O.C. Firefighters Union Submits Signatures for Tax-Share Initiative

Orange County firefighters on Monday filed petitions bearing more than 113,000 voter signatures for a ballot measure that would give them a bigger share of county sales tax revenue -- at the expense of the sheriff and district attorney.

The county firefighters union’s proposal threatens to spark a political feud that would pit firefighters against sheriff’s deputies and prosecutors. The union submitted the signatures to the registrar of voters after negotiations failed. The settlement talks delayed the filing long enough to miss the deadline for the November ballot. If county election officials verify enough signatures, the issue will likely go to voters in March 2006. The initiative needs about 67,000 signatures to qualify.

At issue are hundreds of millions of dollars Orange County receives each year under Proposition 172. The half-cent sales tax measure passed by voters in 1993 called for proceeds to go to law enforcement and firefighting agencies.

The Board of Supervisors has given 80% of the money to the Sheriff’s Department and the rest to the district attorney’s office.

Under the firefighters’ proposal, half of any increase in sales tax revenue -- up to a total of 10% -- would go to firefighters. If sales tax revenue remains flat or declines, the firefighters would get nothing.

Still, if revenue increases as expected by county budget officials, firefighters could receive more than $20 million a year by 2011 -- money that sheriff’s and district attorney officials say they cannot afford to lose.

Members of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Assn. say they are asking only for what voters approved -- a fair share of the tax revenue. Orange County Fire Authority officials have said they would use additional money to ensure that each engine is staffed with four firefighters -- many are now staffed with three -- and to purchase firefighting helicopters, said Dan S. Young, vice president of the union.

“What we’re asking voters to do is to reaffirm their original vote,” Young said.

“We’re not taking any current funding away from the sheriff; we’re only looking at future growth.”

The union, which represents firefighters in the Fire Authority, spent $250,000 to obtain signatures and expects to spend another $250,000 campaigning for the measure, Young said.

The president of the union that represents Orange County sheriff’s deputies said his group will campaign with equal intensity.

“We are all professionals, and the public will in no way suffer because of any feud between these two public safety entities,” said Wayne Quint, president of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.

“But it’s a darn shame. We should be on the same page for public safety. The fire union is doing this for one thing and one thing only, to add a fourth firefighter to the truck....

“It’s pure greed, and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

Three weeks ago, the firefighters union suggested a compromise offering to drop the ballot measure if supervisors gave the Fire Authority 5% of the sales tax revenue. The supervisors weren’t interested.