6/26/11 -- Vallejo Councilmember Stephanie Gomes and past City Manager Joe Tanner speak to the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association regarding Vallejo's bankruptcy...the background, the role of the unions and the prospects moving forward.
Includes blunt and direct insights from Tanner such as: "The Times Herald is the absolute worst newspaper in the State of California. It is trash. It is a rag." as well as his reasons for supporting the police contract and more.
Also find out how Gomes answered the standard question: "If we endorse you, will you stay bought?"asked of her at her first union endorsement interview.
Yes Salty, I have a renewed respect for Ms. Schively. If Vallejo is ever going to stand up to passive investors and poverty ranchers, it's going to take leadership and guts. The way I feel now makes me think I will vote for Ms. Shively and may even try and scrape some money together for her campaign.
I have been a fan of Gomes and Brown for a long time, when City Council members are unable to make tough decisions, maybe a Ciy ordinance by the voters could help? What if we put an ordnance forth that requires a comprehensive financial analysis on all low income developments and as a result of that analysis is that there will be a cost to the general fund the council must identify where the money will be coming from hence what other general fund services must be cut in order for this project ot move forward. I have to agree with what others said a functional and well run City code department can enforce code violations and force property owners to keep their properties maintained.
This truly was a sad evening when this council can pass burdens onto to future taxpayers fifty years into the future by harvesting and nuturing poverty into a community that deperately cannot afford the cost.
Salty Dog
|June.28.2011
Yes....I agree..that has been my perception to date. I am curious about Gomes's change of heart but I think she and Schivley sincerly demonstrate a well rounded commitment and intelligence that bodes well.
I have been here six weeks, which is an eternity in Salty Dog years. lol
Anonymous
|June.28.2011
"Anyone else see this political theatre?"
I'll have to watch the video. Until you understand the history/politics of this city, I would encourage you to give both Schivley & Gomes the benefit of the doubt. They are the only two that are worth a damn, and ousting either of them will only lead to the backfilling of people you don't want (assuming you are interested in fiscal sanity).
Salty Dog
|June.28.2011
Had my first experience at City Council tonight- had an embarrassingly trivial item that needed clearing, but the experience was interesting...the dancing and prancing was particularly telling...the only Councillor who wasn't dancing was Schivly...kept asking pesky pertinent questions.
The other ladies were falling over each other with their "feelings" and feigned opposition. I suspect Gomes, recognizing that the men were lined up with the Mayor cut a deal for a friendly amendment to try and salvage some level of accountability. I like to think that anyway.
Tonight, Schivley may be a wallflower sitting out the dance, but she showed some good conviction that she was not about to betray. I give her an A.
Anyone else see this political theatre?
Salty Dog
|June.28.2011
No....right thread and wow.....just what kind of arm twisting goes on during the break before a vote?
Ms Gomes.....you disappoint with your "friendly" amendment. You know dam well that its all about revenue v. expenditures- your words. And clearly this fluffy presentation from the developer is going to cost the taxpayers who already pay their fair share, much more in the future.
So it passes....for the next fifty five years...just like that the ghetto will double.....but at least the residents will now have internet and for ten years or so, a school. Isn't that special.
Am I missing something or should this entire council save Shievley be shown the door.
Anonymous
|June.28.2011
sorry for the misplaced post. wrong thread.
Anonymous
|June.28.2011
Good discussion from the Dias tonight on the affordable housing project. It's tempting to vote yes because of the improvements to the property but even with these improvements revenue - expenses is still negative. We need to have a strong set of nuisance and safety ordnance's in place to force the existing state of our sub standard properties into some kind of compliance. This way we can vote NO on these affordable housing proposals and force existing properties into compliance.
The more low income people we bring into the city limits, the more expenses outpace revenues. The inherent revenue advantage associated with housing and community development in this case all go to the passive investors who sit comfortably out of the war zone created in Vallejo.
Tough Love
|June.28.2011
Towards the end of the video, it becomes clear that the ONLY way to stop the perverted control Public Sector Unions have over our elected officials (via campaign contributions) is to BUST he Unions.
They are a CANCER on society and must be eliminated.
