Message from Paul Quesada
President
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Thank you for your support in the recent by-law change (dues increase). The motion passed by an overwhelming majority of the members present. This change will lay the groundwork for a stronger more powerful Association. It establishes a level playing field with management. You, the membership, are now my only boss. My efforts will strictly focus on the needs of the membership. Be assured there is much work to be done. We are currently working on our own in-house reorganization. The old mom and pop philosophy simply does not work anymore. We are a business, as a matter of fact a big business. All things must change and change is on the way. Change that will bring accountability to this organization.

The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) sponsored a second annual Legal Rights & Legislative seminar. The seminar was held in Washington DC on April 18-21, 1998. Distinguished guest from police and labor organizations participated. As stated by Robert T. Scully, NAPO's Executive Director, "This is a must attend seminar for police union leaders". I attended this seminar along with Kevan Otto and James Ream. See attached photos and highlights.

On May 6-8, P.J. and I will be in Sacramento for the CCLEA meeting. We will have the opportunity to meet with Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis. As I mentioned before, we, along with most law enforcement organizations are endorsing him for Governor. Again I encourage all of you to vote for Gray Davis and ask that you encourage your friends and family to vote for him as well. We will also be attending the Police Memorial representing our members. One final reminder on the political front; remember to vote NO on Proposition 226. If you will recall this is the proposition that attacks labor organizations. See the attachment for more information.

As to the external forces that affect our daily lives, we are forming a strategy to confront these issues. We want fair and honest Management in all aspects of departmental operations. This is our number one issue. If the department can not give us one simple truth then we will bypass Department Management and find truth elsewhere. In order to do this we need your support, without it, it can not be done. Be aware, there are agents of Management out there who continue to bash this Association's Executive Board. Their sole purpose is to destroy the new direction of this Organization. Don't be fooled by those hyenas in sheep's clothing. You will know them by their motives. With your backing we will prevail. They are we are many.

In reference to the so called "illness certification" problem, I met with the Chief and Assistant Superintendent Nakano. Although the POA does not recognize the "Department illness goal" we reached a limited understanding of the issue. Number 1; the Department can not use the illness goal as a barometer to place an employee on illness certification. Number 2; negative conference memos can not be issued and placed in a personnel file for exceeding the so-called "goal". If either of these situations occur, I strongly recommend filing a grievance. It is our position that the contract specify when an employee may be placed on illness certification (doctor's note). I am still dealing with this issue and will update you on any further developments.

On the subject of grievances, if you are having problems with POST pay, let us know. Currently, we have many grievances filed on behalf of members for various reasons. LDF does not cover grievance. They must be paid out of the general fund. In my opinion, the issue that are addressed in these grievances are well worth the money. Every time we prevail, we are establishing precedence. We must ensure that the Department respects our rights and the contractual language.

This past spring break 20 officers completed a 40-hour POST certified FTO class. Several other groups of officers have attended the shotgun training. These are notable efforts by management to improve Department. I'm glad they are final1y listening to our concerns. We will always attempt to keep the lines of communications.

Congratulations to the Department Running Team. They finished in l5th place in their division at the Baker to Vegas run. The race was held on April 26th, 1998. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but I understood that a good time was had by all. An extra special thanks to the support team for their long hours and hard work. Just another reminder, don't forget the Classified Employee's Picnic May 23rd, 1998. We will have a POA booth at the location and there should be plenty of food.

Remember, united we stand or together will fall. God bless

Paul Quesada