Volume 26 Issue 6
December 1, 2009
FROM THE EDITOR
Just a day before Thanksgiving, I received an email from Diane, a member and parole agent out of Region III. She wanted me to know that she enjoys reading my From the Editor columns. "You help inspire," she wrote. I couldn't have been more pleased to read those words. It's all any writer could ever hope to hear from a reader. Believe me, it means as much as the paycheck in the envelope. But, truly, if I do inspire, it's only because I've been inspired - by you. All of you...
December 1, 2009
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by Mike Jimenez, CCPOA State President
Service is a word that means many things. It can mean the service you receive when you order a meal at a restaurant, or it can mean that you served your country in the Armed Forces. It can even mean the opening salvo of a tennis volley or the cups, saucers, and utensils for high tea. In the context of the quote from boxing champ Mohammed Ali, service obviously means the performance of work for the benefit of others with no expectation of personal profit...
December 1, 2009
COVER STORY: Yes, California, There Is A Santa Claus
by Lance Corcoran, CCPOA Chief Communications Officer 
The holiday season can be a magical time - and, on occasion, it can be a time of miracles. For many, the holidays are meant for celebrating family traditions, giving thanks for life's many blessings, and sharing those blessings with those less fortunate. When it comes to Christmas miracles, one CCPOA member, now retired, quietly began a giving tradition in the Stockton area about 14 years ago - a generous endeavor that has carried on and gains momentum to this day...
December 1, 2009
RESPONSE TIME
Starting in early Spring 2008, I submitted transfer packets for a lateral transfer from Corcoran State Prison to Sierra Conservation Center, due to my mother's diagnosis with colon cancer. After over a year and two interviews I did successfully transfer in July 2009. Upon my transfer, I emailed the following letter to both chief deputy wardens at Corcoran, with the intention it be published in the IST Bulletin. Well, it wasn't...
December 1, 2009
VICTIMS OF SUCCESS
by Correctional Sgt. Kevin Raymond 
CCPOA has enjoyed a great deal of success over the last 26 years of collective bargaining-culminating with the 2001-2006 Memorandum of Understanding. This success didn't come easy and at times was stagnant for years...
December 1, 2009
The Value of a Skelly Hearing
by Leanne M. Kent, CCPOA Staff Legal Counsel, West Sacramento
Recently, an article appearing in another corrections employee publication stated that Skelly hearings are a waste of time. To the contrary, CCPOA statistics show that participating in the Skelly process has value for our members...
December 1, 2009
Benefit Trust: Pennies from Heaven
by Crystal C. Virtue, Esq., Caldwell Legal
Back in the 18th century, Ben Franklin coined the phrase, "A penny saved is a penny earned." Those wise words were never truer than they are right now. The CCPOA Benefit Trust Fund is all about helping you hold on to your hard-earned money...
December 1, 2009
An All-Star Performance
North Kern State Prison could grab the attention of an NBA scout. I wonder if the Department and the fellow officers and staff at NKSP know of the athletic talent walking around their institution. The North Kern basketball team has once again demonstrated a very high level of play in winning the Western States Police and Fire Games Division I basketball championship...
December 1, 2009
The Paper Chase: Helping You Take the Stress Out of Tax Time
by Juston Montano
Just like that, we're at the end of another year. And we all know what that means: tax time. It's that time of year when we gather all our tax information for the dreaded filing of the income tax return. Before your anxiety level goes up, maybe I can help by providing some useful information that might take some of the stress out of filing your taxes...
December 1, 2009
Home Sweet Home: Protecting Your Credit and Your Financial Future in a Mortgage Meltdown
by Jeffrey Malkasian
The mortgage crisis that our country is experiencing has hit California harder than other areas. Many honest, hardworking members in our communities are trapped with crippling mortgage payments on homes that are worth less than what they owe on them...
December 1, 2009
The Wishing Place Where Dreams Come True - With Hope, Strength and Joy
Photos by Nichol Gomez-Pryde, CCPOA Communications Division
In 1980, Chris, a 7-year-old Arizona boy being treated for leukemia dreamed of one day becoming a police officer. When his condition worsened, a family friend, who just happened to be a U.S. Customs officer, contacted public safety officials to help him plan a special day for the boy and to help grant his wish...
December 1, 2009
And in This Corner… Battle of the Badges
A Knockout of a Charity Event
by Lance Corcoran, CCPOA Communications Director
On a cool, crisp October evening at Raley Field in West Sacramento, law enforcement officers and firefighters from across Northern California came together to heat up the ring at the 2009 Battle of the Badges, a charity boxing event benefiting the Firefighters Burn Institute, Sacramento Sheriff's Department Toy Project, and the Sacramento Fallen Officers Resource Fund administered by CSP-Sacramento...
December 1, 2009
Serving Justice
In February 2009 a dozen horses were abandoned at Del Puerto Canyon Ranch near Modesto. One of those was Justice, a 28-year-old Arabian gelding, who would now need very specialized care...
December 1, 2009
Taking Care of the Community
by Ryan Sherman, CCPOA Communications Division
Since the Association's earliest days, CCPOA has made commitment to community a top priority, and through the organization's individual chapters, the members contribute their time and money to many local causes, reaching out to support others in their communities...
December 1, 2009
Step Up for Downs Syndrome
Photos by Nichol Gomez-Pryde, CCPOA Communications Division
On October 25, CCPOA was a part of the Down Syndrome Information Alliance's 5th Annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk in Sacramento's William Land Park...
December 1, 2009
California Pens
Information about incidents and assaults across California. This information is available in the PeaceKeeper each month, and is updated as-received online as well. You can also read about nationwide correctional issues and news in CCPOA's online news blog.
