This week, our Fire Family gathered for the Memorial Service and Flag Ceremony honoring our brother and friend, Firefighter Paramedic Jerry W. Guzman.

Family, friends, colleagues, and fellow firefighters came together to remember Jerry’s life, to stand with his crew, his battalion, our Department, and most importantly, his beloved family.

Jerry will always be remembered for his infectious smile, his deep love for family, and his unwavering dedication to service. More than a public servant, he was a firefighter’s firefighter, a mentor, and above all, a cherished father, son, partner, brother, and friend.

For over 23 years, Jerry faithfully served the LACoFD and the residents of Los Angeles County. During the ceremony, the flag flown over Fire Station 32 was presented to the Guzman family, along with a Firefighter Bible from Local 1014.

We extend our gratitude to the membership, Chaplains, Honor Guard, Pipers and Drummers, and every member of our LA County Fire Family who came together to honor Jerry and surround his loved ones with strength and love.

May Jerry rest in peace. May his family forever feel the embrace of our hearts. We Shall Never Forget.

RETIREMENT SEASON IS NOW YEAR-ROUND!

Brothers and Sisters are “Hanging it Up” every month now. Congratulations to all of our members who have put in the time and earned the incredible honor of retiring as an LA County Firefighter. 

This next chapter comes with a job well done and the security of retirement, healthcare, and a lifestyle made possible through the hard work of our Union at LACERA and beyond.

Keep an eye out for notices from the Union, the Department, and the Facebook group Hanging it Up for upcoming retirement events. Many of these celebrations are held at the App Floor at LAO—where so many of us started with colors, coffee, and three fist pounds on a closed door before facing the Training Captains with equal parts fear and excitement. It’s the perfect place to close the loop and step into retirement with honor after decades of service.

âš ï¸Â� Reminder: Please notify the Local if you have a retirement event coming up so we can prepare your Local 1014 plaque. And if you’ve already retired quietly or we missed your event, reach out—we still want to get your plaque to you and recognize your service.

Congratulations again to all retired LA County Firefighters. COUNTY! – 1014 STRONG!

CONTRACT CITIES – UPDATE

We continue to work tirelessly to address service levels, operational issues, and community involvement in our contract cities. Political action begins at the local level with our city leaders and extends to the work done by the Fire Chief and City Managers, who negotiate and finalize successor MOUs with our Fee-for-Service Contract Cities—cities that pay a set, negotiated rate for the services we provide.

Currently, the Cities of Pomona and Hermosa Beach are in prolonged—and at times intense—negotiations between Chief Marrone and their City Managers. Our role is to help create a supportive environment for the Chief to carry out his responsibilities. 

Part of the challenge is that fees in these cities fell behind because our Department and prior leadership failed to push increases up to the soft 4.5% cap. While this has created a shortfall, it is important to recognize that these cities are not the enemy—they are business partners. Chief Marrone understands this well, having worked in Business Operations under a previous Chief managing these same relationships.

Recently, the Chief issued a strong letter making it clear that no monies owed or required could be carried forward, and setting a hard deadline in September with the Board of Supervisors for compliance, or potential release from the District. We delivered a clear message to Pomona: while fair terms must be negotiated with the Chief, we fully support creative and equitable solutions and do not support any hard default or service cuts. We are now working to facilitate a meeting with Chief Marrone, Supervisor Solis, and Pomona city officials to chart a path forward.

While this process can be frustrating, the Chief now has a taste of what it feels like to sit across the table from the LA County CEO when trying to secure fair contracts on behalf of our members. Even in difficult circumstances, there is always a path to negotiate a successor agreement. Just as there are no “open” contracts for our members, there should never be unresolved contracts with our partner cities.

We also look forward to Chief Marrone providing a direct update to our members in Pomona regarding his plan and the status of negotiations. Understandably, some of our members are beginning to feel uncertainty about the city’s future. This should be addressed by the Fire Chief himself, and we will explore options for a meeting or webinar in the near future with the Chief and Supervisor Solis.

Stay tuned as the Chief continues his work—just as we do in our own negotiations—to secure agreements in challenging times. We trust he has a plan, as do we.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

This week, the negotiation table fell apart, again. The CEO walked out of talks that were moving forward on three critical proposals: promotions and pay, behavioral health budget, and benefit time issues, all of which are impacting retention, workflow, and staffing—some of the most important matters we face today.

We had worked with the Department to reach a mutual agreement on terms that benefit both the Department and Union members, only to have the County CEO abandon the talks, citing financial issues. Now, as in years past, we need Chief Marrone to stand with us—solidly, proudly, publicly, and forcefully—when addressing the Board of Supervisors. He may even need to convene the “Fire Board” (the five members of the Board of Supervisors) to advocate as a manager for settling with his people through their Labor Union. Stay tuned for how he responds and advocates. He has spoken of supporting our members and providing them with the tools and working conditions necessary to serve effectively. A successor MOU—just as in our contract cities—is an essential part of that.

We suspect this is a patterned bargaining strategy designed to push all County unions into the deal SEIU cut , which includes 0%, 2%, and 5% COLAs over three years. This is NOT acceptable. We will not settle until other critical issues—especially for our Plan C post-PEPRA members—are addressed. We are prepared to walk again: to the BOS, to LAO, and wherever else necessary to secure a fair contract.

Know this: the Sheriff unions (ALADS and PPOA) and the Lifeguard union (LACOLA) remain in weekly contact with us about these negotiations, and we stand in absolute solidarity. When the time is right, you may see us rally together—shoulder to shoulder—before the BOS and the public as we press for a just settlement. No other safety unions have settled a contract with the County. 

Stay the course. Remain calm. Trust the facts coming from us and from our fellow public safety unions. Through hard work, leverage, and strategic action, we will get this done. There is no need to rush into a low settlement—especially when every County unit that has settled a COLA has taken zero in the first year.

We will continue to send CONTRACT MESSAGES by email with the latest updates. Please refer to those for details as negotiations continue.