INFORMATION ON STAFF ASSULT. NOT A NEWS CLIP

Thursday, April 29, 2010
Attempted Murder of a Peace Officer
Today at approximately 1630 hours at Centinela state prison on "C" Facility the following occurred: A Officer "C" was working the housing unit and stationed near the Officers Podium when he was attacked by a White male Inmate "S..." The inmate produced a inmate manufactured weapon and began to stab the Officer multiple times. Officer "C" was struck behind the neck area above his protective vest. He also sustained a stab wound to this side of his body. Responding staff was able to subdue the attacker using issued equipment. The weapon was recovered. Inmate "S....." was taken into custody and was transfer out to Calapatria?
The Facility remains on lockdown pending the investigation.
The Officer was transported out to the Outside Hospital for his injuries. We all hope and pray for a speedy recovery.

This is a reminder to watch your back at all times. Staff Assaults are on the rise!
(I remind everyone reading this posting that the information supplied to me as best as could be described. Some facts may not be accurate, however I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. If facts are incorrect I apologize to the staff at Centinela an advance!)

CCC UPDATE 4/25/10

This is a state wide bull crap taking place and if finally hit us in Susanville. We are doing rolling lockdowns in with conjunction of our %3 PY reduction plan. We will be filling a grievance on every re~direct that happens. I got the first batch today infact. The state is cutting our staff more and more and somebody needs to stop this insanity. And it will get worse. The state doesn't care about our well being obviously. They didn't make any cuts on the upper Administration. This does not include the 9 PY that we will be loosing with the bed/inmate reduction plan either. There is another scheduled planed bed reduction plan for September. They are cutting us shorter and shorter. And it's going to get worse. This is a safety issue with staff and the public. Other institutions have already been doing informational picket lines at their institutons for media coverage to the public.

The state is also going full steam ahead on shipping inmates out of state. They want to release more inmates to other states down the road. The state doesn't care that they are making our economy worse, staff loosing their jobs and giving the pay to out of state folks. This next State election is going to be very important for us, it will be our lively hood at stake. As I get information from HQ's I will pass it on. So please pay attention to the Governors race and the legislators race.

We will have more information at our next board meeting. It's expected that the EC will be attending our next meeting. I encourage everybody that can, attend. Times are going to get more worse before we see any daylight.

Today myself and Bollie spoke with the Deputy Attorney General. We brought up our concerns around the institution. I handed them my package on the issues that have been going on with certain Lt.'s and Captains violating DOM. Yes, I have my name on it, so I expect there will be some kind of retaliation from them. So I didn't roll over (as a few may think), I put my head on the chopping block for all of you guys. You don't have to like me, but you can support me on what I have done. We are all in this together and we need to stand together for this fight. If we don't stand together, then we have already lost the battle. It's not about supporting me, but supporting you fellow brothers and sisters state wide. We are all going through the same problems right now.

Stay Safe and Sane

Lori Olah

CCC

CCC UPDATE 4/22/10

There has been alot of crap going on these past couple of weeks, so I felt I need to bring everybody up to date.

OP 726 has NOT been signed off yet. So the rumors that are going around on the Cascade yard by certain individuals are FALSE. We sat down with them on the first meeting and got no where with the Lt. I then refused to sit and confere with the administration after that. After Labar was called by myself I did go and sit one on one with the CDW. Everything that was put in OP726 I requested to be pulled. I have the final copy in my hands right now and will go through it. So do you guys want to still say that I layed down on 726? I don't think so. Get your facts straight before you open your mouth. I didn't lay down last year either. Again, get the facts first before you assume and trash talk. If I layed down as you say I did, our Administration would have had their way last year. This is a no brainer. We are all on the same team, why some feel that they have to split staff, it does nothing for us except make us weaker in our fight. So the people that think they can stir the pot and get hatred stirred up are doing more damage then good. There is a big difference on giving input and flat putting lies out there. But the good thing about this whole childish thing, it makes the haters look stupid because they are wrong all the time and it just help us when we show what we have been doing.

The 3% reduction plan that we discussed at our last meeting is going through change from DPA. As expected the state is violating their own rules AGAIN. This is not part of the original format. They plan on implimenting rolling lock downs and rotate yards. We will file a grievance everytime they redirect a position that is not on the 3% list. Adminstration did not bother to even sit down with us to discuss this with us. And remember, they don't have to if they don't want to since we don't have a freakin contract.

Also we were discussing the loss of Level 1 beds last month. This is going to take place in May. We will loose 139 beds on the Sierra Yard. We will be loosing 9.97 PY's. Again, the state is implimenting this state wide and they are not talking to CCPOA on any of this. They are just going forward. Remember, there will be another phase in September on loosing beds, which means more positions lost.

Between the States reduction plans and closing beds down, they are depleting our staff to unsafe numbers. Some Southern institutions are running picket lines in protest to the states implimentation of these. So when are you guys ready to step up and make a statement? Or is it easier to sit in your office and complain and do nothing.

