There are only a few hours left to register for the 2022 CALSAGA Annual Conference!

We have already given you three reasons why you should attend the 2022 CALSAGA Annual Conference

What are you waiting for? Registration closes on Thursday!

In case you still aren’t convinced, here are three more reasons, you should attend.

  • Our Exhibitor Hall is sold out! You will have the opportunity to connect with sponsors and vendors who provide goods and services that you need to operate your business.
  • The BSIS Chief and BOTH Deputy Chiefs will address our members and take your questions. You will definitely want to stay for the last session of the conference on Thursday.
  • Gain confidence that your company is in compliance. The conference kicks off on Tuesday afternoon with the session BSIS Bootcamp. Are you really sure that you are doing everything to avoid fines or worse? Get reassurance by attending this session!

Register for the Annual Conference

View the Annual Conference Schedule

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Once you register for the Annual Conference, don’t forget to download Whova, the CALSAGA Annual Conference platform.
It is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Three reasons that you need to attend the 2022 CALSAGA Annual Conference

  • Get up to date on all of the information that affects you and your business plus potentially life saving information for you and your officers. Find out about new laws and HR protocols, learn about changes to security officer training, and get the forecast for what you can expect in rising insurance costs. Unfortunately, the Unites States is currently on a 73% pace of increased mass public shootings over the year 2020 – make sure that you attend the session “Surviving the Lethal Threat!”
  • Meet and network with peers, industry leaders and BSIS leadership. The agenda includes lots of opportunities for socializing and connection! This year we will have a brand new interactive event on the first day of the conference. Bonus: It includes a hosted bar.
  • Enjoy great food and accommodations. If you’ve attended other conferences then you know that event food is not usually very good. That is not the case with CALSAGA’s Annual Conference! We have a delicious and plentiful menu planned. Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage is a luxury hotel with a variety of ammeities. They have offered us an exceptional room rate of $119.99 per night. Rooms must be booked by Monday, October 3rd to receive this rate. Contact the hotel directly for room reservations: 800-854-1279 & ask for the CALSAGA block to receive your discounted rate.

Register for the Annual Conference

View the Annual Conference Schedule

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Once you register for the Annual Conference, don’t forget to download Whova, the CALSAGA Annual Conference platform.
It is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

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NOTICE OF CALSAGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATIONS

This information was originally emailed to Authorized User contacts for PPO, PSE and PSTF members on August 12th. If you did not receive it, please contact members@calsaga.org as soon as possible to ensure that you receive future election communications and electronic ballots.

CALSAGA is pleased to announce that the nominations period is now open for members who are interested in serving on the 2023-2024 CALSAGA Board of Directors. Elected Board Members will serve a 2-calendar year term on the Board of Directors, commencing January 1, 2023. The deadline for nomination submissions is the close of business, Friday, September 16, 2022.
The eleven Directors on the Board are responsible for the governing, operations, planning, and general business matters of CALSAGA. CALSAGA is non-profit corporation and is governed by bylaws, articles of incorporation, and state law. The Board meets every other month and Directors must make a commitment to attend these meetings. It is largely due to the commitment of Board members, and all other volunteers, that CALSAGA has been successful over the past 25+ years in representing the security industry’s interests in California.

ELECTION APPOINTMENT AND PHASES
The election and appointments are done in 3 Phases:

  • Phase I – Executive Committee
  • Phase II – Northern/Southern California Directors
  • Phase III – Directors-At-Large: Will be appointed by the new Board of Directors after they take office in January 2023.

Phase I and Phase II will be voted upon electronically by the membership (see timetable below)

AVAILABLE POSITIONS:
Note: Candidates can submit nominations for both the Executive Committee and for the Northern/Southern California Director Positions. The votes will first be tallied for the Executive Committee; if an individual is elected to the Executive committee, their name will be withdrawn prior to the tally for the Northern/Southern California Positions.

Executive Committee Directors [without regard to geographical location in California]: 

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Vice President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary

Directors

  • Northern California Director
  • Northern California Director
  • Southern California Director
  • Southern California Director

Non-Elected Appointed Positions
Note: There is no general membership election for these positions. These positions will be appointed by a majority vote of the new Board of Directors after January 1, 2023, at the first Board of Directors Meeting in January 2023. Submissions of Interest will be accepted prior to the January 2023 Board of Directors Meeting.

  • Director-At-Large
  • Director-At-Large

ELIGIBILITY:
Nominees must be a primary or secondary contact of a Private Patrol Operator, Proprietary Security Employer or Private Security Training Facility member-company of CALSAGA whose membership and dues are current as of September 1, 2022.

