Riverside Sheriffs' Assn. v. County of Riverside CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided June 29, 2016·No. E062836·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 6/29/16 Riverside Sheriffs’ Assn. v. County of Riverside CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO

RIVERSIDE SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff and Appellant, E062836 v. (Super.Ct.No. RIC1312375) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE et al., OPINION Defendants and Respondents.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Sharon J. Waters, Judge.

Affirmed.

Stone Busailah, Michael P. Stone, Muna Busailah and Robert Rabe for Plaintiff and Appellant.

The Zappia Law Firm, Edward P. Zappia, Brett M. Ehman and Gail E. Wise for Defendants and Respondents.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (the Department) had a policy regulating its employees’ outside employment activities (the policy), i.e., additional employment outside of the Department. In November 2010, the Department revised the policy. Those revisions caused the policy to be “changed significantly.”

In November 2013, the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association (the Association)

petitioned the trial court for a writ of mandate (Code Civ. Proc., § 1085) ordering the Department to revert to the pre-2010 version of the policy, until the Department engaged in collective bargaining with the Association regarding the policy revisions, and the parties reached an agreement concerning the policy revisions. The trial court denied the Association’s writ petition.

On appeal, the Association contends collective bargaining is required because (a) the policy revisions significantly and adversely affected the Association’s members’ terms and conditions of employment, and (b) the policy revisions are not a fundamental managerial decision. Alternatively, if the policy revisions are a fundamental managerial decision, then the impact and effects of the policy revisions are subject to bargaining. The Association also asserts collective bargaining is required pursuant to Government Code section 1126.1 We affirm the judgment.

1 All subsequent statutory references will be to the Government Code unless otherwise indicated.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY A. PRIOR POLICIES The Department had an outside employment policy that was issued in June 1994.

In January 2001, the outside employment policy was amended. In 2001, the policy provided, in relevant part, full-time employees must have Department approval for outside employment. It also reflected approval may be denied or withdrawn if (a) the employee’s performance evaluation reflects they are less than competent, or if the outside job might impair the employee’s efficiency when working at the Department; (b) the outside employment would cause the employee to work in excess of six hours when the employee is already scheduled for an eight-hour shift at the Department; or (c) the outside employment requires the employee to make use of Department equipment, uniform, or identification.

The 2001 policy also provided the procedure by which employees were to seek approval of their outside employment. Employees needed to submit a completed application form “through their chain of command to their Division Chief Deputy” “for approval or disapproval.” The employee could not commence outside employment until receiving approval. The employee was required to reapply for approval “any time the conditions of the outside employment activities change from that described in the initial request.” An employee would be subject to discipline for engaging in outside employment without prior Department approval.

B. 2010 POLICY In November 2010, the Department revised the outside employment policy. A memo concerning the revision was sent to all personnel and reflected the policy had “changed significantly.” The 2010 policy set forth a definition of outside employment. It required an employee to obtain approval from the Department prior to commencing outside employment. The failure to obtain preapproval could lead to discipline. In order to obtain approval, an employee needed to complete an application, give the application to the employee’s supervisor, which would “then be forwarded through the chain of command to the division chief for consideration.” Employees still needed to resubmit an application “any time the conditions of the outside employment activities change from that described in the initial request.” Additionally, (1) employees were now required to obtain “annual approval for continuing outside employment,” and (2) employees approved for outside employment were considered to have agreed “that their personal financial records may be requested and reviewed/audited for [a] potential conflict of interest pursuant to Government Code Section 3308.”

The 2010 policy revisions set forth an appeal process should an application for outside employment be denied. The policy also explained that permission for outside employment “may be revoked or suspended” (1) when the employee’s work at the Department is evaluated by a supervisor as being “unsatisfactory” or “below standard,” (2) as a “condition of sustained discipline,” (3) when the employee’s conduct or outside employment conflicts with the Department’s policies, or (4) when the employee “is unable to perform at a ‘full duty’ capacity due to an injury or other condition.”

The 2010 policy revisions explained activities that would be forbidden as outside employment, such as those requiring the use of Department facilities, equipment, uniform, or badge. The policy prohibited employees from working as “a private security guard, private investigator or other similar private security position.” However, the policy set forth procedures for private entities seeking outside security services from Department employees. In such a situation, the private entity would need to apply to the Department for the outside services. If the request were to be approved, then (1) the employees would have to wear their Department uniforms, (2) compensation for such outside security services would be “pursuant to normal overtime procedures,” and (3) such services would not be subject to collective bargaining. Further, any arrest made by an employee during the employee’s outside overtime assignment would still need to comply with the Department’s timelines regarding completing reports, and that time spent on such reports “shall be considered incidental to the outside overtime assignment.”

The policy also provided that an employee must notify the Department if the employee terminates his or her outside employment. Also, the policy indicated employees cannot engage in outside employment while using routine sick leave. If an employee is on disability leave or modified/light duty, then that employee must notify his supervisor in writing of whether or not he plans to continue his outside employment while on leave or light duty status. The immediate supervisor will then make a recommendation to the Sheriff as to whether such outside employment should continue. If the Sheriff determines the outside employment should be discontinued, or if the

employee fails to notify his supervisor of his intent regarding outside employment, then a “notice of revocation of the member’s permit” will be sent to the employee.

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