25.2% Pay Hike for Supervisors Voted in O.C.

Despite a budget deficit of more than $25 million and the prospect of layoffs in the current fiscal year, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to give themselves a two-step pay raise totaling 25.2%--an increase of more than $16,000 each--by next July.

The 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder absent, is the first move toward raising the supervisors’ salaries by 14.3% from $65,874 to $75,296 immediately. Under the action, which must be ratified in a final vote scheduled for next week, supervisors’ salaries would increase an additional 9.6% to $82,054 on July 1, 1990.

Supervisors also increased salaries immediately for 22 of the county’s top managers and executives. The raises for these employees do not require further action.

The vote by supervisors came without comment during Wednesday’s meeting.

But afterward, Board Chairman Thomas F. Riley said: “I think the job I do is more than comparable with those in the private sector who make more than that. I feel that we earn that salary.”

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said: “Being a county supervisor, most of the time, is a six-day-a-week job, sometimes seven days a week--and that includes night activities. . . . I don’t think . . . (the pay raise) is excessive.”

Added Supervisor Don R. Roth: “When I see that I am one-fifth of the largest corporation in Orange County--with a $2.9-billion budget--and I am an administrator of that (amount), I think it’s justified.”

Supervisor Roger R. Stanton did not return repeated telephone calls Wednesday.

Orange County already has the second-highest-paid supervisors in California. Even with the two-step raise, it will continue to rank behind Los Angeles, where supervisors are paid $89,851. San Diego County supervisors rank third at $65,600.

The two-part increase for Orange County supervisors would bring their salaries into line with those of the county’s municipal judges, who are paid $82,000. After 1990, the supervisors’ salaries would be tied automatically to increases for the judges.

Riley said linking the salaries is intended to eliminate politics in the pay-raise process, saying that in some years, supervisors have been unable to vote for pay raises out of fear of voter displeasure in upcoming elections.

The supervisors said their decision was based on a past grand jury report that concluded the supervisors are underpaid, as well as a recent survey that found 333 county employees earning more than the supervisors.

Of the 22 top county executives in line for raises, six received a raise of 9.3%, intended to make their salaries comparable to those of similar positions in other counties. Four received an increase of 6.3% and the remainder received 4.3%.

County Administrative Officer Larry Parrish received a 9.3% raise, increasing his salary to $120,910.40 from $110,614.40. Parrish said the raise makes him the fourth-highest-paid county administrative officer in California.

“Philosophically, the direction is that we are going to keep the best people we can find and give them competitive wages,” Parrish said. “If you have to curtail and cut back, you want the best you can get.”

Others receiving 9.3% raises include Ernie Schneider, director of the county Environmental Management Agency, whose salary went to $100,380.80 from $91,832; Social Services Agency director Larry Leaman, whose salary went to $91,686.40 from $83,886.40, and John Wayne Airport Manager George Rebella, whose salary went to to $86,736 from $79,352.

County executives receiving 6.3% raises include Health Care Agency Director Tom Uram and General Services Agency Director R.A. (Burt) Scott, whose salaries were increased to $101,774.40 from $95,742.40.

Dist. Atty. Cecil Hicks, Sheriff-Coroner Brad Gates and County Counsel Adrian Kuyper are among who received 4.3% raises. Hicks’ salary went to $110,780.80 from $106,204.80, Gates’ salary went to $108,659.20 from $104,187.20 and Kuyper’s salary went to $101,524.80 from $97,344.

County officials said they did not have a total dollar figure for the pay raises.

Assistant County Administrative Officer John Sibley, in charge of the county’s budget, said Wednesday that the county government is about $25.5 million short of the amount needed to continue current service levels.

Budget hearings open next week. Sibley said the Administration has decided to freeze its capital projects budget and has asked department heads to absorb about $13 million of the deficit.

Sibley said the county is hoping to receive additional money from the state. If so, supervisors could come back during the year and fund some areas before there are major problems. If the county does not receive additional money, however, Sibley said there could be program cutbacks and layoffs.

“I expect some smaller departments. If there isn’t some augmentation (of state funds) at midyear, there will be some cuts in services and programs,” he said.

About layoffs, Sibley added: “When you’re a labor-intensive organization, it’s hard to cut into programs without cutting into jobs. We’re going to do everything we can to avoid that.”

The supervisors said they considered the county’s budget problems before voting on their salaries.

“We talked about that,” Riley said. “You try to add these priorities up . . . and make the best judgement call on how the county is going to be best served. I believe this is” in the best interest of the county.

Roth said he remains “concerned about the total financial problem of the county.” But he added: “We just have to go ahead and proceed and see how we make out with the state.”

Vasquez said of the supervisors’ raises: “If the director of personnel or the CAO indicated this would create a difficult situation, then the issue would have been dealt with.”