There has been confusion on the third watch count procedures. At this time, there is no policy on you staying until the institutional count clears. Some supervisors are ordering staff that they have to stay on the yards instead of sitting in the foyer. In the Red DOM, it clearly states that after you have been properly relieved you cannot loiter in the work area. There is also the fact that relieved staff have no equipment if something does jump off. They cannot respond. Don't the supervisors see this is a staff safety issue? We are working on filing on this. Again, they are breaking their own DOM that they wrote. And if they are going to make you sit in the foyers until count clears, then there should be an E & E sheet there for staff to sign for accountability. We have tried to talk to the administration on this and not getting anywhere. They reply, "well what if there is an escape"? Well we can assume anything. So should we have extra staff during the weekends during count? It is a proven fact that most escapes happen during holidays, weekends ect. So what is the difference? If your tier count clears then there should not be no issue. And all this came from some one that had a wild hair to implement. Still looking for it in writing........... And the memos's that the Control Sergeant order staff to write when there is a bad count. Why are the Control Sergeants writing memo's when they screw up? Double standards?

The Medical Jobs that have been redirected every weekend, Sacramento is still waiting for notificaion. As I said before, it looks like they got the cart before the horse and now they are in a bind. Not suprised one bit.

Next week some of us are meeting with the Deputy Attorney General. If you have a major issue you want brought up, type it up and put it in my box by Tuesday. Or if you are interested in attending this meeting, contact me and I may have you attend personally. This is your time to put it down and do something that needs to be addressed.

Stay Safe and Sane.

Lori

Corrections officers say cuts raise safety issues

NORCO - Less than a year after Chino's destructive prison riot, state corrections officers say cost-cutting could contribute to another just like it.

The safety of the public and of prison officers is imperiled by a 3 percent to 5 percent reduction in staffing levels statewide, according to dozens of local corrections officers who protested the decreases on Tuesday at the California Rehabilitation Center.

The officers said inmates receive less supervision, which encourages them to take advantage of less-secure situations.

"My main concern is knowing the troops are being denied proper coverage," said James Howell, a corrections officer at the CRC.

"We're already outnumbered from the get-go. This is about safety. Somebody is gonna get hurt."

Eric Martinez, a corrections officer at the California Institution for Men in Chino, called the situation "volatile."

"They're taking positions away from the institution and that jeopardizes everybody - the officers working there, the inmates, the non-custody staff, and it's a bad situation," Martinez said. "You can't do this on behalf of dollar signs. Safety comes first in an institutional setting."

Protesters said the Schwarzenegger administration began implementing the staffing reductions for state prisons last month without a corresponding decrease in the inmate population. The reductions have put staff, inmates and the surrounding community at significant risk, they claim.

Brian Davis, corrections spokesman, said any staff redirection is always of great concern, but "given California's budget crisis we are being asked to do more with less.

"We are hopeful with the upcoming new fiscal year we will be able to discontinue staff redirection."

Corrections officials have begun redirecting staff to fill vacant positions, leaving reduced inmate coverage for corrections officers at posts throughout the state prison system, protesters said.

"Recently, (the corrections agency) directed each institution to implement a staff diversion plan which will operate on a daily basis," said Fred Stevens, the CIM chapter president for California Correctional Peace Officers Association. "This plan amounts to the daily abandoning (leaving vacant) of up to 33 correctional officer posts at CIM."

Further anger has been caused, protesters said, by cost overruns created by the state spending $700 million in a no-bid contract with the Corrections Corp. of America, a private corrections firm that houses inmates in Arizona, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

"Fewer correctional peace officers put(s) the remaining staff, inmates and surrounding communities at significant risk, while Gov. Schwarzenegger uses our tax dollars to stimulate the economies and create jobs in Arizona, Mississippi and Oklahoma, at the time that this state's unemployment rate reaches a historical high of 12.6 percent," said Joe Baumann, chapter president of the CCPOA at Norco.

Chuck Alexander, the union's state vice president, flew down from Sacramento to attend the protest.

"We recognize the state's fiscal crisis and the fiscal issues going on, but at the same time, the population we are charged with overseeing has not been reduced whatsoever," Alexander said. "We're concerned we're going to have another episode like the riot at CIM."

Alexander said the Norco rally was the first of its kind and more may be on the way statewide.

Newspaper columnist opines on CDCR, paroles, and public safety

The State of California, or should I say The California's State? We have been awaiting The Big One. I just did not believe I would live to see it. This entire time maybe The Big One consisted of California's political financial quake.

California's new early release program is an effort to save cash. What is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger thinking? Is he kidding me? Who has found rewarding bad behavior to work?

Our state has several cracks and faults.

Fault: Yes, it cost the state about $57,000 a year per inmate. I think they need fewer privileges. This might save money, but that is a whole other story. Correctional officers are understaffed per inmate. Both the safety of our officers and inmates are at risk. If correctional officers and staff safety is a daily concern, what guarantees do we have that we will be safe? Why bother to continue to fight crime, call the crime hotline or even arrest people? They are just going to be released as if their crimes were some sort of joke. Is the public even aware that the State of California has plans to eventually build another prison due to overcrowding?

Crack: Nina Salarno from Crime Victims United said the state's classification for a low-risk offender was shocking. Domestic abuse, child/elder abuse and manslaughter are considered nonviolent in our state.

