California cities and counties have too few cops and too many wildfires to get a handle on their soaring overtime budgets. That’s how they explain the $3.7 billion they spent collectively on overtime last year, a 60 percent increase from the $2.3 billion they shelled out for overtime in 2012. The dynamic means police and firefighters have no shortage of opportunities to pad their paychecks with overtime hours, but for some, the extra work is taking a toll on their bodies and families. High overtime costs grab attention because they lead to individual police officers and firefighters receiving eye-popping wages. It’s common for local governments to have at least a few rank-and-file public safety officers earning more take-home-pay than city managers and city attorneys.