State worker union moves to suspend controversial president

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Leadership fights are plaguing California’s largest state worker union. Three vice presidents of the SEIU Local 1000 say they have suspended President Richard Louis Brown for mismanagement and improper use of funds. Brown says he rejects their decision and still considers himself the union’s leader. The back-and-forth follows months of infighting about the union’s direction under Brown. He was elected in a low-turnout contest in 2021 and immediately challenged some of the union’s longstanding practices. He tried to reject a $1 million political contribution to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s anti-recall campaign but the board approved it anyway.