Fault: Should I remind you that things accidentally pass through the cracks in our system? How thorough is our prison system's paperwork? California parole officials have ordered increased monitoring of all sex offenders after recent criticisms, one being the case of a young woman who was held captive by a convicted rapist. We were told by a state representative on the "Today Show" the parole officer in charge was overwhelmed by having 35 cases to monitor every month. There are an average of 30 days in a month. Could he have monitored one or two a day, and maybe he would have noticed what was really going on in that backyard? In 18 years he did not discover a convicted sex offender was allegedly keeping Jaycee Dugard in his back yard. The system failed Jaycee.

Fault: Gov. Schwarzenegger last month ordered California corrections officials to keep sex offenders' parole records indefinitely, only after realizing that files of a man now charged with killing a 17-year-old girl had been destroyed. Why would we destroy the records? If the state was worried about paper and filing storage issues, we have computer scanning systems that can store documents in CDs or zip drives.

Fault: Correctional Officer Manuel A. Gonzalez, a 16-year employee of the California Department of Corrections, was stabbed by an inmate while serving lunch. Inmate Jon Christopher Blaylock was convicted of attempted murder of a peace officer. He was sentenced to 75 years and had served time twice before. He was previously released from prison in 2002. After the death of Officer Gonzalez, it was realized that inmate Blaylock was under the wrong classification level and was in a proper yard and lunch line. Also, Officer Gonzalez was not given a proper vest for his protection. A supply of vests was found in storage instead of assigned as they should have — several cracks in our system this time, not only paperwork, but proper safety protocols from prison administration.

Fault: Kevin Peterson was released 16 days earlier for good behavior from Sacramento under the new early release program. Twelve hours later, he was booked for assault, rape, sodomy, oral copulation, sexual battery, false imprisonment and violation of probation. In an interview, he was asked if he believed he should have been released early. Peterson's response was he should have not been released because his mother was right. He was a menace. He stated maybe this time he would be placed in a proper facility like Atascadero and get help.

Fault: How can someone who is listed on Megan's Law be a federal employee? A local postman in King City delivered mail to schools. The media let us know he would no longer be delivering mail to local schools. Wow, that should make us feel safer. There are children at homes and business where mail is delivered every day. Hmm? Guess his paperwork background check fell through the cracks.

Maybe The Big One is really only caused by one major fault — people not doing what our tax dollars pay them to do, and inmates not doing the time they were sentenced to do.

Suggestion: If the governor wants to choose the prison system, let's limit inmate medical care (from Cadillac plan to basic care), limit their costly privileges and monitor staff hours properly. Inmates should lose their citizenship privileges, we should deport undocumented inmates, etc. The problem is that our governor is fighting one of the strongest unions, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, not to mention a strong inmate population with legal human rights.

We, as a society, should have rights for our safety and the safety of our children.

Mary Vargas grew up in south Monterey County. The mother of two works at the Soledad Community Health Care District. Her column appears in Opinion on the third Friday of each month. E-mail to: vargasnotes@yahoo.com.

Below is an example of the information request I have sent to the LRA’s at each institution. You do not need to do anything with this, it is already in the mail to your institution. This is just an FYI to keep you in the loop. Any information I get, will be copied back to each of you.

Off the Table, CDCR promised that they would be “completely transparent” about the redirections. After four unanswered information requests to CDCR Labor Relation, “completely transparent” must mean “insubstantial,” “ghost-like,” “flimsy.”

You will notice that some of the information I am asking for is a couple weeks prior to the official implementation date of the Redirection Plan. I’m trying to get a picture of how many vacancies were being run before and after.

Email me if you have any questions.

Corey Davis

*********************************

To Whom it May Concern:

Under the Ralph C. Dills Act, California Government Code Section §3512 et seq., California Correctional Peace Officers Association (hereafter CCPOA) has the right to all information which is necessary and relevant to the discharge of its duty to represent State Bargaining Unit 6. Not only does this right pertain to topics being negotiated between CCPOA and the State, but it also extends to information relating to possible grievances and other representational duties. Chula Vista City School District, PERB No. 834, 14 PERC 21162 (1990); Stockton Unified School District, PERB No. 143, 4 PERC 11189 (1980). Failure to respond to this information request may result in charges being filed against you with the Public Employment Relations Board.

Pursuant to the above referenced authorities, please provide me with the following:

1. The total number of hours run vacant at THE INSTITUTION in the work weeks ending March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th of 2010,. This list includes Holiday, Vacation, and Training Relief positions (even if they are not identified in the Redirection Plan), and full or partial shifts run vacant to provide medical guarding and transportation coverage (even if they are not identified in the Redirection Plan).

2. The Posts (identified by number and title) at THE INSTITUTION that were vacant in the work weeks ending March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th of 2010. This list includes Holiday, Vacation, and Training Relief positions (even if they are not identified in the Redirection Plan), and full or partial shifts run vacant to provide medical guarding and transportation coverage (even if they are not identified in the Redirection Plan).

3. All status/implementation/compliance documents relating to the Redirection Plan - including (but not limited to):

• the salary savings goal (by percentage and hours) for THE INSTITUTION for the work weeks ending March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th of 2010,

• Redirection Plan policy/procedure memos,

• Redirection Plan tracking/compliance reports for the work weeks ending March 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th of 2010.

