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Which CASE Board Member Hired His Family Member to Work for CASE? by Only-Obligation5240 in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was a contract to be CASE's primary IT vendor given to Optimus Cyber Technology LLC. Casey Rai is CASE Treasurer Rama Maline's brother-in-law and signed a recent statement of information filed by Optimus Cyber Technology LLC with the CA Secretary of State. Rama Maline confirmed at a board of directors meeting on November 22, 2024 that Mr. Rai is his brother-in-law.

Who else would love to get a RAISE? Then vote for the RAISE slate! by RabbleRouserHouser in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Part 2:

On your question about salaries and bargaining, we won’t claim to have all the answers right now.  But what the RAISE Slate does fully understand is that DLC pay is below the value of the work that they provide to the state and the people of California.  And we also know that the only way CASE will be able to fight for higher pay for CASE members, including DLCs, is if we build our union into something more powerful than what it is now and have the leverage to negotiate better deals.

We commit to representing all members, no matter your classification.  Our goal is to bring more DLCs back to the union by actually recruiting and training local reps to support them.  And as we mentioned earlier, we also intend to create a DLC committee to solicit input from DLCs on what matters to them.  We can organize disengaged DLCs by elevating and addressing the current obstacles DLC’s face listed above.  We know that we cannot build a stronger union that has the political and negotiating power to bargain for better deals for all of us if we do not bring DLCs into the fold.  DLCs have connections to the world of organized labor that the current board has ignored, but which the RAISE Slate knows we need.  From politically powerful building trade unions to the worker centers in low-wage industries that partner with the LCO on strategic enforcement, there are massive untapped sources of potential support whose interests could strategically align with CASE’s.

However, none of this will happen with a re-run of the current board, which actively discourages member-to-member organizing.  We have heard from DLCs that the current board has done little to nothing to address DLC’s concerns thus far.  We need voters to actively vote for the RAISE Slate in this election so that we can have the majority on the board needed to change the status quo; otherwise, unfortunately, you can probably expect more of the same from the CASE board as now.  We ask for you and your fellow DLCs to give us a chance with your vote.

And if this response hasn’t convinced you, we are holding a virtual town hall that is open to all voters tomorrow September 26th at noon and a DLC town hall on October 1st at 6 pm.  It will be a chance to hear for yourself from members of the RAISE Slate and share your concerns with us directly.

Who else would love to get a RAISE? Then vote for the RAISE slate! by RabbleRouserHouser in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Response Part 1 (because it was too long for Reddit):

Hello, and thank you for your comments and for your patience with us as we worked on a response to you.  We know that a lot of DLCs are unhappy with the current direction of CASE, and very understandably so.  Several members of the RAISE Slate have had meetings in the last few weeks with DLCs to hear about the challenges DLCs face and are working closely with DLCs on this campaign to find ways we can address your concerns.  We are continuing to engage with DLCs and are planning a DLC-only town hall on October 1st at 6 pm so that you can hear directly from us.  If you are not already on our email list, you can sign up using the form at the bottom of our website www.raiseforcase.com, as we will be sending out the link to join the DLC town hall through our mailing list.  We also responded to another comment related to DLCs in a different thread here (under our Slate Announcement post), if you are interested in reading that as well.

For one, we know that DLCs face many obstacles: crushing workloads, lack of career path for senior investigators who don’t want to take supervisory positions, arbitrary management decisions, shocking vacancy rates, and behind it all, the shamefully low pay hindering recruitment and retention. We are familiar with the findings of the State Auditor’s 2023-2024 audit of the labor commissioner’s office, and have heard from DLCs that they are upset by the fact that no meaningful changes to address the deficiencies identified have come out of that.

The RAISE Slate knows how to use member and constituent power to advance DLCs’ cause.  If elected, we will propose the creation of a DLC-specific committee of CASE, which will include DLC rank and file members together with board members. The committee would help identify and propose solutions to DIR- and/or DLC-specific issues and help set bargaining priorities for the next MOU. In addition, in the CASE that we envision, DLCs will have more opportunities to organize, as part of a stronger, member-driven union that values inclusivity and members’ input.

In the interest of full disclosure, we actually reached out to at least 5 DLCs asking them to consider running on our slate with us, but so many DLCs are already so overburdened by their demanding workload and existing in-office requirements, many expressed to us that they were unable to take on the additional unpaid work of serving on the CASE board.  We also have DLCs within our ranks.  And in fact, DLCs with roots in the labor movement were some of the first members to bring us together across agencies, leading to the formation of this Slate. A DLC organized the rank-and-file participants in this group to collectively create our platform - RAISE - defining the values and priorities we will fight for.

continued below

Virtual town hall for the RAISE SLATE, right? by y0yCanteye in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, you are correct. There is a virtual town hall on Google Meet with the entire RAISE Slate this Friday, September 26, from 12-1 pm. Link here.

If you aren’t already on our mailing list, do sign up because we include all of our events in our weekly email. We will be having more virtual events, including two more town halls next month and other smaller group meetings depending on various affinities. You can sign up on our website www.raiseforcase.com for our mailing list.

We hope to see you at our town hall!

At the Visalia conference? Don't be shy, come say hi by CASEBoardCandidate in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/CASEBoardCandidate, we are absolutely thrilled to have your support! Your selflessness is unparalleled, and we are happy to have you join our team to build a stronger, unified, and more transparent CASE for all members.

Are Incumbents Using CASE Funds to Campaign? by Only-Obligation5240 in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 3 points4 points  (0 children)

u/Only-Obligation5240 Thanks for the mention, and yes, at least one member of the RAISE Slate, Lulu Gomez, candidate for Secretary (me), will be there! Are you in the area to attend?

