An intriguing article from The Press Enterprise highlighted the City of San Bernardino's initiative to contract for fire services following their municipal bankruptcy.
In a recent development, a federal judge declined the city firefighters' urgent plea to halt the city's progress towards outsourcing fire services. This move to transfer the management of the fire department to an external agency forms a critical part of the city's bankruptcy recovery strategy, which hinges significantly on outsourcing certain municipal functions.
The city council is scheduled to deliberate on bids submitted by the San Bernardino County Fire Department and a private company during their meeting on August 24. City Manager Allen Parker indicated that the administration will suggest the council opt for the county option.
On August 5, the San Bernardino City Professional Firefighters filed an emergency petition seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the city from proceeding. Corey Glave, the union's attorney, explained that the group requested the stay to maintain the current employment conditions and avoid any risk of job losses prior to the bankruptcy court's ruling.
At Thursday's hearing in the U.S. District Court in Riverside, Judge Meredith Jury stated that the union hadn't demonstrated the urgency required for an emergency order. She emphasized that layoffs would need to be officially announced for such a situation to arise. Noting this as her first emergency request since the city declared bankruptcy three years ago, Judge Jury expressed a preference for a judicial process allowing ample time for legal arguments.
The judge consented to review the union's petition further on September 17, when she will also assess whether the city must negotiate with the union regarding the outsourcing plan. Paul Glassman, representing San Bernardino in bankruptcy matters, mentioned that the city anticipates no layoffs until that date.
This marks the union's second attempt to obstruct the contracting plan. Last month, Judge Jury determined that the city charter did not prohibit such actions, contrary to the union's claims.
City authorities affirm that the outsourcing proposal ensures current firefighters can retain their positions, although the union pointed out that job security isn't assured for all members.
Judge Jury's decision permits the city to proceed with selecting a provider and starting negotiations. Should the council favor the county, an application will be filed with the Local Agency Formation Commission on September 1 for the city to merge into the fire district. This process involves multiple months of hearings before the commission, which handles boundary adjustments.
For additional context, a previous discussion on this topic can be found here.
While the city continues its journey toward financial recovery, tensions remain high between municipal leadership and the firefighters' union, raising questions about the future of public service provision in San Bernardino.
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