Union welcomes 23 new members

SAN LUIS OBISPO – On March 19, 2026, the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) and its affiliate Hospital Police Association of California (HPAC) welcomed new state hospital police officers who are training at the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) Office of Protective Services (OPS) Academy in San Luis Obispo.  Upon completion of their training, the officers will be assigned to one of five State Hospitals in California.

CSLEA Supervising Counsel Dave De La Riva, who represents this Bargaining Unit 7 job classification, addressed the cadets.  HPAC President Luis Jimenez, and HPAC Board Members Ezra Cosby (Coalinga State Hospital) and Michael Hakker (Patton State Hospital) also spoke with the cadets.

“The OPS Academy is a great opportunity for CSLEA and HPAC to conduct a new employee orientation in which the officers can explore union membership,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.  “These cadets are embarking upon a career in public safety and we applaud their commitment to keeping hospital staff, patients, visitors and the communities in which they’ll work, safe.  Our HPAC representatives were able to talk to the officers about what to expect in their new careers and our CSLEA Supervising Counsel Dave De La Riva, who has been assisting HPOs for years, is able to point out the important role CSLEA and HPAC have in assisting hospital police officers.  No State Hospital police officer should be without CSLEA union membership and the benefits, including a proven legal defense fund, it provides. We welcome the officers to their new careers.”

HPAC provide lunch and drinks for the cadets.  Both HPAC and CSLEA welcome the 23 cadets who signed up for union membership and wish all the cadets well at the academy.