December 8, 2010 | 11:05 AM | By

They helped him get elected. Now how will Brown help the CCPOA?

FILED UNDER: Politics, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, Jerry Brown

Governor-elect Jerry Brown, though rarely seen in public these past few weeks (with the exception of a tough-love budget talk today), is nonetheless clearly busy getting his program together before he takes office January 3. Yesterday, Brown was spotted at a convention of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association in Las Vegas. The CCPOA heavily backed Brown during the campaign, running ads and mobilizing its considerable resources and influence behind the candidate. While Meg Whitman had advocated cutting correctional officers’ pensions, shipping inmates out of state, and making use of more private prisons, Brown stuck to a much more union-friendly agenda.

The Governor-elect has reportedly spoken to about a dozen interest groups so far, mostly about the budget situation in the state and what to expect. What exactly Brown had to say to correctional officers is unknown, as journalists were barred from attending the event. (An LA Times reporter who flew out for the speech was turned away at the door.) However, snippets are trickling out at corrections blogs like CIMriders (referring to the California Institution for Men in Chino) where blogger Sitnbull wrote about Brown’s convention visit:

I don’t think anyone was real surprised that Governor Elect Jerry Brown came to the CCPOA convention in Las Vegas.

I will say I was surprised by his speech, he talked about our profession and said he was on our side. He talked about the working relationship that he has now with CCPOA and specifically Mike Jimenez and Chuck Alexander. He mention supporting California’s labor force and collective bargaining.

Regardless of who’s side your on, there was no doubt that the Governor Elect will help the parties come to a labor agreement.

California’s correctional officers have been working without a contract since July 2006, when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ended what he considered an overly-generous package for CCPOA members. The correctional officers have more or less hated him ever since, and are looking to Brown for a warmer relationship with the state. Recently, a CCPOA newsletter included the idea that, “CCPOA and the members worked hard to help elect Jerry Brown. Now that the campaign is over we can begin talking with Gov.-elect Brown and his team about what it will take to better our working conditions.”

If reports of his Las Vegas speech are any indication, it seems Brown is ready to get back to the negotiating table with CCPOA and offer more than Schwarzenegger was willing to. Capitol Weekly reports that the union isn’t expecting a full return to the days when correctional officers’ salaries were linked to the highly paid California Highway Patrol.

Lance Corcoran, chief of governmental affairs for CCPOA told the Weekly, “Obviously money right now is something that probably is not a reality. However, the ability to enforce a contract is important.”

  • Anonymous

    Even the CCPOA believe the prison overcrowding is a danger to their working conditions. They testified to this fact in the Federal District Court in San Francisco.

    I wonder how Jerry Brown will deal with the overcrowding issue when the CCPOA says it is dangerous?

  • Anonymous

    I am not uplifted by the fact that Brown is conniving in secret with CCPOA. He didn’t waste any time dancing with the wolves. Assuredly, this is a sign of weakness, as it is not possible for the weak to stand alone – to have their own mind – come up with new and better ideas and agendas. The weak must be accepted by the group that gives them what little strength they can muster. It’s called ‘Gang Mentality’, and it’s rampant throughout California politics and the CDCR. So here we have yet another puppet – a weak publicly appointed official…. Thanks a lot Jerry. You’ve let us down before you even started.

  • Deleeking

    bought and paid for what a joke

  • Anonymous

    Prime example of prison poor health care. I received a chrono signed by two prison doctors to purchase a special wheelchair cushion, and special glasses, because, the prisoner, my son, is legally blind. This special cushion would help with the poor circulation in the legs and feet caused by diabetes.

    I purchased those items out of my own money which cost almost $600.00. They were packaged in the manufacturer’s box and mailed UPS to the prison with the “Special Accommodation Chrono” clearly attached to the outside of the box, and one placed inside the box, as I was instructed to do.

