San Bernardino may become the first city in California to hire a private firm for fire protection.
But why is the bankrupt municipality considering outsourcing its Fire Department and not its Police Department?
The question came late in Monday night’s City Council meeting. The answer shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone who’s been watching San Bernardino struggle through fiscal crisis and municipal bankruptcy over the past three years.
Yes, the city needs to trim its pension costs. Both police and firefighters earn generous pensions and early retirements.
But that’s only part of the picture, City Manager Allen Parker said in response to a question from Councilman Henry Nickel.
Despite closing a couple of fire stations, the Fire Department was still unable to reduce overtime costs below $7 million a year, Parker said.
With their base salaries and overtime, at least half a dozen firefighters make more money than Parker does, the city manager said.
But more than that, the firefighters union dug in its heels and fought the city every step of the way in trying to manage its fiscal crisis. The union sued the city repeatedly. Some of the issues are still bouncing around the courts, costing tens of thousands in attorney fees.
When six city unions agreed to give back 10 percent of their pay, the firefighters union was the lone holdout.
When five city unions agreed to forgo merit pay raises, the firefighters and fire management unions refused.
[…]
