URGENT: Probation Jobs and Community Safety Under Attack – Take Action NOW
- Local 685 Executive Board
- May 12
- 2 min read
FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT FORD
Brothers and Sisters,
This is it.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13 at 9:00 AM, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath will ask the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to endorse Senate Bill 357 (Menjivar) — a bill that would gut our department, fire sworn probation-peace officers, and hand over our work to private, unaccountable, non-union contractors. Click here to watch Menjivar’s misleading testimony at last week’s Senate Public Safety Committee hearing.
Make no mistake — this is a direct attack on your job, your union, and the safety of the communities we serve. And it is happening right here, in our own County.
SB 357 is not reform. It is a dangerous, dishonest, and politically motivated attempt to dismantle the LA County Probation Department and replace it with a patchwork of private providers who will be paid to do our work without the training, accountability, or professional standards that the public expects.
Supervisor Horvath and Senator Menjivar are misleading the public — claiming DYD can step in and do our jobs. They can’t. DYD has no line staff. No capacity. No experience. This is about union busting, plain and simple. And if they come for us today, who will they come for tomorrow?
We must stand together and fight back.
Here’s what you must do:
SHOW UP! If at all possible — BE THERE TOMORROW IN PERSON. We need to pack the Board hearing room with probation officers, supervisors, and managers in full union gear. Your presence shows our power and sends the message that we will not stand by while our jobs are given away.
WRITE AN EMAIL! If you absolutely cannot attend in person, submit a written letter of opposition by midnight tonight. CLICK HERE for a sample letter with easy instructions. It is critical that the Board sees a flood of opposition letters from our membership.
SIGN THE PETITION! Download Local 685’s new private action app, “Awespira,” and sign the petition (and you’ll get great discounts, too). CLICK HERE for instructions.
This is not optional. This is about our jobs, our future, and the safety of the victims and communities who depend on us.
If we do nothing, they will say we didn’t care.
If we stand up now, they will have no choice but to listen.
In solidarity,
Stacy Ford
President, AFSCME Local 685
P.S. Don't assume someone else will do it for you. This is your fight. This is your future. Act now.
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