Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association
Yesterday, an executive order was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to effectively streamline workers’ compensation claims for essential employees who contract COVID-19.
This story below about two Custody Assistants who recovered from COVID-19 is an eye-opening excerpt from an Associated Press article (4/27/20) entitled “After COVID-19 Recovery, First Responders Get Back to Work”
LOS ANGELES — In jail-speak, it’s called “the line.”
For correction officers, it means any duty that requires working directly with inmates. Custody Assistant Sonia Munoz’s line is a 184-bed inmate hospital ward at the Twin Towers jail, with its beige walls and powder blue doors. It’s where she most likely contracted the coronavirus. And passed it along to her younger sister and her father.
Right now, Munoz, 38, is safe. She’s 10 pounds lighter, her thick uniform belt is tightened to the last notch, but she’s been transferred to an office gig, where she can line up three bottles of hand sanitizer on her desk and work alone.
Still, the line is there.
Any overtime shift could bring Munoz back. Her mother, 3-year-old nephew and 94-year-old grandmother escaped illness last time, but they may not be so lucky again.
It’s something her 27-year-old partner, Christopher Lumpkin, worries about.
On March 18, he became the first member of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the nation’s largest jail system, to test positive for COVID-19. He likely passed it to Munoz and three other custody assistants. More than 60 sheriff’s personnel county-wide and at least 28 inmates have tested positive for the virus.
Using Facebook Messenger, Lumpkin and Munoz traded stories and symptoms, bedridden in their quarantined homes as the virus spread outside.
“I will pray for you guys as well,” Lumpkin wrote.
Now, Lumpkin is recovered and back on the line. He changes his gloves and sanitizes his hands each time he works with an inmate and keeps an extra mask hanging off his duty belt.
Munoz takes similar precautions in her office, separate from the inmates.
But she can’t avoid the line forever.
“I have to go back to the lion’s mouth.”
Original AP article, video and additional photos are here: https://apnews.com/ab5ceac4542026be8792fb6561f8f38e
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Today, April 27, 2020, the Coalition of County Unions (CCU), of which PPOA is a member, was officially notified by the Los Angeles County CEO’s office of their “desire to reopen the 2018-2021 Coalition of County Unions Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding Fringe Benefits.” The reason cited for the reopening is “to discuss the County’s matching contribution (up to 4%) to 457 plan participants.” Further, the request comes “on the immediate and anticipated ongoing expenses associated with the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
PPOA was advised of the potential of this move by the CEO’s office during conference calls late last week. On Friday, April 24, 2020, a conference with CCU leadership was conducted with every union on that call in agreement that the reopening of the MOU cannot and will not occur until detailed fiscal information of the County’s budget is provided. The information requested includes the current as well as projected expenses and loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis, the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget, and any changes to the FY 20-21 Recommended Budget once Federal/State reimbursements for the COVID-19 response are identified or received.
This request of the County was not a surprise. Once the CEO notified the unions that MegaFlex employees would not be receiving matching contributions to their 401K (up to 4%) and 457 (up to 4%) plans for the remainder of this fiscal year, PPOA circled the wagons with other union leadership and began discussing various scenarios and strategies. The Chair of the CCU, working with legal counsel and budgetary consultants, has prepared a detailed information request in response to the CEO’s notification. PPOA will continue to work collaboratively with all parties to address these concerns and defend any potential circumstances which would represent a loss of any kind to our members. Additional budget information regarding the “Deep impacts from COVID-19” can be found at https://lacounty.gov/budget/.
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This is Number Five of a continuing effort to provide PPOA members with relevant timely information. Below is the latest information regarding Facial Coverings, Paid Administrative Leave and Department Required Notifications in relation to COVID-19. Please be advised that the guidance and information provided may change at a moment’s notice. Any such change will be forwarded to the membership as soon as possible.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 and guidance from Los Angeles Public Health Professionals please go to http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/
1. Do I have to wear a facial covering while at work?
As of April 15, 2020, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, following a Board of Supervisors’ motion, has mandated the use of facial coverings.
