A San Francisco carjacking that targeted a California public employee and ended in a police shooting caught Paulina Vasquez's attention two years ago.
It was what Vasquez, an SEIU Local 1000 steward for California Lottery sales representatives, feared would happen after the department decided to put the State of California seal on their vans.
The department added the stickers to the plain white vans six years ago despite protests from workers who were concerned about their safety. Now the union is trying to get the stickers removed.
"It would be a shame if a tragedy were to occur that could have been prevented," said Vasquez, of Modesto.
She sent a report detailing workers' safety concerns and a rash of recent incidents to lottery executives, including the department's new director, Alva Johnson, on Nov. 15.
The report cites seven specific instances of attacks on sales reps or their vehicles, and lists categories of lesser abuses that Vasquez said have become more frequent since the seals were added to the vans, including harassment, throwing things at the vehicles and spitting on them.
Vasquez said she hasn't heard back from lottery brass.
"The lottery is aware of the concern and is looking into the matter," Lottery spokesman Russ Lopez said in an email.
Moving Billboards
The disagreement dates back to the lottery's proposal in 2012 to wrap state cars in marketing materials. Department leaders wanted to boost the profile of the lottery, where revenues have risen to about $7 billion from about $3 billion a decade ago.
In addition to a marketing boost, managers said they wanted to discourage employees misusing the vans by marking them as state vehicles, according to union representatives who met with management to discuss the proposal in 2013.
SEIU representatives persuaded the department to use the decals instead of the wraparound advertising, but Vasquez and other sales representatives say the signs still put them in danger by making them an easy mark for thieves and a target for harassment at the liquor stores, bars and gas stations they visit during work.
"It just puts you in such a spotlight," said Charlotte Belasco, 58, of San Diego.
Belasco said she retired last year from her sales representative job. She had planned to work until she was 60 but said she retired early over safety fears and concerns with what she views as poor management.
The complaint over the logos is the latest effort by lottery employees to improve what they view as deteriorating working conditions.
The lottery has been the subject of several audits and investigations since employees alleged misconduct among senior executives last year in an anonymous letter to former Gov. Jerry Brown.
The state Justice Department has launched an investigation at the department, and the State Controller's Office has identified inappropriate spending on travel. Past director Hugo Lopez resigned in June and a top sales manager was fired.
Anti-Government Sentiment
Once in a Shell parking lot, a "mentally unstable" man "became irate about anti-government issues" after seeing the seal on her vehicle, Belasco said.
She said one man urinated on the van and another licked its window while she was sitting inside. While the sales reps are sometimes identified by the armloads of "scratcher" tickets they carry in and out of buildings, Belasco believes the seals attract extra attention for no good reason.
Vasquez doesn't have hard data showing a rise in incidents, but she said she keeps track of complaints she receives from drivers and collects police reports on the incidents. She now receives complaints at least once a month, often twice, where she used to see one approximately every other month. There are about 200 Lottery sales reps around the state.
The seals attract a lot of anti-government sentiment from people who don't know what the drivers' jobs are, Vasquez said.
"If you're a man, they think you're law enforcement; if you're a woman, they think you're social services," she said.
Some people see the scratchers — which are deactivated when they're not in a store — and think the drivers have money in the car, which they don't, she said.
Her report documents thieves breaking van windows and stealing phones, laptops, state credit cards and other items. It mentions acts of vandalism such as a man spraying graffiti on a van.
In a November incident in Rancho Cordova, a man approached a van waving a long knife and screaming anti-government slurs, according to the report.
People have thrown coffee on the vans, put dog poop on them, put gum under the handles, rammed shopping carts against them and spit on them, among other attacks, according to the report.
"The incidents have been escalating," Vasquez said. "Our previous management was very dismissive and remiss. We got nowhere with them. We're very hopeful that our new director will take this seriously."
I think they have a valid point. Way too many crazies out there and if the perp can figure out they are lottery officials it is like a sitting target.
Waaaay too much time on some people's hand! Then again I suppose many were hardcore gamblers and has lost thousands of dollars buying lottery tickets and are probably looking for an outlet to vent their frustration. In any event its a sad situation. Hope the changes are made at least for the employees' safety sake.
The squeeky wheel gets the grease. Make enough noise and you will get the appropriate official's attention.
Exercise your First Amendment right of Free Speech. Freedom of Assembly.
Put a plain white magnetic sign over it or a magnetic sign with a discouraging logo.
How come we don't get reports of Anheuser Busch drivers delivering booze to stores, reporting on being harassed? Hey, l need a beer, hand it over! For all l know, these folks could be from the same Cabal that reported the " out of control office party " at the piano bar a year or so ago, and wanted people fired. Just do your job and quit complaining. It's not like these folk are carrying cash for the lottery, those scratchers are not activated, stealing that stuff from a van is rendered useless until the store takes delivery. Come on, quit this nonsense.
Yeah I, too, would become anxious and disillusioned with my neighbors by seeing people pee or poop on my work car because it's owned by the government so person doesn't even care what department! I'd be afraid they'd being willing to do the same thing to my body soon, even if the tickets were bravely stuffed into a zipped closed duffle bag!
