CA: After Contract Battle, Santa Ana Police Union Launches Council Recall Campaigns

[RandySF]

An escalating conflict between City Hall leaders and the union representing Santa Ana police officers has kicked off campaigns to unseat two City Council members.

It comes after a majority of council members last month approved a 3% pay raise for police officers and slashed the arrangement for their union’s president, Gerry Serrano, of full-time release from police work while he steered the association.

That will force Serrano, who did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, to spend part of his time performing actual police duties for a department whose chief has become an adversary — a department which Santa Ana’s new mayor recently described as having a “cancer.”

“Yes, there’s a cancer going on in this police department,” said Mayor Valerie Amezcua during the December meeting, describing divided loyalties at the agency. “Some officers over here and some officers over here. That has bled into our community … and I don’t need to name names because they’re on both sides.”

After rejecting various proposed officer raises, one of which would’ve cost the city around $25 million, City Council members on Dec. 20 voted to force a ‘Last, Best and Final Offer’ of 3% on a one year contract, which the city estimates to cost a total of $1.23 million.




https://voiceofoc.org/2023/01/after-contract-battle-santa-ana-police-union-launches-council-recall-campaigns/

[in2herbs]

1. IMO it's time that towns, cities, and states require police unions to purchase their own

insurance to cover their liability. Maybe with that the police will become more responsible, there will be less law suits the govt agencies have to pay out, and the result could be the cities, towns, and states have more money for raises.

[2naSalit]

2. +1