PPOA President Addresses County Supervisors' Plan to Potentially Close Men's Central Jail
July 7: On Tuesday, L.A. County Supervisors voted unanimously to initiate research into a plan to close Men’s Central Jail within the year. PPOA President Tab Rhodes addressed the Supervisors during the public comment session and urged them to consult with PPOA and our public safety counterparts while thoroughly assessing the complexity of this undertaking.

“My name is Tab Rhodes, I am President of the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association representing 9,200 County family members. I have worked Men’s Central Jail and in Custody Division throughout my career and I can attest to you that this jail is far from optimum for the health and safety of the inmates OR ANY county employees. However, as I have discussed with each of you individually, the need for a jail facility in the downtown area is a key factor in the local criminal justice system and a benefit to the citizens of the community. MCJ is needed at this point to provide wrap-around services of rehabilitation not currently available at other remote jail facilities of the county, ease of visits for community members to visit their incarcerated loved ones, specific housing for high security concerns, and centralized access to the downtown courts. Should Men’s Central Jail be considered for closure, collaborative and constructive conversation with willing public safety members such as PPOA would be appreciated to ensure the safety of our community and the families of Los Angeles County.”

Despite an overwhelming majority of public comments expressing concern and frustration about the planned closure, the Supervisors voted 4-0 (a technical problem prevented Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas from initially answering the roll call -- however, he later asked to be recorded as an "aye" vote) in favor of the motion co-authored by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl directing an existing task force to map out what would be required to close Men’s Central Jail within the year.

COVID-19 Conference with PPOA Legal Team
July 7: Tuesday represented the first regularly scheduled meeting of the week for President Rhodes, Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr., Sr. Labor Rep. Venise Wallace, Labor Rep. Teresa O'Neil, Intake Rep. Kevin Thompson and PPOA attorneys to address and analyze COVID-19 issues impacting PPOA members.
Rumor Control — LASD Budget Crisis
July 7: PPOA sent an email to LASD active members on Tuesday in order to address a number of topics, including CARP, TORA, projected cutbacks "from the CEO" and more. Please click here to read that email.
PPOA Board of Directors Meeting
July 8:   The monthly PPOA Board of Directors meeting took place on Wednesday. Directors participating included: President Tab Rhodes, Vice President Jim Blankenship, Treasurer Robert Maus and Directors Jody Clounch, Joyce Kato, Chris Lee, Carlos Marquez, Tony Romo, John Satterfield, Jim Schallert and Ryan Vienna. 
COVID-19 Conference with PPOA Legal Team
July 9: Thursday represented the second regularly scheduled meeting of the week for President Rhodes, Executive Director Quint, Sr. Labor Rep. Wallace, Labor Rep. O'Neil, Intake Rep. Thompson and PPOA attorneys to address and analyze COVID-19 issues impacting PPOA members.
Did LASD Management Lie to Personnel?
July 9: PPOA sent an email to LASD active members on Thursday re: a Temporary Reduction Overtime Assignment (TORA) notice from LASD. That notice indicated that the TORA process has been developed by the Sheriff's Department, PPOA and ALADS. In fact, no agreement has been reached between the unions and the department on ANY aspect of the TORA program. Click here to read the email from PPOA.
621Strong Facebook Live Event Fields Questions from PPOA Members
July 9: PPOA Vice President/Law Enforcement Technician Jim Blankenship and Board Member Jody Clounch hosted a Facebook live event on Thursday evening for PPOA members in Unit 621. Board Secretary/Custody Assistant Tony Coleman also took time from his vacation to address issues for CAs during the event. The Q&A session streamed live at Facebook.com/621Strong and covered a wide range of topics, including CCWs, job fairs, TORA, and more. 621STRONG is a Facebook page dedicated exclusively to the classifications represented by PPOA in bargaining unit 621: Security Officers, Custody Assistants, Law Enforcement Technicians, Civilian Investigators, Court Services Specialists, Crime Analysts, Public Response Dispatchers and Security Assistants.

PPOA BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT:
Exclusive Discounts for PPOA Members
PPOA is proud to announce that the retail companies listed below have each generously agreed to offer an exclusive 40% discount to PPOA members as a measure of gratitude for your service to Los Angeles County. We want to thank each of them for standing with us, and we encourage PPOA members to support those who support law enforcement. 

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