Executive Committee Nominees must also have served in some other prior leadership capacity, either in another Board position (Regional Director or Director-at-Large) or chaired a CALSAGA Committee. The Board may waive these requirements if petitioned.

Please contact the CALSAGA staff if you have additional questions.

NOMINATION PROCESS:

Self-Nominations are accepted, as are nominations for another CALSAGA member. To issue a formal nomination, please email the following information to the CALSAGA team:
Your Name
Name of Nominee and Company Nominated Position

Nominations can be sent to our Program Manager, Kris Smidt at kris@calsaga.org and must be received no later than 5:00pm on Friday, September 16, 2022.

Once verified for eligibility, nominees will be contacted by the CALSAGA Nominations Committee, and each nominee will have the opportunity to submit up to a 60 second video for distribution to membership on Monday, October 10, 2022 (Video Candidate Statement Submissions along with a photo must be received by kris@calsaga.org by 5:00pm Monday, September 26, 2022).

VOTING:
Each company that is eligible will have one vote. Company members are responsible for determining who will cast their vote.

Although the 2022 CALSAGA Annual Conference will be held in person, all voting will be electronic. Electronic ballots will be issued on Monday October 3, 2022, along with the video statements prepared by those seeking election. Electronic votes must be received no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.

Announcements will be made for the 2023-2024 Board of Directors on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, during the CALSAGA Awards Dinner. Results will also be announced via email on Thursday, October 20, 2022.

NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE:
If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to the following:
Nominations Committee Chair and CALSAGA Legal Advisor,
Barry Bradley
bbradley@bglawyers.com
818-243-5200

CALSAGA Program Manager,
Kris Smidt
kris@calsaga.org
714-824-7015

CALSAGA Association Manager,
Kate Wallace
kate@calsaga.org
916-930-0552

ELECTIONS TIMELINE:
The schedule of the voting process is as follows:

Thursday, September 1, 2022 CALSAGA Members (PPO’s, PSE’s and PSTF) must be current with their due payments and be members in good standing on this date to participate in the election.
Friday, September 16, 2022, 5:00 pm Last day for Candidate Nomination Submissions
Monday, September 26, 2022, 5:00 pm Candidate Video Statements + Photo Due
Monday, October 10, 2022 Distribution of video statements and Electronic Ballots for Phase 1 voting (Executive Committee). If all Executive Committee candidates are running unopposed, Phase 2 voting will also commence.
Tuesday, October 18, 2022, 9:00 pm Deadline for electronic ballots for Phase 1
If Phase 1 candidates are running unopposed, deadline for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be extended until October 19, 12:00pm.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 12:00 pm  Deadline for electronic ballots for Phase 2, or Phase 1 and 2 if Executive Committee is running unopposed.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
During CALSAGA Awards Dinner
Announcement of CALSAGA Board of Directors.
Results will also be emailed on Thursday 10/20.
January 2023 Two At-Large Directors Appointed by the New Board of Directors at first Board of Directors Meeting.

Make plans to attend these upcoming events!

This two day management training program is appropriate for both industry veterans and those new to the industry. Attendee numbers are intentionally kept small to increase opportunities to engage with subject matter experts.

Register Now for Security University

View the Schedule for Security University

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Curious about how social media can benefit your business?

Interested in getting more involved with the association?

Want to network with industry peers and CALSAGA Board Members?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, then make plans to attend this event!

Grab your coffee and join us for the first Coffee Chat Hosted by the CALSAGA Ambassador Committee. This is a free event for CALSAGA Members and Prospective Members.

Get the Zoom Link for Coffee Chat on February 15th

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SAVE THE DATE
2022 CALSAGA Annual Conference
October 18th – 20th
Agua Caliente Resort & Spa
Rancho Mirage, CA

 

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CALSAGA will continue to update you on matters that effect you and your business. We appreciate the hard work of you and your employees. Please let us know what we can do to assist you.

Stay in the know! Read the latest edition of The Californian: The Quarterly Newsletter of CALSAGA. You can also review all past editions of The Californian.

As an association we strive to keep you up-to-date on relevant information for your business. Please review the information below regarding year-end updates and reminders. 

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Sexual Harassment Training

All of your employees should have received Sexual Harassment Training pursuant to SB 1343 and SB 778. Newly hired employees must receive the training within 30 days of hire or within their first 100 hours of work, whichever comes first.

This training must be received every two years. If you initially trained your employees in 2019, it is time to train again!

Sexual Harassment Training is not transferrable between companies – even with a certificate of completion.  You are responsible for training all staff as per the guidelines above.

Developed with our Network Partner The Works Consulting, our interactive, video-on-demand sexual harassment training for both employees (1 hour) and supervisors (2 hours) is convenient and will help you get into compliance. The CALSAGA training meets all of the requirements of the California legislation. A Training Certificate will be provided to each individual who completes the webinar and will be emailed to the purchaser of the training upon participant completion.

