Blackmustang1967   |August.22.2008 The Vallejo Housing Authority (Santa Claus for the Feds)is receiving $27M this year alone in Federal HUD funding. Has anyone calculated or traced how much of a financial drain on CITY resources i.e. fire, police etc this causes?Does the federal gov contribute to the city of Valljo general fund to support their program? There are over 2000 HUD units in Vallejo including over 200 in Vallejo Heights, 90 in St. Vincent Hill and scores along the Hwy 29 Corridor.There is virtually a wall of low income fed subsidized housing along an area that the city (was/is/who the "f" knows anymore) trying to redevelop into market rate homes and jump start a downtown? Crappy school system, ineffective city gov, and a greedy , nasty public safety sector looking out for their own. Well, who exactly is looking out for the citizens in this den of snakes? Oh, right, but the weather is good here and there's a ferry to SF...

On Fire   |May.31.2008 Miss M, my comments regarding comparisons was in response to our troll's comments. I agree, if you really want to draw comparisons, then you shouldn't just use cities that hold negative connotations. But on the other hand, it is a favorite game of the psu fan club to only use cities that have heavy crime statistics if they want to inject fear into the conversation. The comparison of cities to support their salaries is what I think is a tired arguement. Just as old and tired is the cut and paste interrogation MO of some trolls to try to keep deverting attention away from any real issues. So instead of wasting time responding to the troll's post, I spent my morning at the Millerville clean up. Wonderful event. People from all walks of life, plenty of diversity, and good spirits all converging to help an old troubled neighborhood. Picking up litter, painting out graffiti, hauling away trash, clearing alleys and just spending time being good neighbors. Someone even spotted ozzy helping out. Ms. Gomes and her faithful paint roller in hand, city employees volunteering their time, commissioners, business people, the Fighting Back Youth Partnership, Vallejo Garbage (always great help), Vallejo Leadership graduates, and everyone else. Big thanks to Tony Pearsall and Fighting Back for a job well done. Same to all the volunteers that showed up and made a difference in Vallejo. This is what Vallejo is made of.This is what makes and keeps Vallejo great! This is the spirit that will prevail through "Vallejo's Extreme Makeover"! Viva Vallejo!

kay   |May.31.2008 Can someone tell me about damage claims that I have been recently hearing about? I am not sure that I understand what that will mean to us.

Anonymous   |May.31.2008 On Fire, How does the police chief saying property crimes will not be investigated translate into your quote..."I tired of the VPD and supporters trying to scare people into thinking that the city is going to riot and be burnt down, with our families being dragged out into the streets." So tell me on Fire who said this? Talk about making up BS..you are the KING. Tell me, who mad such a comment? Something tells me your next post will have a bunch of made up stuff. If you are responding to a statment someone made, please tell us who made it.

Shay58   |May.31.2008 On Fire I, too, heard the chief say the VPD would no longer investigate property crimes. He made the statement at a city council meeting about two or three weeks ago as I recall. What I found interesting about the statement is that I don't believe the VPD has investigated property crimes in quite some time now. I believe Nichelini made his statement simply to scare the public.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.31.2008 "On Fire" when I made comparison of Vallejo and San Leandro and Vallejo and Berkeley, I was not in any way suggesting that we look at what they pay their fire and safety. I was really trying to point out that it is in the best interest of Chief Nic to portray Vallejo as a "dangerous" place to live and work. I happen to think that both Berkeley and San Leandro (who share similar crime stats to Vallejo) are find places to live, work and play, as I lived in San Leandro and liked it very much. Chief Nic likes to make the comparison of Vallejo turning into a "Richmond," which I am sure the citizens of Richmond dont appreciate his comments. It benefits a lot of people in our town to keep it "dangerous" and keep as many area full of blight as possible. Remember, when you have a blighted area, its a candidate for "redevelopement funds." Generally speaking, people will retain more about negative words than positive words, which is why the National Enquirer rag still sells like hotcakes.' So my comments about San Leandro and Berkeley were meant to be postive, as we are never compared to these East Bay cities that in my opinion "have it going on" in the way of retail, restaurants and entertainment... I gues the good think is, we havent be compared to Compton yet...

Michael Tatham   |May.31.2008 a police chief who his publicaly threatening the community with poor service because his people have to hve pay adjustments!!! and the city council/mayor doing nothing about this??? how many recall petitions can we circulate??? iam tiered of people saying because this is vallejo we don't deserve basic services. if the chief of police wants to be down on the town that he serves- let him go take his big *****on

silasbarnabe   |May.31.2008 Onfire: You hit the nail on the head! The Police Department Chief Herman Munster himself said that he would not investigate home crimes and the like. Looks like the PD is guilty of fear mongering and cooking the crime statistic books. You really hit a raw nerve with them and didn't even use the "shrew" tactic of commenting on their physical fitness attributes or lack there of.

John K   |May.31.2008 On Fire, I too have seen threatening or "sky is falling" posts from the PS contract supporters on Topix, the times horrid blogs. Here's an interesting one from the other day. It's Post #30 from http://tinyurl.com/5vnuzp, where someone named "at work" posted the following: "There still is an argument about safety. A man died from suffocation as a result of a station being closed. The autopsy showed that he did not die from the accident, but from being pinned. Had the station been opened they would have been there in time to extricate him! A nice tidy law suit against the city AND unions there!!"

On Fire   |May.30.2008 And just for the record, I never said that uniform cops don't make an impact or that we didn't need more cops on the street. But we have what we have and if needed, we can call on the CHP and Sheriff dept. to help if the ones on our payroll jump ship. I just don't like the scare tactics to justify your position. I don't scare easily. I've lived in cities/towns that were more crime ridden and cities that had less cops and cops that were paid less and they did a great job just the same.

On Fire   |May.30.2008 Sorry, asked and asnwered. Slow down and read the response. Nichelini and Parker were named. And yes, the witness gives the description and motor scooter happens to be around the corner and rides up on the bad guys. I'd call that lucky but you can brag on it, no sweat. But gee, isn't that what they are paid to do? Maybe some of those scooters should patrol the neighborhoods that have a costant drug problem and maybe they can luck up on catching some of them too. This is an on going game you guys love that entails arguing and demanding stats, names and historical references to try and distract from the issues. I've notice on the other blogs that even after tons of stats and reference material was provided, you still only wanted to argue and call names. Sorry, but I've got something of more interest I'd like to tend to now. More of "it is what it is" tomorrow. But don't fret, the times horrid blogs stay open all night. Have a good one.

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 On Fire, You never did answer my questions. Funny thing though, it was one of those "motor scooter cops" who confronted and ultimately arrested the two bank robbers a few weeks ago. On Fire, while you are entitled to your opinion, make sure of your facts before you give it. Uniformed cops on the street have an impact everwhere in the city...we need more.

McGruff and the rest of the po   |May.30.2008 Must be slow on the times herald blogs that we now have the boys in blue fan club posting here? Maybe they got tired of all that testosterone slinging over there and want to start over here. Can you say troll alert?.

On Fire   |May.30.2008 Your Nichelini made it. "We won't investigate home crimes. If your car is sstolen, no one will be coming to take a report. When you call the non-emergency numer, you won't get an answer, leave a message. We will not have a crime suppression unit anymore." Then you had the Parker "people are going to die" "lives are being put in danger" lines. This has gone on and on over the course of several council meetings. They are online, suggest you take a look. Your screaming BS doesn't negate the facts. Sorry but you need to bring more to this argument than "look at the FBI stats". Maybe you'd be better putting your energy into calling Nichelini and telling him to take the majority of his motor scooter cops off their traffic assignments and put them on patrol where they are needed since we are so short handed. Remember, you said we are losing them each day.

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 Yeap, more of the same. Please respond to my question. More BS from On Fire..."I tired of the VPD and supporters trying to scare people into thinking that the city is going to riot and be burnt down, with our families being dragged out into the streets." So tell me on Fire who said this? Talk about making up BS..you are the KING. Tell me, who mad such a comment? Something tells me your next post will have a bunch of made up stuff. If you are responding to a statment someone made, please tell us who made it.

McGruff   |May.30.2008 Looks like Vallejo is over double the national average for violent crimes: http://www.bestplaces.net/crime/?city1=50681666&city2=50606000

On Fire   |May.30.2008 anon, need not go much further that you previous blog: "Three officers from VPD are gone this week. One retirement and two lateral transfers to other agencies. The flood gates are opening and no one is paying attention. This ain't no joke folks...if you live in Vallejo you should be paying attention. Remember this post." The stats are what they are. The stats show our numbers were even high ten years ago or more when we had an all time high in homicides. I believe it was 16. And ten years ago is what Nichelini likes to reminisce about. I know the stats on rapes has not improved over the years as there was an article written about this fact. The other incidents that I listed are fact. Sorry you can spin all you want, but even when we had what Nichelini refers to as a "full dept." crime was no better, homicides still went unsolved. As to who has made "the sky is falling" comments, it was the boys in blue and the union talking heads. You have proven nothing by directing people to the FBI crime stats. Where is VPD's stats? They used to report these to the council on a yearly basis but whens the last time anyone has heard that report? Kind of hard to give those sad stats when your positioning yourself for a 10% salary increase huh? If the PD is so proud of their record, why haven't they reported them out to the public? Not the cherry picking that Nichelini did the other day, but the full stats for the last ten years? There are plenty of studies that show that more police and higher salaries don't necessarily equate to less crime and safer communities. Nichilini's own stats indicate that even though Fairfield's PD is paid less, their crime stats are lower. As I said, it's an attitudinal problem. To quote one of ozzy's favorite sayings, it is what it is.

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 More BS from On Fire..."I tired of the VPD and supporters trying to scare people into thinking that the city is going to riot and be burnt down, with our families being dragged out into the streets." So tell me on Fire who said this? Talk about making up BS..you are the KING. Tell me, who mad such a comment? Something tells me your next post will have a bunch of made up stuff. If you are responding to a statment someone made, please tell us who made it.

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 On Fire's quote..."When this city had a larger force, the crime stats for major cimes was at an all time high" So tell me On Fire , what years were you comparing and how many officers did VPD have at the time? On Fire is just making up stuff as he goes. Tell me On Fire, tell me. Or is this typical On Fire BS?

On Fire   |May.30.2008 Bottom line is, is that we better learn who our neighbors are and keep an eye out for each other. That is what has solved/prevented crimes. If we have to work with less, then we just have to step up and pay attention. I tired of the VPD and supporters trying to scare people into thinking that the city is going to riot and be burnt down, with our families being dragged out into the streets. Contrary to what some angry people say on the nonsense times horrid blogs, we still have good and caring people patroling our streets everday. If they go away, we can ask for help from the CHP and additional sheriff coverage. It happened before and we shall survive. When it comes down to it, the only thing that matters right now is what Vallejo can afford and it makes little difference what other cities pay. Maybe its an attitudinal problem with our police chief and not numbers.

Truth be Told   |May.30.2008 Tonight I saw what appeared to me to be a staged "bust". It was on Sacramento at Tennessee, north side of the intersection with 4 police cars, three AA men/boys on the curb with arms behind back (cuffs?) and a video camera working the angle from the street side of the scene. HIGHLY suspicious how it was laid out and it just seemed to me to be staged. Wouldn't be surprised in this day of "babies will diiieee!!!" rhetoric and the accelerated drumbeat of desperation from the FD and PD that they would create a scene for the media. Shame on ya little men. Can't you find a hooker to nab or an angry wife beater to bust instead of manufacturing trouble to prove how virile you are. Oh right, 4 cop cars and 3 juvies...do the math. Leeeeetle men.

On Fire   |May.30.2008 When this city had a larger force, the crime stats for major cimes was at an all time high. There were several homicides over the last few years that have never been solved. Over the last ten years or more, rapes have never gone down. But I suppose rapes aren't the glam crimes so no one really cares. The sale of drugs, crimes related to drug sales, prostitution, home breakins, robberies have all continued to grow, and the majority have never been solved. Does it matter how we compare with other cities when we supposedly pay the highest salaries for the best and most highly trained and OUR crime stats doesn't get any better? If our highest paid, most experienced can't stop cars from disappearing from the ferry lot, does it really matter how the stats compare with Berkeley? If someone's son is murdered in front of his home and two years later the police don't have a clue as to what happened, do we care what is the stats compared to any other city? If a doctor in his office is murdered in broad daylight and we still have no resolution, do we care how San Leandro is doing? If children are being snatched off our streets on the way to school in broad daylight, is anyone asking what other city's are doing? Or a man is shot right outside of the VPD office while trading off custody of the children, are we asking what Berkeley is doing? Please, this comparison shopping for employees is getting tired and we aren't Walmart!

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 Don't knwo what you are looking at Miss M. but here are the facts... http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/prelim2007/table4al_ca.htm Unfortunatley the FBI stats don't include the number of officers each city has...then you could really see (and maybe believe)the VPD workload.

WATZ UP WID DAT"   |May.30.2008 Hey time to call Walmart and let them know the large lot they own on Sonoma Blvd. is adding to the blight in our city. Cyclone fencing, weeds, plastic bags blowing everywhere. It looks terrible and the businesses surrounding it should not have to put up with it! Three Brothers Furniture and the Chinese Restaurant must be really mad at the conditions Walmart has left their property, time to call City Ordinance Dept!!!