Department members shall wear a facial covering, whose duties require contact with other employees and/or the public, unless in a situation where a facial covering inhibits officer’s safety. A facial covering’s primary function is to protect other people from being contaminated by the wearer. Facial coverings may help prevent self-contamination by preventing the wearer from touching their mouth and nose area.
Facial coverings must meet the below listed specifications:
(1) The facial covering shall not significantly affect verbal communication. For example, a cloth facial covering should not prevent personnel from giving clear verbal commands to a suspect or communicating clearly via radio.
(2) Cloth facial coverings should be washable for decontamination purposes, have elastic ear over loops and be made of tightly woven cotton or similar tightly woven material which allows for near normal breathing while preventing particulate matter from passing through. Multiple layers of material are acceptable.
(3) Facial coverings should be solid colors only; no patterns (writing/insignias are not permitted and accessories are not permitted to be affixed to the mask)
PPOA has recently distributed hundreds of facial coverings to PPOA members across the Department and is currently engaged in efforts to receive additional facial coverings for future distribution.
PPOA receives donation of medical-type masks from Yi Li, President of Renogy, www.renogy.com. We wish to thank both Ms. Li for the donation and Assembly Member Phillip Chen for the assistance in coordinatng this donation, as well as their concern for our members.
PPOA President Tab Rhodes donating masks to Patrol Divisions, accepted by Assistant Sheriff Steve Gross
PPOA President Tab Rhodes donating masks to Custody Divisions, accepted by Assistant Sheriff Bruce Chase
PPOA Secretary Tony Coleman donating masks to members at the PDC facilities. Pictured with Mr. Coleman are (left to right) Sergeant Cereoli, Captain Holloway, Sergeant Abal, and Custody Assistant Thorne.
Although PPOA’s goal is to ensure that every PPOA member has a facial covering for personal use, do not abandon efforts to obtain appropriate PPEs through your designated chain of command.
If you have any questions or require additional information regarding the use of facial coverings, the DOC is available 24 hours at (323) 980-2101, or COVID19DOCNOTIFICATIONS@lasd.org
2. Will I be eligible for Paid Administrative Leave if I was sent home for COVID-19 related reasons?
COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave is available to any Department employee (including any employee ordered home prior to April 1, 2020) who was ordered by a Department supervisor to remain home —AND—who was unable to work or telework because of one of the reasons delineated below:
An employee who meets COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave eligibility criteria should contact the supervisor who ordered them to remain home and request the ordering supervisor submit an “Authorization for COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave Form” on their behalf. The Form is available on Personnel Administration Bureau’s Pay, Leaves, and Records Units’ Intranet site.
According to Department guidance, the Ordered Absence will not exceed 30 calendar days unless authorized by the Sheriff. Information regarding the Ordered Absence is confidential and will not be contained in the employee’s personnel file or referenced in the employee’s performance evaluation or on any appraisal of promotability.
3. If a coworker tests positive for COVID-19, is the Department obligated to inform me?
Yes, the Department is obligated to inform you when you have come into close contact with a coworker who has tested positive for COVID-19. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act prevents the Department from revealing the identity of a specific coworker who may have tested positive for COVID-19, the Department is still mandated to inform all employees whenever they are exposed to a coworker known to have COVID-19. The Department must make notification to and should have follow up questions for any employee who had “close contact” with the COVID-19 positive individual.
The CDC defines “close contact” as “a person that has been within six feet of the infected employee for a prolonged period of time.” In settings where the individual is known to have COVID-19, it is reasonable to define a prolonged exposure as any exposure greater than a few minutes. Brief interactions are less likely to result in transmission; however, symptoms and the type of interaction (e.g., did the person cough directly into the face of the individual) remain important and should motivate further inquiry from Department supervisors in order to obtain the full extent of potential coworker infection.