4. THE INSTITUTION’s Redirection Plan, including (but not limited to): What Posts are redirectable? What days are redirectable? What order they will be redirected? How and when program will be modified?

5. The most current key/legend/index used to identify the PPAS codes.

6. The most current key/legend/index used to identify the WOTS codes.

7. A current copy of all OP’s at THE INSTITUTION effected by the Redirection Plan.

8. A current copy of the index page of the Operational Procedures (OP) binder for THE INSTITUTION providing the titles and numbers for all OP’s. CCPOA needs this list to make sure that all of the OP’s that are effected by the Redirection Plan have been provided to CCPOA for review (see item #7 above).

9. A copy of all DOM Supplements at THE INSTITUTION effected by the Redirection Plan.

10. A list of the titles and section numbers of all DOM Supplements for THE INSTITUTION. CCPOA needs this list to make sure that all of the DOM Supplements that are effected by the Redirection Plan have been provided to CCPOA for review (see item #9 above).

11. Most current Emergency Response Plan for THE INSTITUTION.

12. The “Medical Transportation Redirection Matrix” or otherwise titled document used by THE INSTITUTION to determine which posts will be assigned to medical guarding and transportation coverage.

This information is time sensitive. Please respond to this information request by April 23, 2010, or sooner if possible. In the event that you refuse to provide the information, please set forth in writing the basis for such refusal. If there are any questions about this request, please call me at (916)761-7408 or email me at corey.davis@ccpoa.org.

Sincerely,

Corey B. Davis

Field Representative

California Correctional

Peace Officers Association

CCC O.P. #726 appears to be headed to PERB

Operational Procedure #726 is headed to the Public Employees Relations Board. A number of violations concerning Implemented Terms sections were identified. Management has been seeking the local chapters input for some time as O.P. #726 is over a year and a half out of date. In all of these meetings the chapter representatives pointed out violations of implemented terms, that were new additions to the O.P.. On friday 4/9/10 we were notified that Administration felt it was time for the final meet to wrap up O.P. #726 on 4/14/10. On 4/12/10 we were E-mailed the latest draft of the proposed language. At that time there were violations of implemented terms still present. A copy was E-mailed to our field representative M. Vaughan who was to be part of this meeting. Again there were still the same violations included and not one of our proposals were implimented. One major proposal that Lori was trying to push for, to have the post & bid SR & CR officers recieve their jobs by senority. It is unfortunate that CCC administration did not want to sit and talk with us. Instead they went forward on their own adgenda without any inpute. So now it will head back down to Sacramento AGAIN for another year.

A Good Morning To You All!

I just wanted to let you all know that the SEIU Local 1000 has followed in the legal footsteps of CCPOA and has filed a "self-directed" lawsuit against GAS.

I applaud the SEIU for taking their case one step further for the purpose of including those hard-working employees within the SEIU Local 1000 who have, up to this point, been excluded from previous lawsuits. This lawsuit names as defendants the following departments: CDCR, Mental Health, Juvenile Justice, Veterans Affairs and Developmental Services. Please read this short article for more details:

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/the_state_worker/2010/04/seiu-local-1000-files-self-dir.html

No update yet on CCPOA's case. It's still in appellate court limbo.

Thanks Everybody and I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me. There's just something in the air that makes me think things are starting to heat up - and it's not just the valley air. : )

Tamara

Message From Chuck Alexander about 12 Hour Shifts

State Board,

The Chapter representatives at SVSP are asking for your assistance in opposing the 12 hour shift that is being proposed there. Attached is an electronic copy of the "petition" that was provided to the SVSP Chapter President B. Gibbons.

Please print the petition and get your members to sign. There will also be an original mailed to you. As you get them filled out, please return them to CCOA HQ attention Steve Weiss. At the upcoming Board meeting we will discuss this proposal and further action we can take regarding same.

Such a drastic change to Unit 6 work hours must be part of a master contract. As such, CCPOA must oppose any move to a 12 hour shift schedule unless, and until, it is negotiated as part of an MOU.

Click Here for a copy of the petition.

Check out this site

http://www.caivn.org/issue/public-safet ... son-reform

As you all know I have been making a big push for people to get out and educate themselves and vote this year.

I was made aware of the above site today as far as it now discussing prison issues. I would invite anyone and everyone to go there, check it out and post some comments to tell "our side of the story". As far as I can tell, the site welcomes open dialogue and don't be surprised if you get some conflicting if not flat out hating comments about us. All I ask is that we all remember that both "sides" will be reading and posting on this site and it would be great if we could be the "bigger men/women" if it does get nasty (and yes, I am telling myself this as well).

At any rate, it seems to be a place to get good info and opposing views (which in my eyes only makes our case stronger and you as an individual stronger when you know why your opposition is arguing their point). So I hope to see everyone there and giving insightful, respectful comments.