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.30.2008 Here is an interesting website for all you VIB bloggers to check our crime stats against other bay area cites go to areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm You can compare your city to another cities crime rate. It appears that the City of Vallejo and the City of San Leandro are very similar, as well as the City of Berkeley and Vallejo. Check it out, its very interesting... Why doesn't anyone ever compare Vallejo to San Leandro or Berkeley when they are making negative remarks? Because its not as much fun, and both those cities might get mad and verbally retaliate if we injected their names along with negative crime talk... Anyway it looks like in 2006 we were under the national average for murder and rape... Why wasnt there an announcement from Chief Nic that crime was down in the City? Thats not fun, only fun to announce the bad stuff, not the good stuff... Keep em scared...

Anonymous   |May.30.2008 Three officers from VPD are gone this week. One retirement and two lateral transfers to other agencies. The flood gates are opening and no one is paying attention. This ain't no joke folks...if you live in Vallejo you should be paying attention. Remember this post. By the way, crime stats are reported to the FBI...just go to the web site and see them yourselves. Stop the conspiracy theory.

Bus to Napa   |May.30.2008 For a city in bankruptcy and all the union thugs threatening us about not enough cops and fire fighters left to keep us safe, there sure are a huge amount of Vallejo cops on traffic detail today. I saw more VPD cops giving out tickets today than I have in five years. No exaggeration either. I know its the end of the month and wonder if they still have ticket quotas to meet so they are out playing catch up? Any thoughts?

Whoooppeeee Great News!!!!!!!!   |May.30.2008 Taht should have read congratulations to Joe Feller and everyone concerned.

Whoooppeeee Great News!!!!!!!!   |May.30.2008 Times Herald 5:24PM Wal-Mart yanks Vallejo Super Center project Company spokesman:'Project infeasible at this time' By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer Article Launched: 05/30/2008 05:24:32 PM PDT "Wal-Mart had hoped to open a new store in Vallejo, but current growth plans, coupled with the increased costs since the project was first proposed in 2004, have made the project infeasible at this time," spokesman Kevin Loscotoff said. The announcement elicited a wide range of reaction. Full story at: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_9431101 Congartulation sto Joe fweller and everyone else concerned

Doug   |May.30.2008 MISSMARVELOUS, the data is being collected by someone although it looks like some years are missing. Take a look at this website that is pulling data from federal databases and I believe youll find the crime numbers are similar if not the same as the Chief used in his letter. 2006 is the latest year reported. www.idcide.com/citydata/ca/vallejo.htm

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.30.2008 I have a question for anyone who knows... We have not had from the Police Department a crime stat report in I believe in over 5+ years (or longer?) This was actually brought up at a City Council Meeting some time ago. So when Chief "Nic" is citing crime stats for Vallejo in the Times Herald, what stats is he citing from, current stats (of which we have no report) or old 5-10+ old stats? Does anyone know? It would be interesting to see if we had more police officers 10+ years ago when the crime rate was higher, than now, and the crime rate is down across the nation. That may be one of the reasons that VPD has not released crime stats for some time, what if we had less police officers, and less crime, what would that mean? The way Chief Nic speaks about Vallejo, its a regular "free for all" for criminals. The natives are restless, just waiting to break-out... Its so scary... Anything could happen at any moment... If it wasnt for the VPD we would all be running around committing crime and mayhem everywhere... Give me a break!!!

On Fire   |May.30.2008 One more reason for Nichelini to move on. He has long since stop being an advocate for the citizen's safety and only works to build his own kingdom and power. He has shown his disdain for the citizen's of Vallejo for two many years by his attitude. Members of the Oakland PD were glad when he left and he would have never made Chief there. Nichelini will tell his secretary to lie and say that he isn't in when citizens want to talk to him to lodge a complaint and then he tries to discourage people from filing by telling right off that he doesn't believe what they are saying. This has gone on for years. His department doesn't follow the rules, they hire their own people without going through the process, he resists and requests for information from the public, he is not accessible to the citizens, and on and on! He refuses to take his swettheart dept. of motorcycle cops of traffic duty and put them on patrol where they are needed the most because he likes his shiney bike and now we have his son following in his footsteps. I don't know how many complaints I have heard about how rude and arrogant his son is toward the public. Guess it's easy to treat people like dirt when your daddy's the chief! It's time for him to take his three retirements and move on. Now that his cash cow has dried up and he can't keep buying his shiney toys, he'll move on. New blood is needed for both VPD adn VFD. Too bad we can't get a chief like the one in Vacaville.

Shay58   |May.30.2008 Silas: That was funny. I immediately thought of "Car 54 where arrreeeee youuuu?" I

Firebug   |May.30.2008 Nichelini as Herman Munster Silas you have one sick mind. Here is a lnk to the article where Dellums is sponsoring a cop tax. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2008/05/20/BASI10P63G.DTL

John K   |May.30.2008 Tell me, "Capt West" impostor, this man with vast police experience, Fire Chief and City Manager experience... what are his plans for running VPD during this emergency? Other than responding to times horrid opinion pieces? Honesty is great, but let's hear the rest of it. Give us the bad news too, Chief. How long have we got before the huns capture the City? [ring, ring...] "Thanks for calling Nichelini's Outplacement Service, how can I help?... "Frisco? You bet. San Francisco called to set up meetings with our officers for the purpose of enticing them to join the SFPD. Oakland? No prob. I confirmed that Oakland will employ any qualified Vallejo Police Officer at a higher salary... similar benefits... shift differential for night work. OT? You bet... from my experience, significant overtime."

GoodFaith   |May.30.2008 At the pay rate our PD is at now (10 to 15 percent above median), even with a cut, Vallejo won't turn into a revolving door. Right now we're a favorite last stop on the career ladder because of our high salaries and the fact that we give the most longevity pay of any city in the Bay Area -- the career years invested in other cities count in Vallejo. 10 percent in longevity is quite a bump just moving from Oakland to Vallejo. I'd love it if our venerable Chief would actually start hiring Vallejoans instead of constantly trolling in Oakland. Let's train them and employ them and incentevize them to live in Vallejo and stop this exodus to Danville, Vacaville, Napa, etc. Maybe then they'd care about the community in which they collect their paychecks. As far as the Chief's letter, I wonder who he represents -- the VPOA or the City? He likes to spout crime stats to scare people, but his constant twisting of stats to suit his whining is getting old. He's taken up Parker's "everybody is going to die" mantra. He should start acting like a Chief of Police instead of a Union mouthpiece. Reorganize the Department to fit the reality that we have in Vallejo, don't just keep cutting where it hurts the citizens most to make a point. Uncle. We get it Chief -- you need more police officers. But we can't afford them at the pay scale/bennies we have now. So lower the pay scale a bit, reduce bennies, and then we can start hiring.

WATZ UP WID DAT?   |May.30.2008 Unfortunately, how dangerous a job does not equate with the pay one receives, otherwise Roofers, Window Washers, Crossing Guards, 7-11 Clerks, Animal Trainers, and our "guys and gals" in the Military would all be millionaire's by now. No one ever performed Fire and Police jobs to "get rich" it has always been (until now) a job you do for the love of the profession. Most of the Country does not pay like our city and other surrounding cities have, so Fire and Police do work for good pay and for the lover of their job. If you want to earn the pay of doctors and lawyers, then get your "higher education" and go work in the private sector. You will find that the pay may be great, but your benefits will never come close to those in your union.

silasbarnabe   |May.30.2008 Justyou: And yet Mustard, Henke, and Riley love the "revolving door" paper.

JustMe   |May.29.2008 I find it quite amusing that OnFire's closing remarks on a posting of May 29th, are "It costs money to pay real journalists. Most of the people that come here are new and move on as quickly as possible to better employment." Isn't this what has been said about Public Safety? That if the going rate and benefits aren't paid, Vallejo will become a revolving door? You don't want Public Safety to go the way of the, what is it you call the paper, the Times Horrible? And to think one of the VIBers realizes what a revolving door can do.......yes it can come around and smack you in the tush....night all.

Capt West   |May.29.2008 I was reviewing the letter in the paper from the chief and thought it was interesting. Our cops have a hard job.

silasbarnabe   |May.29.2008 Michael, Our Chief of Police (who strongly resembles Fred Gwynne from Car 54 where are you and the Munsters comedy series) also failed to mention to hire the addiitonal officers (according to Chip JOhnson at the Chronicle) Mayor Dellums was going to put a tax measure on the ballot. Chip Johnson attributed this to the city of Vallejo filing for bankruptcy.

Michael Tatham   |May.29.2008 did anyone see the chief of police's letter today in the times herald??? he wrote how dangerous it is to be a police officer in vallejo, thus not making them overpaid. i think of all the times i have been denied basic police service in this town (and when i do get if i complain about the response time i get an attitude) and how i get swift, courteous police response by a much poorly paid county deputies in areas that abut vallejo, i think that maybe our public servants here in vallejo are mercenaries. (i once waited over an hour for police response that never came while someone was in one of my rental properites looting it. when i wrote a letter to our chief of police - he had some idiot write me back a two page letter saying i never called the police dept) our fair chief of police also mentioned how recruiters from the bay area are recruiting our officers becasuse they feel they are being underpaid!! WE ARE BEING POLICED BY MERCENARIES

Doug   |May.29.2008 Interesting article about affordable housing and Lennar http://tinyurl.com/5f2446

Ann O Nemus   |May.29.2008 Big Box Beat: I don't understand your point, Joe. Following your logic, should your crusade include closing down the big box retailers in Vallejo? Let's start with Costco, Home Depot, Target, Walgreens, OfficeMax, Michaels, Old Navy, Dollar Tree ... I confess I just had a $1.50 hotdog and soda combo at Costco. OK, I could have spent $5 at Angie's, but I needed cheap gas, and so I went to Costco. I support local businesses, but during these hard times, consumers will look for a better deal, and 9 out of 10 times it will be from chain store retailers.

On Fire   |May.29.2008 I think that it's too soon to try and kick Lennar off of Mare Island. It would be two years down the road to find another developer, get the necessary paperwork processed, and start in a whole new direction for Mare Island. Maybe Lennar would be able to rethink their development ideas to include more light/clean industry but it would have to take into account Touro's cancer center. Considerable more planning needs to take place and no knee jerk responses as that has what has been the problem with so many of Vallejo's development. This type of thinking is what gave us more liquor stores, tatto parlors and smoke shops. (Any business is good business) As far as the times horrid is concerned, it's a waste of time to complain to the parent company. We have tried that as far back as 1997 and nothing has changed except the paper has become worse. People contacted the owner of the media company and placed calls to somewhere in Arkansas at that time. Nothing happened. They know exactly what is going on there and if they objected to it, it would have changed by now. The only thing that get's their attention is the money. If people in mass cancelled their subscriptions and businesses stop placing ads, then there may be change. It cost money to pay real journalists. Most of the people that come here are new and move on as quickly as possible to better employment.

Anonymous   |May.29.2008 Perfect opprtunity for Mare Island to develop into a railway and shipping transportation megahub for the Bay Area. The entire island can be utilized for this purpose, and bring economic vitality for Vallejo. Clear out all the homes and use the western side of Mare Island with the deeper waters there for establishing a Chicago-style rail yard, and for loading and unloading ships. No more Lennar building homes that cannot bring in revenues to Vallejo...... US rail network facing congestion 'calamity' http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080529/D90VEUH81 "The nation's 140,000-mile network of rails devoted to carrying everything from cars to grain by freight is already groaning under the strain of congestion, with trains forced to stand aside for hours because of one-track rail lines." "And it's probably going to get worse over the next two decades, according to an analysis of government and industry projections by The Associated Press and interviews with experts on rail freight." "The damage to the U.S. economy could climb into the billions of dollars. Higher shipping costs would raise prices for everything from lumber to grain. One analyst said the rail crunch could add thousands of dollars to the price of a car." "Other modes of transport can't take up the slack: Trucking faces its own congestion problems, a shortage of drivers and high fuel prices. Ships and barges can't reach large parts of the country. Airplanes couldn't begin to carry the millions of tons of coal, waste, chemicals, grain and cars hauled by trains. And hauling freight by rail remains far more fuel-efficient than trucking."

Anonymous   |May.29.2008 Pressure Grows to End Binding Arbitration with Government Unions Written By: David Denholm Publisher: The Heartland Institute http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=20477 Binding Arbitration for Unions Endangers Competitiveness and Innovation by Paul Kersey and James Sherk March 5, 2007 http://www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/wm1384.cfm Binding Arbitration Threatens Workers' Rights June 20, 2007 by James Sherk http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed06207a.cfm The Incredible Shrinking Labor Movement Mackinac Center for Public Policy Posted: Feb. 13, 2007 http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=8223

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.29.2008 Thank you to everyone who has written to Solano County, regarding the new 2008 Solano County General Plan 2008. Thanks to Little Old Lady, we knew to take a look at what they intend to do with regards to allowing high density development in the unincorporated parts of VAllejo. Keep writing those letters, I am sure they are surprised they didnt sneak that one by us, considering we are all concentrating on Vallejo's finances as well as the binding arbitration issue. Keep letter writing, we have until June 2nd!

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.29.2008 Going back 20 + years, there use to be "real" journalist writing for the Times Herald, you can look in the archives of both the VAllejo Naval Museum and the Times Herald. A few weeks ago, I asked you all not to expect much of the "sophmoric" style of writing, as they write like a bunch of kids reporting on a high school basketball game. Not much time is spent on research, just printing stories based on "hear-say." Until the Times Herald hires someone with a background in journalism, we will never see stories of substance, its like having the "National Enquirer" writing stories about your town...

