For the second time in one year, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed permanently closing the Division of Juvenile Justice, a move that would make California the first state in the nation to eliminate its youth prison system and shift responsibility for the most dangerous young offenders to counties.

When Brown first proposed the plan, county prosecutors and probation officers protested, arguing that counties were unprepared to handle murderers and violent sex offenders. But last Thursday, Brown offered to give $10 million to help counties prepare for the new inmates. At the same time, he blocked $70 million in cuts to the DJJ...

LINK - BayCitizen.org

Meet and Confer Notices for the week of January 13, 2012 including Ad-Seg Overflow at VSPW and Operational Procedure Number 418 - Medication Management at CIW...

View the Notices (.pdf format)

This is CCPOA's 5150 information hotline for Friday, January 13, 2012.

CCPOA NEWS

Rob McGowan Update–  This week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena heard arguments in the case of Correctional Officer Rob McGowan. The 3-judge panel did not issue a ruling but they took the renewed motion to set Mr. McGowan free during the remainder of his appeal under submission. CCPOA and Mr. McGowan’s attorney are very encouraged by the tenor of the arguments that were made on his behalf.  CCPOA will continue to support Officer McGowan and we will inform you as more information becomes available. Please see our website for the “member alert” about Officer McGowan on the front page.

Meet & Confer Notices– CCPOA has requested formal Meet & Confer negotiations concerning Ad-Seg changes at VSPW and medication management at CIW for rank-and-file and for supervisors.  We’ve posted the notices and CCPOA’s response on the website for your convenience.

CCPOA WEEKLY UPDATE

Supervisory Update— By Kevin Raymond, Supervisory VP

On Monday evening we received more details regarding the impacts of AB 109

— specifically, a list of the supervisory members whoʼve been mailed Option

Worksheets by the state (a total of approximately 110 S06/M06 statewide). These worksheets must be returned by today January 13, 2012. In addition, we were scheduled to meet with the State on Thursday, January 12 to discuss supervisory seniority, as well as a myriad of other important issues. The state cancelled at the last minute, stating their decision makers were not available as the reason for cancellation. We are attempting to secure another date for this meeting. So hang in there, and stay tuned.

DJJ Update— By Daryl Lee, DJJ VP

Well, weʼre certainly not letting the grass grow under our feet with regard to the

Governorʼs proposal to eliminate DJJ.  Not only is this bad public policy, but itʼs also a tremendous disservice to juvenile offenders — a point that will certainly be brought to the Governorʼs attention.  Iʼm in the process of scheduling meetings with the various stakeholders in this process, including CDA, CSAC, probation and others. Weʼre not the only ones that recognize the dangers of eliminating DJJ. Even the media is picking up on the difficulties local government is having dealing with todayʼs increasingly challenging juvenile population. The Los Angeles Times ran a story just this week about how L.A. County youth camps are failing to meet federally ordered reforms — so shifting even more juveniles their way will do more harm than good.  Thatʼs why weʼre working to build consensus among the stakeholders mentioned above to support alternatives that we can bring before the legislature and governor to avoid this terrible mistake.  But in the meantime, I strongly caution you not to overreact.  The proposed closure is just that — a proposal.  Itʼs not set in stone and much can be done in the next 12 months to change it.  So stay positive, and watch for my report at one of your next chapter meetings.

Labor Update— By Steve Weiss, Chief of Labor

Itʼs certainly been a productive couple of weeks at the negotiating table! Weʼve

achieved local agreements on realignment issues for CTF, High Desert, San Quentin and Wasco and an agreement related to the use of digital cameras during visiting at Ventura (please contact your Chapter Presidents for details on these agreements). In addition, we had a Directorʼs Meeting at Chuckawalla to resolve some of their pertinent labor issues, and we were successful in getting the Director of Adult Institutions to send a memo to all wardens directing them to meet with CCPOAʼs representatives to discuss the impending staff reductions. Weʼll let you know how these meetings go.

Legislative Update— By Stephen Walker, Chief of Legislative Affairs

As realignment continues to evolve, CCPOA is intimately involved in this

transformative process. Not only are we gaining traction with our “Beyond Prisons” proposal — which is being presented to all legislators over the next month — but we are also closely watching concept bills to fix and in some cases “enhance” AB 109 as they pop up. And we find ourselves very well positioned during this pivotal legislative year, with more and more policymakers reaching out to us for our opinions prior to introducing their bills. Speaking of bills, we have some important deadlines fast approaching — with last yearʼs bills needing to pass out of their house of origin by Jan. 31 and new bills needing to be introduced by Feb. 24. So buckle up — itʼs going to be a crazy ride.

