Mayor takes back appeal

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor has withdrawn his appeal of the contract that the City Council recently approved with its firefighters’ union.

The agreement, which passed on a 3-2 vote, gave the firefighters an early retirement in exchange for their not taking a scheduled pay raise.

Mansoor said he voted against the contract because he thought the retirement package — 3% of salary for every year worked at age 50 instead of age 55 — would cost the city money in the long run, instead of saving it.

When Mansoor first filed the appeal, the city attorney’s office believed it was within the city’s rights, but further investigation cast doubt on whether it could overturn a signed contract without risking a lawsuit, said City Manager Allan Roeder.

“After filing for reconsideration, I was advised by the city attorney and city manager that if I were successful in reversing the City Council’s prior decision, the city would likely find itself in a contentious, expensive legal battle to reopen the agreement the City Council had just approved. As much as I oppose the contract that was approved by the City Council majority, I cannot in good conscience subject taxpayers to the added expense of litigation on top of the retirement benefit just approved,” Mansoor said in an e-mail.

Other city employees also complained that the fire department was getting special treatment, saying the firefighters should have taken the same 5% pay cut and furloughs the police and all other departments are taking.

Fire union officials disagreed. Former union president and the architect of the contract Jeff Janzen said the firefighters would rather have higher pay than an earlier retirement and called the agreement a windfall for the city.

Even though the city will be spending slightly more per firefighter, the contract is expected to save the city $5.3 million or more in the next four years because 12 firefighters are expected to retire early due to the package, budget analysts estimate.