We held our first quarterly State Board meeting of 2025 on January 17, and I am pleased to report that CCSO is hitting the ground running, ready to make this new year a successful one.

We were happy to welcome Chad Huckleberry as our new State secretary, along with John McAllister and Arturo Ramirez as our new State Board members. We got a lot done in our inaugural meeting, setting some good expectations for how we want to work together and how we want to keep our momentum going into the future. I told the Board that I want everyone to feel open and comfortable in talking to me if they have any concerns. This is a safe place where no one should feel like they can’t speak their mind. I am very energized by this new beginning, and I think everybody on the Board is excited for the opportunities and accomplishments that lie ahead of us.

At the meeting, we brought in representatives from the Bank of Stockton to share details with us about how our money is invested. The money from the “walk time” case has been put into a wealth management fund and is sitting there untouched, earning high interest. Hopefully, in the next 10 years it will be a helpful asset for the organization if the need arises.

The State Board is working on revising CCSO’s bylaws, updating them to resolve discrepancies and clarify some gray areas to ensure there are no misunderstandings going forward. We are also hoping to launch our SharePoint system before our Conference in April. This platform will allow chapter presidents from around the state to link up, get updates and share information that helps our members.

One especially important recent development is the creation of our new SRN II task force, composed of supervising registered nurse members from throughout California who will meet monthly at the CCSO office to discuss the issues facing them, brainstorm solutions and provide updates to our members. They will also have a spot on the agenda at our quarterly State Board meetings so they can keep CCSO leadership informed about their progress. They’ll be working on topics including staffing shortages, cross-covering and post-and-bids, advocating for better overall working conditions and making sure that the rights of SRN IIs are protected. They’re really going to challenge a lot of the same kinds of issues and treatment that our sergeants and lieutenants had to overcome back in the day, which far too often have been neglected when it comes to SRN IIs because they’re not under contract. This ongoing task force is a great advancement that will hopefully yield tangible progress for our SRN II members.

Meanwhile, the 2025 CCSO Conference is coming up fast. Our 33rd annual gathering will be held from April 30 to May 2 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, and for the first time we’ve expanded it to a full two-day event to offer attendees even more programming and more time to network with their fellow members from across the state. After kicking things off on Wednesday night with a gala celebrating the successful resolution of the “walk time” case, we’ll have our general meeting on Thursday morning, followed by a series of great speakers delivering valuable information on the topics that impact our organization and members. I’m excited about all the great things we have planned, and I encourage all chapter presidents to attend what is sure to be an unforgettable event. Registration is open now — please visit https://ccsonet.org/events/annual-conference for more information.

Before I conclude this message, I want to take a moment to recognize Ford Canutt, one of our longest-tenured employees, who recently retired. During his nearly 33 years with our organization, he was very instrumental in the “walk time” case, as well as handling grievances and working with legislators to pass bills. Ford, thank you for your dedication to CCSO. We owe you a great debt of gratitude for all your hard work and the many victories you won in the service of our members. We wish you a wonderful and fulfilling retirement.

As you can see, this is shaping up to be a busy year, and I believe it will be an amazing one. We are headed in the right direction and have all the pieces in place to make 2025 a great success for CCSO. I want each and every one of our members to feel free to reach out to our office with any concerns or issues. Even though we’re confident in the course ahead, that doesn’t mean we don’t want your feedback on how we’ve been doing and how we can do even better in our efforts to serve you. We are truly building for the future right now, ensuring that CCSO is in a strong position to be a force for good in our members’ lives and careers for years to come.

Thank you as always for your membership and support, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our Conference.