Tag: sf

SFPOA Publicly Shamed a Small Business

There have been numerous tax paying businesses closing up their San Francisco locations in recent years, as well as many small businesses/restaurants closing up shop. In addition, just days ago, the San Francisco Police Officers’ Association publicly criticized a small restaurant business for the actions of a new employee on social media.

The actions taken by SFPOA were an embarrassment to not only law enforcement unions, but to San Francisco as a whole. One wonders if it was appropriate to publicly shame a small business while they are struggling in the city; especially considering Police Chief Scott speaks of de-escalation and respect for the community in his training initiatives. Those on the SPOA board, including the Police Lieutenant leading the SFPOA, have received additional management and discrimination training – yet they chose to bully and publicly shame businesses. This could have been easily avoided with a simple phone call or meeting with the restaurant’s owner or manager. Posting their shaming on social media, tagging pizzaquaredsf, caused a flurry of national news releases; it is clear their intention was to spread their message far and wide.

SFPOA shames Pizzasquared

 

 

The San Francisco Police Officers Association has negatively impacted Pizza Squared in San Francisco.  This negative public shaming will negatively impact Pizza Squared’s business.  This can already be seen in negative online comments and Yelp reviews. The SFPOA operates unprofessionally, and it wasn’t necessary to post it on social media.

 

SFPOA’s “SFO Training” Debunked

The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) has recently raised concerns on Twitter about advanced officer training requirements for San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs to work at the city’s airport, SFO. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that the training in question is not as difficult or time-consuming as the SFPOA suggests.

SFO Airport Police

The “training” referred to by the San Francisco Police Officer Association is the California POST Aviation Security Training, a one-week, 40-hour course available to all law enforcement officers, not just the SFPD. The course covers the history of aviation security, introduction to the airport environment, criminal threat to the aviation industry, agencies and jurisdictions involved in airport security (such as the TSA, FBI, CBP, and USSS), legal aspects of aviation security, and the responsibilities of law enforcement officers working in an airport setting.

This training is not particularly difficult, and can easily be completed by San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs to meet the requirement to work at SFO. By allowing the SFPD to shift some of the police officers currently working at the airport back to the city, it will alleviate the staffing pressures on the SFPD and allow for a more efficient use of resources.

One solution is to grandfather in any SFPD officers close to retirement at the airport, and then work with the Sheriff to create a phased staffing plan that would allow for a percentage of police officers at the airport to return to SF to patrol in the City. This phased approach would ensure a smooth transition and allow for adequate staffing at the airport while also relieving pressure on the SFPD.

In conclusion, the minimum training requirements for San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs to work at SFO are not as difficult or time-consuming as the SFPOA suggests. By allowing the SFPD to shift some of its officers back to the city, it will alleviate staffing pressures and allow for a more efficient use of resources. The SFDSA will work with the Sheriff to create a functional staffing plan and assist with recruiting to ensure a smooth transition.

What We Did Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, and his wife and son, delivered prime rib and salmon meals to the Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators.

Ken Lomba has been a Deputy Sheriff for over 20 years, and has been the President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for the past 5 years. As President, he has worked tirelessly to support and advocate for the rights and needs of the Deputy Sheriffs in San Francisco.

Christmas Day Deputy Sheriffs

On Christmas Day, Ken Lomba and his family wanted to show their appreciation for the hardworking Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators who work tirelessly, even on holidays, to keep the community safe. They decided to deliver meals to these dedicated public servants as a way of thanking them for their dedication and service.

The Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators were grateful for the kind gesture and delicious meals, which provided a much-needed break during their long shifts. It was a small, but meaningful way for the Lomba family to show their appreciation for the hardworking men and women who serve and protect their community.

In a world where the news is often filled with stories of negativity and conflict, it is heartwarming to see acts of kindness and generosity like this. 

