Sisters and Brothers,   We know how difficult things have been.   Many of you are working extended hours, getting held over, and coming right back with little time to recover. Others are being asked to take on assignments that place real strain on you and your families. Across the board, the staffing crisis is being felt every day – in your schedules, your safety, and your ability to do the job the right way.   We hear you. And we have your backs.   We will begin bargaining w

Sisters and Brothers,   We know this is a difficult moment. The current reassignments are disruptive, and many of you are being asked to take on challenging assignments under difficult circumstances.   Stay strong. These Chief-mandated reassignments are not a permanent solution, and we are actively working to address both the immediate impacts and the long-term path forward.   Your Union is fighting for you on every front. We are working to protect your jobs, your rights, and

Sisters and Brothers,   We are aware that Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa has issued a department-wide memorandum regarding staffing adjustments and the reassignment of full-duty peace officers to juvenile facilities.    Your Union Executive Board is actively reviewing the directive and its impacts on our members. We will be meeting and conferring with the Chief Executive Office, which is the authorized agent on behalf of the Board of Supervisors. The impacts of the reassignments

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   As previously reported, Assembly Bill 2419 (Quirk-Silva) would require probation officers to wear body-worn cameras. This is an issue that has generated strong opinions across our membership. Because of that, we believed it was important not to assume where our members stood, but to ask you directly.   We conducted a membership survey to gather your views on the bill as written, and on our proposed amendments to hold the youth accountable, to allo

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   Attorney Tom Yu will be conducting a focused workshop for all Deputy Probation Officer IIs who were deployed or reassigned to the juvenile halls AND who subsequently received discipline arising out of duties performed during that deployment.   This workshop is intended to review and assess potential legal remedies available to affected members. Specifically, we will evaluate the logistics of pursuing appeals of discipline and examine issues relat

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   Your Executive Board is asking all members to take a short survey regarding Assembly Bill 2419 (Quirk-Silva), new legislation that would require probation officers in the L.A. County Probation Department to wear body-worn cameras in both juvenile and adult operations.   We know many members have serious concerns about body-worn cameras. For that reason, we are asking you to weigh in specifically on whether the bill would be more acceptable if it w

Many of you have raised serious concerns about Assembly Bill 1646 (Bryan), which would expand physical contact during visitation in juvenile facilities. We share those concerns, particularly when it comes to the risk of narcotics and other contraband entering our halls. The political reality is that this bill has strong support and is very likely to reach the governor’s desk. As reported in today’s Daily News article ( click here to read ), the Board of Supervisors voted 5–0

Dear Sisters and Brothers, Local 685 is conducting a brief member survey regarding the transfer language included in the August 8, 2023, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Your feedback is important. The confidential survey takes only a few minutes to complete and will help us better understand member awareness and perspectives regarding Article 15, Section 2. If you were a Local 685 member in August 2023, please take a moment to participate. Click here. Thank you in advance

Dear Sisters and Brothers, Saturday afternoon and over the night, Campus Vernon Kilpatrick experienced a major security breakdown involving more than ten minor pre-disposition females and young adult SYTF females.   Multiple females left their assigned cottages, ran across the grounds, sought out rivals, and engaged in repeated physical altercations. Some were actively looking for ways out of the facility. At one point, several youth ran up the hill overlooking the grounds, c

At the recommendation of our Sacramento-based lobbying team, the Coalition of Probation Unions, which includes rank and file officers, supervisors, and managers, has canceled this year’s annual lobbying day.   This decision was made after assessing the heavy workload requirements in Los Angeles County and the current legislative landscape. Collectively we determined that our advocacy efforts will be more effective through targeted engagement rather than a single annual event.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   Attorney Tom Yu will be conducting a focused workshop for all Deputy Probation Officer IIs who were deployed or reassigned to the juvenile halls AND who subsequently received discipline arising out of duties performed during that deployment.   This workshop is intended to review and assess potential legal remedies available to affected members. Specifically, we will evaluate the logistics of pursuing appeals of discipline and examine issues relat

Sisters and Brothers,   The Local 685 Executive Board has taken another decisive step to protect the membership by deepening our legal bench . We have retained Tom Yu, an attorney with extensive experience representing law enforcement officers in critical incidents, administrative investigations, and disciplinary matters. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve the membership of your union.  I am committed to working alongside with your new board to do one thing: r

Dear Sisters & Brothers,   After today’s all-day Executive Board meeting, we want to be very clear about what your union is doing and why.   First, AFSCME Local 685 has formally filed a Grievance General in Character over the Department’s unilateral actions involving the permanent reassignment of approximately 200 Field Officers and RTSB Volunteers. These reassignments were imposed without proper process and without regard for the impact on officers, operations, or safety. We

By the Local 685 Executive Board We are deeply troubled by reports that one of our members has been placed on administrative leave for using OC spray to break up a violent group altercation at Campus Vernon Kilpatrick, as detailed in yesterday’s Daily News article ( click here to read). Your Executive Board strongly rejects the implication that doing our job and making critical safety decisions to protect youth and officers in these dangerous conditions is misconduct. We ar

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   Thank you for the trust you have placed in me to serve as President of AFSCME Local 685.   This election was about accountability, truth, and putting members first. I am honored to step into this role with the support of a majority of the Executive Board, united in a shared commitment to strengthen our union, restore confidence in its leadership, and fight for strong Probation Department.   The work begins immediately. Here is my plan:   Member Ri

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.