19% Pay Hike Proposed For Riverside County Deputies, DA Investigators

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors is slated Tuesday to approve a new three-year contract with the union representing Riverside County sheriff's deputies and District Attorney's Office investigators, guaranteeing pay increases to members totaling 19% over the duration of the compact.

The $164 million collective bargaining agreement between the county and the Riverside Sheriffs' Association, if ratified, would be in effect from this week until Dec. 9, 2027.

The highlight of the contract is the automatic pay hikes, which would apply to members in the "minimum and maximum range of all classifications," according to the terms.

The first across-the-board hike, totaling 9%, would take effect immediately. The next auto hike, totaling 5%, would take effect on Dec. 11, 2025, and the final 5% hike would be added to members' paychecks beginning Dec. 11, 2026, according to the agreement.

The county General Fund would cover roughly half the contract costs, while the sheriff's departmental budget would cover the other half.

More than 1,600 employees would be covered under the compact, which is specifically with RSA's Law Enforcement Unit, encompassing patrol deputies, school resource officers, aviation personnel, basic-level investigators and District Attorney's Office investigators who are below the executive level.

The Law Enforcement Unit's prior five-year collective bargaining agreement expires this week. Negotiations on the new one have been underway since August.

The members have different schedules, some assigned to the standard five-day, 40-hour work week, while others are assigned to 4/10 schedules — four 10-hour days — and others are on 3/12 schedules, or three 12-hour days.

The new compact makes allowances for extra duty pay assignments and overtime. There is also a pay allowance for "standby duty," during which an employee can be designated as ready for deployment but may never actually be summoned. For each eight hours in standby mode, the law enforcement officer would receive one-hour of regular pay, according to the terms.

There is additionally extra pay for bilingual capabilities and education incentives compensation, as well as premiums for SWAT, the bomb squad and canine management.

Increased pay would also be permitted for patrol personnel "permanently assigned" to the Palm Desert and Thermal stations.

Only retiring Supervisor Kevin Jeffries has questioned the sustainability of double-digit percentage pay hikes for public safety personnel, along with general escalating costs tied to pensions for all county employees.

Tuesday will be his second-to-last meeting on the board. It's expected that while he'll comment on the proposed memorandum of understanding with RSA, he won't formally oppose it.