Cutting through the rhetoric to the facts on Police pay and pensions

There are 10 cities in Ventura County, but only one is having an election. So guess which one is routinely battered with criticism about city finances and public employee salaries?

Then on Sunday, the Star ran a story about the Simi Valley Police officers hammering the City Council with public protests, ads and complaints. Finally, a reality check on the constant barrage of criticism about the pay and benefits for Ventura city employees.

So why are the Simi Police protesting? Because they refused to take a 2% cut in their pay despite Simi's deep drop in sales tax and other city revenues due to the recession. They now say the City is retaliating against them on other issues.

Most revealing is the side-by-side comparisons of Simi, Oxnard and Ventura police compensation. They all have the same pension formula. Ventura's patrol officers are paid 14% less than Simi officers and 19% less than Oxnard officers at the top step. Ventura's sergeants are paid 9% less than Simi sergeants and 2% less than Oxnard sergeants at the top step. Simi's monthly medical benefits are more than twice Ventura's (Oxnard's are about 20% less.)

Here's the biggest kicker: "Simi Valley police have long enjoyed some of the best salaries and benefits in the county, including lifetime medical and other benefits for officers and their families once they work in the department for 25 years."

Oxnard Police also receive lifetime medical benefits, partly paid by the City. Ventura does not. Like pensions, these lifetime benefits go on long after the employee retires. But unlike pensions, cities are not required to put away contributions now to ensure the money is there later.

Again, Simi and Oxnard have lifetime medical benefit programs for their police, Ventura does not.

Yet when the recession hit all three cities, only Ventura police officers took a 5% reduction in compensation.

A similar comparison for Fire, by the way, would show even greater disparities on pay -- and Ventura has a significantly lower pension formula than the firefighters on duty in Oxnard and Simi.

Will the facts change campaign season rhetoric? No. There is an agenda in those singling out Ventura for criticism. They'd prefer not to talk about how we compare to other public agencies.

I understand and sympathize those who think public safety pay has gotten out of hand generally -- although I personally think that corporate executives, football players and members of the rock band U2 get paid way too much, compared to people who risk their lives to keep our communities safe. But we are all going to have to reset our expectations as we cope with a drastically different economic landscape, whether we work for government, private industry, non-profits or run our own business. The world has changed and Americans are all going to have to work harder and longer with reduced rewards. Sorting that out is fair game for debate.

Here Ventura is the leader. We are not the leader in high pay, pensions or benefits. But Ventura is the leader in tackling the challenge of reforming compensation. All eight of our unions accepted fifteen month compensation concessions of at least 5%. All are participating in the Council and community-led Compensation Policy Task Force which is looking at how to be both sustainable and competitive in the years ahead.

I am proud to serve Ventura. The City is fiscally sound because our staff have not demanded top pay and have often worked for less than average. They recognize that public service comes with public responsibilities. They (and I) bristle when uninformed or reckless critics single us out for attacks. But we know that serving this community is an honor and a privilege. Our City staff will continue to work with and for the City Council and our citizens to find common sense solutions because they care deeply about the community they serve and protect, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.