MICHAEL O’DEANE
President
San Diego Deputy Sheriffs’ Association

Staffing and Rationale

Over the past three years, the San Diego Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA) has worked in partnership with San Diego County Labor Relations and the County Board of Supervisors to implement a cost-neutral Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) for San Diego County safety employees. San Diego County is now the first 1937 Act (CERL) county to successfully implement a DROP program.

When I became the DSA president in January 2023, all of our detentions and law enforcement deputies were being assigned mandatory overtime. Staffing was a serious issue, and we were struggling with retention. Mandatory overtime was taking a toll on deputies and their families, morale was extremely low and deputies were experiencing significant burnout.

Staffing data clearly illustrated the problem and highlighted the need to address retention.

• 2023:
  • 231 deputies hired
  • 209 deputies separated
  • Net gain: 22 deputies
• 2024:
  • 164 deputies hired
  • 155 deputies separated
  • Net gain: 9 deputies
• 2025:
  • 272 deputies hired
  • 134 deputies separated
  • Net gain: 138 deputies
• Total net gain over 36 months = 169 deputies

Over this three-year period, the Sheriff’s Office successfully recruited 667 deputies, yet 498 deputies left during the same time frame. While some departures were retirements, many deputies lateraled to other agencies, moved out of state or left law enforcement entirely. These numbers demonstrated that recruitment was not the core issue — retention was.

Early Analysis and Timeline

In 2022, the DSA funded a $5,000 actuarial study conducted by Rick Roeder, a former San Diego County Employees Retirement Association (SDCERA) employee, to determine whether a DROP could be implemented post-PEPRA. The study concluded that a cost-neutral DROP was feasible.

In January 2023, I began meeting individually with all five San Diego County supervisors to highlight the staffing crisis and the harmful effects of mandatory overtime. We urged the County to explore creative retention strategies, including the creation of a DROP.

Most of the supervisors were supportive, but expressed concerns that DROP would apply only to sworn employees and not the entire County workforce. We explained that sworn personnel face unique operational, safety and retirement challenges that do not affect other bargaining units to our level. I highlighted that when a deputy leaves the organization, the County spends over $100K and takes up to 12 months to replace them, which includes a comprehensive background investigation, psychological evaluation, physical agility test, regional academy training and field training to become a self-sufficient deputy. No other position in the entire county is as complex and expensive to fill as a sworn deputy.

Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer strongly supported the effort and published a board letter stating: “San Diego County is facing persistent vacancies, with the Sheriff’s Office averaging 300 sworn vacancies per year over the past several years. This level of understaffing puts added strain on deputies, drives up overtime costs and makes it harder to ensure both public safety and the well-being of people in our jails.”

Legal Framework

San Diego County is one of only 20 counties operating under the 1937 County Employees Retirement Law (CERL). At the time, no CERL county offered a DROP program.

California Government Code Section 31770.4(a) states: “A proposed program shall be deemed to be cost neutral if, based on the applicable actuarial assumptions, it will not have a significant negative impact on the members, employer, or retirement system.”

Subsequent studies confirmed that San Diego County could implement a DROP program that met this statutory requirement.

Actuarial Study and County Action

Initial discussions with County Labor Relations were positive. The County advised that Foster & Foster would conduct a comprehensive actuarial study at a cost of $250,000. Although the DSA was initially asked to split the cost, the County ultimately agreed to fund the study in full.

On December 5, 2023, I made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors, requesting approval to fund the actuarial study and outlining the staffing crisis and operational impacts.

On January 28, 2024, the Board of Supervisors authorized Labor Relations to proceed with the actuarial study. Although it was initially estimated to take 12 months, the DSA continued pressing the Board to expedite the process. Throughout 2024, the DSA met with supervisors multiple times to provide updated staffing and overtime data.

Labor Group Collaboration

On February 5, 2025, the DSA, Probation Officers Association, Probation Supervisors Association and District Attorney Investigators Association met with Labor Relations to determine which cost-neutral DROP option the four safety groups would collectively support.

On May 5, 2025, all four association presidents signed a letter of understanding (LOU) establishing the parameters of the DROP program.

Challenge Resolved

One critical issue — the conversion of sick leave upon entry into DROP — was not clearly articulated in the initial LOU. The County appeared to treat sick leave conversion as a negotiable contract issue. I, along with the other association presidents, immediately met with County supervisors, and the issue was resolved the following day. Sick leave balances would now be deposited into DROP at entry, ensuring members do not lose earned time. DROP was never intended to be part of contract negotiations; it is a cost-neutral County benefit.

Implementation Process

All four safety associations must participate under a single DROP design. After final clarification with Foster & Foster, Labor Relations proceeded with drafting a DROP ordinance.

Following Board approval, the ordinance was submitted to SDCERA for validation (30–90 days). SDCERA began developing an implementation plan, including IT system updates, training, outreach and the hiring of two DROP administrators.

On July 17, 2025, Undersheriff Richard Williams and I addressed the SDCERA Board to stress the importance of timely completion. SDCERA Chief Benefits Officer Jim Lery presented implementation steps and confirmed a report deadline of December 18, 2025.

DROP Confirmation and Next Steps

On December 9, 2025, SDCERA confirmed that the DROP program is fully cost neutral.

The Board of Supervisors then conducted two ordinance readings, on January 13 and 28, 2026.

On the scheduled implementation date of March 20, 2026, San Diego County will become the only 1937 Act County in California to offer a DROP program.

The successful implementation of a DROP in San Diego County underscores the importance of partnership. This DROP succeeded because of the strong collaboration between the DSA, the Board of Supervisors and Labor Relations. Their shared commitment and coordinated efforts created a solid foundation for effective planning and execution. For DSA or POA organizations seeking to implement a DROP, early and ongoing engagement with all stakeholders is essential to building shared ownership of the process and achieving successful outcomes.

For more information about the DROP program, visit sdcera.org/members/drop.