City of South Gate Admonishes Police Union for Attempts to Circumvent New Policies to Increase Public Safety.

News Editors

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Representatives of the City of South Gate took the local police union to task today for initiating a legal action to stop newly implemented policies to increase police presence in the community and intensify public safety. The City also announced preparations for filing a legal action to stop the police union from initiating a job action including the "blue flu" in response to these new policies. Mayor Xochilt Ruvalcaba at a press conference in downtown Los Angeles reprimanded the police union for jeopardizing the public's safety and stressed that the city would provide the residents of South Gate with an increase in public safety with a uniformed police presence despite union upheaval.

"The City of South Gate has a zero tolerance policy on crime and a zero tolerance policy when its comes to police union actions to jeopardize public safety," said Mayor Ruvalcaba. "We want all our residents to feel a heightened police presence and public safety in the aftermath of September 11. We take seriously the warnings issued by the Attorney General John Ashcroft and the FBI regarding terrorists and we are demanding that all our police officers wear their uniforms while on duty and to work a standard five-day work week.

"If the police union decides to fight these new policies and begins a `blue flu' movement, the city is prepared to file a legal action to halt the union's selfish actions. We have also prepared a letter to Sheriff Baca asking him for assistance under the mutual aide pact should the union continue to resist public safety directives by using these senseless job actions," continued Mayor Ruvalcaba.

Acting City Manager Jesus Marez supported the Mayor's position with regards to the new regulations being implemented in the department and denounced the police union for attempting to circumvent the law.

"This talk of a `blue flu' in South Gate is very disappointing to me," said Marez. "Our role as civil servants is to represent and provide public safety for the people of South Gate. By resisting the five-day mandated uniformed work week policy, the union is sending a message that they believe they are above the law. This cannot be tolerated."

Incorporated on January 20, 1923, South Gate is the sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County and encompasses 7.5 square miles. The City, located just 12 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, has a population of more than 100,000 residents.