Overall, it was a heartwarming and thoughtful gesture that was greatly appreciated by the Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators on Christmas Day. The Lomba family’s act of kindness was a reminder of the importance of showing appreciation and support for those who work to keep our communities safe. So, this was what we did on Christmas Day.

 

SFDSA Files Lawsuit Against SF Sheriff

At some time prior to July 8, 2022, the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff’s Office decided to create a pilot program in County Jail #3 (“CJ3”) in housing unit 5. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office had two employees evaluate the functionality of the program and identify any concerns they saw with the changes proposed by the Sheriff’s Office. These deputies found numerous safety concerns that made it difficult to perform the regular safety checks of the inmates in some cases and completely impossible in other cases.

Despite the safety concerns, on July 8, 2022, the changes were implemented.

CJ3 has multiple housing units that are the shape of a circle with inmate cells on the perimeter of the circle. This circle is divided into to sides, the A and B sides. Inmates from A cannot cross over to B and vice versa. On one side of the dividing line is a “Crow’s Nest” or a tower with windows that can look out over portions of both the A and B sides of the housing unit. This Crow’s Nest has previously not been used.

Prior to July 8, 2022, CJ 3 has always had 2 deputies working a general population housing unit. One each on the A and B sides. These deputies worked on the floor with the inmates.

Safety Checks are required to be done every hour. There are state laws, known as Title 15 rules, as well as a San Francisco Sheriff’s Office policy, CODM 4.04, which outline the minimum requirements for these safety checks. The purpose of the checks is to maintain safety and security in the jail for staff, visitors and the inmates. Some of the requirements of these checks include noting the skin color of the inmate, the rise and fall of the chest, movement that indicates life, looking for any signs of illness or distress, inspection of cell doors and windows and a search for any apparent contraband or hazards.

These safety checks were completed by the deputies working on the floor but walking up to each inmate cell door and observing the inmate, the cell and surrounding area. Sometimes, at night, a flashlight would be required to properly check the welfare of the inmates.

On July 8, 2022, this changed. No longer would there be any floor deputies. Now, only one deputy, instead of two, would monitor all the inmates by him/herself, from the Crow’s Nest. In the event of an emergency, the deputy in the Crow’s Nest was not to leave and assist an inmate having a medical emergency, being attacked, or attempting to harm himself, instead, the deputy is now required to call for help. Deputies who are roaming around the rest of the jail would then have to respond and handle the situation, wasting valuable time.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office was unable to remedy all the safety concerns raised by the two employees who evaluated the new Crow’s Nest plan. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office administration directed Crow’s Nest deputies to utilize binoculars to assist them in seeing the inmates better. While this may help with viewing some of the inmates when the lights are on, they do little to help at night and cannot solve the problem of the inability to see some of the cells at all, with or without binoculars.

The DSA sent a letter to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office on July 18, 2022 and it was resent to the Director of Employee Relations, on July 22, 2022. This letter demanded that the new Crow’s Nest practice stop until the parties can meet and confer over the impacts and effects of it. Numerous impacts and effects were listed in this notice.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office responded on July 26, 2022, refusing to maintain the status quo until the parties were able to meet and confer.

Within days of its implementation, a fight broke out in one of the cells in the evening and it was not discovered until the next morning. This is evidence of the lack of safety the DSA was concerned with when it demanded the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office cease and desist its new Crow’s Nest practice.

March 28, 2022 RFI.

