Special Message From Marva Lindsey, Institutions Vice President Brothers and Sisters,   What is happening right now at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall is unacceptable, and your Union is not backing down.   On December 11, 2025, Probation HR claimed it was notified by a Special Assistant at Los Padrinos that, as of August 31, 2025, there were no pre-disposition SYTF youth housed at the facility. Based on that claim alone, the Department (falsely) decided that as of Sept. 1, employe

The Election Committee is providing this report to inform the membership of the results of the Local 685 officer election. The results are set forth below for each position. Information regarding the runoff election, including the timelines and procedures, will be provided to the membership in a subsequent notice.   President Run off between Curtis Chambers and Philip Goldner   First Vice President Run off between Helen Pagan and John Roque   Second Vice President Elected: Ja

From Jonathan Byrd Second Vice President & Chief Steward AFSCME Local 685 Representative to the Coalition of County Unions (CCU) You may have received a County email announcing that, beginning January 2, all employees will be eligible to enroll in the 401(k) Savings Plan. What the County did not say is why this is happening and who made it possible. Local 685 is a central part of the Coalition of County Unions . For decades, the CCU has challenged the County’s two-tier system

Dear Sisters and Brothers, We want to address and correct a false rumor circulating about our position regarding Camp staff and DPO IIs.   There is no truth to the claim that we are advocating for Camp employees to replace DPO IIs. We are not, and we have never supported any proposal that would undermine the DPO II classification or the work our members perform in the field.   At Monday’s meeting with the Department, both of us - President Chism and Camps VP Bell- made a clea

To Every Field Officer Deployed to LP and BJN: We Hear You, We Stand With You, and We Are Fighting to Get You Back to the Field Brothers and Sisters,   Let me begin with this, clearly and directly:   Our Field Officers – especially our DPO IIs – have every right to be frustrated, angry, and exhausted.   You didn’t sign up to be deployed into crisis-driven juvenile halls. You didn’t sign up to carry the consequences of years of staffing failures and operational mismanagement.

The Election Committee has confirmed that corrected ballots were mailed on Thursday, November 20. All previously issued ballots are invalid, so every member must vote again , even if you already submitted a ballot.   Completed ballots must be received by Monday, December 8 . Ballots will be counted December 9–10, and the results will be announced at the General Membership meeting on Thursday, December 11 .   Please make sure your vote is counted – return your corrected ballo

AFSCME Local 685 is pleased to announce that Aflac supplemental benefits will soon be available to all members – and we’re leading with one of the most requested protections: strong, off-the-job disability insurance .   For years, members have asked for affordable income protection when an injury or illness happens outside the workplace. Aflac’s group disability plan delivers exactly that – providing cash benefits directly to you when you’re unable to work, helping you cover

by Eddie Chism, President Dear Sisters & Brothers,   Today, I took an important and necessary step on behalf of every member of AFSCME Local 685. I have formally transmitted a letter to state leaders demanding an independent, forensic audit of L.A. County’s $4 billion settlement of sexual-abuse claims . Click here to read the full letter here.   This action comes at a critical moment. Just this week, District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced a criminal investigation into p

The AFSCME Local 685 Scholarship Committee is announcing this year’s Scholarship winners. The committee organizes scholarships for members of children seeking higher education. We hope that The AFCME Local 685 scholarship will make a tangible contribution in your student’s life and send the message that AFSCME Local 685 cares about expanding access to higher education. The application is submitted in the form of a short biography that states what college or University the you

By Eddie Chism, President   This week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with the Probation Oversight Commission’s (POC) recommendations to examine shifting post-secondary education services for youth in probation facilities away from the Probation Department and into the hands of LACOE or another outside entity.   Local 685 members should be aware of what this action does – and what it does not do. The Board’s vote does not implement a transfer today

By Esteban Lizardo, Esq.   Representing Local 685 members before the Civil Service Commission has been as active as ever this past year. As the second-largest peace officer bargaining unit in L.A. County, we continue to see a high volume of disciplinary actions. Yet despite the volume, Local 685 maintains the strongest record in the County for reversing or reducing discipline . While County departments sustain discipline in roughly 80% of cases, we succeed in overturning or r

Today, Local 685 President Eddie Chism and 2 nd Vice President & Chief Steward Jonathan Byrd will join Chief Viera Rosa at the receivership hearing scheduled for 10:00 AM at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. “We are grateful for every Local 685 member who continues to show up in the halls and camps each day under extraordinarily difficult conditions. Your commitment to youth, to one another, and to the values of this department remains the foundation on which any real progress mu

From: Don Washington, Chief Negotiator, AFSCME Local 685 On Friday, October 17, members of your Local 685 Executive Board met with Chief Viera-Rosa and senior probation management to address the reassignment of Camp Paige staff to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall (BJN-JH), along with several other pressing issues affecting our membership.   The discussion was direct and productive. President Eddie Chism and Chief Viera-Rosa agreed to  re-set the labor-management partnership  and

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   A lot’s been said about the 2023 contract. We get it — tensions are high. Probation is under attack from every direction and our bosses – the Chief and his boss, the County Supervisors (the same people who robbed us of due process in writing a $4 billion check to "plaintiffs" of sexual assault - many of whom were apparently paid to join the lawsuit ) are trying to defund, civilianize, and privatize our profession ( click here to learn more).  

From President Eddie Chism Dear Sisters and Brothers, Today, a  Los Angeles County judge has temporarily blocked Attorney General Rob...

A Message from President Eddie Chism Dear Sisters and Brothers, Los Angeles County continues to stumble — and now we hear that  CEO Fesia...

Dear Sisters and Brothers, Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 tells us that there is a time and a season for everything. I believe that with all my...

There’s a lot to report this week – and every story underscores just how much is at stake for Local 685 members, our union, and our...

By Jonathan Byrd, 2nd Vice President, Chief Steward Dear Brothers and Sisters, Two major news articles published this week – one in the...

The Coalition of L.A. Probation Unions has issued a formal letter to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath following her deeply misleading remarks...