The CCSO family suffered a tremendous loss when our founding president, Rich Tatum, passed away at the age of 77 on February 6. I want to express my deepest gratitude for his vision and determination in putting this group together and building it into a strong and successful organization. I can hardly imagine the many battles he had to fight along the way, the ups and downs he endured, the pushback and setbacks he faced throughout the decades of his presidency. He went through all the rough spots and paved the way for us today. His efforts certainly made my job as his successor much easier, and I am reaping the benefits of his hard work.

In particular, I am thankful to Rich for having the initiative to take on the “walk time” case. Although it was a struggle trying to get it started and it went on for a long time, he always stayed true to the task. Over the years, I know that many of our members wondered why CCSO was still involved in this case that was taking so long and costing us a tremendous amount of money. But it is finally being resolved in a way that will benefit not only our members who are working now, but also those who have retired. That in itself is an impressive tribute to Rich’s hard work and tireless advocacy for our correctional supervisors and managers.

On a personal level, I owe Rich the utmost thanks for always being a mentor to me and looking out for me. I’ve been part of this organization for nearly 20 years now, and from my service on various committees to my time as a Board member and as a chapter president, he helped me participate in CCSO, take on new tasks, learn necessary skills and gain the experience I needed to be a leader. I am able to do the job I’m doing right now because of him, and that is something that will eternally be in my heart. I always supported him and the things that he’s done, and in turn I was able to help move the organization in the right direction because of his support. I feel especially fortunate that he enabled me to work on my networking skills in the law enforcement liaison position for CCSO. That role allowed me to get involved in the political arena and build relationships with high-level leaders, developing those key abilities that helped me fulfill my aspirations for what I wanted to do in our organization. I will always be grateful to Rich for taking care of me during my years at CCSO, entrusting me with opportunities to contribute to the betterment of the organization and modeling the highest standards of leadership that will continue to inspire and guide us in the years ahead.

As an organization, we are continuing to get on the right track and laying down the road map for how we want to move forward. We’re looking to further enhance CCSO in ways that can keep up with the times, and we have a number of things on the horizon that will be very beneficial to our members. However, we are also closely monitoring the California budget deficit and how it could affect our membership. We’ve unfortunately gone through this on multiple occasions, and we know that state employees are often expected to bear the burden of cutbacks. If that occurs, CCSO will do everything we can to assist you in getting through those challenging times.

It was wonderful to see everyone who attended our annual Conference in Sacramento on April 26 and 27. This is always an invaluable opportunity to catch up and connect with representatives from all our chapters across the state, share our experiences and ideas, and put our heads together to find solutions for the common issues we are facing. It is a time to socialize, to learn and to be reminded of the power of strength in numbers and the importance of being part of something larger than ourselves. I am already looking forward to next year’s event, which will expand to a full two days and promises to be even bigger and better. I hope to see you there!

In closing, I want to thank you, our members, for your continued support of CCSO, your professionalism and your dedication. We truly could not do what we do without you, and I am proud to represent and advocate for you. Please stay safe and well.