On March 28, 2022, the DSA requested information necessary and relevant to ascertain the dates, times, and shifts that the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office fell below the minimum staffing required by the MOU. (Exhibit X) Arbitrator Alexander Cohen previously resolved a grievance filed by DSA when the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office previously violated the Minimum Staffing section of the MOU. Arbitrator Cohen issued his ruling in favor of the DSA in 2017 in favor of the DSA. In his decision, he awarded damages to be paid to those members who worked on shifts that were below the minimum staffing required by the MOU. Because the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office continued to fall below the minimum staffing, the DSA filed a new grievance on March 4, 2022. The RFI filed on March 28, 2022 was to gather necessary and relevant information to calculate the damages incurred by the DSA members as the result of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office’s current grievance for again violating the MOU. (Lomba Decl. ¶ 9)

The March 28, 2022 RFI was acknowledged received by the City Attorney’s office and forwarded to the Employee Relations Division (ERD) to respond. No response from ERD was ever received. (Howell Decl. ¶ 6 and 9; Exhibit 3) On May 2, 2022, the DSA followed up with ERD and the City Attorney’s office and demanded production of the RFI by May 9, 2022, which never came. (Howell Decl. ¶ 10 and 11; Exhibit 5)

On May 13, 2022, the DSA filed a First Amended Unfair Labor Practice Charge in PERB Case No. SF-CE-1794-M to have this matter added to that current litigation. On June 7, 2022, after filing the amendment to the PERB Charge, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office produced documents responsive to the March 28, 2022 RFI. Judge Cloughesy declined to amend the Charge and Complaint in that matter to include this RFI issue but gave leave to refile this matter with PERB.

February 16, 2022 RFI.

On February 16, 2022, the DSA requested information necessary and relevant to ascertain the names, dates, and hours of Overtime Pay DSA members were denied. Information was also requested to ascertain the history, deliberation, changes, analysis and communications regarding Administrative Code section 18.13 involving the maximum permissible overtime. This information is necessary for the DSA to enforce the contract at a grievance proceeding and is unable to establish the damages or the individual DSA members affected, without the response to the RFI.

The February 16, 2022 RFI was acknowledge received by the City Attorney’s Office on February 22, 2022, via email. (EXHIBIT XX – email from KNS to Rapoport and back) Having received no responsive documents, the DSA’s counsel sent an email on August 2, 2022 to demand production. (Exhibit XX – Email KNS to)

 


 Contact:

Ken Lomba
SFDSA President
415-696-2428
San Francisco, CA

SF JAIL HEADED FOR DISASTER

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs have the honor of having served under the only progressive sheriff in California, Michael Hennessy. Our goal was to promote restorative justice, assist offenders into adopting law abiding lives, reduce recidivism, and improve community life.

The current Sheriff’s Department is headed for disaster. Currently, staffing of deputy sheriff’s is at 70% of what is required, and the current Sheriff has slashed programs, increased lockups (prisoners face 23 hours a day in confinement); blown holes in his budget through mandatory overtime, while increasing administration staff, non-essential programs and taken resources away from our core mission, which is running the jails. Sheriff Miyamoto claims there are 176 vacant positions and as a result inmates receive no family visits, inmates are locked in cells for longer, and all regular programs have been cut leaving only a few video/correspondence programs. Even religious services have been cut. No more Catholic services, no more Protestant services, no more Jehovah services, no Muslim services. And addiction services such as AA have been cut.

As a result, the jail’s current policies of increased lock downs and reduced programs have increased the mental health issues of inmates, imperil deputy sheriffs’ safety due to inmates taking out their increased anxieties and tensions on deputies, and cause more staffing issues by encouraging retirements and deputies to leave their jobs.

In the meantime, the Sheriff faces two class action lawsuits because the jails, ignoring Title 24, provides no outdoor access to inmates, so inmates are housed under fluorescent lights, 24/7, 365, and the Sheriff faces accusations of violating inmates’ constitutional right to sleep by forcing breakfast to wake up between 4 am and 4:30 am for breakfast. These lawsuits have the possibility of large judgements against the Sheriff’s Department.

The new DA Brooke Jenkins’ promise to increase prosecution i.e., of fentanyl pushers, as stated in her press interviews, means an increase in incarceration and we don’t have the deputy staff to properly run the jail.