IP

CCC 3/31/10

Yesterday we sat with the Personal Assignment Lt. Not administration on OP 726. This meeting went as expected. I will be suprised if anything does come out of it. It is almost a repeat from last year when we sat down with the same person. Funny, before that, when we sat down with Lt. Dan, OP 726 was wrapped up in less then a half an hour. Now here we are sitting almost a year and a half without a revised OP726. All the changes that "they" wanted to impliment, we asked why. We explained that it was not broken in the first place, and ofcourse we got the classic, "I don't agree with you". So we will see how this turns out. I know our Warden & CDW wants to move ahead with this, but it is very hard when you have the middle~man attempt to shove these things in front of you, without any regard of the opposite side's opionon. We were not the ones that went out and rewrote OP726 two years ago. The suggestions we inputed last year were not in this latest revised OP726 (not surprised). This seems very one sided if you ask me. I have never seen a simple procedure get dragged through the ringer as this one has. For what? So some can say they got their way at the end? That's not what this is about.

As far as the Medical jobs go , I was told by the LRA that they were told NOT to sit down and talk to CCPOA at the local level. I will be contacting Labor tomorrow and find out what the hell is going on. I heard from all the effected staff yesterday about this. They are sick and tired of the redirection every weekend. Can't blame them. Some staff have even suggested that the Administration is holding out, because it makes our budget look good redirecting everyone and saving a few bucks on paper. This whole Medical Job thing is a freakin joke. Why the hell would they go ahead and rush to get all these positions going, realize they have too many, adjust the medical staff but not the custody staff. And 3 months later, the custody staff PY's are still pending? Can anyone say poor management here? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this whole medical receivership thing would turn out to be a mess from the get go. But they went ahead and did it anyways.

I have a copy of the recet memo that came out with no signature on the "inner facility" transfer's ie; bed moves. So with the staffing shortage, job expectations, ect, ect, they now want to put more of a work load on our staff. Maybe they should hire a property officer for every yard so this task is done. Just some thought. We will bring this up to the Warden at our next meeting. Also heard rumour, there may be another memo out there on the Voc inmates and hot tools. If you do see a copy of this, please make me a copy and put it in my box. Thanks.

Stay Safe and Sane

Lori

CCC UPDATE 3/29/10

Just a real quick update on what is going on around our house. Tomorrow we are sitting down with Administration on OP 726. We discussed at the last chapter meeting on what the changes were. We will see how it goes. It is not easy with no contract.

Second. Administration FINALLY had decided that they will sit down with us on the medical jobs. These are the ones that are being redirected every weekend. We have waited over 3 months for this. Now we are waiting for a time and a date from them. We have been pushing them to get this thing going. For some reason, they do not want to move very fast. I know this sucks for the people that have been going through this every weekend.

Stay Safe and Sane

Lori Olah

12 hour shifts

CCPOA NEWS
The following just came in from CCPOA’s Chief of Labor, Steve Weiss, concerning rumors about a 12-hour shift implementation proposal.

12 HOUR SHIFTS
As you may be aware, there has been a great deal of talk and rumors regarding the Department’s consideration of implementing 12 hour shifts.

On March 23rd, CCPOA received a notice of the implementation of 12 hour shifts for Supervisors and Lieutenants at Heman G. Stark (Stark/YTS) and SVSP.

This notice is specific to Stark and SVSP Supervisors and Lieutenants only. It does not include BU6 rank and file......yet.

The notice did not include any plans, policies, or procedures, so at this point, we have no idea how the Department intends to implement or in what time frames.

CCPOA will respond to the notice by first demanding all policies, procedures, and other relevant information, and will begin the process of negotiations under Government Code section 3533 as soon as possible. We will keep you informed.

Steve Weiss
Chief of Labor, CCPOA

NO ON 12 HOUR SHIFTS!!!!!

I have been contacted by staff at SVSP who are reaching out to all of us, state wide, to help in what they perceive to be an attack on their livelihoods and ours just the same. I could not agree with them more.

It has been told to them that in a matter of weeks their Warden will present them with the plan to implement 12 hour shifts at their institution. The local Chapter President has gone to great lengths to find out information about this issue, yet, the department and her Warden both seem unable to present any real reason or understanding of the burden they are about to place on their own staff and their families alike.

Salinas Valley State Prison is a notorious Level 4 prison. Starting at Calipatria myself, there was one other joint that we heard about on a regular basis being as violent and dangerous for staff as ours, and it was in fact, SVSP. It would seem strange and somewhat irresponsible that anyone would want to start a "pilot" program, that will undoubtedly lead to staff exhaustion and family stress, at a place with such a propensity for absolute violence, but then, anything else would rely on common sense and as we all know such a thing is not a common virtue held by many in our departmental hierarchy.

Think about this my friends and partners. If they are willing to do it there, it will be at a prison near you in a matter of moments. A "pilot program" after a year in the world of Labor becomes policy and it would now seem that the department is attacking our future contract and provisions by enacting policy under a cloak of "cost savings" and "pilot programs".

What will this do to Post and Bid, vacation, holiday time, ITO, swaps, sick leave, overtime and a host of other things that allow us to somewhat control our existence in a job that is full of chaos and violence? Will you burn 8 hours of Sick Leave when you call in, or 12? What will you earn?

Most importantly to us all, at the very fabric of why we choose to walk behind the walls, what about our families? How will you arrange child care, school pick ups, sporting events and how many of you already commute quite a ways to work? What will that do to your time spent at home? We already sacrifice many of life's precious moments that I listed above, think about what you will sacrifice next?