In accordance with all relevant CDC and California Department of Health requirements, PPOA is making every effort to ensure that the Department immediately notifies any Department member who comes into close contact with an individual known to have COVID-19. If you believe that the Department did not make immediate notification of a coworker’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis and allowed you to have close contact with a coworker known to have COVID-19, please contact PPOA at (323) 261-3010.
As mentioned in Part One, additional information about COVID-19 can be found by visiting the Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Websites
Dated: April 18, 2020
COVID-19 Conference with PPOA Legal Team
April 6: Monday represented the first regularly scheduled meeting of the week for PPOA President Tab Rhodes, Executive
Director Wayne Quint, 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.
April 7: A teleconference was hosted on Tuesday for PPOA Board Member Joyce Kato, Executive Director Quint, Labor Rep. Wallace, Labor Rep. O’Neil and executives from the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Discussions centered on C
OVID-19 but also included the recent employee overpayment issues.
COVID-19 Conference with DA’s Office
April 8: A teleconference was hosted Wednesday morning for Board Member Robert Maus, President Rhodes, Executive Director Quint and executives from the DA’s Bureau of Investigation to discuss issues, many of which were COVID-19 related, affecting PPOA members.
COVID-19 Medical Privacy Issues Addressed
April 8: On Wednesday, President Rhodes addressed medical privacy issues that resulted from Sheriff Villanueva’s recent message to LASD personnel. The video update from President Rhodes was emailed to all active PPOA members. If you have not yet watched it, please click here.
COVID-19 Conference with LA County Public Safety Unions
April 9: On Thursday, a COVID-19 teleconference was hosted for leaders of LA County public safety unions. These weekly meetings provide an important roundtable discussion for PPOA, ALADS, County Fire, Probation and Lifeguards. This week’s meeting was extremely informative regarding even more anticipated changes to be enacted and revisions to current practices to be implemented at the County level. As these protocols come to fruition, PPOA will update membership through emails, video briefings, Facebook, our website and mobile app.
COVID-19 Conference with Labor Organizations and LA County CEO
April 9: President Rhodes and Executive Director Quint joined fellow representatives from the Coalition of County Unions (CCU) and other LA County labor organizations to address the impact of COVID-19 on union members. PPOA is grateful to LA County CEO Sachi Hamai for hosting these weekly meetings and for postponing her previously-scheduled retirement in order to lead the county through the unprecedented challenges of the current pandemic.
PPOA Board of Directors Meeting
April 9: The monthly PPOA board meeting took place via video conference on Thursday. Directors in attendance included: President Tab Rhodes, Vice President Jim Blankenship, Secretary Tony Coleman, Treasurer Robert Maus and Directors Jody Clounch, Joyce Kato, Chris Lee, Carlos Marquez, Tony Romo, John Satterfield, Jim Schallert and Ryan Vienna.
New Comprehensive COVID-19 Resource Page Added to PPOA.COM
April 8: On Thursday morning, PPOA launched a new comprehensive resource web page for COVID-19 news. Please see PPOA.COM for details and regular updates on all COVID-19 issues impacting PPOA members.
Dual Track Settlement Agreement
April 9: PPOA and the Sheriff’s Department came to an agreement on Thursday to eliminate the Dual Track career path. We are particularly pleased to report, that as the result of this agreement, the remaining 51 Dual Track sergeants will have the opportunity to participate in future promotional examinations. The agreement also allows all remaining Dual Track sergeants and lieutenants to have a career path to the rank of Captain
Stay Informed — Stay Connected with PPOA
PPOA members: Please make every effort to stay connected with PPOA as we all navigate through the constantly evolving realities of this pandemic. Make sure you read our email blasts, follow us on Facebook, download the PPOA mobile app and visit PPOA.COM. We are committed to keeping all PPOA members informed of the issues affecting your career and personal safety.
