By TOM GANTERT
THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – A San Francisco County deputy sheriff lieutenant made $554,577, a sheriff’s deputy made $530,935 and a registered nurse made $513,294 in 2022 to be among the highest paid employees in the city/county. The big paydays were a result of overtime.
The city of San Francisco cited extreme staffing shortages and minimum-staffing union contract stipulations that led to 38% increase in overtime costs in 2022 from the previous year. The city paid out $367 million in overtime costs in 2022, according to documents received in an open records request.
The city had 42 employees who worked 2,000 plus hours of overtime. One deputy sheriff put in for 3,469.50 hours of overtime in 2022. The city paid out $373,229 in overtime to one deputy sheriff boosting his pay to $530,935.
The increase in overtime compensation comes at a time when city budget documents predict looming deficits to teach as high as $503 million by FY 2025-26.
“If the City does not take corrective action, the gap between revenues and expenditures will reach approximately $503.3 million by Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26,” the city’s five-year plan stated.
Tara Moriarty, director of communications for the sheriff’s office, said mandatory overtime was required due to minimum staffing mandates negotiated into union contracts. Moriarty stated the sheriff’s office has 933 sworn positions, and is currently down 196 sworn staff. The county is trying to recruit more employees, Moriarty said.
“Due to chronic staffing shortages, which have plagued many law enforcement agencies nationwide over the past three years, overtime ensures that we have proper staffing to maintain public safety, protect our community, and safeguard our City’s jails, hospitals, courts and government buildings,” Ms. Moriarty stated in an email to The Center Square. “Overtime actually saves the City money in the long run, if healthcare and retirement costs are considered.”
