Labor Pains for San Diego Police

The San Diego Police Officers Association has its hands full warding off efforts by city councilman and prospective mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio to make the City’s pension plan for cops into a 401(k) retirement system. But judging by its most recent IRS filing, dated June 14, 2010, and covering the 12 months ending in July 2009, the group’s officers haven’t been particularly well paid. Then-president Bill Nemec got $18,611; then-treasurer Rob Lewis collected $5034; and vice president Jeff Jordan made $11,587. The association, involved in a series of lawsuits with the City, paid $443,250 to the firm of Bobbitt, Pinckard & Fields of San Diego and $300,674 to the Irvine firm of Jackson, DeMarco, Tidus & Peckenpaugh. The membership anted up a total of $1,901,429 in dues, and the association reported making an additional $80,078 from advertising.

Compare those numbers to the San Diego–based United Domestic Workers of America, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which, according to its website, represents 65,000 workers in 11 California counties, including San Diego.

Members provide home care to aged and disabled individuals, paid for by taxpayers, and the union has been a key lobbyist against proposed cuts to the program. In 2010, according to a recently filed disclosure with the U.S. Department of Labor, the union collected $18,025,405 in dues and agency fees, had net assets of $10,931,118, and spent $1,072,803 on “political activities and lobbying.”

Its highest-paid employee, executive director Douglas Moore, received $225,925 in salary and an additional $17,243 in “disbursements for official business.” Other well-compensated workers included political/legislative director Jovan Agee, with a total of $119,187; director of field and organization Johanna Hester, $116,782; regional field coordinators Donta Harrison ($110, 662), Ricardo Cisneros ($110,040), and Michael Loza ($104,771); and chief negotiator Yvonne Olivares-Maldona, $93,764. The union’s president Laura Reyes received $83,005.