Pueblo sheriff says he's sought legal advice on deputies union. Where is he getting it from?
A majority of Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office deputies have voted to unionize, but Sheriff David Lucero, who is affiliated with the Democratic Party, has been reluctant to start negotiating a contract.
The deputies’ unionization drive was enabled by Senate Bill 22-230, a state law that passed in 2022. County Commissioner Daneya Esgar, then a legislator in the Colorado House of Representatives, was one of the prime sponsors of the bill.
Lucero said in a news release Wednesday afternoon — which was issued by the sheriff's office less than an hour before a planned demonstration by local union leaders to ask Lucero to go to the negotiating table — that the new law could conflict with his statutory duties as sheriff and he is seeking legal advice about how to proceed.
But where is he getting that legal advice?
Lucero has reached out to the office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser but has not received a response, said Gayle Perez, a spokesperson for the PCSO.
Perez said that Lucero first reached out on Jan. 30 and followed up on April 29.
Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesperson for the AG’s office, said in an email to the Chieftain that the AG's office is obliged to “defend Colorado law” and mentioned how the office defended the bill enabling county employees to collectively bargain after El Paso County sued the state. A judge in Denver district court dismissed the case in December 2023.
“The attorney general’s office is committed to defending SB22-230 to protect workers and will continue to do so when necessary,” Pacheco said in a follow-up email.
Pacheco confirmed that Lucero has reached out but declined to confirm the specific details that Perez shared.
“Our office is always open to hearing from elected officials about their concerns and have heard from Sheriff Lucero who has voiced issues he sees with this law,” Pacheco wrote.
Where else is Lucero getting legal advice?
Aside from reaching out to Weiser’s office, Perez said she wasn’t sure about other places from which Lucero has sought legal advice.
The International Brotherhood of Police Officers, which represents the Pueblo Police Department as well as the PCSO's new union, filed an unfair labor practice complaint with a state agency in March.
Pueblo County commissioners discussed the IBPO complaint in executive session Thursday. It is unclear if Lucero was present during the closed-door discussion.
Pueblo County Attorney Cynthia Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment from the Chieftain about if Lucero was attending the executive session meeting or if her office had given Lucero legal advice prior to deadline.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftian.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Where Pueblo Sheriff David Lucero is getting legal advice on unions