@fly FWIW, I emailed council members several times regarding the issue with health benefits for retirees, and only received responses from two of them: one just said "thank your for contacting me with your concerns" while the other said "we decided to give the best deal to the bargaining unit that came to us first, so you have your own union to blame for what happened to you" That one kind of bugged me because in Vallejo, when you retire IBEW no longer represents you, and would not even respond to emails that I sent them. So, I knew from that moment that IBEW retirees were screwed, that we were 'easy pickings' (no union & no legal representation) and we would have to ante up to pay for the council's folly in the contracts they gave CAMP and VPOA.
Anonymous
|June.28.2011
I see this story is on he pensiontsunami.com
This related article is good reading for outsiders wishing to understand what happened in Vallejo: "Sac Metro's new chief (Fire)played role in Vallejo bankruptcy.
Agreed, RIBEW. Some got hurt more than others on many different fronts. And Salerno I'm convinced blocked ideas like you suggested from ever getting to the council. Maybe more employees/retirees should have put a bug in one of their ears while that was being discussed? It's easy to look back with the advantage of hindsight, though.
@fly on the wall -only those public safety members hired BEFORE 1986 are ineligible for medicare. The problem that the City ignored (not sure if it was intentional or not) was that in addition to the small number of public safety retirees who are not medicare eligible because they were hired before 1986, there are others- most of whom are IBEW retirees and either retired before 65, or were forced out by the city on disability retirement.
Also; the council repeatedly stated that the $300 covers the medicare supplement, it doesn't unless you live in an area covered by Kaiser, in other areas the Pers supplement is $375 for one person and $750 if you cover your spouse. + the retiree pays $115 for medicare part B.
A better solution IMO would have been to give retirees up to $300 directly toward and allowed them to use that for part B and to buy a medicare advantage plan which are usually under $100 a month. And, for those retires who are not medicare eligible, why not a 5 year phase in of the cuts like Sonoma County did with their retirees; cut the existing benefit a little bit a year over 5 years, allowing people some time to figure out their options without having to go without health insurance altogether?
And like I said, I think Gomes is the best hope Vallejo has, she's not perfect but she's not dumb and it does seem that she tries to be fair, I just wish that the council had thought through the implications of what they were doing to SOME retirees and how devastating it is to retirees getting pensions of 20-30k a year.
I'll shut up now, what's done is done...
Fly on the Wall
|June.28.2011
I think that was the point, RIBEW, that she opposed the police contract because it wasn't right or fair to the other employees (or taxpayers!). It unevenly spread the cuts, with the police selfishly taking raises while the others (except CAMP), took it on the chin (especially IBEW).
As for Salerno, Gomes and Schivley objected to her contract and it's extension, so I doubt they let her influence them. Remember the council meetings with Salerno at the table and Gomes and Schivley butting heads with her? I loved seeing that! But Salerno was protected by the golden bubble of the mayor and Hannigan, her best buddies. I and others at city hall saw the three going to lunch together almost weekly. She was such a train wreck.
In the video I heard the loud mostly unspoken frustration of being in the minority behind a stupid majority who were leading the city over the cliff. I can't imagine how crazy that would make me.
Btw, public safety doesn't get Medicare unless they worked other jobs and paid into social security and gotten their 40 quarters.
Jim Davis
|June.28.2011
Thank you, Stephanie and Joe, for a cogent and concise summary of what happened. I've heard this ridiculous story ever sence I arrived ten years ago. It's still unbelievable.
Our unions were so stupid they didn't know they were sounding their own death knoll? Remarkable. And elected representatives without spines? Officials who couldn't think beyond the next election, who sacrificed the city to get re-elected?
The statistic that struck me, even though I've heard it before, is the 80% share the salaries take. What alternative is there but lower salaries, no matter the "fairness" of it?
So after we filed, the unions got their contracts broken, lost arbitration, and now have no chance of getting any more money or benefits, for the next hundred years. And the unions hired lawyers to fight like gladiators, resulting in an $11 million legal bill for us?
And low they're working among people who hate them for forming unions that exhibited arrogance and power, driving us into bankruptcy. When they exhibit that same arrogance and power on the street, they find trouble (everyone runs when the police arrive, no one talks, they fight the police, they pull out guns and knives, etc.).
Only in Vallejo (or Kabul).
I'd say it's time to clean out the council and make it clear to city employees that they are going to take a big hit (and remain thankful they've got a job). Time for changes. Love, Jim
I find it slightly disingenous that those two would stand up there with their 'pretend sad faces' on talking about how they "had no choice but to cut retiree health to $300" yet they failed to mention how they were able to find the $$ to insulate VPOA and CAMP retirees from those cuts.
