CC SR 20220503 E - ALADS Letter Deputy Recruitment and Retention
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 05/03/2022
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to authorize the Mayor to sign a letter to the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors regarding Deputy Sheriff recruitment and retention.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Authorize the Mayor to sign a letter to the Board of Supervisors expressing the
City’s experience with contracted law enforcement and recognizing a need for
continued deputy recruitment and retention.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: McKenzie Bright, Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Draft letter to the Board of Supervisors regarding deputy recruitment and
retention (page A-1)
B. Draft template letter provided by the Association for Los Angeles Deputy
Sheriffs (ALADS) (page B-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
In April 2022, Councilmember Alegria spoke with a representative from the Association
for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) who requested that the City send a letter to Los
Angeles County Supervisor Hahn regarding recruitment and retention of Deputy Sheriffs.
ALADS prepared a draft template letter, which did not appear to consider the City’s
specific priorities (Attachment B). Staff drafted a new letter that aligns more closely with
the City’s experience with the Sheriff’s Department and more accurately reflects the City’s
position. ALADS is the collective bargaining unit for non-supervisory peace officer
employees in Los Angeles County, including deputy sheriffs and district attorney
investigators.
1
Sworn staffing levels within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Departme nt (LASD) have
faced numerous challenges over the years due to retirements and sick time constraints
because of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors. The letter, as drafted,
expresses the City’s appreciation for the tireless dedication of deputies at the Lomita
Station, and requests that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors consider
implementing measures to help encourage deputy recruitment and retention to alleviate
current understaffing and to help plan for any upcoming deputy resignations (see
Attachment A).
Councilmember Alegria sent a version of this letter to the Board of Supervisors on
Monday, April 25.
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign the letter, as drafted
or with revisions.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available
for the City Council’s consideration if pulled from the consent calendar:
1. Identify revised language to add to the letter.
2. Do not authorize the Mayor to sign the letter.
3. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
2
May 3, 2022 Via Email
The Honorable Janice Hahn
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
SUBJECT: Deputy Sheriff Recruitment and Retention
Dear Supervisor Hahn:
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes is proud to contract with Lomita Station of the Los
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. Public safety is one
of the top priorities of the City, and the deputies and staff at Lomita Station serve our City
with great honor and dignity. We wish to commend Captain Powers, and all of the
deputies at Lomita Station, for their tireless service to the community and particularly for
continuing to work so diligently throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are deeply appreciative of their service.
As a contract city, we rely on the County and on the Sheriff’s Dep artment to continue to
make sound judgements that will allow for the recruitment and retention of highly qualified
peace officers. Due to staffing shortages, the Lomita Station, and stations across the
County, have needed to impose overtime to ensure that contracted minutes are met. This
mandated overtime places an undue burden on deputies. Additionally, as in most sectors,
there is concern that as deputies retire, there must be adequate recruitment to ensure
continued deliverance of contracted minutes.
We therefore ask that you, and the Board of Supervisors, consider measures to help
encourage deputy recruitment and retention, to alleviate the current understaffing and to
prepare for the future as deputies prepare to retire.
Sincerely,
David L. Bradley
Mayor, City of Rancho Palos Verdes
A-1
Supervisor Hahn
May 3, 2022
Page 2
cc: Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and City Manager
James Powers, Captain, Lomita Station, LASD
Marcel Rodarte, California Contract Cities Association
Rudy Bermudez, Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
A-2
The Honorable _______________
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
500 West Temple Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dear Supervisor __________,
Our city contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to
provide patrol and public safety services for our community. We have a
longstanding cooperative relationship with Sheriff's Department officials that
has led to exceptional public safety services for our residents and
businesses.
We regret to report that our public safety situation is changing. Sheriff's
command staff are unable to deploy the number of patrol deputies necessary
to provide for our safety. We have seen first-hand that fully staffing every
patrol shift relies much too heavily on forcing our patrol deputies to work too
many overtime shifts when they should be home with their families.
This problem of understaffing has been growing for several years. The
pandemic has only made matters worse. But the solution seems simple to
us. When recruitment and retention of highly qualified personnel is our goal,
why not make sure deputy sheriffs are compensated at a level that is
competitive with surrounding agencies? Why not provide a compensation
package that properly motivates our County's sworn personnel?
The issue of understaffing is compounded by the economic realities of the
increasing rate of inflation. We all know prices are increasing, but real data
shows the severity of the lost purchasing power for our deputies. The
Producer Price Index currently increasing at an annual rate of 9.7%.
We support our deputies and the high-quality public safety services they
provide. We urge you to consider the importance of public safety to our
community and to our local economy, and make sure we can return to
deploying our patrol deputies in sufficient numbers without relying on
onerous, counterproductive overtime shifts.
[name], Mayor
City of [city]
B-1