by David Leonhardi
It’s the middle of summer and the DSA is moving full steam ahead with several exciting projects. We’re thrilled to see the world open back up, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to start hosting events and giving back to members in the ways we’re accustomed to. By the time you read this article, we will have hosted our summer event at the Wave Waterpark in Vista, with 500 folks in attendance. I’m so happy to see that our members are as excited as we are to get back to normal and join us for events!
Some of you may have heard or read in the Silver Star that the DSA has purchased a barbecue trailer which we plan to utilize by cooking for our members and participating in community events. The trailer is currently being built in Texas and is scheduled to be completed at the end of August or beginning of September. To make the DSA’s barbecue project as successful as we hope, we will need a team of people committed to its success. Consider this a call for help to all the barbecue enthusiasts on our Department who are willing to volunteer their time to help the DSA coordinate barbecue events at facilities and stations, and also showcase their skills by grilling, smoking, and frying up food to serve DSA members and the community. The first order of business for these volunteers will be to help the DSA plan an event to officially unveil our trailer and celebrate the end of summer. We’re thinking a barbecue competition near the end of September will be a great way to do that. If you’re interested in joining the team to help with all of the above, please send me an email at dleonhardi@dsasd.org.
The long-awaited DSA Dinner Dance is quickly approaching, scheduled for August 14. Unfortunately, the pandemic caused this event to be cancelled last year. I hope each of you will join us for this wonderful event. It makes for a fun and affordable ($60 per couple) date night with your partner. The DSA spends a hefty amount to subsidize the costs and put together a great event for all of you. You can always expect some fun entertainment, great food and drinks, music and dancing, and a terrific raffle. Rest assured, many of our members will be going home with great raffle prizes like cash, guns, an electric smoker, Apple products, Dyson vacuums, and much more. We hope you can make it out for a fun evening.
Lastly, I’ll share a brief update on hazard pay. I was honored to be in a position to work on this issue and help us achieve hazard pay for nearly every deputy sheriff working on our Department. Eligibility details were included in the July newsletter email sent to our membership. At the time that email went out, the timeline for when deputies would be receiving the hazard pay compensation was uncertain. As of this writing, it appears everything is on track for deputies to receive hazard pay in their August 20 paychecks. The county requires a very specific process before giving final approvals on things like this, including reading the details at multiple Board of Supervisors meetings. If anything changes to that timeline, we will certainly get an update out to all of you, so please make sure you are subscribed to our email list. Thank you for your hard work and sacrifice throughout this pandemic and always.