NEWPORT BEACH : Two Sides, Mediator Talk Over Deadlock

In their first attempt at mediation, negotiators for Police Department employees and city officials this week failed to break a seven-month deadlock in a salary dispute.

Police personnel, who have been working without a contract since last summer, are negotiating for a salary increase, among other things. They hope that the city will make good on a commitment to pay them a wage that ranks among the top three police forces in Orange County.

The financially troubled city has said that “budget considerations” make it nearly impossible to grant such a pay raise.

The salary question was among the topics discussed for three hours Tuesday by a state mediator and negotiators for the two sides. They have agreed to meet again in non-binding mediation on Feb. 23.

“We made some headway on some issues,” said Sgt. Steve Van Horn, vice president of the Newport Beach Police Employees Assn. “There are a lot of issues we need to resolve . . . but I have more optimism now than I did when I went (into mediation).”

Van Horn said the two sides will not discuss specifics of the meeting until agreement is reached.