Laguna Beach and police union agree on contract making their department second-highest paid in Orange County

Laguna Beach’s police officers will see a 19% increase in pay and benefits per the terms of an agreement reached between the city and the union representing the department’s employees, officials announced Wednesday.

The deal, which must be approved by the City Council before becoming a reality, is expected to increase the city’s budget by $400,000 in the fiscal year that runs from last July through June 2023, $1.1 million the fiscal year ending in 2024 and $1.7 million in 2025, Laguna Beach officials wrote in a news release.

The new contract features the highest level of compensation ever offered to the city’s officers, and would make theirs the second highest-paying police department in Orange County.

“At its core, this agreement is about supporting public safety,” Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen stated in the city’s release. The City Council will consider the agreement at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

Most of the raise comes in the form of a 15% salary increase for officers that will be staggered over the course of three years. It also includes an increase in the city’s contribution to their retirement fund and a 12% pay boost for non-sworn support staff.

The announcement of successful negotiations between the city and the Laguna Beach Police Employee’s Assn. came four months after the City Council unanimously approved temporary hiring and overtime incentives in an effort to recruit and retain more officers. Those included a $15,000 bonus for new hires through the end of 2022, as well as double pay for overtime in September and November, and were expected to cost about $100,000 funded by the department’s overtime budget and the city’s general fund contingency account.

The department had experienced a rise in resignations and retirements in recent years, due at least in part to “changes in legislation that have placed more pressure and scrutiny on officers,” Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert said during a City Council meeting on Aug. 2. There had also been numerous officers who had either tested positive for COVID-19 or taken leave for other injuries.

At that time, the city had budgeted for 55 sworn officers, but only 43 were available for duty, Calvert said.

This year’s budget includes funding for 56 officers, Laguna Beach spokeswoman Cassie Walder wrote in an email. As of Friday, 49 of those positions had been filled, with four officers actively in field training and one in the police academy.

As many as six other candidates were in the background investigation stage of their applications for remaining openings or new ones that arise as staff retire.

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