    Yesterday I get a phone call saying that the guards in receiving is sending the package back because they cannot accept it as it was not shipped from the manufacturer. I paid for these items with my credit card, and the only place they would send it was to me, they would not drop ship to another party. the prison doctors ordered these special items, and I agreed to pay for them. I did, and now they won’t let them in the prison. How crazy is this? I saved the State almost $600.00 by me purchasing them. Please tell me how to get them into Corcoran Prison Hospital to my son, the inmate.

    Receiver Kelso, said the prisons were there to “confine the prisoners”. He needs to talk to the State Legislators, who say the prisons are there to “punish the prisoners”. I have heard it said in many State hearings at the Sacramento Capitol. Who are they confining when the won’t let medical supplies into the prison? They could save a lot of money by letting family members, who can afford it, purchase the inmates medical supplies. I am very glad to do that for my son, and relieve the taxpayers of that responsibility.

  • Anonymous

    Well were getting rid of one jacka## governor only to get another one. Jerry Brown needs for someone somewhere to donate him a backbone, so that he can climb out of the pocket of the CCPOA . If he’s going to continue where the other idiot left off what was the sense of having an election.There is no way in the world that this guy can’t see the overcrowding in the prisons he has to do the right thing and start releasing these people, that’s the only way he’ll be able to fix the budget and maybe then our kids will have the programs that were cut back from education. Jerry Brown HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING YOUR A JERK!!!!!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    will the CCPOA get more money? will they get better working conditions? will the inmates benefit from happier guards? yes, yes and no
    10 inmates died in Avenal State Prison this year…. when will the men in green start to guard the safety of the men in blue? when hell freezes over

  • Gojujay

    If you read the Receiver’s reports, he had no issue with Custody (“guards”) performance or willingness to take inmates to the medical clinics. No C/O wants to have a medical problem on his watch. We know what the repercussions are: investigations that drag on, civil suits, etc. The effort to get an inmate to the clinic is far less than the grief that will happen if the inmate is not given care. Many times the C/O’s will have to argue with medical staff, and sometimes contravene their directions, to get an inmate to medical care. It’s not necessarily the, “men in green,” that are the problem.

  • CCPOA member

    Did Jerry Brown come talk to CCPOA? Yep, sure did. Did he promise us a open door to negotiations? Yeah, he did that. Did he promise us money and everything we wanted? Nope not even close. He told us to be aware of the budget, and not to get too excited about the amount of money or benefits in the contract offer. We are aware of that.We just want someone who will listen to us and our concerns. Gov. Schwarzenegger hated the union from day one, and considering his ties to private prisons, it wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was his total lack of honesty, willingness to uphold our old contract and listening to our suggestions on how to handle problems in the prisons. If Jerry Brown is willing to listen to us as well as our fellow unions, then he is at least willing to try and do his job. The unions exist for a reason. If you don’t work for the state, you wouldn’t understand the frustration of the bureaucracy and being hated for doing the job you were hired to do. No system is perfect, but just stonewalling a problem doesn’t help either.

  • Mr Gubo

    how did the ten inmates die, was it drug deals gone bad, or the inmates died from cancer, people die every day, the c/o aren’t gods, only god knows who time is up. your trying to blame people you know noting about for death you know nothing about. correctional officer do there jobs every day, they protect the world from the convicted inmate. thats there job.

  • Mr Gubo

    i think he’ll sleep knowing our kids are safe from convicted inmates! because you know there out there. watch the news people get hurt every day from inmate.

  • Honebee64

    What a drama queen! Quit your whining and give Brown a chance before you assume anything. There is nothing wrong with a Governor speaking to a bargaining unit about realities of the economy, this is what governors do, and this is why Arnie never did. Nothing can be agreed upon without full disclosure, so get over it

  • Honeybee64

    OMG! Yet another fricken drama queen! Give it a rest and get off the attack until he truly gives you something to whine about!