If you fail to see the seriousness of what is about to take place at Salinas Valley then I would assert that you have no pulse. Not only do I feel that we are obligated to defend our Brothers and Sisters at SVSP, I cannot stress enough that this will in fact soon effect you and where you work. This "pilot program" will be set into policy and all of us, state wide, will feel the pain. Do not let this happen to them and at the very least (I would hope that you care more than this) defend them in order to defend yourselves.

The power of this state is in us! Everyone that sets "policy" works for us! The state may seem irreparably damaged but it is only because we have allowed those that think they control it to go to far and unchecked. I see this as a serious threat to our way of life. I also see it as a grand opportunity to step up, step out and make your voice heard through letters, phone calls and your eventual VOTE when by right, we as Californians and more specifically Correctional Peace Officers, DEMAND THE SAME ACCOUNTABILITY AND STANDARD THAT WE ARE HELD TO EACH AND EVERY DAY WORKING THE TOUGHEST BEAT IN THE STATE!!!!

"That's the way it is" is befitting of losers and quitters. I know that is not what we are because in my short career I have worked with some of the bravest and most stubborn individuals I have ever met. It's going to be up to us to change it. The time is now and the direction is clear. DO NOT EXCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND DESERVE FOR ONE MORE DAY! Let's make this stop and effect positive change today for all of our tomorrows.


The following are the contacts for Salinas Valley's legislative representatives, I plead with each and every one of you to call and write them in the defense of your partners and yourselves. If anyone needs any other help finding the contacts for your own local's, just let me know. Lets see how much noise we can make. Hey, maybe another camping trip is in order.........

Assemblywoman Anna Caballero http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a28/

Senator Jeff Denham http://cssrc.us/web/12/contact_us.aspx


Ian Pickett
Sgt. KVSP

On The Road Again

Hey Lori, as always if you don't find the following appropriate then I will understand if you pull it, it's just for everyone's information.......

A time comes in everyone’s life that you begin to ask yourself what “it” is all about. I know this is a question that has been repeating in my mind for over 2 years now.

The state of the state is dismal. Politics, cliques, cars and scandal seem to be the way of the world and the acceptance from everyone with a defeatist attitude only serves to push all of our underachievement even further foward. “That’s just the way it is” seems to be the surrender that I hear from my partners, my neighbors and my friends across the board.

Myself and Marques Jones refuse to accept “That’s just the way it is” any longer. We refuse to just exist in this world one more day with out trying our best to effect positive change for the future. We refuse to listen or focus for one more minute about what happened yesterday because we will not allow tomorrow to just pass us by while looking back.

It is time for change. This is not a call to change any player but to change the entire game, the weak players will fall by the side. If we continue to allow politics and politicians in this state to continue the way they are, there will be no future for our children or our grandchildren. The “leadership” has not produced and we wont accept it any longer. We plan to hold them accountable. Being a Republican or Democrat in this state is like being a Blood or Crip. Neither represent the freedom of an individuals choice that this country was based on. Neither represent the check and balance that was supposed to rule our government, but both, expect a person to accept the entire party line once declaring your loyalty. It simply does not work. The time has come that a man or woman can be elected into office based on the content of their character and not the content of their campaign account.

With all that said, we may seem like idealists but we are ok with that. Both Marques and I will be hitting the streets once more in an effort to register every single human being we can to vote. We will go prison by prison and anywhere else anyone would like to see us in between. Our hope is that people will register “Decline To State” rather than register with their traditional party line. By registering “Decline To State” you keep the politicians guessing. They can not rely on you for your vote or your money because of party affiliation but instead, they must come earn it. They must approach you with their own ideas because no group has written them a script to gain your acceptance based on your affiliation. You have no affiliation other than whats good for the people. That has been forgotten and we intend to change it or die trying.

We are well aware that the problem seems to large to fix. We are well aware that it will take more than us to fix it, but, we are also well aware that EVERYONE said two guys and some sleeping bags could not get the attention of the state and we didn’t let that stop us either.

I am not here to tell you how to vote or that your party is not one you should support, but, I will ask this one question ” has it worked”?

The time has come to stop focusing on what happened in the past and asking ourselves “what are we going to do NOW, to fix it”.

Ian Pickett
Sgt. KVSP

JUST A QUICK NOTE 3/1/10

Just a quick note to keep everyone up to date locally. I know you guys want more local issues posted and we try. Sometimes though, we fall into a glitch where we can't post due to keeping persons names out of it. Sometimes this can be hard to do. I will try and figure something out.

12~hour shifts have been a hot topic with our local Administration and Sacramento. Both sides think it is coming. CCPOA is asking for memo's for harmed parties if we do go to 12 hour shifts (childcare, ect). This will go towards their fight on it. You can place the memo's in my box and I will fax them to HQ's. I know there are good and bad with this issue. The bad I see is it will lower our staffing levels. At our institution, we are already low, so I don't think that would be a factor. The good, it may cut down on the o.t. holdovers. I do not have a crystal ball to predict if this will work or not. But what I have been hearing through the grapevine, this is looking more like a statewide issue.

We are still collecting Performance Reports that are not written properly. I did get the Suppliments pulled out of our personell files. I think there were 3 or 4 of them placed in our files. I would like to hope that the person involved in this was repremanded for this illegal tactic. But I am not holding my breath on it. Even though this clearly violated our POBAR rights.

