PPOA Week in Review - June 7, 2025

17th Annual Peace Officer Memorial Golf Tournament

June 2: PPOA was truly honored to bring together nearly 200 public safety personnel, supporters, volunteers and sponsors on Monday for the 17th Annual Peace Officer Memorial Golf Tournament. The event was hosted at Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier. Each year, this tournament is the primary vehicle for PPOA’s Star & Shield Foundation to raise critical funds for the families of fallen officers.

We are grateful to our tournament sponsor, the Law Offices of James J. Cunningham, and the extensive, impressive list of sponsors who step forward year after year to help us pay tribute to fallen heroes.

Click here to view the golf tournament photo album.

In Loving Memory of Ava Rodriguez

June 3: Family, friends, and community members gathered on Tuesday for a touching memorial service honoring the life of 14-year old Ava Rodriguez, beloved daughter of LASD Sergeant Caroline Rodriguez. President Steve Johnson and Board Member Roel Garcia attended on behalf of PPOA.

Custody Assistant Class #116 Orientation

June 3: PPOA representatives were honored to meet with 21 newly-hired Custody Assistants at Biscailuz Center on Tuesday. Board Member/Custody Assistant Melissa Rodriguez, Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr. and Labor Representative Dave Ladjevic were on hand to welcome C.A. Class #116 as new members of PPOA.

Members Invited to Represent PPOA While Supporting Noble Cause

June 4: PPOA sent an email to active, full-dues paying members of this Association on Wednesday to invite them to fill a PPOA foursome at an upcoming golf tournament in Long Beach. Proceeds will benefit a trust fund for the families of fallen officers. While these four golfer spots were claimed by members within 30 minutes, opportunities to support worthy causes on behalf of PPOA arise regularly. Be sure to monitor your personal email account for similar invitations from PPOA in the future.

Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

June 4: PPOA 1st Vice President Jay Chapman proudly participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) on Thursday. The LETR is the largest public awareness event and grassroots fundraiser for the Special Olympics, with more than 3,000 officers involved in Southern California to help champion acceptance and inclusion. The Torch Run has raised more than $1 billion since its inception in 1981.

Photo, bottom left: PPOA delegates Jeff Savarese and Yvette Hartwell with 1st Vice President Jay Chapman.

Meetings with Policy Advisors

June 4: President Steve Johnson met with policy advisors from the offices of Senators Kelly Seyarto, Anna Caballero and Lena Gonzalez in Sacramento regarding their support for Senate Bill 577 (Laird). Each senator sits on the state’s Public Safety Committee. If this proposed legislation is passed, it will, in essence, mitigate and limit the unintended impacts of Assembly Bill 218, which recently enabled more than $4 billion in payouts for thousands of claims against Los Angeles County. According to LA County CEO Fesia Davenport, this settlement has detrimental impacts on the County’s ability to fund fair, equitable wage increases for our members.

PPOA will continue the fight on all fronts to secure contracts that respect the sacrifices our members honorably make on a consistent basis.

PPOA Legislative Committee Meeting

June 5: PPOA hosted a video conference with our Sacramento legislative representatives — Lang, Hansen, Giroux and Kidane — to discuss proposed bills in the 2025-2026 legislative session that potentially impact PPOA members and public safety employees statewide.

Meeting participants from PPOA included President Steve Johnson and Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr.

PPOA has a proven track record of impactful legislative strategies that stretches back more than 60 years and has dramatically improved the rights and benefits of generations of PPOA members.

IMPORTANT: Register Now for PPOA Online Voting

PPOA has contracted with Integrated Labor Solutions to conduct future membership voting online. This decision is consistent with the PPOA bylaws and marks a significant step forward in ensuring a more efficient, secure, and timely voting process for all active and retired members.

Casting electronic votes will require PPOA members to be registered online via the Elections/Benefits portal. (This portal also allows PPOA members to view currently enrolled benefits and payroll deductions.)

The login for the Elections/Benefits portal is separate from the PPOA.com members-only site and the PPOA mobile app.

To register, CLICK HERE or visit PPOA.com and click on Elections/Benefits.

If you have any questions or issues with registration, please send an email to info@ppoa.com

Fraternal Order of Police News Update

PPOA members have long benefitted from our affiliation with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the world's largest organization of law enforcement officers, with more than 374,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges nationwide. All active PPOA members are part of California FOP Lodge 1.

Important update re: FOP membership for retired PPOA members

When a sworn PPOA member retires and wishes to reactivate his/her FOP member benefits, the following step must be taken: To reactivate your membership as a retired peace officer, you will need to pay FOP annual dues of $44 for 2025. To do so, please send an email to the FOP Lodge 1 Secretary at wmwestermann@sbcglobal.net

Please make it a point to check out Washington Watch — a weekly news update provided by the National FOP. We encourage PPOA members to stay up to date on the legislative news and activity impacting public safety personnel nationwide.

Click here to read this week's Washington Watch.