Los Angeles County Fire Fighters, Local 1014 v. Board of Retirement

I

The present action involves the proper retirement allowances to be given to certain county employees based on service to *765 the federal government prior to their county employment. The trial court granted a writ of mandate accepting the employees’ version; the county retirement board has appealed; we affirm.

An understanding of the dispute requires a preliminary statement of certain terms and concepts:

The present proceeding is brought by two individuals who entered county employ as “safety members” and who had, prior to their county employment been in federal military service 2 of a character not involving *766 active law enforcement or active fire suppression, and an organization of county employees principally engaged in active fire suppression, which organization purports to represent other county employees in an employment situation the same as that of the two individuals. The employees (petitioners below) contend that their contributions to the retirement system, and the retirement allowances ultimately to be awarded to them, should be calculated at the rates applicable to “safety members” for the entire period of their public employment, regardless of the…