Fresno Police Officers Ass'n v. State of California

*415 Opinion

In this consolidated appeal plaintiffs/appellants Fresno Police Officers Association, Oakland Police Officers Association, the Organization of Deputy Sheriffs of San Mateo County, Bill Betzold, Robert Foster, and Frank Kastell appeal a judgment after court trial in favor of defendants/respondents State of California and State Controller Kenneth Cory in appellants’ action for inverse condemnation. Appellants contend their employment agreements with their employing agencies constitute property interests which the state took or damaged without just compensation when it refused to pay interest on salary increases withheld pursuant to Government Code sections 16280 and 16280.5, 1 after those statutes were declared unconstitutional in Sonoma County Organization of Public Employees v. County of Sonoma (1979) 23 Cal.3d 296 [ 152 Cal.Rptr. 903 , 591 P.2d 1 ]. Appellants also contend the trial court abused its discretion in denying class certification.

Appellants are local public employee organizations and individual public employees whose employment agreements with their employing agencies entitled them to receive cost-of-living salary increases for the fiscal year…