Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

Fax: 626-307-9081

I was very happy that Councilmember Betty Tom Chu pulled the Resolution of Intention to Approve an Amended Contract between CalPERS and the City Council for further discussion at the April 21 Council Meeting.

I was as shocked and surprised as she was that some of our city employees received raises between 5 and 7%.

I have been working in corporate America since 1964 and I have not received a 5% salary increase in a very long time.

Since I have been working in the mortgage industry for the last 39 years I have been laid off six times.  Three times when the interest rates on first trust deeds jumped through the roof and three times when my employers went out of business.

So I know first hand this agenda discussion is very import to the lives and livelihoods of our employees, our taxpaying residents and the future of our hometown.

I believe that salaries should be reduced by 10% across the board or 5% pay cuts with a four hours a week furlough for our employees. It is better to have a job with reduced salary or hours then no job at all.  I think positions currently opened should not be filled if the vacancies don’t affect running the city. I believe that overtime being bouncy castle for sale paid to our firefighters and police officers should be reduced.  Senior members of both departments can also work on the front lines, which also reduces overtime.

I am concerned about the early retirement programs, as it has not worked well in corporate America. People who retire early at 50 or 55 will have to find other employment to continue with their current life styles.

I am very angry with the government officials who decided that government employees could receive a pension without any contributions from the employees. This total financial burden has been placed on the backs of the taxpaying residents and businesses in America.

It is about time the union members pay into their retirement fund like the rest of us in corporate America.

Members of the unions must realize that senior citizens on fixed incomes who did not receive a raise in their Social Security checks pay their salaries.  Residents working in corporate America are lucky to still have their jobs. We may not be seeing a raise in our income this year.  Business owners in our city are having a very hard time making a profit in the downturn of our economy. Less business income for them equals less taxes paid to the city.

The time has come for all the union members to agree to work with their employers to save their jobs with pay cuts.

In the future when our economy is more financially secure we can discuss increasing their salaries and hiring more employees.

At the May 5 meeting the Council discussed the city’s budget.  Interim City Manager Donald McIntyre and staff had presented them with two recommendations to balance the General Funds budget and reduce the 2010-11-revenue shortfall of $4,081,380.

Both recommendations would require that some of our city staff be laid off, retired early and be furloughed four hours a week.

The Councilmembers would also have to transfer monies from other accounts to balance our city budget.

They were not happy with the option to layoff any of our employees and spent a great deal of time discussing their options.  It was a very painful discussion to hear as many of our employees filled the chambers to hear the Council’s decision on the fate of their jobs.

Mark Hensley, the city attorney, had the city clerk’s office release a list of our the city’s employees by name, job title, department, gross pay, monthly salary or hourly salary, benefits, time worked and hire date to the public.

Our employees are very angry, as this information is confidential.

I am upset by this action and advised Mr. Hensley that in corporate America one would be fired for sharing salary information.  He advised me that this information is public information.  A recent lawsuit brought by Vanguardians Group requires that the salary data be made public.

I know we taxpayers have a right to know how our taxes are being spent.  I believe that this action should have been handled differently.

Mr. Hensley did accept full responsible for releasing the salary data to the public.  He said that he misunderstood a Councilmember’s request for salary information so he released the salary information to all five members and the public as required by the Brown Act.

Council directed the city manager and staff to redo the budget figures based on a 10% pay cut across the board and a 5% pay cut across the board with a 5% furlough time.

Council also wanted a new law in place to direct the city manager to have Council’s approval before transferring any funds from the reserve account into the general funds.

The city manager and staff should have the new budget figures for the May 19 meeting.

I hope all the union members agree with the salary cuts and /or furloughs so that everyone will still have their jobs in these tough economic times.

Please remember our service men and women this Memorial Day who gave up their lives and futures for our freedoms.

Honor their memories by voting on June 8!