Huntington Beach Police Officer Dies in the Line of Duty
The law enforcement community is mourning the tragic line-of-duty death of Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella. The 16-year department veteran died and a second HBPD officer was injured when their helicopter crashed into the waters of Newport Harbor on Saturday evening. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Officer Vella was 44-years old and is survived by his wife and teenage daughter. PPOA extends sincere condolences to the Vella family and all of our brothers and sisters at HBPD. We ask that you continue to keep them all in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
Sheriff Candidate Interviews Posted at PPOA.COM
Videos of interviews with seven candidates for LA County Sheriff have been uploaded to PPOA.COM and are available to view exclusively by PPOA members.


As part of our goal to keep members informed about the issues impacting their careers, PPOA's Sheriff Election Committee conducted an interview with each candidate who requested the endorsement of PPOA. The in-depth interviews cover a broad range of topics and serve as a follow-up to the Candidates Forum hosted on January 26th by PPOA and ALADS. As a reminder, members can also view a video of that forum at PPOA.COM. 

The following candidates were interviewed by PPOA's Sheriff Election Committee:
  • Retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna
  • LAX Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo
  • Retired LASD Captain Matthew Rodriguez
  • LASD Captain Britta Steinbrenner
  • LASD Lieutenant Eric Strong
  • LASD Commander Eli Vera
  • Sheriff Alex Villanueva
Custody Assistant Gregorio Soto-Vasquez Laid to Rest
February 22: Custody Assistant Gregorio Soto-Vasquez was laid to rest in Lynwood on Tuesday. PPOA 2nd Vice President Tony Coleman joined the Soto-Vasquez family and a large contingent of LASD personnel on hand to pay final respects. The 16-year department veteran also proudly served this nation in the U.S. Army. He was last assigned to Inmate Reception Center and is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter (ages 16, 14 and 12).
Meet and Confer re: Promotional Exams
February 23: PPOA took part in a teleconference with representatives from Employee Relations and Personnel to discuss the timeline for the proposed 2022 LASD Sergeant promotional exam. This was a follow-up to the February 2nd meeting to address the same subject. Participants from PPOA included President Tab Rhodes, 1st Vice President Escobedo and Executive Director Wayne Quint Jr.
Sheriff Discusses Board of Supervisors and Current Issues
February 23: Sheriff Alex Villanueva hosted a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the failure of the Board of Supervisors to provide legal counsel regarding pending litigation with Fulgent Genetics and more. Click here to watch the video.
COVID-19 Legal Meeting
February 24: PPOA reps took part in their weekly teleconference on Thursday to discuss COVID-19 and its impact on PPOA members.

Meeting participants from PPOA included President Rhodes, Executive Director Quint, Labor Rep. Teresa O'Neil, Intake Rep. Kevin Thompson and PPOA legal counsel.
Law Enforcement Technician Classification Study
February 24: As Law Enforcement Technicians (LETs) are aware, PPOA and the Sheriff’s Department have been engaged in a series of contractual meetings regarding the ongoinLET classification study. On Thursday, PPOA board and staff members met with representatives from the Sheriff's Department, Personnel, Technology Support Division and Communications and Fleet Management Bureau to continue these discussions regarding the study. The teleconference was led by PPOA Board Member/LET Jim Blankenship and he was joined by President Rhodes and Executive Director Quint.
Unit 612 Contract Negotiations
February 24: The PPOA Unit 612 Salary Contract Negotiations Team met with County representatives via video conference to continue negotiating for a new wage Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The current contract for Sergeants and Lieutenants from the Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office expired on January 31, 2022. This was the sixth round of negotiations with County executives for this contract. During this meeting, representatives from all parties (PPOA, County, LASD, LADA) discussed the County's response to our initial contract proposals. For more details, click here to see the email sent yesterday to PPOA members in Unit 612.
Welcoming New Sergeants to PPOA
February 24: PPOA representatives proudly welcomed newly-promoted LASD Sergeants to this Association on Thursday. The Department's newest supervisors reported to the Sherman Block Buildinin Monterey Park to pick up their new badges and were joined by PPOA representatives in order to answer questions and ensure the Sergeants would be protected by union representation. These 40 Sergeants will be officially promoted tomorrow and begin reporting to their new assignments. They are slated to attend their two-week "Super School" on March 7th.
PPOA 8th Annual Heroes Ride
Following a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, PPOA is excited to announce the return of our annual Heroes Ride! This unforgettable motorcycle ride through Los Angeles on March 27th will honor the sacrifice of fallen officers and America's military veterans. The ride stages at the Hollywood Bowl before heading to LA National Cemetery for a veterans tribute and finishes at Biscailuz Center with a BBQ, vendors, music and more. 

Visit HeroesRide.org for registration and details.
Fraternal Order of Police
PPOA members have long benefitted from our longtime affiliation with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the world's largest organization of law enforcement officers, with more than 364,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges nationwide. All active PPOA members are part of California FOP Lodge 1, which represents public safety organizations throughout LA County and operates under the capable leadership of former PPOA President Roger Mayberry.

Please make it a point to check out the Washington Watch — a weekly update provided by the National FOP. We encourage PPOA members to stay up to date on the legislative news and activity impacting public safety personnel nationwide. 


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