Vallejo deserves better   |May.28.2008 The Times Herald sets the tone for how Vallejo is viewed by the rest of the bay area. If its readers and the citizens of Vallejo are willing to tolerate it then they deserve it. On the other hand if you want a change contact: MediaNews Group Corporate Headquarters 101 W. Colfax Avenue, Suite 1100 Denver, Colorado 80202 303.954.6360 (voice) 303.954.6320 (fax) contact@medianewsgroup.com Richard B. Scudder Chairman, MediaNews Group, Inc. William Dean Singleton Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MediaNews Group, Inc. Officers William Dean Singleton Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark J. Winkler Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Anthony F. Tierno Senior Vice President of Operations Ronald A. Mayo Vice President and Chief Financial Officer James L. McDougald Treasurer David M. Bessen Vice President and Chief Information Officer Stephen M. Hesse Senior Vice President Circulation Michael J. Koren Vice President and Controller Peter R. Vandevanter Vice President Targeted Products Howell E. Begle, Jr. Assistant Secretary and General Counsel, MediaNews Group, Inc. Of Counsel, Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP Jean L. Scudder

John K   |May.28.2008 Hello Firebug, LOL, Missmarvelous, and others interested in the topic... I too, have sent in comments on the Draft EIR for the 2008 Solano County General Plan, emphasizing the problem of Vallejo's inability to provide adequate services (i.e. water, sewer, road maintenance, fire & police) to high density residential units in unincorporated areas of Vallejo. The allowable number of 25 dwelling units per acre is too high and should be reduced to 6 or 8. I'm hoping such a comment will help prevent the County from allowing low-income or disadvantaged folks to be concentrated into Vallejo areas with substandard services. Thank you LOL for sharing your knowledge. And Firebug, I had to smile at the thought of a "tax" on developing housing for low-income folks, where the development gets subsidized and property owner gets tax breaks. I'm hoping the new Mayor and Council will decide to focus on funding affordable housing for homeowners instead of renters.

John K   |May.28.2008 On Fire, I fear you spoke (or typed) too soon. Looks like we just recovered from another glitch. Should we be concerned? What say, Edinator?

On Fire   |May.28.2008 So glad to see the glitch has been fixed! Thought that the site had been kidnapped! As far as the rantings over at the times horrid, I think we should take them for what they are...rantings. There may be a couple of city employees posting but who cares really. If people simply ignored them they would eventually go away. They can't play too long by themselves. The conversations have gotten so bad now, I doubt that anyone goes there to get any real information. Even if they did, they would soon find that any realistic conversation is non-existent there. The people that are left are either hard core posters that still try to reach the masses, yea Golden Retirement and Vallejo Visitor and others! Or the useless bobble head bloggers that exist only to try to interrupt the flow of information and dialog. The rest of the paper can be scanned withing 5 minutes and is really so sad. The city is bankrupt, there is an election coming up, there is the world news, yet our times horrid is content to cut and paste off of the AP wires. So sad!

Firebug   |May.28.2008 Little Old Lady and Misssmarvelous I have sent my objections to section 8 housing. I also have an idea that might deter future developments and it just might be an easy tool to pass if put on the ballot. What if a tax on major section 8 developments were put on the ballot? I don't want to nickel and dime the one or two unit owner but the major development like the one accross from Mervnns. I assume because of voucher constraints the developers and owners can't pass the tax down to their renters. It could go a long way in helping pay for city services. If it is not profitable for slum lords that are assessed a slum tax to open shop in Vallejo perhps we could attract families and individuals that actually pay mroe taxes then services they require?

momster   |May.28.2008 I'm trying to figure out why public safety personal feels that there are openings elsewhere-- very few openings within the bay area. Surrounding counties are watching Vallejo. I suspect cuts in public safety will soon be occuring in other cities/counties.

John K   |May.28.2008 Sick & Tired, it's disturbing to read the comments, but there's no reason to suspect that our good men and women in blue are blogging while on duty. They have a rather large stake in the outcome of Vallejo's bankruptcy resolution, so they might be motivated to follow the topics on their own time. There's no proof that the threats are actually coming from VPD officers, but it appears to be from people who support the gold-plated contracts and status quo. The basic message seems to be that the VPD is the only thing standing between citizens and disaster, and if pay is cut, officers will leave, and Vallejo will be overwhelmed by gangs, drugs, violence, and a general crime wave. The bad guys will be sucked into the vacuum as police take employment elsewhere, and Vallejo will be left undefended. When you call for police, no one will be there to answer the phone. Bad things might happen to you and your family. I disagree. People should do what they think is best for employment and career opportunities. Vallejo is bankrupt, but it will recover. No one knows exactly how long it will take, but the situation won't last forever, and there's no reason to expect a crime wave during the transition. The Times-Herald may be allowing the fear factor to generate interest in their poor publication, but it doesn't reflect what's actually happening or what's going to happen. The City will do what's necessary to get through the bankruptcy and recovery period. Some police officers may find jobs with other cities or other agencies. They will be replaced. The ones who remain in Vallejo may take a temporary pay cut, but will have some benefits of promotion and seniority as the City recovers from bankruptcy. Vallejo will appreciate the folks who are able to stay, and will miss many of those who must leave.

Sick & Tired   |May.28.2008 John K -- are the threats on the Times Horrid coming from police officers? Threats from them to us, we the people? Has anybody lodged a complaint with the city manager? Perhaps a little internal investigation into city computer use? Threats, direct or indirect, coming from those sworn to "protect and to serve" are unacceptable.

John K   |May.28.2008 In a times horrid "poll", a poster under the name of "Little Old Lady" typed the following: "I have lived here all of my life and have watched this newspaper go steadily down hill over the years. But when it condones (by not removing) comments from angry police and fire fighters who are implying that we will not be safe as a result of their threats, it is time for the publisher of this newspaper to be replaced with one that is more accountable to and has a higher regard for its readers." http://tinyurl.com/69zqys The hard copy rag is very poor, but the times horrid blogs are... horrid. Gotta remind yourself the blogs are there for amusement purposes only. There are many attempts at dialog there, but productive trains of thought are often derailed by keyboard vandalism. Name calling, personal attacks, pen-name hijacking, and just plain silly stuff. The blogs associated with other newspapers seem to be civilized, but the times horrid blogs are speckled with juvenile posters. Vandalism. An embarrassment for sure. Be thankful for the Vallejo Independent Bulletin. Now there's a paper worthy of subscription. Viva VIB. Viva Vallejo.

On Fire   |May.27.2008 Erika, it seems that the integrity of the times horrid has hit rock bottom months ago. I have cancelled my subscription long ago and only scan the headlines online. Once in a while there are articles that have some interest value. All one has to do is take a gander at the type of conversations going on on the blogs and you could make assumptions on what the newspaper (and I use the term loosely)is about. They have stopped monitoring the conversations and for anyone that may be viewing it from outside of Vallejo, it's an embarassment to the city. To think that most of these people actually live in Vallejo is scary. I think that if everyone who is not happy with the paper, calls in and stops their subscription and not place ads in the paper, the quicker we can have something done by the people who own the paper. The paper out does the National Inquirer and Star in slim and nonsense news. Watch for alien spaceship sitings soon!

Firebug   |May.27.2008 Edinator, What the NYPD unions need is Matt Mustard.

Edinator   |May.27.2008 Here's an interesting link about the pay that NYPD gets: http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=41483

Erika H   |May.27.2008 Or the article about the fourth homicide in the city with absolutely no information provided? The Chronicle and VIB has done their job for them at this point, all they need to do is write the story and inform the public about what's going on in our city. We are bankrupt and the front page article for yesterday was dancing dogs!

Firebug   |May.27.2008 Well since the May 27 council meeting is "cancelled" it will be at least another 2 days before we know much more about the back room deals transpiring.

Shay58   |May.27.2008 Erika H. Since when has the T-H done any article that requires a bit of digging? Remember Sunday's paper w/o a mention of bankruptcy (save a letter to the editor)?

Erika H   |May.27.2008 Okay, this is 5 days and counting that I haven't heard a peep from the Times-Herald about Calvin Grigsby.

Anonymous   |May.27.2008 Novato educator joins Vallejo charter school Tony Burchyns www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_9370907?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com

Anonymous   |May.27.2008 "THE NEAR-bankruptcy of Vallejo, Marin's neighbor, reads like the script of a teen horror movie." www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_8688252?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com

Anonymous   |May.27.2008 Mandatory Collective Bargaining Creates More Problems Than It Solves by James Sherk, The Heritage Foundation -- July 6, 2007 http://www.heritage.org/Research/GovernmentReform/wm1538.cfm "Legislation before Congress would require almost all state and local governments to recognize public sector unions as the exclusive representative of their public safety employees." Fomenting Conflict, Not Cooperation "Experience demonstrates that collective bargaining does not lead to increased cooperation between public safety employees and their employers. The process is inherently adversarial. Pitting employees and employers against each other at the bargaining table creates as much conflict as cooperation." An Unfunded Mandate "H.R. 980 would impose a substantial unfunded mandate on state and local governments. A union's monopoly over bargaining makes it a cartel that prevents employers from hiring workers who would do the same job for less than union wages. That benefits union members at the expense of their potential competitors. It also means that state and local governments must pay more to have the same work done. Without providing financing for the mandate, the act will force these governments to either cut services or raise taxes." Conclusion "H.R. 980 is a solution in search of a problem. Most states already require or allow public safety employees to collectively bargain, and large majorities of police officers and firefighters already belong to unions. Furthermore, collective bargaining does not necessarily lead to a more cooperative workplace. H.R. 980 would impose a large unfunded mandate on state and local governments that do not currently use collective bargaining."

Anonymous   |May.27.2008 WOW, ran across this article below while Googling the tipic on firefighters and collective bargaining agreements...... Farmington firefighters win lawsuit against city - Las Cruces Sun-News The Associated Press Article Launched: 04/11/2008 06:13:21 AM MDT http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_8889422 FARMINGTON, N.M.

silasbarnabe   |May.27.2008 I agree except one big thing, that picture doesn't show Cloutier probably because he officially dropped his challenge for the mayor campaign. Ozzy won(by a couple of votes) if he can't take the heat in the kitchen tough! On another note it appears newpapers are biased all over (yes the ones you even have to pay for) I haven't seen that type of caricature for Supervisor Reagan who got a DUI blurping his answers back to Officers "I only had one-two-tree drinks ocifer". I have seen every which kind of back peddling with you union guys sore losers now sore winners?

On Fire   |May.26.2008 Get over it NBR, old history and we've moved on, Looks like your still stuck on stupid comments. We are half a year down the road. Try to keep up!

On Fire   |May.26.2008 Poor NBR, no one to play with on the times horrid?

NBR   |May.26.2008 Its not racist, it's just biased. If this was an even handed journalistic endeavor they'd have a picture of Cloutier sitting behind a car wheel with his (?) vomit on his shirt. But, having an alchoholic mayor is less news worthy and the attempt to avoid bankruptcy???? Hmmmmm, I wonder what the cartoon would have looked like if Calvin or Ozz would have been arrested for DUI?

On Fire   |May.26.2008 Some may be a little too sensitive when it comes to our MAYOR and any criticism that goes his way. The fact that he is an African-American seems to make people feel that he is unfairly targeted but anyone in public office is open to scrutiny. Especially when they are making decisions that affect our lives. The issue of Grigsby is similiar and I don't think there is any racial connotation to the cartoon. I think some will be upset if anything is said about ozzy and what he does. Grigsby does have a cloud of suspicion that follows everything he does and it comes from decisions he's made and how he conducts his business. Sorry, but he is a questionable business person.

momster   |May.26.2008 oops hadn't had my coffee yet. Then we would have to say that that taco bell commerical is also racist. Hey, does anyone know why there has been a mult-million dollar fire truck flying the American flag parked along HWY 29? It's been abandoned there for weeks.

momster   |May.26.2008 If that cartoon is racist then can we say that the televised commercial deplicting a little chihuaha (sp?) dog saying "yo, quero taco bell." Don't pull the race card, that's for.

JustMyOp   |May.26.2008 There is absolutely nothing racist about the cartoon. Very clever and creative. Good job!

silasbarnabe   |May.26.2008 If I was a betting man (like Ozzy for seeking out Grigsby) I would wager that the race card posts are from the same ISP and possibly the same IP (is that correct Edinator?).

Anonymous   |May.25.2008 Label me ignorant, but what exactly is racist about the cartoon ?

In it for the long haul   |May.25.2008 WOW! I'm a supporter but that cartoon is over the top. Too many racial overtones skew the message and do more harm than good.

Anonymous   |May.24.2008 State of California's Over-$100,000 Earners http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/statepay/ The State of California has nearly 15,000 full-time employees with annual base pay over $100,000. Find out who they are, what departments they worked for and how much they made by searching the database below.

silasbarnabe   |May.24.2008 the right to collective bargain bill was posted here earlier and I haven't heard much comment about it. I suspect that is because it will affect states that are(and will not affect vallejo) "right to work" states like Texas that do not allow union organizing.

Vallejo Heights   |May.24.2008 Surprised that no one has provided a link to today's SF Chronicle story yet. It includes some very interesting quotes from a former federal bankruptcy judge. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/23/BAAF10S5VS.DTL

LadyLike   |May.24.2008 Are you tracking Senate Bill 2123 that addresses Collective Bargaining? Here are a couple of links you may find interesting: http://www.iaff.org/08News/051608CB.htm http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00980:

JustMyOp   |May.24.2008 Racism comes in all colors.

