Thursday, July 15, 2021

UNION POLITICS IS SO MUCH FUN

by Bob Walsh

The California Correctional Peace Officer's Association (CCPOA) is the union representing rank-and-file peace officers employed by the Calif. Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation.  The union has just voted to suspend the parole chapter president, Maribel Hinojosa, from her duties and responsibilities as the chapter president, a gig she has held for about 18 months.

The parole chapter has been contesting about $53,000 spent by it's former leaders, asserting that this may have been reimbursement for personal expenses rather than union expenses.  The state DOJ has announced that an investigation of possible embezzelment is under way, with no further info given.

The two former chapter leaders, Jorge Robles and Meshal Kashifalghita, have filed a civil suit for defamation against Hinojosa after Hinojosa beat out Robles in the election.  A jury trial on the lawsuit is scheduled for January.  

The union is conducting it's own investigation into chapter finances.  Seven months ago the parents union, which represents 28,000 people, placed the parole chapter, which represents 1,400 of that 28,000, into trusteeship, thereby freezing it's assets.  There may be some reason to believe that Hinojosa spent union funds on a personal lawsuit, the nature of which has not been specified but was presumably the defamation suit with her predecessor.

Josh Eustice, the chapter's former V.P. is now it's acting president.  

CCPOA state president, Glenn Stailey, has alleged that Hinojosa has failed to follow direction related to chapter finances, has attempted to frustrate the trusteeship and has engaged in "apparent collusion" with management of the Division of Adult Parole Operations to the detriment of the membership.  

The parole chapter is the largest single chapter of the state organization except for the retiree chapter.   

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