Purchase Sexual Harassment Training

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Minimum wage in California will increase to $15 per hour on January 1, 2022 for companies with 26 employees or more. The minimum wage for companies with 25 or less employees will be $14 per hour.

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Officer Training Compliance

A major update to the CALSAGA Security Officer Training Materials was completed in 2021. Training is available for purchase exclusively by CALSAGA members through the CALSAGA Member Portal.

If you have already purchased the materials, simply log in to the CALSAGA Member Portal and click on the Training tab. Select download links under the CALSAGA Security Officer Training Modules heading to download the updated materials.

In addition to Sexual Harassment Training (which all employees and supervisors must have!), CALSAGA offers a variety of security officer training to meet your needs:

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Resources from the BSIS
2021 Enacted Legislation Summary
Prepare for an Audit

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CALSAGA will continue to update you on matters that effect you and your business. We appreciate the hard work of you and your employees. Please let us know what we can do to assist you.

Stay in the know! Read the latest edition of The Californian: The Quarterly Newsletter of CALSAGA. You can also review all past editions of The Californian.

The 2021 fourth quarter edition of The Californian: The Quarterly Newsletter of CALSAGA is now available!

 

Click here to read The Californian.

As an association we strive to keep you up-to-date on relevant information for your business. Please see information below regarding association advocacy on the matters of AB 2220/Firearm Assignment and mandatory arbitration agreements. 

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In September, CALSAGA Board of Directors met with the Department of Justice to request an updated bulletin regarding the assignment of firearms to licensed security officers by Private Patrol Operators.

We are glad to report that an update has been provided. We strongly encourage you to print a copy for all armed officers to carry on their person while on duty and to replace all previous versions of the bulletin with the one linked below.

Firearms Bulletin from DOJ

The first version of the bulletin was issued in 2017 and was a victory in a hard-fought battle by CALSAGA. This bulletin provides reassurance to members who employ armed officers. AB 2220 allows a Private Patrol Operator to be a registered owner of a firearm. Additionally, this bill allows a security officer to be assigned a firearm by the PPO and for a firearm custodian to be designated by the PPO. Previous practices and statutes authorized the purchase, registration, and ownership of firearms by an individual, but not by a business entity. AB 2220 authorized business ownership and registration of firearms in the case of PPOs who are actively providing armed private contract security services. A PPO may assign firearms it owns to employees who are licensed to carry firearms by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.

As a result of AB 2220, a problem presented itself because the current Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) Entry System (DES) is not capable of recognizing a business as a firearm purchaser or owner. The Department of Justice intends to modify the DES and Automated Firearm System (AFS) to allow a PPO to be listed as the purchaser and registered owner of a firearm. Additionally, the DOJ intends to create a process for PPOs to submit a Certificate of Assignment to identify the employee of the PPO in AFS who has been assigned a firearm owned by the PPO. At this time there is no anticipated completion date for this project and previous anticipated completion dates have not been met.

Those intentions were stated in the bulletin to law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the bulletin cautioned that law enforcement personnel may continue to encounter armed security officers who have the requisite permits and qualifications to carry a firearm in the course of their duties, but who are not actually the registered owners of the firearm. Law enforcement agencies are advised that an assignment of a firearm to an eligible and licensed security officer by a PPO is not a violation of Penal Code 27545.

Please remind all armed officers to carry this bulletin on their person while on duty.

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PAGA reform continues to be on the association’s agenda. Recently the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber) approached the association regarding an opportunity to support their AB 51 litigation efforts. This is an avenue for us to fight PAGA claims. CALSAGA made a contribution of $15,000 to support these efforts and to protect our members. That would not have been possible without the continued financial support of our members.

AB 51 which was signed into law in October 2019 precludes employers from enforcing arbitration agreements made as a condition of employment—and making it a crime for businesses to do so—even if workers may opt out of arbitration. Previously a temporary restraining order was issued however a recent ninth circuit court decision may allow AB 51 to go into effect. The CalChamber is fighting this and CALSAGA will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to you as they are available.

The CALSAGA Virtual Annual Conference takes place October 19th – 21st. If you haven’t registered yet, sign up now. Even if you aren’t available to attend the sessions live, all conference sessions will be recorded and your registration gets you access until November 4th.
Live Q&A Sessions

Registration to the conference includes access to a Live Q&A Session with BSIS Chief Lynne Andres, Deputy Chief Sam Stodolski and Deputy Chief Gloriela Garcia.

