No Cuts to Temecula's Police, Fire

Though the county’s budget for next fiscal year proposes emergency services cuts, the city of Temecula will be unchanged.

Like the unincorporated areas around Temecula, the city gets its police and fire services from the Riverside County sheriff’s and fire departments. Unlike those areas, it pays for them separately, city officials said.

The only way police or fire services would get cut is if the city cut its budget, and no cuts are expected, emergency service officials said.

“The contract with the city is very consistent. There’s always one (deputy) for every 1,000 (residents),” said sheriff’s Cpt. Andre O’Harra, the chief of the Temecula Police Department.

The areas outside Temecula’s city limits aren’t so lucky. The county pays for police service in Wine Country, De Luz, Anza, French Valley and Winchester, and 40 percent could get cut from the budget, O’Harra said.

If these cuts pass, it will dramatically affect service outside Temecula, he said. “You would see sheriff’s stations across the county closing,” he said. “It’s an ugly situation, but in Temecula, it’s pretty good.”

No cuts are on the horizon for fire protection in the city, said Temecula Fire Marshall Sean Dakin. “Everything’s exactly the same as last year,” he said.

Though the city has no plans to cut funding, the county’s cuts will affect Temecula’s fire coverage in one small way, said Riverside County Fire Department spokeperson Mike Smith.

The crew of two engines run by the county will remain staffed by three people. Usually, they step the crew up to four people during the fire season, he said.

The sheriff’s department plans to lay off at least 100 employees by next month, but none from the Temecula Police Department, said sheriff’s Sgt. Joseph Borja.

The number of employees being laid off from the areas around Temecula was unavailable, Borja said. “We’re still giving out notifications.”

The County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a budget that might result in more layoffs in June, he said.