Dixon Calls Report on Pay Hikes for Staff Distorted : County: The increases were similar to those granted to other employees this year, chief administrative officer says.

County Chief Administrative Officer Richard B. Dixon said Thursday a published report that sparked protests by county employees and calls for his immediate resignation was an inaccurate portrayal of a routine pay increase for his employees.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported Thursday that Dixon granted raises of up to 8% to 70 staff members while calling for pay cuts and layoffs of other county employees.

The report sparked a lively protest by Los Angeles County workers outside a Panorama City welfare office and calls from supervisorial candidates Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and state. Sen Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) for Dixon’s immediate resignation.

But Dixon said the pay increases to management analysts in his office were similar to pay raises of 2% or greater that were granted to 70,000 county employees earlier this year.

Dixon said the 80 management analysts in his office are not eligible for cost-of-living adjustments and step-pay increases that are available to other employees. According to a plan approved by the Board of Supervisors, the analysts receive salary increases only after an evaluation of their performance, Dixon said.

The pay raises to Dixon’s staff were granted in June and took effect July 1, before the Board of Supervisors began its budget deliberations, Dixon said. The news story published Thursday implied that Dixon had granted the raises while calling for other employees to accept pay cuts and layoffs.

“If I were a county worker and the CAO were asking me to give up two days of my pay and I read a story about other people getting pay raises, I’d be upset too,” Dixon said. “But it’s not true.”

According to documents released by Dixon, 10 of the 80 employees eligible for the raise did not receive the increase. Four employees received pay cuts of 2.5%, while 11 employees received increases of 2% or less. The raises averaged 3.5%.

Union activists said many Dixon staff members got increases greater than the 2% hikes granted to most union workers. Ramon Rubalcava of the Service Employees International Union, Local 660, said the raises were indicative of the “special treatment” afforded to Dixon’s staff.

Dixon issued a report on the pay raise Thursday afternoon, calling the news report a distortion of fact.

“I think Dixon’s explanation holds water,” said John Redmond, a deputy to Supervisor Gloria Molina, who was vacationing in Spain and unavailable for comment. “It’s accurate as far as I know. Most other employees have gotten these.”

Still, Redmond added, Dixon knew of the impending budget crisis when he granted the raises and could have delayed action until after supervisors began budget deliberations.

Times staff writer Tracey Kaplan contributed to this report.