We are still collecting LOI's & ECR's that are written. Most that I have ran into have violated CDCr's own policy. The writters are violating their own DOM. It seems staff are being written up for everything! There is no training no more. This does wonders on our moral. There is a place for training and a place for an LOI. Atleast that is suposed to be how it works.

We did receive 8 new cops from transfere's. That is good news. We need everybody we can get.

Medical still has not sat down with us to discuss the new RDO's for the medical positions. We have contacted them several times without a date.

I'm not going to comment on the Operation Disconnect (read other post). But it is being looked at down in HQ's legal.

We are still working agrressivly on the treatment of staff. We still have some supervisors that insist on treating cops like dirt. We need to know about these. Write a memo, call me and we will go from there. These are being compiled in a file for future cases going towards the Attornery General. If you get into a bind, there is a current job steward list in the Watch Office and ERO's office. Call us and ask questions. Or call me, 204-7791. We need to stand up against this behavior. We have had good success on getting these issue handled and dropped when the employee has adverse action thrown at them.

We are all in this together. We need to hear from you when things happen on the yards. If you cannot contact me immediatly, get ahold of Bollie on Lassen 2nd watch, Randy Langslet, 2nd watch Sierra, Kristy lopez, 3 rd watch Sierra, Kenny Estes, 3 rd watch LMT, J. Peralta 3 rd S &E, Kvasnak 1 st watch Sierra, Bias, 1st watch Arnold or Jeniffer Rice. All these peeps are very good at contacting me immediatly. I have been out for several month due to my hand injury, but have been keeping very busy with the union issues. Please dont hesitate to call me. We need your help to help you. Keep us informed.

Believe it or not, we are still doing good as an institution. Talking to other institutions, they are really hammering the staff bad.

Next week is our monthly meeting with the Warden. If there is anything you feel that needs to be brought up, drop me a line so we can put it on the adgenda.

I am compliling a list for job stewards again, contact me if you are interest. Power is knowledge.

As I said, this is just a quick letter to keep you up to date on issues. Stay Safe & Sane.

Lori

OPERATION Disconnect

OPERATION DISCONNECT~This is the state's fancy tittle to impose their searching process on us. I wonder what the pay-grade was for the rocket scientist to come up with that lame~ass name. And what the hell does it really stand for?

Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor in keeping our staff safe & keeping the bad "apples" out of our system. But this bright idea the state has imposed on us? Is this really their intent? It makes one wonder.

If a staff member has numerous cell phones, tobacco, hand grenades, ect. then obviously they are dirty. But what about the staff who forgot to take their cell phone out of their pocket on that day? Is he or she guilty of discrediting the Department? That is the million dollar question.

So the poor staff who forgot to check themselves before leaving their car gets nabbed with their "contraband". Now what. The state then goes through the process of discrediting the employee by running them through their adverse action process. So what is the true intent of "OPERATION DISCONNECT"?

There are stories across the state on these issue's. To the point of searching person's to searching cars in the parking lot to not allowing an employee to return to their car before entering the secured area to put back that "forgotten cell phone". Granted, we are all subject to search once we are on prison grounds. But there are rules.

Where is the outcry for waste of taxpayers money here? OIA is getting paid to go to each institution to do this drill. How many 'bad apples" have they really caught? Not enough to justify their jobs. This brilliant plan the state has come up with is a freakin joke! Can't wait to see what they come up next.

So in theory, the state is moving forward with their "operation" to disconnect the staff from making any human error. Are we getting to the point where there is no room for human error with staff? As Glenn Beck would say, "Damn Right they are".

So a quick overview. State says we have a problem with "bad apples" bringing in contraband inside our prisons. They initiate OD. Now when staff forget to take out that object out of their purse or lunchbox they are deemed a discredit to our department. So who is really benefiting from this? It's another guess that our department is just using this tactic to beat the moral down even further. Remember there are several tactics out there, this is just one of them. The Department has again lost focus on what their goals are. There is no training. Just adverse action. There is no room for human error. But the state is violating many of their own rules during this process.

1) When you become under their control ie; submitting to a search~you are under the clock. Are you being provided a sign in sheet for this? This is a FLSA law.

2) Before you enter a secured area~you are not allowed to return to your vehicle to put back any "forgotten items" which puts you into an entrapment scenario. So them knowing you have contraband and giving you a direct order to proceed into the security area, who really is at fault?

3) And what are their standards of contraband items? Nail clippers? over-the counter medicine, avon catalogs? They don't even know what the list consists of.

4) The Staff they have searching staff~have they been through "Operation Disconnect" training? If you watch, most Supervisors are pulled out of the search line to search other staff. Who trained them? Is it logged in IST? And are they even qualified?

Just some food for though. Remember this the next time you go through this state process. Document and call your local chapter.

Stay Safe and Sane

Lori

Fading are the peacemakers

One of California’s most powerful political forces may have peaked

Feb 25th 2010 | LOS ANGELES | From The Economist print edition

How much longer will they hold the keys?