This is exactly why all lottery winners should have the right to remain anonymous. It can is extremely dangerous for winners to be publicly identified.
You got that right!
I saw someone beat a man up in the Wal-Mart parking lot one Saturday in the daytime and steal his car.
I was coming out of the store and had just gotten to my car and a lady was screaming for them to stop fighting & I thought she was screaming at her kids but they were 2 grown men...I was in shock!
Then one of them got the keys from the other one and drove off with the man's car almost hitting some people.
Like you said there are way too many crazies out there & I'm way too friendly to people sometimes!
I completely side with the union on this one. Some lottery bosses just want to take advantage of any flat surface for advertising, but it's not worth the risk when incidents are so bad the police have to be called. The CA lottery advertises all over the place, in all media.
Maybe they will strike next year.
There have been a large increase in carjackings where I live. The carjackers wait for the right opportunity and then strike using the element of surprise. Everyone please be careful at malls or store parking lots and gas stations and even restaurant parking lots. It is best to go in groups of at least 2 when going out. Many carjackers look for individuals by themselves. And always be aware of your surroundings.
Personally, l get it. Sure you get folk out there that are mentally deranged or on substance, perhaps these folk were denied State benefits or assistance of some kind, but urinating, kicking cars & licking car windows because of a lottery logo on the vehicle? Please. I have seen State lottery vendors on their knees in stores for long periods of time with those machines wide open reloading their product- and not a single person giving them crap.Suddenly we have this?....Ok.
In addition to a marketing boost, managers said they wanted to discourage employees misusing the vans by marking them as state vehicles,
Apparently there were other reasons to mark the vans and now they must determine if the markings are causing problems for the employees. Not all thieves know the scratch-offs the vans are carrying are worthless and the only cash is whatever the driver has.
Don't think a cargo van is hijackers vehicle of choice, but you never know.
Very true. Alot of people that have won have been killed.
A lot of people have been killed sweetie7398? l can think of Shakespeare and maybe one or two others.
* The nuances of English: A lot is a large enough number and a few is close to none.
Some people see the scratchers — which are deactivated when they're not in a store — and think the drivers have money in the car, which they don't, she said.
Don't know how driving unmarked cars and/or vans prevents would-be robbers from seeing them bringing scatchers into stores. And how whatever lottery employees drive is related to large jackpot winners but apparently some here think it's a huge problem.
Just saying.
I don't know about anyone else but I lost someone very close to me. He won the Jackpot on Pick 5 in Georgia. We were so excited, the next morning he went to claim the ticket ,we received his check. Then we headed back home because the banks closed at 12 on that day. No biggie we celebrate etc. After we put the kids to bed and family and friends had left 5 of those same friends came back to rob us. They ask wheres the money , he said yall can take whatever just dont hurt my family.They shot my mother in law in the shoulder as a warning they shot my fiance like it was nothing. Destroyed our house only to get nothing. He had the check in our safe and had never cashed it. It took him getting murdered for our state to allow winners to remain anonymous.
So sorry for your loss and having to go through that nightmare. I remember reading about that. Todd had a post in the Lottery News section about it. This is one of the strongest reasons why winners should have the option of remaining anonymous.
noise-gate, Are you sure that this is a Lottery car? If it is than I agree with you. There must be hundreds of these State cars.
Please check my Discussion Forum Post about TLC How the Lottery Changed my Life. I will check the channel in 3 hours from now and then update it.
HO HO HO !!
Just because you don't see state lottery employees and their vehicles harassed in Fremont doesn't mean they aren't being harassed elsewhere.
Drive up the 880 to Oakland and it may be a different story. Should the decision to remove the decals be based solely on what Noise-gate has personally seen?
Yes l am sure. I have no reason to advance a lie. As a matter of fact, l went into the store and spoke with the vendor, and he said that was the vehicles they are issued. I asked him whether he had heard of other lottery vendors being harassed & he said he had not. This whole story is about a SEAL. If there are other vehicles that are issued to other lottery vendors, l have no knowledge of it, but it is what it is.
It is as you said " it may be a different story." This is a forum of opinions, and opinions are like noses, everyone has one. Do you need to be reminded of that Ghandi?
Opinions are also like people, some are better than others.
True, some people are better than others, and Pilate washing his hands did not free him of guilt. Instead of jumping to conclusion try and live by your own words, let that flow through your vinyasa.
I agree totally. Arm yourselves if need be.
"those same friends came back to rob us"
Yeah. Being allowed to remain anonymous is one of the biggest factors in making sure you won't be robbed by the friends who were just at the "I won the lottery!" party you invited them to.
The previous lottery director lost his position in large part by getting too far on the bad side of the union. The new guy has a chance to differentiate himself from his predecessor by giving the union what it wants, without a fuss, on a petty issue like van decals. Employees who misuse state-owned vehicles for personal use can be dealt with individually. Lottery brass need to learn to pick their battles, especially with a union that is very friendly with the press. Just my three cents!