ALADS

The primary issue in this case is whether the County of Los Angeles (County) can force peace officer employees to use excess deferred vacation time in order to avoid a year-end cash payout for that time. Construing the relevant provisions of the Los Angeles County Code and memoranda of understanding (MOU’s) between the parties, we affirm the trial court’s determination that the County does have the managerial power to force the use of deferred vacation time. We reverse the trial court’s award of payment to the employees for excess vacation time hours.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The individual claimants in these consolidated cases were sworn peace officers employed by the County as deputy sheriffs or district attorney investigators. The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) and Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA) are the employee organizations recognized by the County as the exclusive union representatives for these officers. (We shall sometimes refer to the unions and the individual claimants collectively as the employees.) The employees sued the County, as well as District Attorney Steve Cooley and Sheriff Leroy Baca…