From Christian Berthelsen's story:

Orange County has filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a portion of the terms of its 2001 labor pact with the union representing its sheriff's deputies, saying that a deal that gave deputies a retroactive increase in their pensions violated the state Constitution.

Read it all right here.

Deputies Mike Russell and Dave Tilstra flew Duke I over the Huntington Beach shoreline on patrol on Friday morning and gave a salute to the soon to be graduates of Recruit Class #182.

Class #182 added its members to the long standing tradition of the pre-graduation Hot Dog Run.

The Class is scheduled to graduate on Monday, February 4.

Here is a view of the Hot Dog Run from Duke I.

More...

Acting Sheriff Anderson yesterday addressed the Board of Supervisors. We'll have video posted this afternoon.  Additionally, AOCDS (Deputy Sheriffs' Union) sent a letter out to their members, which is posted below the Acting Sheriff's remarks. Here's what the Acting Sheriff had to say.:

Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the Board for allowing me to address you this morning.

My name is Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson, Acting as Sheriff of the County of Orange.

Retired Sheriff Michael Carona had twice addressed this honorable Board last year on the matter of the 3%@50 retirement for the current public safety members and those who retired after July 27th of 2002 from the Sheriff’s Department. I listened to Retired Sheriff Carona’s presentations before this Board and have since had the opportunity to read over his notes and PowerPoint presentation. Since members of this Board were present during those presentations, for the sake of brevity I will not repeat previous comments that were made.

I want to begin by stating that as a resident of Orange County that I, as I am sure the over three-million residents of our community, truly appreciate this Board’s efforts to be fiscally responsible in the management of our all too scarce tax-dollars. I am going on record today to say that I applaud this Board’s efforts in seeking ways to reduce the unfunded liability related to the 3%@50 retirement plan for public safety member employees of the County. More...

The Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy announces the graduation of Class #181 tonight, November, 27th 2007 at 6:30 p.m.. Class #181 is the first to graduate from the Sheriff’s new state of the art training facility located at 15991 Armstrong Ave. in Tustin.

Out of an original class of 44, 35 recruits - 29 men and 6 women - will graduate. Twenty-two of these graduates will begin their careers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The remainder will join other law enforcement agencies.

Scheduled to address the graduates is Brigadier General James P. Combs, Commanding General, Post Commander of the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.

Sent to AOCDS Thursday evening:

"We fully recognize the frustrations that you, your membership and your Board are experiencing around the stalled negotiations with the County and our Board of Supervisors.  However, we are beginning to walk a fine line of “work-to-rule” and its impact on our courts and the community we serve. 

While we know that you and our deputies and public safety personnel have been diligent in ensuring that no cases are dismissed and that public safety is not put in jeopardy, work-to-rule is having cataclysmic effects on court operations and may jeopardize cases pending in the criminal courts.  

At the same time we understand from conversations with you and Mark Nichols that the negotiations held this week did not go well.

We request that the “work-to-rule” policy be abated until Tuesday, October 16, after the Board of Supervisors concludes their closed session discussion on bargaining issues.  While we have no personal knowledge of a possible resolution, it is our hope that you all can return to the bargaining table to resolve this stalemate without future negative impacts on court operations and public safety. 

We both understand this is a tough request in light of the fact that our deputies and public safety personnel have been without a contract for a year; however, we believe the abatement of “work-to-rule” is necessary to ensure continue public safety and sent a good-will gesture to the county and the Board of Supervisors."

*Signed by Sheriff Michael Carona and D.A. Tony Rackauckas

Last week, Deputy Jose Almazan presented an American Flag to the Sheriff for the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Deputy Almazan is known as Gunny Sergeant Almazan in the United States Marine Corp, where he has served for 16 years as an Active Reserve. Deputy Almazan was deployed in the Anbar Province in Iraq from June 2005 to August 2006. This was his second deployment and, while he was away, his wife Carmen gave birth to their third son.

Deputy Almazan wanted to offer something to the department in thanks for our prayers, letters and support, so he presented the flag, which flew for a week over his post while he was in Iraq. The flag is now on display near the entrance of Sheriff's administrative offices.

Deputy Almazan graduated from Orange County Sheriff's Academy class #162 in October 2003. He spent one year with Costa Mesa Police Department before transferring to the Sheriff's Department. He has been married for eight years and has four sons ranging from 5 months to 8 years.

Keeping Deputy Almazan and his family in our thoughts and prayers was the least we could do for their commitment and sacrifice to keeping Orange County and our nation safe from enemies foreign and domestic.

Rising transportation costs as well as the cost of a barrel of oil appear to be at least partly to blame for our Board of Supervisors' decision to increase their pension contribution by 30 percent (while increasing other benefits) on the very day they moved to decrease public safety pensions by 33 percent.

Peggy Lowe's story, "Supervisors criticized over pensions," apparently struck a nerve. In an email, Supervisor Moorlach wrote, "The headline for the article begs for a response, as the article does not provide the full story. Transportation costs have increased. Oil is trading today at $82 a barrel."

The move was defended, in part, to maintain a benefit and pay differential between the county's appointed executives and elected officials. One wonders if there is some concern over at the Hall of Administration over the county's ability to recruit qualified elected officials in the future, thus the need for higher pay and benefits. Such a concern is surprisingly similar to the Sheriff's Department's challenge to recruit qualified law enforcement personnel.