WATZ UP WID DAT?   |May.24.2008 You can tell when the VFD is trolling on the VIB website, as they all have poor spelling... (learn when to use "there" "their" and "they're, it makes one look ignorant when you use the wrong tents, I mean tense...) Reminder to all VIB bloggers, June 2, 2008 is the cut off to send your letters to Solano County protesting the allowance for "high density" housing in unincorporated Vallejo which is in the new Solano County General Plan. If you google Solano County General Plan 2008 it will take you right to the report. It's a way for Solano County to dump more voucher based rentals in our City, just like American Canyon has been the dumping ground for the up-scale up-valley cities of Napa, St. Helena, Rutherford etc. No city wants to have to accomodate voucher based rentals, but everyone should have to support their own share and not sneak it off on another city (as wealthy Tiburon does.) Write your letter today and express your dissatisfaction!

Anonymous   |May.24.2008 Vallejo Files For Bankruptcy Read the court filing http://cdn.sfgate.com/chronicle/acrobat/2008/05/23/application.pdf

silasbarnabe   |May.23.2008 Onfire- The old way of busines is better described in my opinion as farengi with Kurt Henke and Mustard sharing the prized rank of "Grand Nagus"

On Fire   |May.23.2008 No VHS, we move together as the Star Fleet Command, exploring new frontiers. We are moving away from the Klingons who try to cling on to the old way of doing business. The Klingons that wish to cling on to the good old boy control. The Klingons that wish to cling on to union control. Nanu Nanu

VHS   |May.23.2008 Take 2 This is how it works here Anonymous, they move in a pack like the Borg from Star Trek. Dont be put off though, they really are good people. I can vouch for most of them they are not racists.

On Fire   |May.23.2008 I agress Silas that we should move on but I think clarification is a good thing. Anon you originally come on to post your objection to what you felt was my insinuating that our MAYOR had done some thing illegal. I never implied such. I ask the question if there was an alterior motive. A justifiable question considering the MAYOR has a connection with people that have drawn the attention of the Feds to themselves and illegal activities. It makes the pubic skeptical of the true intent especially if done in secret. The issue was Grigsby, his supposed deal and who brought him into the city. I disagree that the presentation was done in public as no one else knew of such meeting (except who he met with) and it was never mentioned at council meetings. Now as to the use of nicknames. I would have understood if you asked that I not use nicknames for any person, but you only objected to the use of the nickname for the MAYOR. So it seemed that your real objection was any subject that concerned the MAYOR. I beleive the reference to the man behind the curtain in OZ is appropriate as the MAYOR has tried to pulled strings behind the scenes, and unknown to the public. My opinion. As to the picture, it's an election referenced picture that one would have to see to understand the objection. If you don't wish to go see it for yourself, then a simple call or email to him would be just as good. I find it objectionable from someone who claimed to want to build bridges and work together with everyone, who then would hang that picture. The picture paints a different mindset. It is politically incorrect and offensive to many. So when he takes that picture down, then I will consider the use of his proper title. Not being funny, just real.

VHS   |May.23.2008 This is how it works here Anonymous, they move in a pack

Earn It   |May.23.2008 Respect is earned, not assumed or required or demanded. Osby, Erin and Michael campaigned by harshly criticizing the former council for being too combative with the poor unions. They promised that if elected, they would do it differently. They said it was so simple. They would be nice and the unions would be nice back. They would come to the table and negotiate in good faith and that good faith would magically cause the unions to give them a deal that worked. They would be honest, and the unions would tell the truth and honor their word. I didn't see them question anybody who had gone through the previous few years or ask their opinions as to why the negotiation process failed. Why did Gerry Davis, a union stalwart, finally turn and vote against the unions? Why did Intintoli, a man who liked to go along to get along, choose to fight the union bad behavior and bad faith negotiating? Why were they talking about bankruptcy back in October? Well, they got their wishes and were elected. Now, six months and what, $500k worth of negotiating later, their campaign promises are in ashes. Their city is in bankruptcy. Do you think they might start listening now (to anyone other than IAFF or VPOA)?

Firebug   |May.23.2008 Like I said before....Sorry but any person including Ozzy that gets advice and keeps the company of Kevin Shelley (disgraced politician), Willie Brown (keep the polls open later in the hood), Elihue Harris (dinners for votes), and finally Calvin Grigsby (shylock) can save all their "best interest for Vallejo" rhetoric to themselves

silasbarnabe   |May.23.2008 Troll alert! I agree firebug sour grapes. Instead of trolling let's stick to the issues who cares what a someones opinion of something as that is unrelated to what is in front of us now.

VHS   |May.23.2008 Anonymous, I appreciate the comments you made. The regular posters here are dyed in the wool Gary Cloutier supporters and disrespect for Mayor Davis may be largely left over from the hard fought campaign and election. I would encourage you to keep posting here least these poor regulars become inbred in their opinions. A diversity of opinions will keep this site healthy and be an asset to Vallejo as we move forward.

Wicked   |May.23.2008 Calling someone "outside their name" may be considered rude, deragatory, etc. But unless it is specifically a racial name, to call it racist is ridiculous.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Okay, this is getting ridiculus. On Fire, I won't even respond to your question about women. You know exactly what I was saying to you. Of course you took it to the nth degree and are making a joke out of what I considered serious. So much for intelligent discourse. By the way, since I have never been to his office nor do I have any plans to go there what exactly is in his office?

JustMyOp   |May.23.2008 "We call the funded four, the funded four." I totally cracked up.

On Fire   |May.23.2008 And just so that I'm clear, if I call a woman of color something other than her name, can that be considered racist too? You know, like friend or such? Should I address all people of color only by their proper title? Just wondering?

On Fire   |May.23.2008 Then I suggest you make that trip and see for yourself. Once you have seen it, you will understand.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Last post. I did not say your intent was racist On Fire. I said that calling a black person some other name is incorrect and racist. There is a difference. Now as to the rest of your text. What picture? Sorry, but I have not been in the mayor's office so I don't know what you are referring to.

On Fire   |May.23.2008 If I had only given the MAYOR a nickname, then I may have agreed with you on "your" take of my comments. But if you would have read any previous comments, I have nicknames for many other people including council members and union heads. I am an equal opportunity nicknamer. While I fully understand your your position, but I have to disagree about my intent being racist. The city has a tendency to make these back room deals, behind the curtain if you will, hence the term OZ. But you bring up an interesting issue. If the term ozzy offends you and your intent was to educate, then I would ask that you speak to our MAYOR, and ask him why he insists on leaving the picture he has on his wall up. The picture could be taken as offensive and I'd like to see it removed. I think it is politically incorrect to hang such a picture in the office of the MAYOR. If you can talk to him about that and get that done, then I will stop using ozzy. Deal?

overpaid   |May.23.2008 It is our right and duty as Americans to criticize, scrutinize and occasionally ridicule our leaders. We call Bush Shrub, we call the funded four the funded four, we can damn well call Ozzy Ozzy. Being on the dark end of the skin spectrum myself, I find it offensive that someone should suggest that we should take it easy on an elected leader because he's black. That's it's culturally disrespectful to call Ozzy Ozzy. What? it is childish and unrealistic to expect differently. Ozzy's a politician, and he will be scrutinzed as such. Expect nothing less from educated, conscious people. I doubt Ozzy feels hurt as you do!...Keep speaking the truth, people, don't let the dissenters shut you up....a propos: Who is the judge? the judge is God. Why is he God? because he decides who wins or loses, not my opponent. Who is my opponent? He doesn't exist. He is merely a dissenting voice to the truth I speak. (From The Debaters)

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 I don't post there nor do I look at those blogs. Not since before the elcetions in November.

Where was Grigsby?   |May.23.2008 Anonymous, I sure hope you are posting that message over at the Times Herald blogs. The nasty names they use make this blog look like a Sunday school. Especially now that BK is filed, the vitriole is unbelievable. I saw a post over at SF Gate that refered to a "civil war" in Vallejo that is destroying this town, and I agree. I think it started years ago, there are some old timers that can't even talk to each other. And in our we civil war, guess who was winning? Henke and the IAFF...maybe not anymore?

Thanks for the lesson...   |May.23.2008 Moving on...

Where was Grigsby?   |May.23.2008 And one more thing to Anonymous about On Fire's alleged insinuation. I read On Fire's post and I did not think there was any insinuation of Davis doing anything illegal. All you have to do is read about Grigsby from those links and realize that he is a very slick and sophisticated investor...and other people have gotten in trouble while Grigsby has stayed above the law... The City needs to be VERY wary of a deal with Grigsby because we could lose a lot and we simply can't afford it! And what does a loan from this guy mean? It means we are still in debt and now we will owe him interest, and it will allow the Council to again avoid the tough decisions that MUST BE DONE NOW. Davis has already proven to me that he is somewhat naive and gullible--thinking that he could negotiate a successful deal with the Safety Unions to avoid bankruptcy in FOUR MONTHS that no council has been able to do for decades. Com'on, we all knew it was a waste of time. But, if Davis was thinking strategy and using the four month negotiations to prove to the BK judge that we tried our best...then I give him huge kudos, because I think the judge will see it that way...he did try.

anonymous   |May.23.2008 Sorry, but if you read my post, I was only doing what so many others do on this site . . . educate people. It is culturally incorrect to call someone by other than their given name. If the word racist offends you, sorry. Unfortunately, many people of color understand the lesson I was trying to pass on. This offense occurs not just with blacks but most people of color. Don't know their name, well let's call them something else. I know their name but I'll call them something else anyway. Since this site is one of intelligent discourse then you will accept and understand what I am tyring to pass on so that this mistake will not continue. I did not say you could not say anything negative about the mayor. What I did say is be correct and call him by his correct name. I am sure you would not like me to call Stephanie Gomes some name other than Stephanie. Since I am a male this could be perceived as sexist and on this site would definitely come under attack.

Where was Grigsby?   |May.23.2008 "As to finding out about Grigsby from the paper, I think his presentation was done here in Vallejo and was open to the public." HUH? Tell me, where and when did THIS happen?

Hey Anonymous...   |May.23.2008 It would be nice if you put your thinking cap on and realize that The Mayor (see that -- I even capitalized it) wasn't brought down because of his clever ideas to get us out of bankruptcy. It was the specifics of his ideas. Why would any ordinary prudent person ask Grigsby to bail us out of our problems when he has proven himself an untrustworthy person in his many business dealings? I mean, we barely escaped from the claws of the Unions and The Mayor wants us to consider getting bailed out by someone like Grigsby? I personally know The Mayor, I like him, but from what I hear, he has ignored many laws in his little time as Mayor. Such as insisting that he be in meetings where he shouldn't be - commanding the City Manager to do something differently than what he has already decided, and much more. No one ever said all of this was The Mayor's fault. But for his ego and pride, and now his political connections to catch-me-if-you-can Grigsby, there's nothing left but to question his thinking or his circle of friends. Johnnie Cochran is a damn good attorney. He got a murderer off the hook because of one lousy glove. Are you asking us to take The Mayor off the hook for his one great intent to save Vallejo by hooking us up with a chronic criminal? Rather than teach us how to be politically correct, or calling us racists, why not teach The Mayor how to follow the rules, the law, and keep savvy criminals off our City. And please, pull the race card somewhere else. We don't have time for that here.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 If I use Firebug's logic, no one in Vallejo should take the advice of Joe Tanner. After all, he had his own difficulties in Pleasant Hill and Pacifica. I for one am not using that logic. I think Tanner is probably a good manager. We will find out now that he can move on to other things. As to finding out about Grigsby from the paper, I think his presentation was done here in Vallejo and was open to the public.

Upset Resident   |May.23.2008 Anonymous, You had me 'till you used the word racist... That was out of line. I would tend to agree with the rest.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 What irks me is that we Vallejoans had to find out about the Grigsby dealy-deal through the SF Chronicle!! Unfortunately for Osby Davis, perception is everything. Many Vallejoans have little trust for anyone on the Dais (except Gomes and Schivley) and especially those who have IAFF funding ("the funded four" and those with endorsements from all the good ol' boys that got us where we are today (5 of them...). Where's Intintoli these days? Anonymous says that we "should have asked [Davis] why he talked to Calvin Grigsby." Who even knew until yesterday??? Davis should have talked to US (the public!) And unfortunately, Grigsby's dealings that are all over the internet don't look so good. FBI indictments; in cahoots with Perata, the architect of the ferry WETA takeover; Perata connected to Grigsby (Perata being investigated for $ from Grigsby he didn't report); Grigsby having a penchant for buying waterfronts... Unfortunately the whole thing smells and now Grigsby wants to loan us $? And regarding calling someone other than their given names, I think this site quite evenly distributes nicknames. Take Bartenke for instance...

Firebug   |May.23.2008 Sour grapes troll alert!

Firebug   |May.23.2008 Anony, Sorry but any person including Ozzy that gets advice and keeps the company of Kevin Shelley (disgraced politician), Willie Brown (keep the polls open later in the hood), Elihue Harris (dinners for votes), and finally Calvin Grigsby (shylock) can save all their "best interest for Vallejo" rhetoric to themselves.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 It would be nice if On Fire would stop insinuating the mayor has done anyhting illegal. If your knew anything about him, you would know that he wants what is best for Vallejo. In doing so, he looked at various proposals to keep the city out of bankruptcy. He and the council heard a proposal from Calvin Grigsby. The numbers did not work out and so here we are - one of the few cities to have filed bankruptcy. Don't get me wrong, bankruptcy is the right thing to do. The mayor just wanted to look at all options. If this website is truly about providing unbiased reporting, then someone should have asked him why he talked to Calvin Grigsby. Anyone who knows the mayor knows that he is very "legit" and was not going to get anything from Mr. Grigsby. His only interest was Vallejo. Waiting to file bankruptcy while looking to ensure there were no other possible alternatives did not hurt the city. We still filed. Last but not least, a little cultural lesson. For hundreds of years white people called black people by names that were not there own. They shortened their names or called them "out of their name". Unless the mayor has given you the okay to call him ozzy, his name is Osby or even Mr. Davis or god forbid, Mayor. To call a black person something other than their birth name without their permission is inapproporiate and racist. I am sure you won't care and he will continue to be called ozzy by you but at least now you know how politically incorrect you are.