It's also interesting that neither one of them seemed to realize that public safety retirees ARE medicare eligible. Kind of makes you wonder what else the people who run the City don't know.
With that said, I still think Gomes is probably the brightest most ethical council member that Vallejo has had in a few decades; I just wish she had gotten into this whole bankruptcy thing with better information instead of having to rely on the fat clown Salerno and the dumb ass City Managers that Vallejo seems to attract.
Salty Dog
|June.28.2011
I agree, Rage....partisan politics misses the point of what ails Vallejo. It would not be difficult to find fine examples of fiscal boondoggles across the political spectrum.
Gomes is correct, in my opinion,, although it it isn't rocket science...."revenues in, expenditures out".
The reality is that revenues have been subjected to economic conditions that reach much further than local conditions. Expenditures are based on conditions and kinder economic times when men( and women) made choices that failed to account for the possibility of
"the Great Recession" now underway.
And, while men and women may lie, cheat and act in self serving ways to protect their political survival, the math is cool, non-value laden and doesn't lie.
It is evident to me, as a dispassionate newcomer, Vallejo has some not insignificant assets...climate, location, historical significance and infrastructure that offers opportunities to go from "seedy" to "funky" to "quaint". When that transition occurs, there will be no need to coax new residency and the wealth associated....they will come.
Perhaps that,(those opportunities that attract) is what the City needs to focus on....not subsidized housing schemes and not pie-in-the-sky industrial development plans or other initiatives that belie self serving interests.
Common sense doesn't recognize a political spectrum...but does require a basic understanding of math. lol.
Anonymous
|June.28.2011
You're right, Ok It, especially in Vallejo.
Ok to Say It
|June.28.2011
Everyone's done a good job of being politically correct by lumping all public employee unions together. While municipal maintenance workers and white shirts have secure and decent paying jobs with benefits, let's reiterate that it is the public safety unions nationwide that are choking general funds.
Rage Against Sac Slackers
|June.28.2011
It's not just conservative citizens who need to hear what happened. Many staunch liberals including myself and my friends and family,, traditionally pro union, are disgusted by these government union wages and benefits that are bankrupting our state. It's a difficult place to be for a Dem! It does make family gatherings easier though as my Repub uncle and aunt and I finally agree on something!
Set the partisan boundary aside and unite to demand changes. It's the only way we'll get those bought slackers in Sacramento to listen.
Who cares!
|June.28.2011
Who cares about the "naysayers" these are the same pitiful fools that said 1) bankruptcy would never be declared 2) bankruptcy would never be allowed by the judge, 3) the contracts would never be opened and 4) binding arbitration would not be removed from Vallejo's charter. How is "4 for 4" feeling? The best thing ever is now concerned conservative citizens of California will get a chance to hear how Vallejo ended up in Bankruptcy. They all realize how close they are to it themselves with the decline in the economy married with over pay and benefits of city union employees. Once the average joe in the private sector finds out the pay and benefits of Govt union employees they gasp and stare at you in disbelief. Union member like to "pretend" they would make the same in the private sector which cracks me up, I always like to ask "what job would that be?
Gomes, Tanner and Adachi keep up the good work, spread the "gospel far and wide." In fact why not visit all the cities that Kurt Henke visted with the Vallejo Union contracts to help inflat and "price fix" union wages and benefits. Hey, whas this breaking the Sherman Anti-trust laws??????
jealous and limp
|June.28.2011
Jealous little men all a twitter. Waaaa! Waaa! Waaa!
Anonymous
|June.27.2011
Yes, I hear she also has plans to take down President Obama. She's quite powerful.
Gomes The Backbiter
|June.27.2011
"Sounds like Stephanie Gomes is campaigning for Barbara Kondylis job as county supervisor."
Gomes took down Shivley and wants to take down Kondylis?
Tells you what the real Gomes is like.
Vibbers at war with each other. Yipee!!!
Anonymous
|June.27.2011
"Sounds like Stephanie Gomes is campaigning for Barbara Kondylis job as county supervisor."
Well, at least there's some good news today. Please, please. Long over due.
To: Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
"Your thoughtful and well articulated opinions are also a breath of fresh air. I appreciate your comments. We need to defend the council members that are advocates for the best interests of the community. It is sad to say, but Mrs. Gomes is one of the few elected officials that is actually doing what all council members have sworn to do.