To meet the needs of San Francisco, the Mayor and the Sheriff must adequately staff deputy sheriff’s, at minimum increase the staffing to the 2019 level, with additional hiring of 82 more deputy sheriffs. Recruiting and retention should be a priority and it hasn’t been. A revolving door at the jail serves the needs of no one. Properly staff our jails. Return all programs, particularly addiction treatment and anger management programs.

PROOF:
Exhibit A – staffing report for June 2022 (606 deputies, 23 senior deputies = 629, and 71 sergeants) versus July 2019 (712 sheriff’s deputies and 49 senior deputies = 759, and 57 sergeants). This shows more expensive officers increase at the expense of the line deputies who do the work.
Exhibit B – Consultant staffing analysis: Deputy vacancies are even higher than what Sheriff Miyamoto claims

舊金山縣警長協會要求民事大陪審團對警長辦公室進行調查

由於囚犯攻擊囚犯、護士、警長代表和文職僱員，舊金山監獄的工作人員已經變得非常不安全。舊金山警長辦公室和舊金山市縣的監獄人手不足，已經到了危險的低水平，他們沒有優先考慮為僱傭警員提供資金，他們甚至沒有優先考慮留住現任警員。

在舊金山縣治安官協會主席 Ken Lomba 給宮本警長的一封電子郵件中，Lomba 總統表示，十多年來，舊金山縣治安官協會一直在倡導招聘並警告治安官辦公室管理層人員配備問題。宮本在其中擔任警長兩年半。隆巴總統說，由於故意缺乏招聘而增加的工作負擔已經變成了“血汗工廠勞動”。舊金山縣治安官協會已提交民事大陪審團投訴，要求對治安官辦公室和舊金山市和縣進行調查。

自 2014 年以來，SF Civil 大陪審團發布了 3 份單獨的報告，警告稱低於最低人員配置水平和加快招聘而不是強制加班的影響。如果沒有任何變化，甚至會警告未來可能違反第 15 條。不幸的是，警長辦公室未能聘請適當數量的警員來為警員和囚犯創造安全的工作環境。最低人員配備水平變得更糟，而且底線是：代表們已經筋疲力盡了。

在過去的報告中，大陪審團發現，由於舊金山市和縣僱用的代表總數減少，過度加班和屍體短缺導致現有的重要囚犯計劃無法實現，更不用說增加囚犯了推薦的節目。此外，為代表推薦的培訓無法進行或不足以處理心理健康和藥物濫用以及居住人口經歷的許多其他問題。

最終，這個大陪審團在 2014 年、2016 年和 2017 年的三個不同場合建議“加快招聘以減少加班”。大陪審團的建議從未得到遵循，而且由於代表人數現在比大陪審團提出這些強烈建議時的人數少，情況變得難以為繼。

最終，這個大陪審團在 2014 年、2016 年和 2017 年的三個不同場合建議“加快招聘以減少加班”。大陪審團的建議從未得到遵循，而且由於代表人數現在比大陪審團提出這些強烈建議時的人數少，情況變得難以為繼。

舊金山監獄現在定期低於最低人員配置

就在幾天前，也就是 2022 年 6 月 9 日，宮本警長向舊金山市和縣的所有監獄工作人員發布了一份備忘錄，明確了他在未來 8 到 9 個月內的意圖——低於最低限度的工作人員！舊金山市和縣已經清楚地認識到，假裝達到最低人員配置是徒勞的，現在承認它無法履行其職責。

舊金山市和縣與其鄰近的阿拉米達縣和聖馬特奧縣正在激烈競爭監獄工作人員。阿拉米達已經根據一項同意法令僱用更多的監獄工作人員。舊金山市和縣受到類似的政府監督將是一種恥辱。舊金山市和縣可以加快招聘工作人員，但並未將其作為優先事項，代價是過度勞累和筋疲力盡的監獄工作人員。

民事大陪審團針對治安官辦公室和舊金山市縣的投訴於 2022 年 6 月 20 日提交。該大陪審團應要求舊金山治安官辦公室就其未能遵守其 3 項單獨建議的原因作出答复自 2014 年以來。

