Officers at the Los Angeles Police Department have rejected a plan to raise $10 million to fight layoffs and support candidates in the 2022 elections, dealing a setback to a union attempting to push back against calls to defund the police.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents around 9,800 officers, asked its members last month to approve the creation of a “Protecting Our Profession” assessment, which would have collected $22 per paycheck from each officer over a nearly two-year period. Proceeds would have gone toward supporting the union’s political allies, campaigning against public safety cuts and fighting new legislation.
In a statement, the union’s board said that it’s now looking at additional options to “ensure the interests of our membership and the public are fully protected at the local, state, and federal level.”
The union confirmed that the proposal had been defeated but declined to release election results. However, one source familiar with the vote said the assessment had been defeated by a roughly two-to-one margin.
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