County to Spend Up to $835,000 on Sheriff’s Cruisers

The County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to spend as much as $835,000 on 42 Sheriff’s Department patrol cars over the objection of Supervisor Marian Bergeson, who said it was inappropriate to buy the cruisers while the county was mired in bankruptcy.

Sheriff Brad Gates and other county officials said the new cruisers are needed to replace aging vehicles that have at least 95,000 miles on them and are beginning to require costly repairs.

Board Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez and Supervisors Roger R. Stanton and Jim Silva voted to purchase the Chevrolet Caprices, saying that deputies need the cars to perform their jobs safely and effectively. Supervisor William G. Steiner was out of town and did not attend the meeting.

“If we don’t equip the Sheriff’s Department with the right auto safety, there could be a tragic mishap . . . that could end up costing a lot more than the collective cost of all these vehicles,” Vasquez said.

Bergeson, however, expressed discomfort with making such a large purchase while the county was still working to meet its debt obligations and finalize a bankruptcy recovery plan.

“It’s a question of timing,” Bergeson said. “Looking at the deficit we have, it’s difficult for me to rationalize it. . . . I think the timing is inappropriate.”

She indicated she would likely support buying the cars once the county’s finances are on a more stable footing.

Some anti-tax activists including members of a watchdog group called the Committees of Correspondence have also criticized the purchase, saying the Sheriff’s Department should tighten its belt along with other county agencies. Gates and other Sheriff’s Department officials said the county can get good prices on the vehicles because the new 1996 models have not yet been introduced.

Buying the cars now also makes sense, Gates said, because Chevrolet will stop producing Caprice police cruisers next year, and comparable patrol cars from Ford cost at least $600 more apiece.

“If [Bergeson] is saying wait, we know the Caprices won’t be here,” Gates said. “I don’t understand what she’s doing.”

About two-thirds of the new patrol vehicles will be purchased with money collected from cities that contract with the Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. The county plans to pay for the rest with money from Proposition 172, a state sales tax designed to benefit law enforcement.