For the second year in a row, a sweeping police reform measure that law-enforcement organizations said was motivated by antipathy toward peace officers has been embraced by the state Legislature.

Last year lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1421 by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. It required police agencies to release information on officer discipline records – treating these records the same as many others that are routinely released to the public under government openness laws. California’s police disclosure rules previously had been among the strictest in the nation.

This year, Assembly Bill 392, by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, appears headed for passage after being approved 67-0 by the Assembly on Wednesday. It says officers may only use lethal force if it is “necessary” for public safety. Existing law says officers can use such force if they believe it is “reasonable” to ensure public safety. While provisions in Assembly Bill 392 were dropped to persuade law enforcement organizations to end their opposition and take a neutral stand – as they did last week – the ACLU says the bill will create among the strictest use-of-force standards of any state.

These organizations were lobbied by Gov. Gavin Newsom to accept Assembly Bill 392. After their decision to go neutral was announced, Newsom, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins issued a joint statement endorsing Weber’s bill, seemingly guaranteeing its eventual approval.

The passage of the two reform measures would have been impossible to imagine earlier this century. Law enforcement unions had tight relationships with most elected Democrats, the same as with unions for teachers, nurses, service workers and government bureaucrats, providing them with heavy campaign contributions.

Gov. Gray Davis’ 2001 decision to give prison guards a five-year, 37 percent raise after its union helped him get elected in 1998 drew sharp blow-back from good-government advocates and newspaper editorial boards, especially after the 2003 revelation that Davis had badly underestimated the long-term cost of the labor deal. It was among the issues that helped lead to his unprecedented recall later that year.

2004 CHP scandal downplayed by state leaders

But the clout of law enforcement was again on display a year later. In 2004, the Sacramento Bee broke the story of a pervasive workers’ compensation scam in the upper reaches of the California Highway Patrol. The Bee found that 55 of the 65 senior CHP officers who had retired since 2000 had filed workers’ comp claims – with some citing injuries never reported while they were on the job. Their disability claims were routinely approved, sharply increasing their retirement benefits.

CHP Commissioner Dwight “Spike” Helmick agreed to retire after the “Chiefs Disease” scandal broke, then added to it by also claiming he was disabled because of vehicle accidents in the 1970s and 1980s. But neither the Legislature or Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – who courted and won law enforcement support – agreed with calls to bring in an outside reformer to run the agency. Instead, Schwarzenegger chose Mike Brown, one of Helmick’s top aides.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer declined to prosecute the case, citing conflicts of interest because of his office’s close ties to the CHP. The case was assigned to Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully. But in 2007, she closed the investigation without bringing any charges. Scully said CHP officials and former officials were “unable or unwilling” to testify about the pension-spiking scheme. The story faded from the headlines.

But ties between lawmakers and police unions have weakened since then as the national outcry has grown over alleged police mistreatment of minorities, especially a series of fatal shootings of young African-American men in questionable circumstances. The California Democratic Party has also had an influx of newly elected progressive lawmakers who dislike the aggressive, confrontational policing style adopted by many departments after it was credited with reducing crime in New York City in the 1990s under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Recent analyses of how Assembly Bill 392 overcame the obstacles that doomed a similar bill last year have focused on the March 2018 fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black father of two, in Sacramento.

The announcement two months ago that no officer would face charges for Clark’s death triggered an outcry so intense it became a national and international story that appeared to give Weber’s bill new momentum.

I know California’s economy is in tough shape. But I’m happy that the state’s prison guards are meeting in Las Vegas, where Gov.-elect Jerry Brown just addressed them. Their union leaders have tough jobs making sure every last taxpayer penny is spent wisely, for the benefit of all Californians. They need a place to “let it all hang out” before returning to California with all its problems. And what better place to do it than in Elvisland?

Reported the L.A. Times:

On Monday he could be found at a major resort in Las Vegas, addressing the prison guards’ union, which spent more than $1.8 million on Brown’s behalf during the campaign. Just don’t ask us what he said. The Times was barred from covering the brief speech.

A reporter who traveled to the Rio All Suites to catch the Brown address was initially told that the governor’s staff had vetoed her presence there.

However, union officials later said it was their policy to keep the media out of the event. Even spouses of convention delegates were blocked from listening to Brown’s remarks, they said, for which the ballroom’s doors were closed.

Brown, who spoke of transparency often on the campaign trail, has held few public events and had little engagement with the media since defeating Republican nominee Meg Whitman on Nov 2. Attendees described his less than 10-minute speech as a thank you to the group.

The union is the largest public union still without a contract.

I checked out the Rio All Suites hotel where Jerry and the prison gang had their party. Gov. Brown’s reputation for frugality is lived up to. Here’s how the hotel describes its rooms:

Every room is a suite at the Rio! The Rio hosts more than 2,500 suites, providing spectacular views of Las Vegas. Every suite offers more than 600 square feet of spacious luxury, including a separate dressing area, couch, 32-inch TV, table with chairs, hairdryer, in-suite refrigerator, iron, ironing board and complimentary in-suite safe.

What do our abstemious public servants need an “in-suite safe” for? Oh, I know. That’s where they can keep safe and secure all the wonderful things they do for us.

After a hard day of working out a contract with Gov.-elect Brown that’s a good deal for the taxpayers of California, no doubt Our Guardian Servants retire to their Suites to read their Gideon Bibles. They would never do this at Rio Las Vegas’ Bikini Beach:

Every Thursday through Sunday, part of VooDoo Beach is transformed into “Bikini Beach”, a European-style pool at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.  Designed specifically for adults over 21, this pool allows guests to bask in the sunshine while listening to the music of a live DJ and watching go-go dancers on the pool deck.  Rent a daybed and receive chilled towels, complimentary water, and a five-minute massage.  For added exclusivity, guests can reserve one of five luxurious cabanas, which includes bottle service, freshly cut fruit, and your own personal bikini server.

After a relaxing day at the pool, it’s time to party!  Your admission into Bikini Beach gets you free admission into VooDoo Lounge the same night.  In addition, each guest will receive a coupon, redeemable at any time, for free admission into Crown Theater & Nightclub, VooDoo Lounge, and 2 for 1 cocktails at Carnaval Court at Harrah’s.

No one under 21 permitted in Bikini Beach; valid ID required for entry.

And I’m sure the ASPCA is wagging its tail at how the guards are treating their pets. Mistreating animals can get you thrown in prison, you know. Here’s how Rio Las Vegas describes its PetStay Las Vegas amenity:

Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino is rolling out the red carpet for traveling dogs, with the launch of “PetStay,” the resort’s new pet-friendly hotel program.

Guests participating in the PetStay program are greeted by several canine-friendly in-room amenities including a mat, food and water dishes, disposable waste bags and dog treats.

Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino features a designated PetStay area within the hotel, equipped with welcome packets that direct guests to outdoor relief areas and dog walking routes as well as specialty room service menus. Additional information about dog-friendly items for purchase and nearby dog services (such as grooming, walking and veterinary care) is available upon check-in at each of the participating resorts.

And here’s an actual YouTube taken at the VooDoo Lounge on the rooftop of the Rio Las Vegas. I don’t think I can see any actual California prison guards are in this YouTube, proving how they behaved themselves while in Vegas.

Suitably relaxed, I’m sure the guards will return to their prisons and treat the inmates in their charge with extra-special care, and pinch every taxpayer penny.

Dec. 6, 2010