The union representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies wants to become a party to a lawsuit previously filed by Sheriff Robert Luna concerning subpoenas for deputy personnel records issued by the Civilian Oversight Commission.
In court papers filed Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian in advance of a scheduled Aug. 5 hearing, attorneys for the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs maintain the organization has a stake in the outcome of the litigation.
“ALADS seeks to intervene because the personnel records the COC subpoenaed include information and records of ALADS’s members,” the union’s attorneys state in their court papers.
In his suit filed March 19, Luna seeks a clarification of what can properly be released under COC subpoenas concerning investigations that include confidential peace officer personnel records. While the LASD has complied with previous COC requests for information from LASD, it has not provided confidential peace officer personnel records because it is not legally permitted to do, the Luna suit states.
However, COC members have repeatedly stated their disagreement with what the commission members contend is the sheriff and LASD’s wrongful refusal to provide deputy personnel information, prompting the COC to issue subpoenas.
“Matters have thus come to a head,” the ALADS attorneys state in their court papers. “Thus, ALADS should be permitted to intervene to fully protect the interests of its members.”
Allowing ALADS to become a party to the case will also permit the union to protect its interests in meaningfully enforcing its collective bargaining rights before the Los Angeles Employee Relations Commission regarding the manner of any disclosures if a judge were to find in favor of the COC, the union’s lawyers further state in their court papers.
The COC was established in January 2016, to improve the public transparency and accountability of the LASD by making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, the department and the public.