Freedom!!!   |May.23.2008 Let's not forget to thank the THINKING councilmembers on the Council for warning us about this crisis from the beginning! First of course - Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes who has only been in Council less than 2 years and have blown ions of good ole boy decisions away. This woman is unstoppable. Councilwoman Joanne Schivley who has added great support, knowledge and fortitude during these last months. Also, thanks to VIB for their courageous coverage of the TRUTH. VIB is the one true newscenter for politics. The true representatives of the Unsilent Majority!

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Vallejo files for bankruptcy to deal with budget shortfall http://www.examiner.com/a-1406442~Vallejo_files_for_bankruptcy_to_deal_with_budget_shortfall "Vallejo will ask the judge to set a June 9 deadline for creditors to challenge the filing, said Marc Levinson, the city's bankruptcy attorney. If there are no objections, the city automatically enters bankruptcy. "Union representatives did not have an immediate comment on Friday's filing, but they previously said they would challenge the bankruptcy's filing and argue that the city isn't insolvent. They say city officials rejected offers of salary cuts that would help solve the financial crisis. "Some officials worry that bankruptcy could damage the city's reputation and ability to attract residents and businesses, but others say the city could eventually emerge stronger and more financially secure. "The mismanagement of the city for so long has tarnished our reputation, not bankruptcy," said Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes. "Bankruptcy gives us the opportunity to fix that mismanagement and put a long-term plan in place to ensure true growth and recovery."

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Vallejo, Calif. files for bankruptcy protection Friday May 23, 2:54 PM EDT http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d90rh7280& SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

On Fire   |May.23.2008 Well today is a day of history for Vallejo. Do we go from this day out and truly change the way we do business or do we merely go through the motions and then return to the same old, same old? I believe it's up to the citizens to make that determination. We certainly can't leave it to the funded four and Mayor to handle it. The funded four have back peddled every step of the way and I expect to see even more in the coming weeks. I'm sure the henkettes have given their directions and will continue to do so. Then we have ozzy who has brought in his deep pocketed friends to offer up his city for sale. Now Mr. Grigsby may be totally legit as I believe the government have their eyes on him and his business partner Mr.Perata. But his track record for over twenty years has been shakey and the people Mr. Grigsby associates with are just as shakey. I can't believe that ozzy is that desperate that he would turn to this man for help. I do believe that there may be more in the deal for ozzy than meets the eye if it were to go through. I'd keep my eyes and ears tuned in to this mess. Whatever happens from this day forward, Vallejo's history will be what we make it to be. Stay alert and stay strong.

Firebug   |May.23.2008 Katy, Up until very recently I was always reluctant to write off the VPOA like I and many others have done with the IAFF. I thought they (VPOA) showed a lot of class during the LNG debacle as opposed to our friends over at the IAFF. As much as Kenneth Brooks hates this I would be willing to vote for a parcel tax with the school district that would fund the VPD for a whole subdivision devoted policing our schools. Having the men and women in blue working exclusively in the schools would send a strong message to the arch thugs that are ruining the schools. The only way I would vote for the tax is if Damelio is gone and we had a new thinking school board. Having good schools would be the first step in making vallejo a better place to live, attracting families that could better afford to pay for a second tax which would be four our city infrastructure. I will support this tax only if BA is removed from the charter and Ozzy and the funded four become a minority on the council. These are just thoughts I have been having, and if this comes to fruition we wouild have a great place to live and for those with no children our property values would increase and our streets and recreation areas would also be better. Linda Seifert supports a regional park district which really is a big plus for our city and county.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Vallejo, facing big deficit, files for bankruptcy Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, May 23, 2008 (05-23) 11:32 PDT Vallejo http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/23/BAAF10S5VS.DTL&tsp=1

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 Vallejo creditor list http://tinyurl.com/6ot38z

Katy Miessner   |May.23.2008 You're right Firebug! Now that BK is filed maybe all the focus put on that issue can be directed to fixing schools. The schools are just like the council, no one pays attention and look what happens... Glad to hear about Mommsen, I was concerned about him since he was supported by the IAFF. Glad to hear he's an independent thinker (and a good musician).

Firebug   |May.23.2008 Katy, Reading all the links the Edinator provided about Grigsby showed that Perata used his weight with Jack O'Connel to get rid of the Oakland State Administrator Dr. Randy Ward. The first step here as far as I am concerned is to get rid of Dr. Damelio, but I don't know of anyone here that has the clout(ier) to do that. The next step is to get the voters to elect a school board that is intelligent and accountable. None of the current board asks questions or challenges the leadership with the exception of Raymond Mommsen. I actually watched him ask a lot questions and vote against some of the cuts Damelio recommended. The voters re-electing Hazel Wilson after the bankruptcy was yet another nail in the coffin over there. We also need to be proactive in blocking any new section 8 developments in this town (we have been as over-generous with both section 8 and safety unions at the expense of the rest of us). When I came here in 99 Vallejo School's enrollments were over 20,000 now they are below 15,000. I have met many Vallejo parents in two school districts of all ethnic and socioecopnomic backgrounds and the number one reason they leave Vallejo schools is their children DO NOT FEEL SAFE. We need leadership and a school board that makes safety the number one priority in vallejo schools if we even hope to get our 5000 or so school refuges back from other districts. Once we get back the attendance or money we than must attract excellent teachers and add more programs that make students want to come to Vallejo schools.

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 does this mean we are NOW under chapter 9 protection from ceditors or is there another step still to come?

Katy Miessner   |May.23.2008 I completely agree about the schools. California is basicallyat the bottom in the US and we're basicall at the bottom in California. Couldn't get any worse. When Gary Cloutier was running he said he was going to take the school issue as a discrimination case...the way funding works, Average Daily Attendence, crates a situation where its almost impossible for poorly performing schools to improve. It was a great idea--I hope the current mayor and council pursue it, and maybe they'll have time now that we have filed BK and they no longer need endless discussions about failed negotiations with the unions.

IVAN HADD   |May.23.2008 ITS A DONE DEAL ITS FILED NOTE FROM CM TO CITY EMPLOYEES........IVAN HADD SR.

momster   |May.23.2008 I just had an interesting conversation with a co-worker. His wife us to be a teacher at the Charter School located at Mare Island. Apparently the concept of that school is on the right track, however, the last principal was fire b/c she hired her daughter to be a the college councilor, however, the daughter did have the appropriate credentials--no college experience. Now, his story is all familiar--He said that he chose Benicia over Vallejo because Vallejo's schools are performing so poorley. I hear a lot of this in my building. Parents are sending their kids to attend school in the county that they work in oppose to Vallejo's school. Parent are buying houses in surrounding cities oppose to Vallejo b/c of the poor schools in this town. The school issues are just as important as the Bankruptcy issue.

momster   |May.23.2008 I also attented vallejo schools throughout the th 70s and 80s..Junior high was more like survival of the toughest..bad experience. If I mentioned some of the things that occurred at that school--you would think it was CYA (calif youth authority).

Good Faith   |May.23.2008 I heard the Council was meeting in closed session until 1 am on Tuesday. Wouldn't you love to have been a fly on that wall?

Ronny & Teddy Sittin' in a Tr   |May.23.2008 M-I-S-S-I-N-G the story. Once again, the Times-Horrid is caught with their pants down around their proverbial ankles. You'd think they'd be embarassed and ashamed by now that the Chronicle is doing their job and keeps scooping them on stories happening in their own city. Of course the Chronicle is actually putting some thought into the issue and following leads and doing some investigative reporting. Oh yeah, that requires some journalism skills.

silasbarnabe   |May.23.2008 Anyone read the Times Horrid this morning? Not one little hint of what is going on with Calvin Grigsby!

Anonymous   |May.23.2008 High court declines to hear case; CalFire to take over operations in Half Moon Bay. IAFF Union lawyer Davis LOOSES http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2008/05/22/news/breaking_news/doc4835e6f7c0387253850781.txt

On Fire   |May.22.2008 And the plot thickens...apparently Peralta Chanellor Elihu Harris(another of the who-you-gonna-call friend of our mayor) had to pull the plug on a deal to develope a plan for commercial property uses for Laney College properties. (Berkeley Daily Planet)The consulting firm retained to help develope a facilities management plan for the district was also listed as part of the team for developer Alan Dones's Oakland based Stratigic Urban Development Alliance. Aside from the controversy dealing with the development and Laney College's Faculty, it was discovered that one of the principles with the developer is none other that Calvin Grigsby. The dots don't stop there. In the Eastbay Express, there is a story from 2006 that discusses another deal that involves the Oakland School Dist. and a bond deal with Alameda County. The county deal "pays Grigsby 140 million over thirty years to rent a building that cost only 32 million to construct." What is going on? Why is the council, correction, why is the funded four and ozzy even considering this type of deal? Is ozzy so desperate to build his legacy and keep Vallejo out of bankruptcy that he would sell off our city to this questionable person? Or has he set his sights higher on maybe a bigger payback? The other side of this tangled web, is the fact that Grigsby apparently will come up with funding, as soon as the cty finds a way to further cut salaries and benefits! So maybe ozzy and the funded four aren't the trusted allies the henkettes thought they were! Just some things that make you go hmmmmmm!

Katy Miessner   |May.22.2008 Stock Market sucks (nowadays especially!) Housing Market sucks Oh the conundrum, where do millionaires invest their money now? Our ferries, our city...gotta give Grigsby kudos for his creative financing ideas at least...as he seemed to have bent the rules and avoided bad verdicts while his compatriots did not. Has the council considered the "unintended consequences" if they accept the deal? Something that has not been done year after year when the PSUs kept getting lavish contract after lavish contract? (well at least 2 are...)

On Fire   |May.22.2008 The ferry terminal, parking and repair shop all connect with the take over of the ferries. If Lennar were to take a buy out or give up part of the control of developement on Mare Island, Perata, Grigsby own Vallejo's water ways...

On Fire   |May.22.2008 Keep connecting the dots. Perata pushes legislation to take away Vallejo's ferries. Perata is Grigsby's biggest supporter and continues to throw deals his way. Grigsby now comes to Vallejo with a deal that keeps us out of bankruptcy, but is putting us into debt for eternity but making Grigsby a bigger millionaire. Now consider that Grigsby is good friends with Willie Brown who is good friends with who in Vallejo? Dot to dot to dot......?

Anonymous   |May.22.2008 I bet this deal would involve the development rights to MI. lennar would cut their losses and sell to Grigsby and he would go looking for an Indian casino to come in a set up shop.

Gabriele   |May.22.2008 Thanks Erika! I recall the 1994 scandal involving Perata, however that did not hurt him enough to be unelectable! Quote, "A plan such as the one Grigsby has proposed could save Vallejo years of negative publicity, legal fees and other damages if it saves the city from Chapter 9. But a private financier could also charge the city high interest rates or hefty fees that could take decades to pay." You bet he will, we'll be in debt up to our eyeballs, but it would keep us from having a negative image to outsiders. So, by going this route, we once again would be stuck with backroom deals long after the parties involved have left office. That would actually make the union contracts we have been honoring so far seem like chump change.

Edinator   |May.22.2008 Just posted a bunch of interesting links on the home page. Check it out.

silasbarnabe   |May.22.2008 It finally comes out, thanks for the link Erika. Like I told you all there is good chance of indictments coming our way soon and who else is involved but Perata and friends. All we need now is Willie Brown and the circle of scoundrels will be complete.

Erika H   |May.22.2008 S.F. financier linked to scandals offers Vallejo a bailout plan http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/22/BAN410R4CC.DTL&tsp=1 Just caught this on SF Gate.

Anonymous   |May.22.2008 Robert, I went all the way through Vallejo public schools back in the sixties and seventies. Junior high and high school were pretty rough back then. Lots of intimidation from the troubled kids. I sent my two foster daughters through the schools in the late nineties and the situation only got worse. You should take a few hours some day and visit the Hogan high campus when class is in session. Im willing to bet youll see things that you will not believe. At its worst, students will stand toe to toe with a teacher and challenge them. Substitute teachers risk physical injury, dope smoking in the hallways, again in the worst case scenario. It is no surprise really when you put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Vallejo has a large population of people at the bottom of the social ladder. We have catered to the section 8 population and the schools suffer with undisciplined, unloved kids. I dont blame the teachers or administrators but it would be wonderful to have a Joe Clark type individual take over the district and rule it with a heavy hand.

Firebug   |May.22.2008 From my short time here it seems that the biggest turn over at Vallejo Schools is with it Principal's and other management. Ask around and many parents will give you their opinion. There really isn't a whole lot of accountability at Vallejo Schools because the parents and us (community)do not demand it. My suggestion would be to start a vallejo schools blog and use this site to link to it and get parents opinions. You can start a blog for example here https://www.blogger.com/start The Contra Costa Times and CBS5 have featured the power of blogging and have featured several blog sites at school districts all over the bay area. You can find just about any blog on here http://cbslocalblogs.prospero.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=kpix_eyeonblogs

momster   |May.22.2008 robert Schussel: I agree. Vallejo's schools are indeed disturbing. Although I live here, I will not be sending my child to any of Vallejo's schools. Thank God I work in a different affluent county, and therefore I can send my child to school in the county I work in. This,however, only applies to elementary aged kids. also, that was a great article "Let the Sunshine Inn."

