DSA Litigation Regarding Measure F

On December 21, 2021, the Placer County Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA) and Noah Frederito filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate and Complaint for Declaratory Relief against the County of Placer.  The petition was subsequently amended on January 21, 2022.  The amended petition alleges that the County violated California Election Code § 9125 and Placer County Code § 3.12.040 when the County passed an ordinance amending Placer County Code § 3.12.040 and enacted a salary increase for DSA members that was above what the Measure F formula would provide.  The petitioners argue that the original Measure F local initiative enacted in 1976 cannot be amended or repealed except by a vote of the people. Petitioners request that the Court restore the original language of Measure F.

On February 2, 2022, Placer County filed a Demurrer and Motion to Strike portions of the DSA’s petition. The County’s demurrer sets forth the factual and legal authority supporting the Board’s decision to amend the Measure F ordinance and pay the DSA more in salary than the Measure F formula would provide. It is the County’s position that the original local initiative (Measure F) was void and unenforceable from the start because: (1) it would deprive the Board of Supervisors of its constitutional authority to set employee compensation; (2) it would compel the County to pay salary increases without a negotiated agreement and based on entirely external factors; and (3) it would deprive both the County and the DSA of their statutory rights and duties to negotiate compensation.  Finally, even if it was constitutional in 1976, the Measure F ordinance was superseded in 1980 by the electorate’s adoption of the County Charter which placed the authority to set all employee compensation with the Board of Supervisors thereby meeting the requirements of Election Code § 9125.

Court Filings

DSA Filings

County Filings

Court Ruling and Appeal