ANAHEIM : Officers Take Out Ads on Pay Dispute

Anaheim police officers have gone public in their pay dispute with the city, taking out newspaper ads to tell residents they have not received a raise in almost two years and that the force has added fewer than 10 officers since 1983.

The Anaheim Police Officers Assn. has also sent flyers to other police associations nationwide, telling would-be applicants considering openings in Anaheim that they would probably be better off staying put.

The association’s contract with the city expired July 1, and negotiations between the union and the city were declared to be at an impasse in January. The police last received a raise in July, 1991, and the city’s proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 calls for no raises for any city employees until at least mid-1994.

“We will not have had a raise for three years” if that budget passes, association President Jon Beteag said. He said other city employees have received raises during that time and that Anaheim officers’ pay ranks 19 of 22 Orange County police departments.

“Our city is the jewel of Orange County with the Anaheim Arena, Anaheim Stadium, Disneyland, the Angels and Rams and yet the (city) administration says we cannot afford the police resources that are necessary,” he said.

In an ad last week in a weekly newspaper, the association says, “Anaheim city government has spent millions on a new arena, half empty office buildings and putting up sculptures around City Hall, but they haven’t significantly increased the number of Anaheim police officers in more than a decade.”

Mayor Tom Daly said the association turned down the city’s offer of a 6% raise last year. He also said that the money used to pay for the arena, City Hall West and the artwork could not have been used to pay for police because it was raised specifically for those projects and cannot by law be used for other purposes. He said that while other city departments have faced budget cuts, the police budget has increased in the past three years from $43 million to $53 million.

“The police are doing a great job and they deserve a raise, but it is a matter of finding sufficient funds for a raise,” Daly said. “We are hopeful of locating funds so we can add more police officers. It’s difficult to give a raise and add (officers) at the same time.”

Beteag said the city has 340 police officers today compared to 330 in 1983. He wants to add 100 new officers, which he estimates would cost the city $6 million a year. The new officers could be funded by diverting a portion of the city’s $9-million utility tax and its $35-million hotel bed tax.

Daly disputed many of Beteag’s figures, including Anaheim officers’ salary ranking in the county and the need for 100 new officers. He said during the past 10 years several civilian employees have been hired to do many of the record-keeping and other office jobs previously done by officers, freeing them for patrol duties. Also, the council voted last year to give a portion of the bed tax to the Police Department.