San Clemente and other cities that contract with the Orange County Sheriff's Department are facing increasing service costs as the county government grapples with how to fund raises for deputies amid growing structural budget deficits. This comes as municipal leaders across Orange County contend with stagnant or shrinking tax revenue while costs rise, often making law enforcement a dominant portion of city budgets.
For over a decade, Orange County sheriff deputies and local police departments have typically been the largest department, often making up more than half of most cities’ annual general fund spending. A Voice of OC review found that over the past ten years, police department spending has frequently increased at a rate similar to or even faster than general fund growth in many cities. For instance, Irvine’s spending on police nearly doubled, outpacing its general fund growth by 10% over the last decade, according to budget records. Anaheim’s police budget grew 84% as its general fund increased by 85% since the 2015 budget. Cities like Costa Mesa and Garden Grove saw similar growth, with their police budgets growing at a rate slightly below that of their general funds.
However, San Clemente has seen its sheriff’s contract costs nearly double over the past ten years, while its general fund grew approximately 17% in the same period, according to budget records. Dana Point dedicates almost one-third of its entire general fund to its sheriff’s contract, a proportion that has remained consistent over the last decade. These contract cities, including Mission Viejo, regularly see their service costs rise to keep pace with raises negotiated for sheriff's deputies. In 2017, city leaders from 13 cities contracting with the sheriff’s department, including San Clemente, initiated a study to explore options like leaving the department or consolidating services, though the findings were never made public.
City and county leaders are now struggling to afford raises for these employees, who are often their most expensive, as budgets become increasingly imbalanced. Many municipalities have been relying on reserves and one-time funding, such as property sales, to cover growing ongoing expenses. As union contracts conclude, this has led to difficult discussions, with some cities offering limited raises and others questioning their ability to provide significant increases. Several Orange County cities are also asking voters to approve tax increases, including sales and hotel taxes, at the November ballot box to help keep municipal budgets solvent.
Police union leaders consistently argue that without competitive raises, officers will depart for neighboring cities, leading to understaffed departments and an increased reliance on overtime. This argument was publicly presented at a September Huntington Beach City Council meeting, where several police officers requested an 18% raise over three years, citing concerns about losing officers. Sgt. William Brownlee, who manages the Huntington Beach Police Department’s recruitment unit, noted that officers often live outside the county and will take better-paying jobs closer to home if available. He stated, “Compensation and benefits matter when experienced officers decide where to work,” and added that their current compensation ranks 12th among Orange County law enforcement agencies.
Despite these arguments, Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon expressed concerns about the proposed raise amidst existing budget deficits, encouraging council members to vote against the contract. McKeon remarked that competition between cities for officers, leading to higher raises, is "not sustainable," and that "At some point, some city has to have strong financial prudence." Despite these concerns, the council voted 4-3 to approve the contract.
At the county level, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS), a significant political union, has not accepted the county supervisors’ offer of a one-year contract with a 3% increase, an offer that several other county public employee unions have accepted. Under their previous contract, sheriff’s deputies received approximately 18% in raises from 2023 to 2025. This contract impasse occurs as the county faces its own structural budget deficits, with the last budget approved by county supervisors relying on about $75 million in one-time funding, mostly from reserves, to achieve balance. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner stated in a September 10 statement, “I believe we have hit a ceiling,” regarding potential offers. Supervisor Janet Nguyen declined to comment on the raises but affirmed her support for sheriff’s deputies, while Supervisors Vicente Sarmiento and Doug Chaffee also declined comment. Supervisor Katrina Foley did not respond to requests for comment.
Over the past ten years, while city spending increased, countywide data from the California Department of Justice shows that violent crime has decreased, though drug offenses have risen during the same period. The AOCDS has spent over $2 million in the past four years on ads supporting all five county supervisors’ campaigns, and nearly $286,000 advertising Supervisor Foley’s campaign this year alone. According to filings as of Tuesday, the sheriff’s union has not disclosed spending any money on candidates for county supervisor since the end of the June primary.
