Editor’s Note: This is the last in a four-part series examining the compensation of public safety employees in Orange County. The county Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority are hired by many cities to provide police and fire services. Their contracts are consistently some of the costliest items in local budgets, which are being voted on this month by city officials. In the face of massive revenue shortfalls caused by the still-sputtering economy, Orange County agencies are looking for ways to save money. Few departments are exempt, and public safety employees—consistently …

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a four-part series examining the compensation of public safety employees in Orange County. The county Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority are hired by many cities to provide police and fire services. Their contracts are consistently some of the costliest items in local budgets, which are being voted on this month by city officials. As debate swirls over wages and overtime for police and firefighters, a much bigger nightmare looms: pensions. In the not-too-distant future, public employee pension costs threaten the solvency of government …

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a four-part series examining the compensation of public safety employees in Orange County. The county Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority are hired by many cities to provide police and fire services. Their contracts are consistently some of the costliest items in local budgets, which are being voted on this month by city officials.  Overtime for public safety personnel is unavoidable, especially in a region like Orange County, plagued by massive wildfires, busy freeways and urban crime hotspots, police and fire officials say. Still, …

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a four-part series examining the compensation of public safety employees in Orange County. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority are hired by many cities to provide police and fire services, and their contracts are consistently some of the costliest items in local budgets, which are being voted on this month by city officials.  Public employee unions and pensions are under scrutiny across the nation, from Connecticut to Costa Mesa. Wisconsin, for instance, has enacted strict measures against public employee unions, almost …