El Dorado County sues to stop ballot measure targeting raises for top officials

El Dorado County officials are asking a judge to block a proposed November ballot measure that would prevent elected officials and top administrators from receiving raises tied to a sheriff’s pay benchmarking rule.

County lawyers filed a complaint Feb. 27 in El Dorado Superior Court seeking a ruling that the initiative is invalid under the California Constitution, according to court records and a county news release.

The measure is sponsored by a group called Hold El Dorado Accountable, which includes individuals from several unions representing county employees outside the Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release from the group.

The dispute centers on Section 504 of the county charter, a voter-approved provision intended to keep deputies and other Sheriff’s Office employees’ pay competitive with nearby agencies. County officials say the proposed initiative would improperly limit the Board of Supervisors’ authority to set employee compensation, while supporters say it would stop top officials from receiving raises tied to that formula.

Over the years, through contract negotiations or board resolutions, supervisors have added 11 additional classifications eligible for those annual adjustments. Those include the district attorney and several positions in the District Attorney’s Office and the county counsel’s office, adding about 25 positions, the county document said.

If the measure appears on the Nov. 3 ballot and voters approve it, no current county employees would receive a pay decrease because the proposed initiative would not apply retroactively, said Carla Hass, a county spokesperson.

However, future raises could be affected.

“Because it seeks to limit the ability of the Board of Supervisors to adjust compensation of elected officials and employees based on Charter 504 adjustments, the initiative’s proponents could question the Board providing the same salary increases via resolution,” Hass said in an email.

The county’s attorneys argue the initiative violates the California Constitution because it would restrict the Board of Supervisors’ authority to set employee compensation.

“We believe case law and other legal authority clearly demonstrates this is invalid under the California Constitution and had hoped to resolve this matter informally with the proponents, but without their voluntary withdrawal of the petition, we are left with no choice than to ask the Court to clarify whether the proposed initiative is valid and defer to its ruling and proceed accordingly,” Assistant County Counsel Janeth SanPedro said in the release.

The measure’s proponents say the measure would help free up funds in the county budget for other services.

“Our elected Supervisors are exploiting a loophole to give raises to the highest paid administrative staff like the County Counsel and Chief Administrative Officers, despite our County’s budget deficit and cuts to county services like road maintenance and senior programs,” Jennifer Rimoldi, an office engineer in the El Dorado County Transportation Department and president of AFSCME Local 1, said in a statement. “Thousands of county workers who provide essential county services like safety inspections and keep our roads, parks and public facilities clean are struggling to make ends meet.”

The complaint names Rimoldi and Frank Adair, proponents of the initiative, as defendants, according to court records. Rimoldi works as an office engineer for the county, according to county documents.

If a judge does not block the initiative and supporters gather the roughly 13,000 signatures needed to qualify it, the measure could appear on the ballot for El Dorado County voters.