BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: sb 1025
          SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN              AUTHOR:  torres
                                                         VERSION: 2/14/14
          Analysis by:  Carrie Cornwell                  FISCAL:  no
          Hearing date:  April 8, 2014



          SUBJECT:

          California Highway Patrol:  communications operators

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill changes the title of California Highway Patrol (CHP)  
          communications operators to public safety dispatchers and public  
          safety operators.

          ANALYSIS:

          Existing law provides that when setting compensation for  
          communications operators in the CHP, the Department of Human  
          Resources may consider the total compensation for communications  
          operators in comparable positions in the police departments of  
          the cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Jose, and  
          the City and County of San Francisco.

           This bill  replaces the title "communications operators" with  
          "public safety dispatchers and public safety operators." 
          
          COMMENTS:

           1.Purpose  .  CHP employs over 800 public safety operators and  
            dispatchers, who dispatch CHP officers and also annually  
            answer several million 911 calls placed from cell phones.   
            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.   At the request of the  
            dispatchers' association, the author introduced this bill to  
            conform the working titles to those used in the state statute.  


           2.Technical amendments  .  The bill amends a section of the  
            Vehicle Code that includes intent language that needs to be  




          SB 1025 (TORRES)                                       Page 2

                                                                       


            updated to reflect the correct current titles and training  
            expenses for public safety dispatchers and public safety  
            operators at CHP.  Therefore, during the hearing, the author  
            will offer technical amendments to delete obsolete employment  
            classifications and training costs included in the existing  
            legislative findings and declarations, as follows:

                 On page 2, line 14, delete "I and II"
                 On page 2, line 15, delete "I and II"
                 On page 2, delete lines 18-27  inclusive
                 On page 2, line 28, delete "(5)" and insert "(4)"

          
          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,                                             April 2,  
          2014.)

               SUPPORT:  CHP Public Safety Dispatchers Association  
                         (sponsor) 
                         California Statewide Law Enforcement Association
                         
               OPPOSED:  None received.