The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department filed overtime claims worth $450,000 with FEMA for its participation in the Zaca Fire effort. CAL FIRE, the state fire service, has paid the Sheriff’s Department $11,000 but still owes $35,000. Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Erik Raney denied rumors that these unforeseen costs have left the department unable to carry out basic training functions, saying that although the budget is tight, the fire-related costs had nothing to do with that