Robert Schussel   |May.22.2008 While everyone is focused on the finanical crisis I would like to remind everyone about the Article in the TH concerning the level of academic performance in Vallejo. The poor quality of our Schools does as much to hurt Vallejo as does the bankruptcy.I know of people who won't move here because of the Schools and it hurts our home values and ability to attract hi tech companies. Even when the School District was taken over by the state the Community did not galvanize itself the way I thought it would. My sister is a Principal who took a ghetto school and significantly increased test scores etc by getting rid of some teachers and making sure that the facility was well maintained. Why can't Vallejo do the same.It seems we have an incompetent School Board,and a Community that doesn't care that much including the Chamber of Commerce and City Council. I don't know the quality of Principals and teachers and would hope that someone could provide some information.

Firebug   |May.22.2008 Excellent article and explanation as to why the brown act is essentially useless. It begs the question if salaries and benefits account for 90 percent of the general fund that means we have no say or knowledge about 90 percent of the general fund.

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER EDITORIAL Congressional Democrats

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 http://www.examiner.com/a-1396018~Don_t_force_unions_on_cops__firefighters

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Congressional Democrats

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 Editorial: Don

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 And who will Osby find to bail us out of our millions of dollars in debt? Loan Shark? Henke? Mafia? I smell a rat, and Osby's holding the cheese.

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 COMMENTARY: The gig is up on this idea for having a ferry service in Vallejo. It doesn't matter now whether there is going to be this "maintenance facility" on Mare Island with fuel storage capacity. Who is going to afford to take the "cadillac" gas-guzzling ferry boats with that kind of a professional prediction of $12-$15 a gallon? How is Vallejo's representative to WETA, ex-Mayor Anthony Intintoli, as well as Bay Area Council, Perata and Torlakson, going to argue for ferry service with that reality staring them in the face? What kind of long-term plan does Vallejo City Council expect the Vallejo Transportation Division to come up with now with $12-$15 a gallon reality coming, according to the experts? This is a no-win situation.

Overpaid   |May.21.2008 D n't hold your breath for a prosecution. There are a lot of dirty hands in that pot, and the same people who reaped those profits turned around and sank them into funding political careers, including the state representatives and the Attorney General's. All those elected positions. There is no clean money.

silasbarnabe   |May.21.2008 With the illegal prescription drug use from mommy and daddy's medicine cabinet on the rise (resulting in the decline of illegal controlled substance use), the falling profits of gambling, and the illegality of prostitution I doubt Ozzy and the fab 4 could come up with any quick money making schemes before the cash runs out. What I am hearing is that Ozzy is contemplating buying up million in scratchers and quick picks in the hope of making fast cash. Sooner or later indictments from the Perata corruption probe will be handed out, and with its expansion and his (Perata's) recent activities in our city I wouldn't be surprised if some of our own politicians get the pleasure of getting an indictment.

overpaid   |May.21.2008 Ok. Since no one is talking, I'll tell you. The funded four are experiencing a shortage of cojones. They told the CM in closed session that they wanted to delay/postpone the bankruptcy filing. The unions are beating up the council members pretty bad, and that's all they are hearing right now.(Hence, the shortage). Now the CM has to decide whether to please the funded four or do what the resolution said. Either way he won't make people happy. Today's memo by the way only says it is his intent to maintain today's salary and benefits for current employees. Actually, if the safety unions had agreed to this when the City asked them, we would not be in this mess. The problem is they insist on their ten to twenty percent raises in the next fiscal year and that, my friends we cant afford, In the meantime Osby is trying to devise a plan to borrow money, reinvest it quickly and make a huge profit. (Network Marketing? Amway?) No one thinks it's even remotely a good idea, Remember San Diego? Orange County? but that never let a big ego get in the way.

Gabriele   |May.21.2008 How many of you remember the oil shortages of the 1970's? After watching tonights news and the predictions of higher gas prices for the holiday weekend, I wonder how many people will change their plans. I bet, we will see our roads clogged as usual, because many are of the mindset that it is not a holiday without being able to get behind the wheel and drive somewhere. I recall living in Germany in the early seventies,and for a short time (December)one was only able to drive on alternate days and on Sundays not at all. At the time, we felt is was a hardship for us Americans, as the rest of the population went calmly about their business. I do not know how much gasoline was actually conserved by this strict rationing schedule. Sure, our country cannot be compared with anywhere else in the world, due to its size and our lifestyle, however how high do our gas prices have to climb before the majority of motorists will not feel the urge to get behind the wheel just because it is a "holiday"?

Ivan hadd   |May.21.2008 Tanner just told City Employees NO PAY CUTS or Bennie losses during the BK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Just went out on City E Mail..Ivan

Anonymous   |May.21.2008 THE GREAT OIL PANIC OF 2008 IS HERE -- PART II!!! THE GIG IS UP FOR THE VALLEJO BAYLINK FERRY!!! TIME TO LOWER YOUR STANDARD OF LIVING, FOLKS...... 'Squawk Box' Guest Warns of $12-15-a-Gallon Gas Robert Hirsch, an energy advisor, says CNBC morning show prediction was a citation of the 'Dean of Oil Analysts.' By Jeff Poor Business & Media Institute 5/21/2008 3:38:13 PM http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080521145247.aspx It may be the mother of all doom and gloom gas price predictions: $12 for a gallon of gas is

Anonymous   |May.22.2008 THE GREAT OIL PANIC OF 2008 IS HERE!!! TIME TO LOWER YOUR STANDARD OF LIVING, FOLKS...... Big Oil defends profits before Senate panel May 21 01:24 PM US/Eastern http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90Q5MT80&show_article=1 Oil prices pass 133 after report of supply drop May 21 02:43 PM US/Eastern http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90Q6S300&show_article=1 Shortage fears push oil futures near 140 By Carola Hoyos and Javier Blas in London Published: May 20 2008 196 | Last updated: May 21 2008 10:57 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2955660-2696-11dd-9c95-000077b07658?nclick_check=1 House passes bill to sue OPEC over oil prices Tue May 20, 2008 2:27pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWAT00953020080520?feedType=RSS&feedName =topNews&rpc=22&sp=true High gas prices drive farmer to switch to mules May 21 02:53 PM US/Eastern http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90Q70M80&show_article=1

On Fire   |May.21.2008 I agree Osby's neighbor. The transportation dept. has been a mess since Pam Belchamber was there and hasn't been straightened out since. Ms. Odum-Ford has tried to clean up some of the mess and the worst part is that her boss, Mr. Leach, sits on his hands not opening his mouth to defend her or the fact that she is understaffed. This is yet another fallout from the saftey unions contracts being unaffordable and the cut backs that the other departments have had to make because of it. We will see more and more of this type of problem throughout the departments unless the city is willing to deal with restructuring the entire city and dealing with employee salaries and benefits. If you listen to the rants from the henkettes and the mustardettes, they are angry that the city used any of the general fund monies to supplement the transportation department. They feel that all the money should stay in the general fund to pay their salaries and perks. For get about the citizens and the esculating cost to live and work each day, just pay them their contracted salaries and perks. I hope the rest of the citizens of Vallejo are paying attention to these self appointed heros. On to the next issue, does anybody know why there has been a holdup on the filing for bankruptcy? Is the thirty day time limit coming up? What shannanigans are the funded four and ozzy pulling now? What could they possibly be waiting on? Do they really think the unions will come back to the table with anything reasonable or are they waiting on this private investment that ozzy has been talking about? What seemed clear was the fact that the city will not have the protection from being sued if the city runs out of money prior to filing for bankruptcy and can't pay it's bills. Seems like some are skating on thin ice right now.

Firebug   |May.21.2008 I have read about the transportation tax proposal since I came here in 1999. I have heard compelling arguments for it both pro and con. Some of the ost compelling con argumetns I have heard when the term "Solano and Napa Counties are the only Bay Area cities without such a tax". 1) Solano and Napa also do not have a Bart alternative 2) There are many bridges to be crossed in these two counties compared to others to get to work. Having Bart and less bridges offers more alternatives tranportation alternatives for the other counties that can be "enhanced" by the tax. Having a transportation department like our STA that sits around and waits for a handout without an attempt to mitigate the above concerns will not provide a vision Solano COunty taxpayers that gets them out of their cars and onto the Vallejo Ferry, or City or County bus systems or alternative tranporation. Having Leach and Odem-Ford working for us is like having carptenter's telling us they can't do their job because they have no wood or nails.

Osbys neighbor   |May.21.2008 I am not a fan of Gary Leach but I think he and Crystal inherited a mess. Vallejo never had a sound process in place to run the Ferries. Unfortunately everything is reactive rather than proactive --the place was not run like a business. My impression is that they don't have enough Staff or monetary resources to do their job. Until Solano County starts voting for transportation taxes things will continue to be precarious. Also we have people like Sunga who think only the privledged few benefit from the Ferry System--his attitude is probably more prevalant than we might think. Our Chamber of Commerce han't been much either--I never heard them support an additional tax for Transportation.

Firebug   |May.21.2008 I agree Silas, Odum-Ford's and Leach's answers revealed much to be desired from such highly paid employees. In fact Leach hid behind Ford and Ford was answers made her appear down right incompetent. Perhpas we should contract these services out.

anon   |May.21.2008 It is all about perspective. I thought Schively and Gomes asked leading questions and would rather micro-manage transportation from their bully-pulpit. Transportation clearly showed there is not enough revenue to meet expenses. Give the fund managers (transportation) increased funding and then get monthly reports if necessary to see what problems have been addressed. After 6 months if there is no progress or a clear description of the problems and obstacles, replace the fund manager. But this micro management has got to stop.

silasbarnabe   |May.21.2008 After watching last nights City Council meeting I am convinced we are at a turning point. For the last two weeks we have been hearing the Henkettes and Mustardettes whine that city officials have made the general fund appear to spend too much on safety services by "shifting" programs and $$. The transpaortation fund like our water fund is an enterprise fund that since 1999-2006 was subsidized by the general fund. I wasn't very impressed by the numbers Crystal Odum and Gary Leach provided. I couldn't get a clear picture if the ferry subsidized the buses and by how much, there was no real studies made with hard numbers provided about how much other ciies general fundds subsidize their transportation. Instead we had things like Napa and Vallejo are the only Counties' that do not have a 1 cent transportaion tax, but when asked how much and how that subsidized other cities transportation funds in particular their bussing we got not even evasive responses, but downright indignant ignorance for answers. I thought once again Gomes and Shively asked excellent questions, and I even could see Shively trying to baby walk Cyrstal Odum and Leach to some conclusions which was again met by indignant ignorance. Shively tried to give Odum a clue that the Solano 1 cent sales tax didn't pass because their wasn't a concise plan on what it would accomplish would spark the intellect that an over $100,000 a year employee should have. I heard Shively trying to tell Odum if her or Leach want to bring up a tax how much would it fund. would it fund the Ferry, busses or both? Would it be used to enhance routes? In the end there was no new ideas from these two well paid employees other than we don't have the money or staff to comeup with anymore answers or studies. My conclusion is that perhaps it is time to look at contracting out Vallejo bus and maybe Ferry services to a large company that has the resources to do studies, listen and critique new ideas and come up with innovative plans.

On the other hand...   |May.21.2008 Sometimes progress is a bad thing. Progress, generally moving forward with wage and benefits schedules, to a point where a municipality can no longer afford to pay the bills.

As opposed to...   |May.20.2008 ..voting for Silva that is OBVIOUSLY a good ole boy. Seriously, why are you afraid of Seifert? You'd rather continue with Silva who has done nothing. Oh yeah, that's real progress.

Solano County is   |May.20.2008 Solvent. I do like Linda and I like what she has to say but I feel there is a risk she will capitulate to the demands of her union supporters and escalate labor and benefit costs. We are all well aware of the consequences.

Union dollars at work   |May.20.2008 And what about those flyers Silva's mailing out to everyone in Vallejo? The one with Michael Wilson on the other side of the telephone line? What could they be talking about? Here's what I'm thinking: John: Hello, Michael, it's me Johnny boy. I need a favor. Michael: Hey John, what's up, you know I got you covered. John: Well, you see, I've got some trouble with these liberals trying to get some answers from me. You know how I feel about those unincorporated inbreds, those convicts, and those poor people always waiting for money. Michael: Well, what works for me is to say something without saying anything at all. John: But it's different, you see, it's like they've banded together, I don't know if I can get out of this one. Erin: Hey John, it's Erin. Umm...can't you say you're sick? Tom: Yeah, but do it at the last minute, so there's not much of you on their website. Hermie: John: Great idea! I'll do just that...Abalone later everyone? Funded Four: Sure!!! Michael: And John, thanks for putting me on your flyers. I look pretty hot. John: Oh yes - you do my son. You do.

Silva is a ....   |May.20.2008 Jerk! The one time he could actually prove himself to the health and substance abuse providers, nonprofits and unincorporated areas, he didn't show up? What does that say to the United Democrats of Vallejo and Benicia? That he doesn't care! He has shown his true colors. While those he supposedly represents waits for answers, he is out partying with the good ole boys. 103 fever? Give me a break. Hey John...how's the abalone?

JustMyOp   |May.20.2008 The city council doesn't listen to anyone. History has proven this.

Firebug   |May.20.2008 Something that Silva has that Seifert does not is the endorsements of Ozzy and the fab 4 (That can't be good).

Linda Seifert is a ...   |May.20.2008 candidate supported by the labor unions, IAFF included. What are we supposed to do? Name our poison I suppose.