在此處查看投訴，針對舊金山警長的民事大陪審團投訴

接觸：

舊金山縣治安官協會主席肯·隆巴
415-696-2428
加利福尼亞州舊金山

網站：https://sanfranciscodsa.com
推特：https://twitter.com/SanFranciscoDSA
臉書：https://www.facebook.com/SanFranciscoDeputySheriffsAssociation

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association notified SF Mayor to Force SF Sheriff’ s Office to Increase Hiring

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association wrote a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed and requested that she intervene to force the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office to increase hiring.

SFDSA President Ken Lomba stated, “We have been advocating for hiring over the last 5 years with Sheriff’s Administration. In the last two years the Sheriff’s Office has taken salary savings to an all time high, exhausting our deputy sheriff members.”

San Francisco Sheriff Miyamoto has told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that he will expedite the hiring of 75 Deputy Sheriffs this year. Sixty new deputies and fifteen academy trained and/or laterals. The problem with this is more than 75 deputies will have resigned and retired by the end of this fiscal year which will put the Sheriff’s Office in a further negative.

To operate the San Francisco Jails, it requires 423 deputy sheriffs. Currently the jail staffing is minus approximately 130 deputy sheriffs. This is not the only staffing shortage at the San Francisco Sheriffs’ Office, the Field Operations Division which is primarily patrol and government building law enforcement is approximately 50 deputy sheriffs short. At the same time the managers and supervisors from sergeant to sheriff are nearly 100% staffed. During Sheriff Miyamoto’s term the amount of supervisors’ positions have increased, and field operation positions have increased. Both of those increases had negatively impacted the staffing within the San Francisco Jails.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association asked Mayor London Breed to intervene to increase deputy sheriffs in the San Francisco Jails.

Crime is spreading like an Epidemic!

Crime is getting worse in San Francisco which is really hard to believe. This Northern California city welcomes around 25 million visitors annually. Who would imagine thefts in this beautiful city are spreading like an epidemic.  

The reported numbers of car break ins doubled over the years from 10,000 in 2006 to 25,000 in 2015. It is a big area of concern for everyone living in this city.  According to the published report for burglaries, there is a massive loss of over $13 million dollars to the car owners. Moreover, car owners have to bear a huge repair cost of approximately $350 for replacing broken car windows.

In some areas city leaders are able to address burglaries and other crimes. There is a decreasing trend in those cases based on the reported crime data. But in the case of Property Thefts and Car Break-Ins incidents, the number of reported crimes is still very high. So what do you do? Are there any preventive steps to protect yourself?

Over the next couple days, we will be posting some preventive tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim of property theft in San Francisco. Although the police and deputy sheriffs are taking necessary actions, there are some preventive measurers that can protect you from being a victim. It is better to tackle the problem jointly and reduce crime in the city.

Tip #1 Elect a District Attorney that will hold these criminals accountable. We need a District Attorney that will turn San Francisco around from currently being known as lenient on crime with no consequences to a City that will hold criminals accountable by giving first time offenders rehabilitation options but repeat offenders, organized criminal rings will be held accountable in the justice system.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new and independent, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC.  Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate.  Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”

San Francisco—Polling finds that a majority of voters support a new jail and opposes the outsourcing of our inmates to other counties.

For many years, replacing the seismically unsafe County Jail 4, a maximum-security jail housing inmates that are charged with violent and serious felonies, had been delayed.

“No one is proposing an additional jail.  It is clear that a replacement to the sub-standard and seismically unsafe County Jail 4 at 850 Bryant St must be built. As how we treat those who are incarcerated changes it is critical that we have facilities that include psychiatric care and rehabilitation,” said Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.

Once 850 Bryant St. was slated to close the agencies that moved out, moved to new buildings.

