The House That Neglect Built

The, now past, master "Spin Doctor" for the California Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (CalDORC) is working overtime as he explains away his failures through the scapegoating of those who had no responsibility for his collapse and resignation.

Rod Hickman's mantra continues to drone on about the meanies who have derailed his train. Meanies such as the elected representatives of the people of the State of California and a "Powerful Prison Guard's Union" who has been locked out of power in Sacramento ever since Mr. Hickman gave them the boot when his train first pulled into the station.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LA TIMES ARTICLE.

I am informed, by current and past CCPOA sources, that, prior to his quantum leap into the Secretary's chair, Mr. Hickman worked quite well with CCPOA, having, himself, chaired management committees within CalDORC which directly negotiated with CCPOA. What happened to him? A new reformer boss with new marching orders perhaps?

Arnold Schwarznegger arrived on the Sacramento scene in a total vacuum of political experience, so he garnered a cadre of political advisors, all of which were powerful names in Sacramento. Names such as Pete Wilson, former Governor, and, while these advisors brought with them a wealth of information and advice, they also arrived with their own political baggage, much of which was acrimonious of CCPOA and their organized labor brethren. The "reform" agenda had more to do with payback for the failed Pete Wilson coup, to raid the Public Employee's Retirement System (a coup which was resisted by California's organized labor), than it did with true reform. It is, then, no wonder that Arnie got caught up in his own attempt to shore up sagging state coffers through his own failed raid on California's cash-flush Public Employees Retirement System, a system made flush, in part, by employee contributions.

Even prior to Schwarznegger's election, his anti-union platform was written in the stars as he assembled his campaign advisors.

As Mr. Hickman has done in the above linked article, so Schwarznegger did when he first took office, as they have adopted the common philosophy of the Schwarznegger administration, "If we succeed we will take all of the credit, if we fail, blame the union."

It is rather disingenuous for Mr. Hickman to fix culpability for his failures on CCPOA however, since CCPOA had been shut out of the decision making processes of the Schwarznegger administration since the very beginning. I would even go so far to say that it is a direct result of slamming the door on CCPOA that Arnold Schwarznegger's/Rod Hickman's CalDORC has failed miserably enough to prompt Mr. Hickmans resignation based on his failure.

As I have made clear in earlier posts, The pre-Schwarznegger, pre-CalDORC Department of Corrections relied heavily on the management skills found within CCPOA because of the few management/organizational assets found within its own ranks. This predicament is due to promotions within CalDORC's "Pinstripe Wall" that are based on politics rather than an ability to do the job. When Mr. Hickman shut the door on CCPOA, he shut out the majority of managerial/organizational talent that was keeping CalDORC afloat. After that single act, CalDORC began taking on water and now Mr. Hickman finds himself searching for a life raft in the icy waters of public opinion. The same public opinion that once touted him as the departmental savior now sees him as the failure he is, and for this he blames the Legislature.

Even though Mr. Hickman preaches the message of accountability for others, he clearly refuses to accept it for himself, and he has a scapegoat, for every occasion, to prove it.

CalDORC remains out of control and the Pinstripe Wall's Code of Silence is not the way to solve its problems. By promoting and/or covering for those involved in misconduct, malfeasance and the Pinstripe Wall's Code of Silence¹, CalDORC is now plagued with a defective "gene pool" from which to draw its leadership. Unless the marching orders change, the next Secretary will be a clone of the last.

As history delves further into the Hickman Years, perhaps his ultimate excuse for his failure will be the Nuremberg Defense.

Lorraine Bradley

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¹CLICK HERE; AND HERE; AND HERE; AND HERE; AND HERE; AND HERE; AND HERE