This is CCPOA's 5150 information hotline for Friday, May 18, 2012.
CCPOA NEWS
CCPOA Endorsement List– CCPOA has released its official Political Action Committee list of endorsements for state Assembly and Senate candidates up for election in this June’s primary. The list has been posted on the CCPOA website for your convenience.
E.C. Intent to Run Form– The positions of CCPOA Vice President-DJJ and CCPOA Vice President- CDC are up for election at this year’s annual convention and conference in Reno this summer. Please take a moment to review the requirements and timelines if you are interested in running. The form is available on the front page of the website.
BTF Intent to Run Form– The form needed to be completed to run for the one CCPOA Benefit Trust Fund three-year position up for election this year is also available on the front page of the CCPOA website. Please review the document for complete details.
Convention Update– We have a new flyer with information on the upcoming CCPOA annual training conference and convention to be held in Reno, Nevada this August. We have also included a group code to expedite making reservations for the conference at the Peppermill Resort.
Legislative Update– CCPOA’s Legislative Division has released another update on the bills they are following and advocating for on your behalf. This most recent document is in .pdf format and consists of 24 pages. The document can be viewed on the CCPOA website.
Weekly Update– The CCPOA “Weekly Update” continues to be produced each Friday and is made available to Unit 6 members through the “members only” section of the CCPOA website. For more information, please go to ccpoa.org.
CAPITOL NEWS
Budget Deficit– Governor Brown announced late last week that the state’s chronic budget deficit had ballooned from about $9 billion to nearly $16 billion, which will necessitate deep cuts in nearly every state program, including employee compensation. While we have not seen the complete details of what the governor and legislature will be seeking in terms of employee cuts, we do know that they are looking at some type of reduction in total employee spending amounting to 5%, or approximately $750 million. There are many rumors swirling about how this 5% would be achieved and as soon as we have solid information on this, we will post it on the members’ only section of the website. This association has a long history of helping to craft difficult solutions to the state’s fiscal concerns while promoting and protecting the interests of its members. CCPOA understands the gravity of the budget crisis and is willing to work collaboratively with the administration and legislature towards a mutually-acceptable solution.
May Revise– On Monday, the governor released his revised state budget proposal which reflected the greatly increased budget deficit and his preliminary ideas for enacting a balanced budget by next month as required by the state constitution.
For more details, we have posted a number of news stories and the official LAO analysis and recommendations on the CCPOA website for your review.
DJJ Spared– In one of the few bright spots in the revised state budget, Governor Brown has withdrawn his January proposal for the wholesale elimination of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). While we are pleased with this news, we understand there is a lot work yet to complete to improve the department and to restore it to its once pre-eminent position as the premiere youth correctional system in the country.
LAO Opposes CDCR Blueprint– The Los Angeles Times reported this week that, “The Legislative Analyst's Office issued a report on Wednesday criticizing the Brown administration's plan to overhaul California's prison system. The plan, announced last month, is intended to save billions of dollars by closing a prison, shifting staff members and returning inmates housed out of state. The administration also wants to renovate and add to existing facilities. Although the Legislative Analyst's Office said the plan "merits consideration," it said the state will end up facing high costs despite decreasing prison capacity. "The administration has not justified the need for several costly prison construction projects that would add $76 million in annual debt–service costs to the general fund," the report said. "The proposed projects also appear to be significantly more expensive than other recently proposed prison construction projects." The full article from the Los Angeles Times as well as the complete report from the LAO are linked on the CCPOA website.
CDCR NEWS
CDCR Seeks End of Healthcare Receiver– The Los Angeles Times reported this week that, “Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is sharply at odds with inmate advocates and a federal receiver over the future of the prison medical system, a new court filing showed Monday. The document was submitted after the federal judge overseeing the case asked each side to present its proposals for how to end six years of federal control of inmate healthcare. State officials said they’re ready to take back control of the medical system in the next 30 days. But the receiver said he should remain in charge until at least early 2014.” The full article from the LA Times is posted on our website.
New Warden at VSPW– CDCR announced this week that Ron Davis has been appointed the acting warden of Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla.
The CDCR says prior to this assignment, Davis worked as the chief deputy warden at Avenal State Prison in Kings County. He began his career as a correctional officer in Salinas in 1994, according to a KMPH news story we’ve linked to the CCPOA website.
NOTICES
Retired Chapter Meeting– The next meeting for the Retired Chapter will occur on June 30th at the Holiday Inn Express on Advantage Way in Sacramento. The meeting will begin at 1:00 pm on Saturday and dinner will be served to attendees.
MTA Statewide Meeting– will also be held on June 30. The Courtyard by Marriott in Vacaville will serve as the location for the meeting that is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am.
If you plan on attending any of these meetings, please contact Debbie Rollins to RSVP. For more information on these meetings, we have posted flyers on the CCPOA website.
Ideas for the PeaceKeeper– If you have any article suggestions or topics for the PeaceKeeper, please email Nichol Gomez at nichol.gomez@ccpoa.org.
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.