  • The Police Dept. had a new district station built, with parking and amenities.
  • District Attorneys Office moved to 350 Rhode Island and to an office on Brannan St. with parking and parking permits. 
  • Medical Examiners Office had a new office built, with parking and amenities.

But for our members and the inmates in the jail the City continues to ignore the need for a new maximum-security jail. This is critical to their safety and the safety of the inmates.

SF Voters Support New Jail

Our polling found that the majority support a New Jail and the majority Oppose outsourcing our inmates to other counties. Please see the details in the poll download here. [click here]

Update about San Francisco Car Break-Ins

Are S.F. residents and tourists helpless? 

In 2019 there has been an exponentially high rate of reported car break-ins for the San Francisco Area and beyond.  San Francisco auto break-ins have reached epidemic levels and it’s totally out of control. San Francisco’s population is nearly one-fourth of New York City’s, yet car break-ins within the City & County of San Francisco are roughly three times as high as those reported in NYC. SF Residents and tourists alike are beyond frustrated about these smash and grab car break ins. Minimally, it leaves victims feeling violated. And to add insult to injury, many San Franciscans have been the victim of multiple auto break-ins.

To literally illustrate how bad the crime of car break-ins has become within San Francisco the local newspaper, San Francisco Chronicle, created the:

S.F Car Break-In Tracker (projects.sfchronicle.com) This online tracker allows the user to track both the number and locations of car break-ins occurring across the city. 

And a Twitter Account was created in September 2015: @SFCarBreakins dedicated solely to “documenting the constant car break-ins in San Francisco.” 

Are S.F. Tourist Locations, landmarks or parking lots any more safe from auto break-ins? 

The answer, of course, is a resounding NO and furthermore no location, sadly, is exempt from this crime. On the contrary, the data shows that reported car break-ins are at increased levels in known tourist areas. The organized criminal rings that are known to commit these crimes naturally are going to target those areas where they believe unsuspecting tourists and visitors will most likely be. There are many posted videos online with footage capturing the smash & grab crimes in progress. The quickness and coordination of these criminals make this a “low risk” of apprehension with the potential for “high reward” on their haul, thus appealing to even the least sophisticated opportunistic criminal. 

What steps are authorities taking to address Auto Break-Ins?

San Francisco Leadership to include S.F. Law Enforcement are highly concerned about this never ending cycle of car break-ins. There have been public awareness campaigns, community meetings, countless news stories largely all to no avail. The most significant reason is that criminals are well aware that thanks to Prop 47 (2014). This warmly titled proposition:

“Californians For Safe Neighborhoods & Schools” has been proven to have a direct corollary to increased levels of crime. Often the consequence for many  of these repeat offenders has been nothing more than an inconvenience if they are actually arrested for their offense. I say inconvenience because the changes in the law, courtesy of Prop 47, coupled with less than stringent penalties from the courts, many times, results in the criminal being released from custody shortly after their appearance before a judge. 

 

The middle part of the criminal justice system, I did not mention, between arrest and appearance before a a judge is the District Attorney’s Office. In San Francisco the DA’s Office has to review those cases brought before them and then determine if charges will be filed. S.F. has had very mixed results with their criminal cases over the past several years. Fortunately, there is a SF District Attorney race in November and it is absolutely critical that the voters of S.F. get it right. We as law enforcement and you as members of the public can realistically only do so much together. But all of us united behind a District Attorney that we elect into office-That is a very powerful position to be in. While the heading of this section is: 

What steps are authorities taking to address Auto Break-Ins? 

I think the more pertinent question we should all be asking ourselves & neighbors is:

What steps are you taking to be sure that you cast a ballot and vote this November in the SF District Attorney Race? 

The SFDSA wishes to remind all of you reading this article that SF vote-by-mail ballots can be mailed in starting next week. To learn more about how to register and be sure to vote visit: sfelections.sfgov.org Thank you.

It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.

 

“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”