Raises have been approved for the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the district attorney's office. The county has agreed to raises for its sheriffs deputies to help the department stay competitive in recruitment. Tom Dominguez, president of the union representing the deputies, says the deal, intended to bring about stability, works out to 3.5 percent raises each year through 2022.
"We can attract some candidates here. It doesn't guarantee that people are going to come to the Orange County Sheriffs Department and it doesn't mean that people are going to leave the Orange County Sheriffs Department, but it really does put us in the right direction to bring some stability to the department."
The deal will cost the county $151 million and the deputies will see their pay increase by almost 15 percent by the end of the deal.
"It does keep up, we hope, with the cost of living. It's very expensive to live here in Southern California."