PPOA Week in Review: Sept. 10, 2022

PPOA Legislative Committee Meeting

September 6: The PPOA Legislative Committee hosted a teleconference with our full-time Sacramento legislative representatives — Lang, Hansen, Giroux and Kidane — to engage in the monthly discussion about legislation that may potentially impact PPOA members and public safety employees statewide. Participants from PPOA included President Nancy Escobedo, 1st Vice President Jose Rios, Board Member Gerry Garcia, Legislative Consultant Art Reddy and Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr.

PPOA's commitment to impactful legislative strategies stretches back to the 1960s and has significantly improved the rights and benefits of generations of PPOA members.

Click here to read about significant legislative bills proposed in the current session along with PPOA’s position (support/oppose/watch) on each of them.

Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Announces Plan to Step Down

September 6: On Monday, Dr. Jonathan Lucas notified Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DMEC) staff of his intent to "move on and leave Los Angeles County service" on November 4, 2022.

Dr. Lucas was appointed in 2017 to lead DMEC and oversee the department's $40 million budget and 248 employees. Prior to that, he served as chief medical examiner in San Diego County and medical examiner in New York City.

Unit 621 Salary Contract Team Meeting

September 7: Members of the PPOA Unit 621 contract negotiations team assembled in San Dimas on Wednesday to assess the current state of negotiations and strategize for the next round of contract talks with County executives. To date, the Unit 621 team has met with County representatives nine (9) times to negotiate a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Unit 621 is the official bargaining unit for the following LASD classifications: Custody Assistant, Civilian Investigator, Crime Analyst, Public Response Dispatcher, Court Services Specialist, Law Enforcement Technician, Security Assistant and Security Officer.

Sheriff Discusses Current Issues on Social Media

September 7: Sheriff Villanueva hosted a Facebook live stream from the Venice Beach boardwalk on Wednesday to discuss current issues. Topics covered included crime stats, homeless outreach, the hiring freeze imposed on LASD, and more.

Click here to watch the video.

LACERA ELECTION:

Voter Turnout Makes Difference as County Fire Captain Unseats LASD Captain

September 8: LACERA announced election results for the Board of Retirement and Board of Investments on Thursday. Unfortunately, a dismal voter turnout among PPOA and ALADS members resulted in our endorsed candidate, LASD Captain Shawn Kehoe, being unable to retain his seat on either board. Election results revealed that 40% of County Fire members cast their ballots compared to only 15% of LADA/LASD members. That made the difference for this election, in which 3,231 safety members voted. In the end, County Fire Captain Jason Green beat Captain Kehoe by only 60 votes for the Board of Investments and 161 votes for the Board of Retirement.

"This is a lesson learned for LADA and LASD safety members," said PPOA President Nancy Escobedo. "Going forward, members of PPOA and ALADS need to rise to the occasion when we are called upon to ensure that one of our own will safeguard our pensions and retirement benefits."

Captain Kehoe will rotate off the Board of Investments and become the alternate member of the Board of Retirement effective 12/31/22.

Annual PPOA Retiree Report Posted Online

PPOA's Annual Retiree Report was posted online this week. Inside, you'll find:

HR-218 retiree qualification procedures
18th Annual PPOA Retiree Luncheon invitation
Inspiring stories of retirement well spent
List of destinations of choice for PPOA retirees
and more!

Click here to check out the 2022 Retiree Report.

Fraternal Order of Police News Update

PPOA members have long benefitted from our longtime affiliation with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the world's largest organization of law enforcement officers, with more than 364,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges nationwide. All active PPOA members are part of California FOP Lodge 1. Click here to read the latest California State Lodge biweekly news update.

An important note regarding FOP membership for retired PPOA members: Once a sworn PPOA member retires, and he/she wishes to reactivate their FOP member/benefits, the following steps must be taken:

To reactivate your membership as a retired peace officer, you will need to pay FOP annual dues of $40 for 2022. The link below is available to pay online should you wish to expedite the process. If by check, the mailing address is:

LA County FOP Lodge 1

P.O. Box 6919

Buena Park, CA 90622-6919

Credit card link below:

FOP Los Angeles County Lodge 1 (unionly.io)

Please make it a point to check out the Washington Watch — a weekly 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.