DON NOVEY used to be the most important man in Californian politics that no one had ever heard of. As president of California’s prison-guards’ association from 1982 to 2002, Mr Novey turned that union into the most powerful in the state. On his watch, California built 21 new prisons. Mr Novey’s organisation also sponsored or supported tough laws that helped to fill those prisons to almost twice their capacity at times. It helped elect two Republican governors and one Democratic one, besides countless state legislators. “We sent candidates 13 questions,” he happily recalls, ranging from their stance on the death penalty to labour issues.

He is especially proud that he won his members by far the most generous wages and benefits that prison officers get anywhere in the country. Under the last deal he negotiated, which expired in 2006, the average member of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) earned around $70,000 a year and more than $100,000 with overtime. (Since then, wages have gone up again.) Mr Novey negotiated pensions of up to 90% of salary starting at as early as 50—more than teachers, nurses or firefighters get, and matched only by the state’s highway patrol.

This is the legacy that many people now blame for a good part of California’s fiscal crisis. Visiting the state earlier this month, Anthony Kennedy, a justice on the US Supreme Court, said it was “sick” that the CCPOA had sponsored the “three-strikes” law of 1994, a notorious sentencing measure that contributes to prison overcrowding. The state’s prison agency is permanently at war with the union and accuses it of obstructing reform. California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had to climb down from open confrontation with the CCPOA in 2005, but is now proposing to privatise much of the state’s prison system precisely to evade its grip.

The CCPOA (which did not reply to The Economist’s repeated requests for interviews) returns the hostility. In its view, prison guards “walk the toughest beat in the state”, as its motto has it. In the Peacekeeper, the union’s newspaper, the editor writes that guards “protect the good people of the world from the bad people”, while another entry reminds guards that “if you have been gassed and exposed to blood-borne pathogens…know that every minute counts.” This is no ordinary job, the union insists, and its members deserve a good deal.

Yet the CCPOA’s influence may be waning, says Adrian Moore at the Reason Foundation, a think-tank in Los Angeles. In Mr Novey’s days, the union might have won an exemption from the furloughs of state workers now necessary because of the budget crisis; these days, it appears unable to. Barry Krisberg at Berkeley’s law school says that the guards “have priced themselves out of the market”. They can’t push for even tougher laws, he says, at a time when prisons are so overcrowded that a federal court is threatening mandatory inmate releases. And they can’t demand even more generous benefits during a fiscal catastrophe. The iron triangle—union, prison builders and Republican lawmakers—is coming apart, he thinks. Mr Novey agrees; and many Californians are hoping they are right.

Is relying on the state sound policy?

Posted: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:00 am

In a perfect world, providing life coaching to ex-convicts is a great idea. California’s inmate recidivism rate is distressingly high, and one might assume that helping parolees learn how to make non-criminal decisions is the wise path.

This is, however, not a perfect world, and that fact presents many questions that need to be answered before Santa Barbara County officials sign off on a proposal to build and maintain two parolee day-reporting centers.

The pitch was made by the Sheriff’s Department at this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting. The board was short-handed, so the sheriff’s report was accepted, in concept, on a 3-0 vote.

Taxpayers should hope for a full board when and if this project comes back for consideration, and after someone provides an answer to what we perceive to be the key question:

Who, exactly, is going to pay for these parolee reintroduction facilities?

The plan, as presented Tuesday, relies on a promise by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to give the county $1.5 million a year, with another $100,000-plus going to the Sheriff’s Department to oversee the centers.

That pledge of $1.5 million, is, however, only good for a two-year period. After the two years, state and county officials would, presumably, have to work out details on further state funding support.

County officials should be very wary about relying on state funding promises. California government is about $20 billion in the budget hole this year and next, with no relief in sight.

How can a state department guarantee any level of funding, when there is no guarantee state government will even be solvent a year from now?

Another question that begs an answer is just how many parolees are going to use these centers? The state prison system is under court orders that could result in the early release of thousands of inmates, many or all of whom will be parolees.

Are state and local officials factoring in that potential tidal wave of parolees in the planning for local day centers?

A couple of board members voiced mild skepticism about relying on the state for funding, with one saying, “... I’d hate for us to get all dressed up, with no place to go.”

Indeed, and board members need to consider other potential problems. For example, what happens if the board approves the centers, work is started and parolees are getting life training, then after the two-year funding guarantee, the state decides it has no money left for such programs?

Are county taxpayers then on the hook to keep the programs running?

We have little doubt that such a program could help parolees, and could even reduce this state’s abysmal recidivism rate, but at what cost, if the state goes broke?

Are Santa Barbara County taxpayers willing to finance the education of ex-cons on the value of making law-abiding decisions, when so many law-abiding citizens are being deprived of valuable county services because of budget deficits?

California’s get-tough-on-crime era turned jails and prisons into one of this state’s major growth industries — growth that has become a fiscal anchor around the necks of taxpayers. This county alone has been under court order since the mid-1980s to reduce chronic jail overcrowding.

Instead of figuring how to provide more services to convicted criminals, perhaps we ought to invest more time, energy and fiscal resources in early childhood programs to teach kids about the disadvantages of a life of crime.

Ignatius Piazza: Stop Screaming, Start Shooting…

Ignatius Piazza: Stop Screaming, Start Shooting…

This video is raw. You should not watch it with children around. This is a wake up call