Little

FACTS

Michael Little is a former University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) police officer. The Regents of the University of California (the Regents) were his employer. On April 10, 2019, the UCSB police department placed Little on leave for the safety of police department personnel. Several officers had complained that Little performed an unannounced simulated “quick draw” of his firearm against other officers. Little did not actually draw a weapon. Nevertheless, department rules expressly forbid this type of quick draw except on the firing range under the range master’s supervision. The Regents also accused Little of being dishonest during an investigation of the incidents. The Regents issued a notice of intent to terminate Little on January 14, 2020. Little challenged his termination pursuant to an agreement between his union, the Federated University Police Officers’ Association (Union), and the Regents. The agreement called for arbitration of the dispute. The arbitration agreement provided, “[T]he decision of the arbitrator will be restricted to whether there is a violation of the Agreement . . . . If such a violation is found, the arbitrator shall specify the remedy.”…