Legal Update— By Chief Counsel Dan Lindsay/ Supervising Attorney Shelley Lytle

Did you know that as peace officer, your personnel files are confidential? Well, hereʼs what every CCPOA member needs to know. Per Penal Code Sections 832.7 the personnel files of state peace officers are deemed to be confidential. Penal Code Section 832.8 specifies what files are confidential. Your 2011-2013 CCPOA MOU contains a provision for you to inspect your personnel file. It is found at Section 9.03, pp. 50-51. It is suggested that each employee review his or her personnel files at least once a year. Make an appointment with your Personnel Department to do so.

The full weekly update is posted on the CCPOA website.

CDCR NEWS

Riot At SATF–  A riot involving approximately 60 inmates at California SATF was contained shortly after it broke out just after 12 p.m. Tuesday on a maximum-security yard. Correctional custody staff used pepper spray and less-than-lethal weapons to quell the disturbance.  Numerous inmates suffered cuts and abrasions and were treated at the prison. Five inmates were transported to area hospitals for treatment of stab wounds.

Riot At Kern Valley– The CDCR reported that on Wednesday, approximately 300 inmates began rioting at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP). The inmates started the riot at approximately 1:45 p.m. on the Facility A recreation yard, a level IV general population facility. Correctional officers responded and utilized less lethal rounds, chemical agents, and two warning shots fired from rifles to quell the disturbance. Several inmates received stab, puncture, and slashing type wounds, none of which were life threatening and no staff members were injured.

NOTICES

CCPOA Benefit Trust Fund Intent to Run –   The CCPOA Benefit Trust Fund will hold an election for one (1), three (3) year trustee position during the CCPOA Convention in August.  The term of this office will be from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2015.

State Board Meeting–  The January CCPOA Board of Directors meeting will be held next Friday and Saturday at the Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn, Sacramento.

Chapter Presidents Training–  New Chapter President training will be held the day before, on Thursday, January 19^th at CCPOA Headquarters.

PeaceKeeper Ideas –  If you have any article suggestions or topics you would like to see covered in the PeaceKeeper, please email Nichol Gomez at nichol.gomez@ccpoa.org.

CCPOA Annual Conference and Convention  – The CCPOA annual convention and training conference will be held at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, August 29^th & 30^th with a state board meeting on Tuesday the 28^th. 

When staff assaults occur, please send a completed staff assault alert form to Nichol Gomez at nichol.gomez@ccpoa.org

For the latest information on the state budget, pension reform, prison realignment, private prisons and parolee problems, please go to the CCPOA website where we post the information as it comes in.

Thanks for calling the 5150 hotline and have a safe shift.

/audio/January_13_2012.mp3

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to cut state prison spending next fiscal year for the first time in nearly a decade, a departure from the goals of recent administrations, which consistently increased corrections spending and pushed for prison expansion.

Brown's budget would save California $1.1 billion on housing inmates and hundreds of millions more by allowing the state to halt some prison construction - savings largely due to his administration's recent overhaul of the state's criminal justice system.

General fund spending on prisons nearly doubled under Brown's Republican predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, from $5.2 billion in 2004 to $9.5 billion in 2011, when Brown, a Democrat, took office. The increase in spending was largely caused by an exploding inmate population and a court order to improve medical care in prisons...

LINK - SFGate.com

The California prison system is violating a Messianic Jewish prisoner's constitutional rights by denying him kosher food, a state appeals court ruled.

A three-justice panel of the California 3rd District Court of Appeals ruled Jan. 11 that Margarito Jesus Garcia, who is serving 15 years to life for a conviction on second degree murder, should receive kosher meals from the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, reversing a lower court ruling...

LINK - JewishinStLouis.org

My wife went to her exercise class last Monday but found the gym was closed for the day as they repaired the damage from a burglary during the night. An hour later she tried to take our van to the mechanic, but found he was not going to open for business because someone tunneled through a wall and burglarized his shop. A few days later a neighbor came up to my door and wanted to know what he could do about the guy who broke into four cars on the street near his house.

People want to know what's happening and who is responsible for the increase in theft-related crime. A couple of incidents over the past few weeks might help answer those questions...

LINK - LodiNews.com

If the squealing by the forces behind attempts to blow up the state's public pension are any indication, the truth must really hurt.

In the last few days, both the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office and Attorney General issued their judgment on pension reform proposals being proposed by former Schwarzenegger aide Dan Pellissier. And it wasn't pretty.

The LAO noted that the proposals would cost governments more than $1 billion per year for up to 30 years...

LINK - CapitolWeekly.net

Under Jim Crow laws, black Americans were relegated to a subordinate status for decades. Things like literacy tests for voters and laws designed to prevent blacks from serving on juries were commonplace in nearly a dozen Southern states.

In her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, legal scholar Michelle Alexander writes that many of the gains of the civil rights movement have been undermined by the mass incarceration of black Americans in the war on drugs. She says that although Jim Crow laws are now off the books, millions of blacks arrested for minor crimes remain marginalized and disfranchised, trapped by a criminal justice system that has forever branded them as felons and denied them basic rights and opportunities that would allow them to become productive, law-abiding citizens...

