Crowley

Gerald A. Crowley appeals from a judgment denying a writ of mandate to restrain the City and County of San Francisco and its police commission and police chief from requiring appellant to respond to a departmental investigation.

Crowley holds tenure in the civil service of the city and county as a police sergeant, and is the president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. For a time Crowley was assigned while on paid status as a *778 police officer to work full time as association president. This arrangement was ended late in 1975, and Crowley was assigned to normal duties at a police station. He then took unpaid leave of absence and continued to be active as president of the Police Officers Association.

On July 14, 1976, Crowley attended a meeting of the police commission, which had been convened for the purpose of meeting and conferring, at the request of the association, “on proposed rules for citizen contact and questioning of police officers while the officers were in the process of performing field investigations.” The commission indicated that the meeting would be open to the public. Crowley disapproved and left the room with his associates. Present…