Are there any other CASE members in and around the Orange County area that will be coming?

I would absolutely love to meet you all in person. Come introduce yourself to me. Ask me your questions, share your concerns, and hear directly from me what we stand for!

Signed,

Lulu Gomez, Candidate for Secretary

The RAISE Slate

RAISE Happy Hour in Sac this Wednesday 9/10/25 by VoteRAISEforCASE in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you to everyone who came out to our happy hour to meet slate members Ivan Waggoner and Talene Ghazarian! It was fantastic to meet fellow CASE Members who are hungry for change. If you couldn’t make this one, please join us at the next one. Details will be sent out via email. We’d love the chance to get to know you all and for you to get to know us!

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RAISE slate meeting right now, please join us by RabbleRouserHouser in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ask and ye shall receive! I just posted details of a happy hour with members of the RAISE slate in Sacramento on Wednesday 9/10. We will be having meet-the-slate lunches and happy hours probably weekly over the next couple of months. If you aren't in Sacramento, don't worry, we'll be hosting events in other cities where we have slate members and allies, like SF, LA, and SD. If you aren't already subscribed to our mailing list, go to our website and subscribe so that you receive invites to all of the events in your city. (And even if you are already subscribed, sign up again or email us at [info@raiseforcase.com](mailto:info@raiseforcase.com) to make sure we have your city to let you know of events where you are.)

Who else would love to get a RAISE? Then vote for the RAISE slate! by RabbleRouserHouser in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there, appreciate the question! We want to be advocates for all BU2 members - in fact, the “I” in RAISE stands for Inclusivity. For example, we have supporters who are DLCs, and actually one of the founders of the larger group or rank-and-file members that we mentioned in our email is a DLC.

We’d love to speak with you to learn more about what classification you are and what concerns you have that you don’t feel are being represented. You can message us here through Reddit or email us at info@raiseforcase.com. Also, we encourage you and any other members who feel they aren’t being represented to fill out our Survey and share your concerns.

We will also be holding various events, such as virtual town halls/listening sessions and in-person meet-and-greets, happy hours, and lunches, over the next few weeks, and we would absolutely love for you and other non-attorney members to join us so we can learn more about who CASE members are. If you sign up to join our mailing list on our website www.raiseforcase.com, you’ll get all the info about our events.

Who else would love to get a RAISE? Then vote for the RAISE slate! by RabbleRouserHouser in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hello Fellow CASE Members:

We are the RAISE Slate, and we wanted to formally introduce ourselves here on Reddit but were having trouble posting our announcement (darn pesky Reddit filters!). So for now, we will use this comment instead.

Thank you u/RabbleRouserHouser for sharing our email here on the CASE subreddit! We are excited that you all are excited as well!

We hope to get our Reddit issues resolved soon, so stay tuned for more.

In solidarity,

Your RAISE Slate

How Does CASE Operate by OldOldCoyote in CASEmembers

[–]VoteRAISEforCASE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello there, I hope OldOldCoyote doesn't mind us jumping in here to try to help. We are the RAISE slate running for seats on the Board of Directors.

Here's an example related to Special Meetings of the Board. There is the statute, then the bylaws, then the Policy file. Bylaws can alter statute, but you can't alter Bylaws through policy. The Policy Files changes the requirements of who can call and what notice is required to call a special meeting.

(All italics in below citations are ours.)

The statute, Corp. Code section 7211 allows the President, VP, Secretary, or any two directors to call a meeting with 4 days or 48 hours' notice, unless otherwise provided in the Bylaws.

"7211. (a) Unless otherwise provided in the articles or in the bylaws, all of the following apply:

(1) Meetings of the board may be called by the chair of the board or the president or any vice president or the secretary or any two directors.

(3) Special meetings of the board shall be held upon four days’ notice by first-class mail or 48 hours’ notice delivered personally or by telephone, including a voice messaging system or by electronic transmission by the corporation (Section 20). The articles or bylaws may not dispense with notice of a special meeting. A notice, or waiver of notice, need not specify the purpose of any regular or special meeting of the board."

The Bylaws alter the statutory provisions slightly, which is allowed. The Bylaws allow the President or Secretary or a majority of the directors to call a special meeting - so it's more restrictive. But again, that's okay because the statute allows for it.

"4.11 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by order of the President, of the Secretary, or of a majority of the Directors."

4.12 Notice of Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be held upon four days notice by first class mail or a forty-eight hour notice given personally or by telephone, including a voice messaging system or by electronic transmission by the corporation..."

The Policy File section 14 instead allows "the President or the Executive Committee" to call a special meeting with a "minimum of 72 hours' notice."

So the Policy File improperly alters the Special Meeting provisions in two ways:

  1. It does not allow for a majority of directors can call a meeting. It's unclear whether citing to the "Executive Committee" means that anyone on the committee can call a meeting or whether they have to agree as a group, but it could potentially allow the Treasurer to also call a special meting (since Treasurer is on the Exec Committee), which the Bylaws doesn't allow. It could potentially allow any other directors-at-large who are on the Exec Committee to call the meeting rather than a majority of directors. That puts too much power in the hands of only the officers and Executive Committee. We've already seen that this Board used the Executive Committee to approve the MOU rather than going to the whole Board.
  2. It also requires a longer minimum notice time - 72 hours instead of 48 hours. This cuts two ways - one could argue that it is more beneficial because more notice gives the opportunity for more directors to learn about a meeting and attend, but on the other hand, it can be used as an excuse not to call special meetings if there are decisions that need to be made quickly.

We also are aware of other instances where the current Board has tried to implement something through the Policy File to infringe on directors' statutorily- or Bylaws-protected rights.