News from AFSCME Local 685

Professionalization of the Halls

AFSCME Local 685 has long advocated for professionalizing the Halls to enhance our ability to rehabilitate the minors in our care by providing a career path for members in the Halls. Through consistency, negotiations, and advocacy by AFSCME Local 685, we have finally realized that Ordinance change with the Board of Supervisors, who voted unanimously to make that change to SECTION 13.

Section 6.100.017 of the Probation Department Ordinance for the Juvenile Institution Services is hereby amended to change 56 ordinance positions for the following classes:

PROBATION DEPARTMENT Number of Positions Present Classification No of Pos. Classification Findings 56 Detention Services Officer Item No. 8655A N2O 89B Represented 56 Deputy Probation Officer I, Residential Treatment/Detention Services Item No. 8608A NO 90D Represented The subject positions are located at the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall and the Central Juvenile Hall and are tasked with the care and support of youth residing within these facilities. The duties and responsibilities include conducting case management activities, assessing life-skills and individual needs of youth under the care of the juvenile halls, supervising the group living process, and facilitating individual and group interventions utilizing evidence-based practices. The subject positions allow for the introduction of in-depth case management for youth in the juvenile halls and assist the department in achieving efficient operation of these facilities. The duties and responsibilities meet the allocation criteria for Deputy Probation Officer I, Residential Treatment/Detention Services. Therefore, we recommend upward reclassification to Deputy Probation Officer I, Residential Treatment/ Detention Service Officers.

Click here to read the Board Letter
Click here to read the ordinance

After Mary Ridgway graduated from UCLA, she taught for a year in South L.A. before joining Probation in 1966 as her wishes to become a female FBI agent during J. Edgar Hoover era of excluding women and minorities did not materialize. She was a school-based PO at Manual Arts HS prior to joining ELA probation office in 1987. Her passion and dedication to ELA communities as a gang PO was reflected by the fact that ELA Probation Area Office was renamed after her, the only time any county probation facility was renamed in honor of a rank-and-file PO.

Besides her dedication to ELA communities, she was a vocal Chief Steward for Local 685. She fought tirelessly for rights of members represented by Local 685, until she was promoted to SDPO joining Local 721. She remained dedicated to her caseload as a SDPO until her untimely passing in 2009.

Mary Ridgway

43 years of Probation Service
1966 to 2009

Sue Cline

Sue Cline joined the L.A. County Probation Department in 1993, rising from a GSN to a DPO II. Sue held numerous executive board positions in Local 685, from Secretary to First Vice President, to Chief Steward. She served on the California State Commission on Juvenile Justice from 2008 to 2009, and was a Delegate to the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Sue’s passion for helping others, not just those on probation, extended to fellow Local 685 members. Most importantly, she was a mother – and a surrogate mother to all.

Click here to watch a video of Sue Cline.

Sue Cline

22 years of Probation Service
1993 to 2015

Measure J Subcommittees
Source: ATI

If you have been keeping track of the Measure J Subcommittee meetings or simply want to know, “This is an opportunity for you to express your opinion on how Measure J funds should be distributed. Please send questions to the LA County Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Unit at ati@lacounty.gov.” Below are the guidelines to be utilized for those Community Based Organizations slated to receive funding.

Identify third-party administrators or intermediary organizations to fund community-based organizations (CBOs) directly. The third-party administrators or intermediary organizations must have:

Expertise in equity-based workforce and small business development, distributing microgrants, and providing capacity building and technical assistance, including grant writing
The capacity to do the auditing and reporting required of the County, limit the reporting requirements of the CBOs (community-based organizations) funded and limit fees to a 15% cap
A proven commitment to including the leadership of people from the most impacted communities, including a commitment to hire Black, Indigenous, and People of Color consultants to provide capacity building support
50% or more of Measure J funding for Economic Opportunity and Sustainability should go to CBOs through third party administrators or intermediary organizations
Prioritize CBOs with an annual budget of less than $1.5 million; and larger CBOs led by and in service of the communities most impacted by incarceration and divestment with a proven track record of success; with a focus on scaling programs for reentry populations
CBOs in Service Planning Areas (SPAs) and zip codes of specific economic disadvantage and disproportionately impacted by LA County's carceral system must be prioritized
The third party administrators or intermediary organizations must be accountable to an advisory board of systems-impacted community members that help develop the application, advise on the selection of applications and access the efficacy of Measure J-funded programs (see Recommendation #3)
The third party administrators and intermediary organizations cannot be made up of people who currently or formerly collaborated with law enforcement

Subcommittees:

Economic Opportunity & Sustainability: Mondays 4-6:30 p.m., The ATI recommendations to be dealt with by this Subcommittee: 31, 92, 108, 26, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 104, 110, 113 (See the ATI Report)
Register for each meeting at: Register for Econ Devel meetings
Diversion, Behavioral Health, Health: Tuesdays. 4-6:30 p.m. The ATI recommendations to be dealt with by this Subcommittee: 2, 3, 11, 12, 35, 43, 48, 53, 55, 56, 58, 59, 26, 110 (see ATI Report)
Register for each meeting at: Register for Diversion/Health meetings
Educational Access and Youth Development, Tuesdays, 6-8:30, p.m., Register for each meeting at: Register for Educ Access & Youth Devel
Housing, Wednesdays, 4-6:30 p.m., Register for each meeting at; Register for Housing meetings
Reentry, Wednesdays, 6-8:30 p.m., Register for each meeting at: Register for Reentry meetings

Have You Tried the New AFSCME 685 Activist App? What are you waiting for???

In these challenging times, when our voices as Probation and DCFS professionals are more important than ever, we are piloting a new mobile app that is designed to educate and inform, inspire and activate, and amplify our collective voices in modern new ways.

This app will become your new union hall - with links to trainings, zoom meetings, news, and actions. The app is to be used on your smartphone and will help keep us connected anytime and anyplace.

Participation with the app will allow you to win points for prizes and discounts online!

In solidarity,

Local 685 Executive Board