LINK - NPR.org

The Private Corrections Institute, a Florida-based non-profit watchdog organization that actually opposes the privatization of correctional services, has -- as would be expected -- “sharply condemned” the latest state effort to privatize correctional facilities in 18 South Florida counties.

“While private prison companies will profit from expanded prison privatization contracts, should the legislature prevail in its mass prison privatization plan the loser will be Florida’s taxpayers, as public funds will be diverted from the state into the coffers of for-profit prison firms with no discernable (sic) benefit to the public,” Private Corrections Institute stated in a release...

LINK - SunshineStateNews.com

The Educational Retirement Board or ERB is proposing changes to the pension system for school district and University employees. The changes include a minimum retirement age of 55 and limits on cost of living increases.

We asked Senator Steve Fischmann about the issue on KRWG-TV's Your Legislators. He says changes must be considered to prevent the pension system from becoming insolvent...

LINK - PublicBroadcasting.net

In addition to highlighting Gov. Cuomo’s possible plans to link school funding to a teacher evaluation system,  my story and the accompanying graphic today also hit on other parts of tomorrow’s budget announcement.
 
Cuomo’s budget is expected to reduce overall spending for the second year in a row, hike state taxpayer supported funding by just under 2%, close a $2 billion budget deficit and--and possibly include his new plan for pension reform.
 
Like the teacher evaluation system he is expected to include, the pension reform plan will likely raise the ire of the public worker unions...

LINK - NYDailyNews.com

Police arrested a wanted parolee with convictions for home-invasion robbery and auto theft early Tuesday on suspicion of removing a GPS tracking device, officials said.

Francisco George Munoz, 30, of Covina was being held without bail at the Covina Police Department's jail following his 3 a.m. arrest at 7-Eleven on Rowland Street, just west of Barranca Street, according to Covina police and county booking records.

Covina police received word last week that Munoz had removed or tampered with a court-ordered GPS ankle bracelet, Covina police Lt. John Curley said. Police and state parole officials carried out a search for him with no success...

LINK - SGVTribune.com

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments.

Michael Stainer, 48, of Tehachapi, has been appointed warden at the California Correctional Institution. Stainer has been chief deputy warden at the California Correctional Institution since 2008. He has worked with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in multiple positions since 1987. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $129,108. Stainer is a Republican. 

Guy David Reed, 31, was arrested after a confrontation Tuesday afternoon at the Tyler Mall.

Reed is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

According to Riverside police, mall security guards requested help from patrol officers around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after Reed allegedly brandished a knife at them...

LINK - SWRNN.com

Key state lawmakers want to rescind last year's hike in the contribution that more than 200,000 Arizona State Retirement System members make toward their pensions, citing fears of losing a lawsuit over the issue.

House Bill 2264 would return to the previous funding system, under which contributions to the ASRS for public-employee retirements were split 50-50 between employees and their employer...

LINK - AZCentral.com

Florida lawmakers are reviving the largest prison privatization plan in the country, with a Senate committee Wednesday voting to file two bills that would turn over 29 correctional facilities in an 18-county region — including Southwest Florida — to private companies.

The vote by the Senate Rules Committee — which was opposed by two Democratic members — is aimed at reversing a court ruling last year that negated the Legislature's effort to carry out the massive privatization plan through the state budget.

Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, said the new legislation would "remedy" the objections raised by the courts, including the argument that lawmakers should have used separate legislation — not the budget bill — to authorize the private prisons...

LINK - TheLedger.com

Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, issued the following response to Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State address:

Governor Brown’s remarks today were essentially identical to past years and years of liberal Democrat speeches and promises.  While the Governor talks a good game of reigning in spending and getting our fiscal house in order, his actions demonstrate a much different agenda.

 

Governor Brown has given pay raises on the backs of taxpayers to the high-paid prison guards  and other unions who helped put him in office, granted taxpayer subsidies to illegal immigrants for college loans and scholarships under the “Dream Act,” pushed an expansive “green” energy mandate which has and will continue to raise taxpayer energy costs, and most recently put his stamp of approval on the $100+ billion and growing high-speed rail disaster that epitomizes the incompetence and waste that results from a massive government.  Governor Brown signed 745 bills into law from last year.  This does not lift burdens off of our struggling economy, but instead adds more through increased government bureaucracy....

LINK - RidgecrestCA.com

House Speaker Kris Steele and members of the House's Republican majority will unveil new proposals for modernizing state government and propping up the state's underfunded pension systems.

Steele and other GOP leaders plan a news conference Thursday to discuss the proposals. The Shawnee Republican has made government modernization and pension reform among his top priorities for the 2012 Legislature that convenes on Feb. 6...

LINK - TheRepublic.com

View the details about Fire Chapter Statewide Meetings for all of 2012 in the attached .pdf file.

View the Flyer (.pdf format)

Information about the Thursday, January 26, 2012 Camps Chapter Statewide Meeting...

View the Flyer (.pdf format)