Protracted contract negotiations between Orange County and the union for its firefighters led to dueling news conferences Thursday — the start of a two-day magistrate’s hearing about the impasse.

Representatives from both sides were meeting at the Orange County Convention Center with the special magistrate — who will make a nonbinding recommendation. Negotiations began in September 2023 and the contract expired in October 2024.

Firefighters are seeking higher wages and better health benefits. The county says it has made a substantial pay offer already, one that was contemplated in 2024 when it raised the Fire & Emergency Medical Services property tax rate for the first time in 34 years.

At that time, county commissioners voted 6-1 — with Commissioner Mayra Uribe dissenting — to raise th

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