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