BY GRETCHEN WENNER, Californian staff writer
gwenner@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, Apr 07 2010 10:30 PM

The city and its police union are likely headed back to court after the Bakersfield City Council voted Wednesday night to dismiss all old contract offers and start negotiations anew.

The long meeting ended with drama: much of the blue-shirted crowd stormed out after Mayor Harvey Hall told them the city is proud of its police force. His comment elicited an audible guffaw inside the packed chambers before the impromptu walkout.

"It was expected, but it's very unfortunate," said Alison Berry Wilkinson, the lawyer representing the Bakersfield Police Officers Association, after the meeting.

She was referring to the council's 6-1 vote to reject all previous offers. Berry Wilkinson claims the action isn't legal and said the union would take the matter back to court, where a suit it previously filed against the city is currently in play.

Councilmember Irma Carson cast the lone "no" vote without elaboration.

Ginny Gennaro, Bakersfield's city attorney, told council members they did in fact have the power to kill off the "last, best, final offers" made by each side before negotiations collapsed. The so-called "impasse hearing" was required by Bakersfield's municipal code in the wake of failed negotiations. The city resisted the impasse designation but a judge's order in January said the sides were indeed at impasse and the hearing was required.

Councilmember Zack Scrivner, who is widely despised by the police and firefighters unions after pushing to cut their pensions, made the motion to follow staff's recommendation and reject previous offers.

"I hope both parties can return to the bargaining table as soon as possible," he said during council comments.

Councilmember Sue Benham told the crowd: "It is hard to sit up here and look at all of you great men and women out there and not give you what you want."

But she said city finances had deteriorated so much it would be irresponsible to vote for the packages now.

Both the union's and the city's last offers included retroactive raises totaling 8 percent. The police union has been working without a contract since June 30, 2007.

During presentations, the police union said Bakersfield officers are seriously underpaid compared to comparable jurisdictions, while City Manager Alan Tandy said "massive layoffs" would be needed if contracts including raises were approved.