesa<\/a>, being an older employee has its benefits.<\/p>\n

La Mesa was recently recognized as an age-friendly employer by the Age Friendly Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The recognition from the Certified Age Friendly Employer program<\/a> means La Mesa is seen as one of the best cities to work in for those aged 50 and above. La Mesa was one of the first cities in California to be highlighted for its efforts to hire and maintain an older workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cLa Mesa is a welcoming community, and that approach extends to our role as an employer,\u201d\u00a0Mayor Mark Arapostathis said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming a Certified Age-Friendly Employer reflects the City\u2019s commitment to inclusive recruitment and retention strategies that recognize the value of seasoned professionals. Employees over 50 bring expertise, institutional knowledge, and strong customer service skills that make our workplace stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Arapostathis, this certification also backs La Mesa\u2019s recruitment efforts by expanding its reach through free job posting portals within the Age-Friendly network, helping La Mesa attract qualified candidates who align with its values.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployees over the age of 50 bring not only a wealth of professional experience, but also an invaluable life perspective,\u201d Arapostathis remarked. \u201cAs I often say, you can\u2019t simulate wisdom. I\u2019m grateful that experienced individuals choose to work in La Mesa. Their contributions make our workforce better and reflect the diversity that makes our city strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

One such employee who brings value to the job each day is Jack Harman, a park maintenance worker in the Public Works Department<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harman has been with the City of La Mesa for 13 years, all of which have been with the same department.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, I\u2019m responsible for special projects, which include specialized landscaping projects, park benches, and projects in parks. Right now, we\u2019re beautifying City islands, medians, and roadsides,\u201d Harman said.<\/p>\n

According to Harman, his current job has been one of the better ones he\u2019s held over the decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 71 now, I\u2019ve been with the city of La Mesa for 13 years,\u201d Harman said. \u201cI\u2019ve worked in a lot of jobs, even owned my own business. I find that the leadership, the camaraderie among not only my fellow coworkers, but even here when I come to City Hall \u2013 people are really friendly. It\u2019s just a nice place to work. I have people around me, like my partner\/boss, who supports me and looks out for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

While new technology can be a challenge for some older workers, Harman said it has not presented much in the way of obstacles for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019ve been working with the city for 13 years, I\u2019ve grown with the technology that we have here,\u201d Harman stated.<\/p>\n

Harman also does not have a problem staying fit these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job helps me keep in shape,\u201d Harman remarked. \u201cNot only mentally but physically, too. I\u2019m lifting, pulling, pushing \u2013 every single day. My joke is, I work out\u2026 side.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Harman sees it, it is encouraging for employers to recognize the value of having older adults as employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a chance they can retire in a few years, but there\u2019s also the fact that they may have more resources and can still be valuable, even in the short amount of time they still work,\u201d Harman added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Overview: La Mesa values older employees La Mesa was one of the first cities in California to be…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":83670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[56830,56831,5229,1582,276,7988,10546,10506,56832,3549,7264,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-83669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-age-friendly-instititue","9":"tag-age-friendly-employer","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-california","13":"tag-employees","14":"tag-employers","15":"tag-la-mesa","16":"tag-older-employees","17":"tag-san-diego","18":"tag-sandiego","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114897916026478885","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}