Steve has nearly 30 years of law enforcement labor experience, starting with his time on the board and his 17 years as the full-time president of the Long Beach Police Officers Association (LBPOA). As the president, and only full-time representative of the LBPOA, Steve handled the preparation for all collective bargaining activities including serving as the lead negotiator. He also handled all the Meet and Confer sessions, grievances, health insurance issues, and pension issues; oversaw all discipline cases on behalf of the union; and served as the CEO of the union. As the official representative of the 900-officer union, Steve regularly interacted with department management, city management, and local, county, state, and national elected officials. Steve was named to the 10 most influential people in Long Beach list on two occasions.
Steve has held several other elected or appointed positions in California. He was elected by his law enforcement labor peers to serve as the president of both the Southern California Association of Law Enforcement (SCALE) and the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations (CCLEA). Both of those groups were comprised of other law enforcement labor organizations and their leaders. These groups participated in political endorsements, strategic communications, political activism, and information sharing. Steve was also appointed by the Governor of California to serve on the Governor’s Law Enforcement Medal of Valor selection committee.
It was during his time as LBPOA president that Steve was first elected to the California FOP executive board and subsequently the National Fraternal Order of Police Board of Directors as the California National Trustee, a position he held for 18 years. During his time on the California executive board the membership of the California FOP grew from approximately 5,000 to 20,000. Most of that growth occurred as California law enforcement unions saw the need for a national voice, and the benefit and value of the National FOP Legal Defense Plan.
Steve has served on the National Legal Defense Plan Board of Trustees for well over 10 years with much of his time on that committee as the Chairman. During his time on the NFOP LDP Board, the plan has grown from 35,000 members to more than 115,000 members and has become one of the primary catalysts in the growth of the National FOP. The National FOP LDP handles more than 4000 claims each year and has paid out nearly one hundred and fifty million dollars on behalf of members since its inception.
Steve has remained active in both labor and law enforcement since his retirement from Long Beach. Steve is a member of the collective bargaining team for the California State University System. The CSU serves nearly 500,000 students each year and has a workforce of more than 50,000 employees. Steve continues to serve as the lead instructor for the National FOP Labor Services collective bargaining course, and he has taught numerous other courses over the years. Steve also does consulting work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff on issues affecting law enforcement labor.
Steve and his wife Amy have five adult children and one (for now) grandchild.
