County Exec to Shift Staff Duties

Orange County executive officer James Ruth unveiled plans Friday to reorganize county government, slashing the number of managers who report directly to him and placing labor contract negotiations under the supervision of the county’s financial officer.

The shift in labor negotiations oversight comes eight months after the county grand jury issued a report, “Who Represents Orange County Taxpayers?,” that questioned benefit and salary increases given employees in recent contract negotiations.

As part of the management restructuring, Ruth said he intends to reduce the rank of the county’s chief labor manager from assistant CEO to director of human resources, and strip labor contract negotiations from the duties.

Jan Walden, who had managed the county’s labor negotiations, has decided to resign “to pursue other things and spend more time with her family,” Ruth said Friday.

Ruth said he hoped that the county’s chief financial officer would be able to provide the insight the Board of Supervisors needs to better understand the financial impact of labor contracts. “We need to be tying [labor contracts] closer to the budget,” he said.

Among the grand jury’s criticisms was a decision by the county to approve a retirement benefit increase for sheriff’s deputies. Under the new pension plan, some deputies will be eligible as early as age 50 to receive for life a pension of 90% of their final salaries.

Bob MacLeod, general manager of the union that represents the county’s 1,800 deputy sheriffs, said he is taking a “wait-and-see” approach to the county’s new labor negotiations structure. The union and the county reached agreement on a one-year contract in October and expect to begin negotiations on a new contract this summer.

“We have a high opinion of Jim Ruth,” said MacLeod. “With the assurance he has given us, we are willing to see how it works.”

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider Ruth’s recommended changes at its Tuesday meeting.

One plan the board will consider is Ruth’s idea to reduce from 17 to seven the managers who report to him. Instead, he will have the top managers report to four deputy county executive officers. The restructuring, Ruth said, will give him more time with top managers and to focus on labor issues.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with a very talented management group,” Ruth said.