Cal. Corr. Peace Officers Ass'n v. Dep't of Corr.

*99 The California Correctional Peace Officers Association (the Association) brought a grievance on behalf of correctional officer Sammie Gardner, alleging a violation of his rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) ( 38 U.S.C. §§ 4301 et seq. ). The grievance proceeded through the four-step process set forth in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Association and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Corrections). At the fourth step, a hearing before the Department of Personnel Administration (Department), the Department granted the grievance. When Corrections refused to comply with the Department's decision, the Association petitioned for a writ of mandate ( Code Civ. Proc., § 1085 ) to compel compliance, the enforcement provided for in the MOU. The trial court denied the petition, adopting Correction's position, first raised in the trial court, that the Department lacked jurisdiction to decide the grievance because the State Personnel Board (SPB) had exclusive jurisdiction over appointments and the employment status of civil service employees and the foundation of the Department's decision…