by David Leonhardi
The DSA strives to provide equal representation to every one of our members. As the President of our organization, I take pride in the fact that all our members receive the same benefits, regardless of classification, rank, or position in the Department. We strongly proclaim to be the “strength behind the badge” and a voice for our members who otherwise may not be heard.
Over the past few months, the task of being a voice for all our members has been a bit more difficult. With the emergence of the COVID-19 delta variant and an uptick in coronavirus cases in the community and within our Department, we have been confronted with more restrictions and mandates. In early August, I sent a letter to the County of San Diego voicing concerns over news that they were planning to require a COVID-19 vaccination or a weekly COVID test of all employees. The letter asserted the DSA’s right to meet and bargain on the impacts of those proposed policies.
After sending the letter to the County and notifying the membership, I received mostly positive feedback from members. I crafted the letter and chose to send it because the overwhelming response I had heard from deputies was negative with regard to restrictions and requirements in relation to COVID-19. However, not all the member feedback was positive in support of the letter. I was reminded by DSA members who have lost loved ones to COVID that the DSA is supposed to represent them as well. I also heard from members who shared they felt uncomfortable working around unmasked or unvaccinated co-workers.
The DSA has not changed its position on COVID-19 restrictions and mandates asked of our members. Our position is that the County will have to meet with us to discuss and mitigate impacts when they are implementing new policies that impact your working conditions. We will do our best to influence the decision-makers to create policies that keep everyone safe and have the fewest impacts on your workload.
It is important for deputies to understand the DSA is not in control of these policies, and sometimes the County is not either. While the County is required to meet with the DSA, they are not required to implement our suggestions, and we do not have the authority to stop a policy from being implemented. As an example, the mandatory vaccine or weekly testing requirement of individuals assigned inside the jails is an order from the California State Department of Public Health, which means the County and the Department must comply or they will be in violation of the law. In that instance, even if the DSA voiced total opposition to any changes, the County could (and would) still implement the policies to be in compliance with the law.
Many details, notwithstanding the public health orders surrounding COVID-19, are changing rapidly. I expect more changes between the time I write this article and the time you read it in the Silver Star. Whether those changes are coming from the State, County, or directly from the Department, we will do our best to minimize the impacts on you. I believe in everyone’s right to decide whether they want to take a vaccine or not. At the DSA, we are working to avoid a situation where that choice is taken away from deputies by way of a vaccine mandate. I know many deputies are concerned about the possibility of a vaccine mandate, and I am as well. I wish I could tell you not to worry about that, but I think it’s a legitimate concern. I have very strong concerns about the number of deputies who may retire or quit if a vaccine mandate becomes a reality. I want you to know I am echoing those concerns to our Department. I don’t believe our Department can be prepared for the potential mass exodus of people who would leave immediately, especially in our detentions facilities, where staffing is always a challenge.
I appreciate everyone who has reached out to voice opinions on these important issues. I welcome more calls and questions if you have them, so please contact me. We’ve created a COVID-19 resource page on our website with tons of good information. You can find that at www.dsasd.org/covid. As always, I’m honored to represent you through this unprecedented time. I look forward to hearing from you!