Sheriff’s office agrees to salary cut

The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association agreed with the county to forgo pay raises and take 50 hours of unpaid furloughs for each of the next two years.
The cuts are expected to save the county $2.06 million during the span.
The association has been working with the county for more than a year to retain deputies. During that time, goodwill between county supervisors, the association and county staff actually increased, said Sgt. Bill Gaza, president of the association.
When the economic climate worsened in late 2008, the county approached the sheriff’s office to discuss its cash-strapped position.
“We saw this as legitimate,” Gaza said. “There is no hidden money. There is a true fiscal need here.”
The deputies agreed to defer their 5 percent pay increase until 2012 while accepting the 50 hours of annual furloughs.
The salary freeze helps avoid the larger furlough of 160 hours per year that the county originally proposed.
“It would take (deputies) off the street,” union representative Don Dietrich said. “We would also probably lose some of the younger ones who are barely getting by.”
The association approached each of the five county supervisors with the issue and got a positive response, Gaza said.
“Right now, we have some really good supervisors,” Gaza said. “They sit down and they listen to our concerns.”