BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 1025
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:  June 16, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
                               Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
                    SB 1025 (Torres) - As Amended:  April 10, 2014

           SENATE VOTE  :  36-0
           
          SUBJECT  :  Department of the California Highway Patrol:  
          Department of Human Resources 

           SUMMARY  :  Changes the title of California Highway Patrol (CHP)  
          communications operators to public safety dispatchers and public  
          safety operators.   

           EXISTING LAW  :  Permits the State Department of Human Resources  
          to consider the total compensation for communications operators  
          in comparable positions in the police departments for the cities  
          of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Jose, and the City  
          and County of San Francisco.   

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown 

           COMMENTS  :  The initial statute that this bill amends was enacted  
          in 2001.  Initially, in 1999, AB 865 (Honda) proposed that the  
          then-Department of Personnel (DPA) should review the  
          compensation of communications officers in major cities within  
          the state when determining the compensation for CHP  
          communications officers.  The intent behind AB 865 was to ensure  
          CHP was compensating communications officers comparably to other  
          law enforcement employers in order to curtail turnover in a  
          period when CHP was experiencing increasing call volumes from  
          cellular phone 911 calls.  AB 865 was ultimately vetoed due to  
          the concerns associated with potential violations of the Ralph  
          C. Dills Act.  AB 1038 (Hertzberg) Chapter 786, Statutes of  
          2001, was a similar bill, however addressed the Governor's  
          concerns by including permissive language to authorize DPA to  
          "consider" the compensation of communications officers in major  
          California cities when determining compensation for CHP's  
          communications officers. 

          CHP employs over 800 public safety operators and dispatchers.   
          These safety operators and dispatchers dispatch CHP officers  
          throughout the state and also answer several million 911 calls  
          placed from cellular phones annually.  Currently, CHP is  








                                                                  SB 1025
                                                                  Page  2

          experiencing a staff shortage with a 20% vacancy rate in CHP  
          public safety dispatchers and operators.  Additionally, this  
          specific group has not received a compensation increase in eight  
          years.  The provisions in this particular section of statute  
          provide the State Department of Human Resources with the ability  
          to review similar staff positions in comparable cities in order  
          to determine a competitive salary for CHP public safety  
          dispatchers and operators when necessary.   

          The author notes that this bill will bring existing law up to  
          date with the employee title currently used for CHP dispatchers  
          and operators.  While their working title changed from  
          communications operator over a decade ago as the result of  
          collective bargaining agreements, legislation has never updated  
          references in state statute.  CHP began using "public safety  
          dispatchers" and "public safety operators" in 2009.  

          Writing in support of this bill, the California Statewide Law  
          Enforcement Association notes, previous collective bargaining  
          agreements changed CHP dispatcher's titles to "public safety  
          dispatchers and public safety operators." Thus, this bill will  
          bring the state's statutory description of these specific CHP  
          employees in line with their current working titles.  

           Previous legislation  :

          AB 1038 (Hertzberg), Chapter 786, Statutes of 2001, authorizes  
          DPA, when determining compensation for communications operators  
          with CHP, to consider the total compensation for communications  
          operators in comparable positions in the police departments in  
          the Cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Jose, and  
          the City and County of San Francisco. Specifies, the intent  
          provisions contained in the bill do not is not in violation of  
          the Ralph C. Dills Act.

          AB 865 (Honda) of 1999, similar legislation, authorizes DPA,  
          when determining compensation for communications operators with  
          CHP, to consider the total compensation for communications  
          operators in comparable positions in the police departments in  
          the Cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Jose, and  
          the City and County of San Francisco.  That bill was vetoed by  
          Governor Wilson.  

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :









                                                                  SB 1025
                                                                  Page  3

           Support 
           
          California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (sponsor)
           
            Opposition 
           
          None on file 

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093