10% Pay Raises Approved for 4 Court Officials : Jobs: County supervisors are told the increase will be offset by eliminating four clerical positions. A union leader calls the decision ‘greedy.’

Four managers in Ventura County’s court system will receive 10% pay raises during the next two years, despite criticism from one union official that top brass are getting increases at the expense of lower-paid workers.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4 to 0 to approve the managers’ raises after Court Executive Officer Sheila Gonzalez said the increases would be more than offset by the elimination of four clerk positions and greater efficiency in her department.

Overall, the Superior and Municipal courts will save $83,000 a year through the reorganization, Gonzalez said. The managers deserve the raises because they will take on more duties and are currently underpaid, she said.

But Barry Hammitt, executive director of the Service Employees International Union Local 998, told the supervisors that Gonzalez’s request is “out of touch with reality,” given the county’s bleak financial picture. Hammitt’s union represents 4,200 county workers, including clerks and secretaries.

“All county employees are being told to do more with less, and now this department is asking for more for some of its employees,” Hammitt said. “I see this only as a greedy proposal.”

But Supervisor Vicky Howard said Gonzalez’s plan is a good one that saves money and moves cases through the court system more quickly. And if Gonzalez is able to find money for merit increases while still saving dollars overall, she should be supported, Howard said.

“I believe very strongly that the good employees should be rewarded,” Howard said.

Under the plan, Gonzalez’s two assistant executive officers will each receive a 5% increase now and another 5% raise in July. The county personnel office would not release the current salaries of the managers--Vince Ordonez and Florence Prushan--but said the salary range for their position is $54,132 to $68,562.

The new pay range is $59,566 to $75,478, based on experience and other factors.

Additionally, Margie Barjon-Miller and Jeanne Caughell will be reclassified as deputy executive officers, with an annual salary range of $46,930 to $59,384. Barjon-Miller and Caughell will also receive a 5% raise immediately and another 5% increase next July, personnel officials said.

A recent study showed that Ordonez and Prushan were underpaid compared to other county officials with similar duties, Gonzalez said. Barjon-Miller and Caughell automatically qualify for raises because of their promotions and are also assuming new duties, she said.

The restructuring will increase efficiency by eliminating some middle managers and requiring senior administrators to take over their jobs, Gonzalez said.

One of the new deputy executive officers will oversee matters involving civil and juvenile cases, among others. The other new deputy executive officer will oversee automation and technology, including new equipment that will scan legal documents into the court’s computer network and eliminate paperwork, she said.

Supervisor Maggie Kildee said Gonzalez has proved she is an able administrator, and praised her efforts to overhaul court administrative procedures during the past four years. The latest reorganization “makes good sense,” Kildee said.

“It says to me that (the courts department), from the top to the bottom, is working very hard to be as efficient as possible,” Kildee said.

Gonzales’ proposal also drew praise from H. Jere Robings, president of the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers.

“We are quick to criticize county government when it wastes taxpayers’ dollars,” Robings said. “I think we should applaud those who come up with plans to save money.”

Although Gonzalez said the plan is designed primarily to save money, Hammitt said he objects to the inclusion of raises. Non-managerial workers lost merit pay raises of 5% for one year under a fiscal austerity plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors in June, he noted.

“There is a double standard,” he said. “It seems perfectly OK to balance the budget on the backs of the rank-and-file and to reward managers by giving them pay increases.”