LAFD - Los Angeles / Valley Pride Request Letter Click HERE for a PDF of this document July 24, 2006 Los Angeles City Fire Department RE: “Welcome to Pride Letter” Dear LAFD Employee Representatives, I am writing to request a “Welcome to Pride” letter from your five organizations to compliment the attached letter from Chief Bamattre and Commissioner Sotelo. This will appear in the Los Angeles / Valley Pride (LAVP) pre-event program that will be distributed both at the CBS Studio Center festival site, as well as throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It will also be included on the “proclamations” page of the LAVP website, along side those of Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa, and Councilwoman Greuel. While the letter from the Chief and Commissioner speaks of a very high-minded ideal, this becomes a great deal stronger when analogous statements are articulated by the organizations representing the rank-and-file and the field officers. With the ongoing concern about LAFD workplace conditions, this represents an opportunity to demonstrate broad-based support from every corner of LAFD to effectively address this situation, for the betterment of the front line fire-fighters, the field officers, the command staff, and ultimately the entire City of Los Angeles. I would recommend a single letter, signed by all five. But if you feel that five separate letters would be best, this is entirely up to you. There are good reasons to do both, and I can work with either. Under any circumstances, however, this will be an unprecedented move. For never before has an organization the size of LAFD stepped forward in such a strong and unified way to address an issue of internal concern, by partnering with a community organization. This therefore, represents an opportunity to speak, not only in the here-and-now, but for decades to come. Thank you in advance for your consideration of my request. Sincerely, Paul Waters, Executive Director
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