She deserves all of our support as she is continually attacked by those that see her as a threat to "Business As Usual"."
This is how the message was meant to be addressed. I'm not Salty Dog and I didn't intend to hijack the name. Sorry!
21stModernism
|June.27.2011
Thank you Mark. Like SD I am relatively new and this has been clarifying. And, thank you Stephanie. This type of video shows the value of citizen journalism, the heritage of Tom Paine.
Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
Your thoughtful and well articulated opinions are also a breath of fresh air. I appreciate your comments. We need to defend the council members that are advocates for the best interests of the community. It is sad to say, but Mrs. Gomes is one of the few elected officials that is actually doing what all council members have sworn to do.
She deserves all of our support as she is continually attacked by those that see her as a threat to "Business As Usual".
Mousy
|June.27.2011
Sounds like someone's definition of corruption below is "if you're not in my pocket you must be in someone else's."
Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
anon says:
"Why did both individuals speak before the Contra Costa Taxpayer Association?
I can not remember any indepth clarifications (albeit made in 20/20 hindsight) as to the why of bankruptcy before the residents of Vallejo who are and will be affected by these decisions for years.
...and if Ms. Gomes is not seeking a higher office city/county/state wise why would she consider answering the question posed during the first union endorsement interview?"
To which I say, why not? Why, when you have been in the thick of it and learned some important lessons should you not eflect upon and speak to it as a cautionary tale for other jurisdictions?
As for Ms Gomes's alterior motives, real or imagined....if she is seeking other offices, her refreshing candor, at least on this video, is a welcome change to the deafening silence coming from some of her peers.
Her strong ethic of conviction and and ethic of responsibility to both citizens and to the formal rational organization known as "the municipality of Vallejo" is a welcome bit of fresh air...may the fair winds continue to blow.
Anonymous
|June.27.2011
Sounds like Stephanie Gomes is campaigning for Barbara Kondylis job as county supervisor. Nothing like working the system for tax payer paychecks. How much more does she really need.
tramky
|June.27.2011
A candidate for an elected position is asked this question by union thug bosses: "If we support you, will you stay bought?"
And come clown on here attempts to accuse Gomes of being 'corrupt'?!! Give me a break. I absolutely believe Gomes' description of the occasion, and it tells us EVERYTHING we need to know about the public service unions. And that is most definitely no pretty.
But one other little detail--this is NOT the individual police & fire union members, this is about the union thug leaders. This scenario has been played out innumerable times all across the United States, by public service unions of EVERY stripe, in EVERY state, and in the Federal government. If we support you, will you stay bought.
Disgusting. The existence of public service unions MUST be brought to an end. Our government entities MUST hire Americans, not union members. Government work is DIFFERENT than the private sector.
Anonymous
|June.27.2011
Why did both individuals speak before the Contra Costa Taxpayer Association?
I can not remember any indepth clarifications (albeit made in 20/20 hindsight) as to the why of bankruptcy before the residents of Vallejo who are and will be affected by these decisions for years.
...and if Ms. Gomes is not seeking a higher office city/county/state wise why would she consider answering the question posed during the first union endorsement interview?
Correcting an error
|June.27.2011
For anyone that might be viewing the video Joe tanner makes an error when discussing retiree medical. The payments Vallejo makes to retiree's is 300 per month. Vallejo Public Safety employees, and all employees,have medicare coverage.
Excellent video!
Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
Oh really? Do you mean that you disagree with her decisions or do you have examples of that corruption? Don't be shy and back up your polemics.
Gomes A Corrupt Politician
|June.27.2011
Stephanie Gomes is just as much a corrupt politician as any on the Vallejo City Council. Just like her "husband" ex-Councilman Tony Pearsall.
Wow... amazing presentation. Thank you Marc. I will do what I can to make this video go viral online.
Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
But more importantly, Ms Gomes demonstrates a fairly rare understanding of the ethic of responsibility that elected officials bring to and conjoin with the formal rational organization of the city structure.
Ms Gomes indicates that she would not pursue higher elected positions. Too bad because it is exactly that kind of wisdom
(an ability to conjoin communal values with the organizational structure) that is a prerequisite to effective governance in a free and democratic society.
I hope she reconsiders.
Salty Dog
|June.27.2011
As a new resident, I really appreciate this frank video from the perspective of Gomes and Tanner. Fills in a lot of blanks and answers a number of questions regarding the pre and post bankruptcy...positives and negatives.
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