Riverside Sheriffs' Ass'n v. County of Riverside

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Beatrice Sanchez was employed by the County of Riverside (the County) probation department as a probation corrections officer II. The County terminated her employment because it determined she had a medical condition that prevented her from performing the essential functions of her position, with or without reasonable accommodation. The County then denied her request for an administrative appeal of her termination pursuant to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association (RSA) law enforcement unit on the ground she was terminated, not for “disciplinary reasons” (MOU, art. XII), but based solely on her medical condition. The County later rescinded Sanchez’s termination and applied to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) for disability retirement benefits on her behalf (Gov. Code, § 21153), 1 retroactive to October 25, 2008, the first day Sanchez was on “unpaid status” with the County. Sanchez notified the County she intended to appeal her disability retirement. (§ 21156.)

Sanchez also petitioned the trial court for a writ of mandate directing the County to process her…