Firebug   |May.20.2008 Liberal? Isn't this the guy that is running TV commercials about children's health?

John Silva is a...   |May.20.2008 ...Big Fat Liar. John Silva was a NO SHOW at the candidates forum sponsored by the United Dems, Solano County Non Profits, Solano County Health & Substance Providers and VIB. He called the organizers a couple of hours before the forum saying he couldn't go because he had a 103 degree temperature. Apparently he wasn't too sick that morning to go to his editorial board interview at the FF newspaper, sip tea at the Camelia Team Room in Benicia the next day, or party it up at the Hindu and Portuguese festivals over the weekend. Fact is, Silva told his organizers several days before the event that the forum was "TOO LIBERAL" for him and he didn't intend on participating. I went to that forum specifically wanting to hear him answer some questions about what really matters to the voting public...for once. Now all I'm left with is confirmation of my impression that Silva is out of touch, untruthful, arrogantly ignores the very people who put him in office, caters to special interests and the Good Ol' Boys, and is really a Republican in Demo clothing. I'm voting for Seifert. Buh bye John.

Anonymous   |May.20.2008 The issue of a fare increase and fuel surcharge is on the agenda for both CTAC and City Council tonight...... Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) Tuesday, May 20th, 6PM at Joseph's Room, JFK Library City Council Meeting Tuesday, May 20th, 7PM at Council Chambers ......the public has a double opportunity to weigh in on this issue.

Michael Tatham   |May.20.2008 firebug is right- we are the first of many municipalities that will have to declare bankruptcy because of excessive pay scales. its not just the wages- it's also the pensions and healthcare for life. in todays society people should not be allowed to retire at 50 with near full pay

Firebug   |May.20.2008 Anony- Time will tell no Democrat would want to be associated with bankrupting cities and counties. Since Vallejo will be the first with many more on the edge this should put quite the conflict into their blind support of any union good or bad.

Anonymous   |May.20.2008 Not a single democrat voted against the motion. I guess theres gold in them thar unions. http://tinyurl.com/5cnp6h

Firebug   |May.20.2008 I keep thinking of Alun WHitaker's statement about "our parasite's bigger cousins from out of town" statement on the TH blog a few weeks ago. I know the house and Senate have passed bills that resemble binding arbitration. I wonder how much is at stake for the larger out of town parasites if word starts circulating that cities are going bankrupt because of binding interest arbitration. http://www.iaff.org/08News/051308CB.htm

WATZ UP WIT DAT?   |May.20.2008 Several years ago, the legal community had agreed to KISS (keep it simple stupid) they all were suppose to make statements and decrees easier to read by using less legal confusing language. That was over 10 years ago, and it does not appear to have happened. There is no real reason that the legal community cannot speak/write contracts more "plainly" and without double speak. The docs would all still be legal and we could all clearly read and understand them, so perhaps this is the reason they persist in their "laywer speak."

Brown Act   |May.19.2008 What was stated was correct. Regardless to the confusing wording that annouces the closed session item, rarely would negotiators for both sides of the issue be in a closed session with Council. The wording is usually a boiler plate that various sections of the muni codes, parties involved and the issues are dropped in. Normally the city's negotiator will bring back a report, council will discuss the report or progression of the negotiations, and will give any additional instruction to the negotiators to take back to the table. After being involved with other boards and commissions, and observing the council's agendas, the wording is not signaling anything but discussions, updates and further direction to negotiators and not decisions, unless there is another item on the agenda that will allow the council to discuss and make a decision in public. This is all spelled out in the Brown Act. Hope that clarifies it for you. I would imagine that with everything that staff is involved with currently they may not be able to address a citizen's concerns about wording in the immediate future, but given time when stff has a chance to breath, they my look at the concerns.

groovy   |May.19.2008 Sure, it is confusing. I agree, the wording needs to be changed. Try looking at the Rose Report. Now that's really confusing. I think certain people use the confusion to frustrate the people from looking too hard and finding what's really going on.

On Fire   |May.19.2008 The verbage is legal to notify the public tht a discussion will be held by council. Council has not sat in on any negotiations with the exception of ozzy. They also have not held negotiations or mediations at the council chambers. The Brown Act prevents council from making any decision while in closed session and if there is any action to be taken, it will have to be on the agenda. No item, no action. This is how the majority of commissions and boards have posted their agendas and it is totally legal.

Dialog Monitor   |May.19.2008 Please email your comments instead of reposting over and over. That was we can fix it and post it.

Doug   |May.19.2008 If you avoid using the apostrophe, dash and dollar sign you may have better luck with your posts.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.19.2008 Ok all you VIB bloggers, have you sent your letters to Solano County, detailing why we do not want high density housing right in the middle of unincorporated Vallejo? ie. more section 8 housing in the most rural parts of Vallejo, no services etc. Write your letter to: Jim Louis Sr. Planner, Dept of Resource Mgt. 675 Texas St. Ste 5500. Fairfield, Ca 94533. We have more than our fair share of Solano County's voucher'ed rentals, let the big developers in our sister cities build affordable rental housing in the city they are building their big projects, and not shove it off into the once open arms of Vallejo. Its time to take a stand!

anonymous   |May.19.2008 Cut and paste issue--try clearing your browser cache

Firebug   |May.19.2008 Onfire- So much for "Our View" Do these people have any shame? In that blog I noticed someone claiming to be a fireman posted, it was interesing that the ISP's city was Napa which also displayed from an anonymous poster called "interesting".

On Fire   |May.19.2008 Silas and Firebug, I see that this editorial comes from the VacaVille Reporter and not from the times horrid board. I think I would be more than surprized to see a headline that read that bankruptcy was the right call from the people at the horrid.

Firebug   |May.19.2008 Silas- It could be that the Times Horrid's article really didn't encourage the "fililng" but more the things that need to be done to "avoid" filing. It looks like the paper is trying to keep more safety personnel from bailing, and seems to want to convince them to wait and see rahter than to vindicate our and two members of the Council's positions on Bankuptcy.

silasbarnabe   |May.19.2008 Perhaps the Times Horrid's editorial today can shed more light on this apparent fracture. "Bankruptcy Painfull, but the right call". http://www.timesheraldonline.com/editorial/ci_9309828

silasbarnabe   |May.19.2008 On Fire, Clearly with such a questionable 1 or two vote victory, Ozzy is walking on a tightrope over parasites, the parasites bigger out of town cousins, the out of town parasite enablers (Wiggins and Evans), and old school good ole boy Valleojans that supported him. Then there is us..... From what I am experiencing around town even Ozzy's most staunch supporters are dismayed with his actions during the bankruptcy. I think you are onto something about he (Ozzy) being the weekest link. Sunga, Bartee, Hannigan and Wilson though bought and paid for by the IAFF are also bought and paid for by the Chamber. I feel that this single action is one of those situations where there might be a small fracture in the IAFF interests and the Chambers interests. Time and the vote will tell

On Fire   |May.18.2008 I love the Sunday Funnies. I look forward each Sunday to see what's new. I think they have been great and they express so much of how the citizen's feel on the issues, so no apologies needed. The fact that Vallejo rarely see's or hears from Noreen Evans, who we helped get elected, is bad enough but to have them sending letters to our city and telling us what to do is just outrageous. I am even more disappointed in Pat Wiggins as she not only commented on our budget but wrote a letter supporting the safety employees and their salaries was just over the top. What about the rest of the city employees? What about the rest of Vallejo? So no, I love the political funnies. Will be looking forwward to the next edition and thanks for the chuckle. Moving on to the next topic, I read some interesting comments from the mustardettes over the last few days. t They were questioning who was actually driving the city, Tanner or ozzy and someone was making some decisions. Since Tanner was the only one out of town one could assume that ozzy is making some moves in his absence. What moves would that be? Well, since Tanner is perceived to be the force behind the filing for bankruptcy, then maybe ozzy is planning on changing his mind or possibly found a "private investor" that would stop the city from filing from bankruptcy? Or maybe the weakest links are having second thoughts after getting a thrashing from the henkettes and mustardettes over the last few days? Who knows but we should pay attention to what is planned for Tuesday. The filing deadline looms yet it appears council is dragging their feet. Stay tuned for next council meeting as we may see some back peddling.

cartoonist   |May.18.2008 as to the california legislators (and readers) who feel criticized...as we know here in Vallejo...there are union endorsements, and there are union endorsements. It used to be for democrats that having a union endorsement meant standing up for the working class, the little guy, the people without the privileges. THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE and our experience in Vallejo proves it. I also belong to a labor union. My union DOES NOT have the funds to hire lobbyists or fund legislators. Only certain types of unions do that, and my message to beware of those powerful funded unions who are strong enough to fix elections and select our legislators is just that: a critical message. I offer no apologies. It is high time we started discerning between the working class and the funded unions. They ARE NOT the same. By the way, the last two frames don't really belong to this cartoon, they belong to last weeks...Last weeks should have read: Labor Costs: xxx dollars. Deficit Costs: xxx dollars. The look on Henke and Mustard's face: Priceless. (Sorry Marc, I should have numbered everything better)

Anonymous   |May.18.2008 Just as I thought -- cut and paste didn't work. Use the link instead, and scroll down to the post from "A concerned Firefighter." http://www.topix.net/forum/source/vallejo-times-herald/TO2GLCALE4SV1RIJG/p2

Anonymous   |May.18.2008 An interesting comment just made its way to the T-H boards. Here's a link -- I'll try to cut and paste the comment, too. http://www.topix.net/forum/source/vallejo-times-herald/TO2GLCALE4SV1RIJG/p2 (look for the post from "A concerned Firefighter" Here's the whole comment (if cut and paste works, anyway): As a Firefighter from another state, I am going to have to agree with the Vallejo taxpayers on this issue. The IAFF is probably the sorriest excuse for a union that this country has ever seen. The creation of the IAFF originally had good intensions. But, recently its name has been tainted with greed which has tarnished the fire service's image as a whole. Their sole purpose is to delve further into tax payers

On Fire   |May.18.2008 Even when we had more people in the VPD in years past and we had a somewhat healthier budget, there were no measurable decrease in our crime statistics. Some of the worst stats happened with the highest reports of unsolved homicides have happened with the higher ratio of cops per population. How many of the crimes were resolved last year? How many this year? How many 5 years ago? We still have about the same numbers when it comes to non-violent crimes such as home breakins and car thefts. We have never had a marked decrease in the number of rapes in the last ten years as those numbers remain stagnant, the drug problems haven't gone away and only shift from neighborhood to neighborhood. We won't even talk about the prostitutes. We have the highest paid safety employees but our city is no safer than those who pay less. Having more cops isn't always the answer. Having a proactive plan that deals with the crime is the answer. A polce force that interacts with it's community. (Something that Nichelini hates)Other cities take community policing seriously and appear pro-active in crime fighting. Nichelini on the other hand doesn't care for community policing and puts his attention to motorcycle cops which don't do anything to bring down drug sales in the neighborhoods or help to patrol the neighborhoods. One of the former reporters at the times horrid did a piece on crime stats a couple of years back and we haven't had this type of reporting since. The times horrid apparently doesn't think this type of journalism is worthy of print. Because the city council doesn't require Nichelini to give the city a report on crime stats, they can't even tell you how many homicides happen in a given year and I doubt that they know anything about the lack of resolution to those and other crimes. So if no stats are given, no comparisons made, and no measurements in how well your department is doing, how do you justify salary increases? Same with fire, no job evaluations to compare or analyze if they can give justifications for salary increases. What information is provided to the tax payers of Vallejo to justify the salaries we pay? In the private sector, you have to produce to keep your job. In other cities like Fairfield, they measure productivity of the employees and how well they meet the citizen's expectations and satisfaction to reward their employees with salary increases. In Vallejo we only seem to worry about employee satisfaction and expectations.

Upset Resident   |May.18.2008 A friend of mine is a city worker, smart and educated. He makes a respectable living and made just under a standard police officers pay several years ago in Vallejo, his pay was average for his job and when compared with other cites in the Bay area and Statewide, was usally 10 to 15% higher than a policeman in that jurisdiction. That made perfect sense, crime rates considered. Now the policemen in the fair city of Vallejo make more than 25% more than my friend, yet in the rest of the state, the 10 to 15% difference still exists, what happened?! I have a pretty good idea...

Firebug   |May.18.2008 Prior to 6 months ago I had been supportive of VPD, up until recently I always have thought that VPOA had a lot more class than their counterparts in the IAFF. Thanks to recent events, postering and standing by your boys and girls in the IAFF including the UBL scandal I feel you fellows have squandered a very good reputation with much of the public. I was very in favor of a cop tax in this city, and still could be convinced if VPOA behavior changes.

Anonymous   |May.18.2008 Firebug Here are some fiqures about crime rates. My read is that Vallejos crime rates tends to be more like a larger City. As one writer mentioned the various extras that Vallejo PD and FF receive make salary comparsions more difficult. However you look at the data Vallejo pays more for these services and they constitute a significantly higher percentage of the General Fund. CRIME RATES Violence Property per 100K San Francisco 876 4958 VALLEJO 1017 5037 Richmond 1187 5329 Sacramento 1206 5670 Oakland 1905 6104

On Fire   |May.18.2008 Silas, the reference to LNGs and Casinos was my attempt at being facetious. Pig farm next to ozzy's house was serious. My point being that the ozzy and the weakest links will attempt to bring any type of business into the city out of their desparation to keep their campaign promises. (We will bring in new business and become more business friendly.) They now find themselves embroiled in nothing but contract and budget problems and have yet to make one move to bring in revenues. Gee, some of the same things they accused other council members of doing? Like get a clue winkest links, this is all you will be doing for the next two years if you fail to move forward with the bankruptcy filing!!!