The debate over appropriate pay and benefits will continue to grow. Especially as retired county workers see their pensions and benefits cut. Beginning January 1, 2008, retired county workers will see increases in their monthly medical premiums rise by, in some cases, about $1,000. Here's the spreadsheet on insurance rates.

Keep in mind, the supervisors don't pay a premium for their medical benefits. Their dependents are also covered.

The Board held a discussion on retired medical benefits on September 11th. Rising transportation costs and the cost of a barrel of oil affect these individuals too. But the county continues to move forward with cutting their benefits. And it has an impact:

Peggy Lowe writes:

"The Orange County Board of Supervisors sweetened their own retirement plans on the very day they made their first move to cut the pensions of sheriff's deputies.

Just minutes after approving the increase to their own retirement savings plans July 31– along with those of other elected officials and county executives – the board began discussions on Supervisor John Moorlach's plan to slash the retired deputies' benefits by a third.

The five supervisors upped the biweekly contribution to their 401(a) accounts – the government's version of a 401(k) defined contribution plan – from 6 percent to 8 percent[...]and increased their monthly car stipend to $765."

Yesterday, she issued a slight correction here. It's a moot point, however. The Supervisors receive a salary. Like any salaried worker, they aren't required to punch a timecard. They receive the same pay whether they show up healthy or stay home ill.

Let me be clear, this blog entry is not meant as a debate over benefits and who receives more or less. It is, however, meant to shed some light on this growing debate, the decisions being made and the excuses for those decisions.

Here's some OC blog reaction to Peggy's story:

The Liberal OC - Moorlach you spiked your own pension, get over it, and this.

OC Blog - Moorlach Responds To 'Hypocrisy' Charge

We've written previously about the grand opening of the Orange County Sheriff's Regional Training Academy. Those who attended the grand opening and dedication celebrated our fine tradition of law enforcement training, commemorated the lives of those lost on 9/11 and remembered our heroes in public safety who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Our celebration was not without "controversy," however, because of a story in the Orange County Register the day before the event. On September 18, the Orange County Register printed an editorial entitled, Sheriff's Department's gain is students' loss. What a silly and predictable title.

The truth, of course, is that the Sheriff's Department's gain is Orange County's gain and the college district's gain. The Rancho Santiago Community College District has been actively informing community leaders and residents on this issue. Below is some information from the college district on Measure E funds and the many improvements and updates they're making throughout the district.

A letter from Chip Ahlswede, Co-Chair of the Measure E Citizen's Oversight Committee:

"Priorities and planning are key to completing projects on time. Sometimes opportunities arise that shift those plans, and if done correctly, can improve the overall project. The Sheriff's Training Academy dedicated on Tuesday [September 11] is an example of such.

When Measure E was passed by voters in 2002, it listed projects to be completed at various sites within the district. One of those projects was improving the Sheriff's Training Facility operated by Santa Ana College.

The Science and math building referenced by Mr. Saavedra in his article on Monday is on the Santa Ana College master plan, however, it is dependent on other projects being completed first. Additionally, funding for this project could be augmented by state and federal educational grants and bonds.

When Tustin Air Base became available, the City of Tustin conveyed land to the district to build the Sheriff's Training Facility. The district then stopped leasing, and created a state of the art training facility where sheriff and police departments could send their recruits.

This change in priorities allowed the district to meet promises in Measure E, provide a state of the art training facility for police, own the property they are using instead of leasing, and at the same time find additional funding sources for the Math and Science Building on the Santa Ana College District.

As the representative from the Orange County Taxpayer's Association, and Co-Chair of the Bond Oversight Committee, the Board's actions are completely in accordance with appropriately delivering on the promises of Measure E, and insinuations to the contrary are not reflective of the entire situation."

From the Bond Oversight Report for 2006:

About the Bond Oversight Committee

Measure E received resounding support from local residents in 2002. Under Proposition 39, the Rancho Santiago Community College District Board of Trustees was responsible for appointing an independent Bond Oversight Committee within 60 days of the verified election results. Committee members serve as volunteers and are not compensated for their service. They serve two-year terms but may not exceed two consecutive terms. No committee member may be an employee of the college district or officials, vendors, contractors, or consultants of the college district. By law, the committee must include a representative from a taxpayers association, a member of the business community, an active member of a senior citizen’s organization, an enrolled student in the college district, a member of the college district’s foundation or another support organization, and two members representing each college from the community at large. 

All projects and activities under review by the Oversight Committee support the facility master plans for each campus and the district operations center. The committee will disband when all bond proceeds are spent and/or all projects funded by the bond proceeds have been completed. Bond Oversight Committee meetings are held three times per year at the district operations center in the Board room. Meetings open to the public. Learn more about Prop 39, the Bond Oversight Committee, and future meetings at www.rsccd.org.

Here's the full Bond Oversight Report for 2006.

Which agencies choose the Sheriff's Department for their training?

Orange County participating agencies: Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, Newport Beach, Orange, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Placentia, Santa Ana Police Department, and Santa Ana College. 

Los Angeles participating agencies: Alhambra, Bell Gardens, Downey, Glendale, Manhattan Beach, Monterey Park, Palos Verdes Estates, Pasadena, Pomona, San Marino, Santa Monica, UCLA Police, and Whittier.