2025: A Year of Exponential Growth and Unprecedented Breakthroughs

Our mission at PPOA highlights a “Tradition of Success,” which includes our entire membership and, by association, the Department as a whole. PPOA will not budge on its proud heritage of fighting for and defending our members’ individual and collective rights. We execute this through procedures established by law regarding civil service rules, labor rights and employee relations regulations. Into the new year, we will continue our unrelenting practice of requiring the County to abide by the meet-and-confer process codified in the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA) regarding wages, hours and other impacts of employment.

Success can be created in unique ways. General Colin Powell, who I served under in the Air Force as a captain, summed it up nicely: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” Our success can have its setbacks, particularly for expansive and innovative goals. This crucial year, we look forward to exponential growth and unprecedented breakthroughs. PPOA will make every committed effort to work professionally and ethically with Sheriff Luna and his executives in the most collaborative way possible.

Another contributor to our success is our members’ participation. Please get involved and experience the reward of our collective efforts. Become a delegate or volunteer for a committee. These opportunities avail you information and knowledge that you can pass on to other members. Your personal contributions of time and effort bring tremendous value to the table. Your participation and feedback are highly encouraged as members of our PPOA family.

In any organization, complacency is a sure sign of stagnation. In the military and as a sworn member of our Department, I have proudly served with personnel and supervisors who understood that despite rigorous planning, change is a constant; adaptability is key to positive outcomes. For PPOA, that translates into grasping an accurate assessment of the legal, political and work environment constraints that impede our ability to safely execute our duties. In 2025, the memorandums of understanding for all PPOA members will expire, and thus, we are (and will be) at the bargaining table with the County and our Department. Despite the seemingly blatant nonprioritization of public safety by a decreasing minority of elected officials, we will work to negotiate terms that respect not only the premiere efforts our members make but also the world-class challenges they are facing and will face.

As Measure R came into existence in 2020, Los Angeles County voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative that substantially increased the oversight of the Sheriff’s Department via the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Civilian Oversight Commission. Due to the OIG’s failure to adhere to legal standards regarding the implementation of Measure R, PPOA has been actively engaged in and successful with several legal filings against the OIG. If you are contacted to participate in any such inquiry and/or investigation (particularly involving tattoos), your first call should be to PPOA. The Department and the OIG have invested and exhausted many resources toward targeted issues in what some might describe as a “witch hunt” — all the while yielding a diminishing return. 

The impact of oversight entities, lackluster policy rollouts, public sentiment and severe personnel shortages on the morale of our members is palpable. However, the tide has definitely shifted as Los Angeles County voters grew fatigued and hopeless with the “soft-on-crime” policies of our former Los Angeles County district attorney. With the successful election of District Attorney Nathan Hochman and the passage of Proposition 36, voters spoke loudly and clearly that a stronger, new direction for the safety of our county was required. Key to the victory of District Attorney Hochman was an independent expenditure committee of public safety partners, of which PPOA was one of the largest contributors. I urge all PPOA members to assign a portion of their monthly dues, be it $2, $5 or $10, toward our political strategies (see the PAC Plus form at https://tinyurl.com/yurv2324). This ensures we have a voice in who gets elected and which laws get passed.

Editor’s note: After this article was submitted, H.R. 82 was signed into law by President Joe Biden on January 5, 2025. This accomplishment is historic in scope and required a monumental, union-led effort to secure the Social Security benefits earned rightfully by millions of public servants.

On the federal level, the tide has similarly shifted in a monumental way. The repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) has been achieved. Both houses of the United States Congress have passed the legislation. This legislation is now headed to the president, who has committed to signing this bill into law. This historic milestone will bring long-overdue relief to countless current and future public workers in California and nationwide.

This achievement would not have been possible without the immense dedication and endless commitment we have as members of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The FOP aligned lodges across the country to speak with a united voice to exemplify the immense strength and power of our organization. This victory highlights the strength of collective tenacity and focus. As members of PPOA, we make up the largest component of California FOP Lodge #1. I currently serve on the executive committee of the California FOP, which consists of 32 lodges statewide; this ensures our members have a voice on the state and federal levels. Additionally, the FOP provides our Legal Defense Plan (LDP) and numerous other unique benefits.

Lastly, I want to share what an honor and privilege it is for me to serve as the chair of our Star & Shield Foundation. Last year, our Foundation was able to provide financial support to those in need. Many had to deal with severe loss. The Star & Shield Foundation is funded by our members and sponsors. The Foundation’s purpose is to support our members who experience tragedy and the families of officers killed in the line of duty. We ask all PPOA members to support the Star & Shield Foundation in any way possible.

Let’s make 2025 a year like no other. We will continue to expand our vision, mission and purpose while providing the best customer service possible to our members. Please stay safe, stay well, and we will see you very soon!