Gomez

BACKGROUND

I Overtime at CHP’s East Los Angeles Office and Overtime for Caltrans CHP and the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have entered into several agreements for traffic safety services. One is known as the Maintenance Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program (MAZEEP) agreement. Under this agreement, CHP officers provide traffic safety services for Caltrans and Caltrans then reimburses CHP for the officers’ time and mileage. Participating officers can receive overtime compensation for time spent on this program. Officers from several CHP offices have participated in this program, including officers in CHP’s East Los Angeles office (the East LA office). That office has a standard operating procedure covering overtime, part of which discusses overtime under the MAZEEP agreement. Starting in 2012, this overtime procedure stated in relevant part: “If Caltrans ends a detail early due to unforeseen circumstances but continues to pay the officer for the duration of the contract, the officer shall remain available to Caltrans by standing by at the office.”1 The East LA office added this language following concerns that officers were claiming full overtime even when Caltrans ended…