DEPUTIES DEMAND BIG HIKE MORE THAN $48 MILLION A YEAR SOUGHT IN PAY, PENSION BOOSTS.

Byline: Troy Anderson  Staff Writer

Accusing Los Angeles County supervisors of quietly stashing a $2 billion surplus, sheriff's deputies and firefighters want a share of the money - pay hikes and improved pensions - after working two years without a contract.

Tensions are rising, especially after the defeat last month of a sales tax increase that was sold as a way to hire more deputies but almost certainly would have been used to settle the dispute with deputies, whose demands would cost $48 million annually for pensions alone.

The deputies union complains that members haven't received a raise for two years, and their pay has fallen behind that of other law enforcement officers in the region.

They say the failure to reach agreement has undermined public safety. At least 1,300 deputies have left in the last two years - many for better- paying jobs elsewhere - leaving sheriff's stations and jails understaffed.

``We consider it a public safety issue, because we can't protect the public if we are understaffed,'' said Roy Burns, president of the 7,000-member Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

``The supervisors are doing a disservice to the public and placing our citizens in danger by not addressing the loss of our deputies at an unprecedented rate.

``We're working understaffed out there, and it subjects every citizen in the county to an increased danger from criminals.''

The union has identified an array of funds it says could be used to meet members' demands:

--$872 million left over from last fiscal year's county general fund.

--$569 million from the Health Department budget.

--$400 million in a tobacco settlement reserve account.

--$650 million in savings over two years on the county's pension contributions.

But county officials say these funds cannot be used to pay salary and benefits and will be needed to save the collapsing health system, which faces a $1.2 billion deficit by 2008.

``The money we have available to us now will, hopefully, give us time to figure out how to salvage the Health Department,'' said Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen.

He is expected on Tuesday to recommend that money from an unexpected $309 million surplus and additional tax revenues be used to boost Sheriff Lee Baca's budget, allowing him to reopen some jails and stop the early release of thousands of inmates.

In the last two years, the supervisors have cut about $200 million from the sheriff's budget, which has led to the closure of several jails. To relieve the resulting overcrowding, Baca has released more than 120,000 inmates who have served only 10 percent of their sentences.

Union officials say that, as a result of the cuts, equipment that deputies must use is in disrepair, including many patrol cars with more than 100,000 miles and guns with broken sights.

Deputies are often asked to work two eight-hour shifts back to back - leaving them perpetually exhausted, some say - and jail exits are locked to prevent deputies from leaving until supervisors have ensured there are enough people to work the next shift, union officials say.

In an effort to pressure the supervisors to hire more deputies and approve a contract, the union is planning a series of job actions over the next six months. The union has already held job fairs encouraging deputies to take jobs elsewhere.

Union members engaged in job actions last year, with hundreds of deputies calling in sick, shutting down courts and causing patrol and jail disruptions. A judge ultimately put a stop to the practice and fined the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs $100,000.

Burns said Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe support pay raises and pension improvements for deputies, but the three others on the board have opposed the pension plan.

Antonovich said a report released last week by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association points out the root of the problem. The report found county supervisors throughout the state massively increased spending on the payrolls of health and welfare workers from 1997 to 2002 to the detriment of law enforcement.

``The majority of the board has been putting public safety second, emasculating many effective crime-control programs,'' Antonovich said. ``We have to give the sheriff the resources he needs to keep criminals behind bars and the manpower he needs on the streets. We have the money. The board has just chosen to divert moneys from public safety into other areas.''

The union originally sought 18 percent in raises over three years but has scaled back its demands. County government management has stuck with its offer of 5 percent, the same recently given to 50,000 members of Service Employees International Union, Local 660.

``We've gone from No. 12 in California to 234th in a very short period of time in terms of salary and benefits,'' said Sgt. John Stites, president of the 4,000-member Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association.

The Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the other public- safety unions have also sought what they call a ``3 percent at 55'' pension benefit - that is, 3 percent for each year worked - which would allow deputies and firefighters with 30 years of service to retire at age 55 with 90 percent of their salaries. They currently have a ``2 percent at 50'' plan that allows them to retire at age 50 with 60 percent of their salaries.

Deputies have offered to pay for the pension improvement out of their own pockets.

About 300 law enforcement agencies in the state now offer a ``3 percent at 50'' plan, but officials in some cities and counties say it has nearly bankrupted their local government.

The improved pension plan would cost county government an additional $48 million a year and has become a key sticking point in the negotiations.

The county is already spending $750 million in annual contributions to employees' pension plans, up $230 million from the previous year. The amount is expected to rise an additional $150 million next year.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com