  • Honeybee64

    There is absolutely no way any of you know what was said behind closed doors and to assume that you do is plainly and simply ignorant. To state that CCPOA will get more money is unfounded and inaccurate. Not only have they not had a raise in 5 years, they have taken a large cut in pay for 2 years. They are not expecting a pay raise and neither will they get one. They only want to be heard and respected, which I believe we all have a right to. Hopefully, the biggest change will be that the highway patrol will no longer be the “chosen ones” as they were for Schwarzenegger. Why do none of you whine and bitch at them because they got a huge pay raise when the rest of the state employees got their paychecks raped and pillaged?

  • Anonymous

    IN response to Honeybee 64 If it bothered you that much then it must be true (right) and that’s not being a drama queen that’s telling the truth!!!!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    They don’t have to be inmates to commit crimes that’s how they become inmates so tonight before you go to sleep take a good look at your neighbor or your wife or kid they might get to be inmate’s or maybe even you so before you look down your nose start using your brains first!!!!! Oh and by the way are you and honeybee64 prison guards???????

  • Prayforacknowldgement

    I am not a Correctional Officer nor do I know one, and I used to think of them as simply overpaid babysitters. Now I have a different outlook, I drove someone to see a cousin in prison and all I can say is that I was sitting in a room with people that have killed, raped, and masacred other people. Imagine how one of those officers must feel going to work everyday with knowledge that the person that they are watching could easily kill them for no reason. I would like to see you babysit a 6′ 5″ tall, 250 lbs man who wanted to kill you, and you having nothing more than a bottle of pepper spray. Correctional officers are like fireman, they don’t get paid for what they are doing they get paid for what will happen and the risk they have to take.

  • Anonymous

    First of all let’s stop lying you couldn’t have taken anyone to go visit and be sitting in the same room with killers or anyone else, in the first place there isn’t a prison that would have let you go in without first filling out a visiting form and getting it approved so you would even get to go in, and those guards that your feeling sorry for, most are sadistic animals with a God complex that think that there job is to beat torture and abuse prisoners so don’t sit there trying to justify there actions instead take the blinders off your eye’s and see what they really are,it’ll make you wonder who should really be in prison!!!!!!!!!

  • Godahal

    Couldn’t have said it better myself Mr Gubo! Good job. 200 inmates to a housing unit and only 2 officers on the ground. Anyone of those inmates could overdose inside their cell at any time and the CO is responsible for that??? It doesn’t even have to be illegal drugs. It could be a hand full of perscription drugs given to him by the state. These inmates are grown men (at least they claim to be). They can take responsibility for their own idiotic actions and anyone who actually tries to stick up for these inmates obviously has never been a victim to crime. Most of these men are literally human trash. Not ALL of them mind you but a huge majority are not worth the skin they live in. Do you think these rapist, child molesters, murderers and gangbangers would care at all about YOU if you were the one behind bars. The answer to that riddle is NO!

  • maria soliz

    hello how are you doing my name is maria and i have this friend name hilorio villavla cdc number is j-65145 he in avenal ca prison he is serviceing 16 years to life with parole and he know what he did was wrong and he did all his classes that he need it and he has a daugther that he about to meet for the first time she going to be 18 years old and she having a baby and sshe would like her dad to come home and be a grandpa to her baby and he has a job waiting for him out here thank you i hope and pray he come home thank you maria 559 942-0255

  • angela mendoza

    hello i think this is nice maria that your friend is going to meet his daugther for the first time and she want him to go home to be a part of her life and the baby and he has a job the great they should look into his paper and let him go home because everybody need a second chance at life out here in the world so i think he should go home with his family .thank you angela mendoza

  • Dsalwaysreal

    Hi my name is paul and i think maria friend hilorio villalva should be one of the inmate to be release from prison if he serve his time because he has a daughter and grandbaby to be with that would be nice to be able to go home to family and he has a job waiting for him that even better that should mean alot to jerry brown so please look over his case and let hilorio go home he deserve a second chance on my life thank you paul