In addition these sessions will include Live Q&A:

  • Situational Awareness: Personal Safety is Thinking at the Speed of Life
  • Legal Update: Life After the Lockdown
  • BSIS Compliance – What Every Security Professional Needs to Know
  • Industry Labor Trends: The Changing Labor Market Beyond the Pandemic
  • Insurance Market Update for 2022
  • Human Resource Challenges For 2021-2022:  Getting Back To Normal
  • Update from the Bureau of Security & Investigative Services
Plus – so that you can ask all of your last minute questions – the conference will close with a Live Roundtable including our legal, insurance, HR and BSIS experts.
Be in the Know
Make sure that you have the information that you need in order to run your business efficiently, retain your employees, stay in compliance with changing laws and obligations and stay informed with trends in the hiring market and insurance costs and requirements. The Annual Conference agenda is full of sessions from subject matter experts who will deliver the information that you need.
Networking with peers, CALSAGA Board Members and Staff
Join us for the association’s first live networking event! The CALSAGA Ambassador Committee will host a Live Virtual Happy Hour on Tuesday, October 19th at 4:15pm. Test your knowledge in our interactive Jeopardy-style game. Prizes will be awarded to the winners!

Questions? Email conference@calsaga.org.

On September 9, 2021, 5 days after COVID-19 related federal unemployment benefits ended, President Joe Biden announced new strategies to combat the pandemic. The announcement comes as the delta variant continues to surge and nearly eighty million Americans remain unvaccinated.
The upcoming federal vaccination mandate will take form of an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). The ETS is expected to mandate that private businesses with 100 or more employees (“Covered Employers”) require their workforces to become fully vaccinated or test negative for COVID at least weekly. The ETS is also expected to mandate paid leave to enable employees to get vaccinated. Employers who do not comply with the mandate will face a hefty fine.
President Biden also announced vaccination mandates for all Federal employees without the alternative of weekly testing, and healthcare facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
Various states, including South Carolina and Oklahoma, have already spoken out about the constitutionality of the mandate and as such legal challenges to the federal mandate are likely forthcoming. In the meantime, Covered Employers will be expected to comply with the mandate.
Impact on Covered Employers
Covered Employers who previously did not have a mandatory vaccination policy will now have to implement such a policy. While Covered Employers can seemingly provide an alternative to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, weekly testing for unvaccinated employees may become expensive and burdensome as employers will likely have to pay for the test and then wait for test results, impacting business finances and operations.
As many employers know, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and most recently the Department of Justice, have all issued guidance allowing for a mandatory vaccination policy without an alternative testing requirement, though employers are still required to and should provide reasonable accommodation based on a qualified medical reason and/or sincerely held religious belief. Based on the EEOC, DFEH, and DOJ guidance, unless the OSHA emergency rule requires COVID-19 testing as an alternative, Covered Employers may consider a mandatory vaccination policy without such an alternative.
More information is forthcoming as we wait for OSHA to issue the vaccination mandate and requirements for the same. In the meantime, the attorneys at Bradley & Gmelich, LLP are standing by to provide advice and assistance regarding mandatory vaccination policies.
About the Authors:
Saba Zafar, Esq
. is Special Counsel in Bradley & Gmelich LLP’s Employment Law Department. Saba has over a decade of experience as an attorney, primarily in employment law. Saba focuses her practice of providing strategic advice and counsel in all aspects of employment law and workplace matters, including drafting and implementation of HR policies and procedures, Employment Handbooks, providing advice to clients on personnel issues as well as general business matters.Prior to joining the firm, Saba was a Senior Counsel providing advice and counsel to mid-sized to large businesses on employment law compliance and day-to-day employment issues, including implementing policies and procedures, employee classifications, employment separations, managing and disciplining employees, and COVID-19 rules and regulations. Saba also handled a wide variety of employment matters in state and federal court, including cases involving wrongful termination, discrimination, and wage related cases.In her spare time, Saba has volunteered as a Mediator for the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Orange County Human Resources Department. She was also a Volunteer Tutor for Schools on Wheels, tutoring elementary school students on skid row in Los Angeles. Prior to practicing law, Saba was a Judicial Extern for California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District.In her free time, Saba enjoys embarking on culinary adventures and catching up on new television shows. szafar@bglawyers.com

Jaimee K. Wellerstein, Esq. is a Partner at Bradley & Gmelich LLP, and the Head of the firm’s Employment Department. Jaimee concentrates her practice in representing employers in all aspects of employment law, including defense of wage and hour class actions, PAGA claims, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, misclassification, and other employment related lawsuits. She also provides employment counseling and training in all of these areas.

Jaimee routinely represents employers in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings throughout the state, as well as at administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the United States Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies.

Jaimee assists as a Legal Advisor to CALSAGA, and is a member of ASIS International. She is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating available. jwellerstein@bglawyers.com