Firebug   |May.18.2008 As I recall there has been one Officer on the job fatality back in 2000 and the last one was two Officers way back in 1966-67. I find it difficult to swallow that Valljo's violent crime rate is more than Oaland, SF, Richmond, or L.A. I think VPD makes more than some of these cities, and I know that VFD are compensated more than the above cities.

silasbarnabe   |May.18.2008 Does violent crime per officer include the officer shooting the perp? If so I can say for City our size the Strong and Tilley family have lost more family members than the entire Vallejo PD force in the last twenty years so I would have to say our Officers here aren't timid when it comes to pulling the trigger.

anon   |May.18.2008 I think Keep it Real made the point. The VPD work load is much higher than surrounding cities. Especially the ones so many want to use for salary comparison.One factor not included is the number of sworn officers per violent crime. When you add that in, you will see the number of violent crime incidents per officer is one of the higest in the entire state. It think it seem logical that they would be paid a little more than many of the surrounding agencies with more officers and less crime. Why else would a police officer choose to work in Vallejo? For the community support?

Firebug   |May.18.2008 Life long commitments like an LNG, selling of water rights would require (for me at least) long term concessions. We have sold off assets before, like the recent Marine World sale. Since 1997 the city took out a $60 plus million loan and established a profit sharing plan that netted $2-3 million for many years yet the City Council consistently took that money and put it in Henke/Mustard's general fund. If the loan was paid down appropriately the profits of the sale would ahve yielded much more than the $2 million. I can't imagine any other transaction to Ozzie's part to be any different.

silasbarnabe   |May.18.2008 There has been some really good analsys of gambling in the Golden state as a result of the Governator's gambling for education proposal for mortgaging future lotery profits. Apparently the gambling industry has become saturated and is becoming more competitive. Profits are much smaller than anticpated. You can see the analysus at SFgate. I think an LNG or water rights trick wouldn't come close to giving us balanced funding all the way around, especiall in the $223 million we need to make our roads first class again.

Anonymous   |May.18.2008 Today's Sunday Funny contains a statement referring to all state representatives who took union endorsements. because of that statement this cartoon comes across as anti union.

Just Rosy   |May.18.2008 Its all about pay raises to vallejo cops, not crime rates. If Vallejo could afford to hire more cops, we'd have less crime. But we can't afford that, can we? We can't afford the cops we have. If it was about crime, then VPOA would have given up their raises, renegotiated the contract fairly so we could recover and start to hire more cops. But no, VPOA said they would rather cut the number of cops than give up their raises and contract bennies. Nichelini wants to make the public hurt rather than pull together and restructure so we can put more cops on the street. And Dr. S -- does your analysis include how lucrative the vpoa benefit package is compared to other cities? Vallejo has higher base salaries, yes, but add in contract bennies like longevity pay (10 percent with 20 years, 5 percent with 15 years of service in ANY city), bilingual pay (1 percent), uniform allowances ($1200 or so yearly), court OT, hazardous motorcycle pay (1 percent), SWAT pay (1 percent), phone service at home, educational incentive (3 percent or 5 percent depending in level), and dont forget retirement (3 percent at 50, or 90 percent of pay for life), and full medical for life for cop and spouse -- etc., etc., etc. Its in the contracts, you dont need the Rose Report glasses to see it!

On Fire   |May.18.2008 If you notice, the conversations from the henkettes and the mustardettes are mostly concerned with trying to convince the public that "we don't make more than the surrounding cities". A change from their past failed campaigns t scare the citizens. They will try to convince the weakest links that the safety employees really don't make more than anyone else and their compensation should remain in tact and that council should cut more from the other departments even to the point of shutting them down. I mean, who needs public works, economic development, human resources and community development? If you listen to the henkettes and mustardettes, they are the only employees that matter. They have now convinced the "i-b- somebody-if-I-stick-wit-the-safety boys" ibew group into thinking that they too will be looked after and given these wonderful unaffordble contracts. (They will learn soon enough that nobody matters but the henkettes and the mustardettes when it comes to money) Then our legacy seeking mayor will find a way yet again to stall the filing for bankruptcy. The weakest links will stop considering what's good for the entire city and now only wish to appease the funding gods (unions). Tough trying to say no to the gift horse huh weakest links? The other part of this which was revealed in the other newspaper, you know the one with real journalists on the other side of the bay, that our mayor is seeking outside "private investors". Now what could that mean? I think we should be asking!! Money from the likes of Kevin Shelly, Willie Brown and associates? So the mayor is considering it's a good idea to sell off our city to someone else to get out of debt? Now what could he possibly think he could auction off to the highest (only) bidder? Maybe the rights to re-naming city hall? Our water rights? Maybe some of our stalled developments like Lennar, Triad and old Callahan DeSilva? Then maybe all of those pesky citizens who worry about the environment, design guidelines, and smart growth issues might be silenced and the "development" will begin..... I would keep an eye on ozzy as the hand is quicker than the eye when your working the carney. There is little market for housing but there maybe for for things like LNG, casinos and pig farms. Anything is possible when your building ozzy's legacy and you are "the weakest link!"

admin   |May.18.2008 Having trouble posting? The recent upgrade may require you to clear your browser cache. MSIE 6 http://tinyurl.com/6bm5ry MSIE 7 http://tinyurl.com/2afctk Firefox http://tinyurl.com/5btp2w Safari http://tinyurl.com/yq2p3t

Keep it Real   |May.18.2008 Vallejo Population 117,483. Violent Crime 1,206. Crime per 1000 is 10.3 Alameda Population 70,567. Violent Crime 232. Crime per 1000 is 3.3 Fairfield Population 104,476. Violent Crime 654. Crime per 1000 is 6.3 Hayward Population 140,293. Violent Crime 776. Crime per 1000 is 5.5 Benicia Population 26,489. Violent Crime 53. Crime per 1000 is 2.0 http://www.idcide.com/citydata/ca/vallejo.htm

Robert Schussel PhD   |May.18.2008 Meant to address my note to YOUR NO DOCTOR

Robert Schussel PhD   |May.18.2008 Snark The original format of the data I reanalysed was misleading as it took out the 6.5% temporary giveback for VPD. When the data was reanalysed( notice I didn't report the raw data) it clearly showed that the personnel in the Vallejo PD make on average $8,600 more per year than the other PD in the Bay area. You may not like what you see but that in no way changes the meaning of the data.

Edinator   |May.18.2008 Our analysis of the Rose report will be up later today. Obfuscation clarified.

Death Grip   |May.18.2008 You can't tell me that VPD's workload is so much higher than surrounding cities that it justifies saaries/bennies have to be higher. If it was so hugh and there was so much crime and rampaging on the streets Nichelini wouldn't have all those motorcycle cops on their expensive but shiny toys writing tickets. But that's not really the point. The point is that we can't afford these salaries/bennies. Period. They are bankrupting us. They must be cut. VPOA and IAFF refuse to renegotiate reasonable new packages. Now the bankruptcy judge will do that for them. And Henke's nasty games, and the unions council/vib/anyone-who-doesnt-agree-with-them hate campaigns via jabba the hut ron rhea, or the sharp leash corrections on purchased city council members to make them vote how the unions want --it won't work with the judge. Years of doing business in this town with bullying, threats and intimidation won't work! What will our PS boys do, threaten a federal judge? Love to see that. Fact is boys, the party is over. We're getting OUR city back. Too bad you had to bankrupt us before you'd let go of your death grip. But if that's what has to happen for us to have our city back, fine. We'll rebuild. Better than ever, despite you and your greedy "hero" selves.

WATZ UP WIT DATE?   |May.18.2008 I find it interesting, that the only defense our city safety employees use to explain why they earn so much money is "because the City of Vallejo agreed to the contracts." It is very true that the city did agree to the contracts, but the money comes directly from the city's citizens, not some "faceless blob" called the "city." Waiters/waitresses, hair stylist,retail store clerks, writers, doctors, teachers, judges, bakers and the like all pay the lucrative salaries and benefits of the safety unions, and dont receive pay or benefits even close to those of VFD and VPD. I really believe that both our safety unions are so out of touch with what private sector earns, they probably think we all earn similar wages and benefits. While I do believe that police and fire employees may be in constant danger, there are a lot of other jobs just as dangerous. Did you ever wonder how many roofers, painters, pipe fitters are killed and injured on their jobs every year? The media only likes to publish when a fire or police officer is injured or killed, no big deal if a roofer falls, or an electrican gets fried, its a constant "PR" campagine for Safety workers. Many feel that the reason the fire union wont offer up a real concession, is they have to "save face" with all the other counties fire departments, who over the years have been using the Vallejo Fire Union contracts as a bargaining chip. If the salaries and benfits are reduced, all that running around to other fire districts by Kurt Henke, will be for nothing, and who will look the fool? I have relatives that work for the Santa Rosa FD. They are being to look at who they assocaiated themselves with in other fire unions, remember people judge you "by the company you keep."

admin   |May.17.2008 Upgraded to Version 3.23. Corrected dollar sign issues. $1, $2, $3...

Typo   |May.17.2008 Snark, It's pretty telling when the best you can do is insult me for a BLOG typo. Why not address the issue...I forgot this is VIB. But if you know of a good raw date, send him my way.

Snark   |May.17.2008 "You're No Dcotor No one I know of with a doctorate degree would try to make a point by citing "raw date" in a BLOG." PRICELESS! That cuz Mr. Good Old Boy you ain't a'knowin' no dcoterz. Raw date? Was that the thing you tried to pick up on the last night? Excuse me, I couldn't help myself. These are either seriously impaired dolts or just dummies who have gone too far. It's like shooting fish in a barrel but more satisfying. Rave on dunce!

You're No Dcotor   |May.17.2008 No one I know of with a doctorate degree would try to make a point by citing "raw date" in a BLOG.

Robert Schussel PhD   |May.17.2008 Anonymous The average salary differential of Vallejo PD over others in the area (which was partly dropped out) was over 8,600 dollars. The agencies and raw data was supplied by a police blogger Dirty Lincoln whom I assume you work with. The bottom line is that both Vallejo PD and FF are better paid then their counter parts. The issue is not whether they are doing a good job but rather Vallejo can no longer afford to pay these wages.

Anonymous   |May.17.2008 "In 1969 the PSU's had the Zodiac killer on the loose to bolster terror in Vallejo. After reading the Times Horrid blogs the last few days I have serious concerns for the mental capacity of some of our uniformed heroes." OMG, the safety unions were terrorizing the city as far back as 1969! Pearsall was a terrorist in training under the likes of Meyers and Sullivan ect....

silasbarnabe   |May.17.2008 In 1969 the PSU's had the Zodiac killer on the loose to bolster terror in Vallejo. After reading the Times Horrid blogs the last few days I have serious concerns for the mental capacity of some of our uniformed heroes.

WATZ UP WIT DAT?   |May.17.2008 I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT THE PRE-BANKRUPTCY SPEECH THAT THE CHIEF OF POLICE GAVE MINUTES BEFORE THE COUNCIL DECLARED BANKRUPTCY WAS FULL OF SCARE TACTICS, AND SUGGESTIONS THAT THE CITY WOULD HAVE A "WAVE OF CRIME." THIS WAS VERY IRRESPONSIBLE, AND HIS "POWER OF SUGGESTION" WAS ALL THAT PETTY TIME CRIMINALS AND "OPPORTUNISTS" NEED TO SPUR THEM ON, WAS THIS IS INTENT? WE HAVE LOST NO REAL MAN POWER ON THE POLICE FORCE, BUT THE CITY IS EXPERIENCING A PETTY CRIME WAVE IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF TEEN AGE BREAK-INGS AND ROBBERY. HEY CHIEF GOOD GOING WITH THE POWER OF SUGGESTION! THE CRIMINAL POPLULAS THAT LIVE IN VALLEJO ARE NOT THE SMARTEST, THEY PROBABLY THINK THAT HALF THE POLICE FORCE IS GONE AND ITS GOING TO BE A "FREE FOR ALL" JUST LIKE THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES WHEN BOTH THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS WENT ON STRIKE... GOOD GOING CHIEF NIC, THAT WAS A POWERFUL POWER OF SUGGESTION YOU SENT OUT THERE. BY THE WAY, DOESNT LOOK LIKE ALL THE OFFICERS WILL BE RUNNING TO OAKLAND, MAYOR RON DELLUMS WANTS TO HIRE ARMED GUARDS NOW, HIS CITY GAVE EVERYTHING AWAY TOO!

Ooops   |May.17.2008 Anon, you note that Tanner is taking a couple of days in Vegas this weekend. What about your public safety funded councilmember Mikey Wilson traipsing around Italy for two weeks with no phone contact? The city he is charged with caring for is in its death throes, but Mikey is sipping chianti and slurping tasty pasta. But I guess that doesnt matter as he has to recuse himself from voting on just about everything anyway.

Upset Resident   |May.16.2008 I must say that I take issue with a previous comment that our policeman are payed the going rate, but I will give you that the difference is less now than several years ago when our dept. made tons more than the others. That you have the gall to even suggest that such compensation is equitable, either you are just ignorant or the rest of us in almost every industry and sector are grossly underpaid. Second homes in Hawaii weren't guaranteed when most of them first applied for their jobs. I believ in equitable pay, but get a clue! DO NOT USE DOLLAR SIGNS !!! Dollar signs cause a loss of numbers on this board when posting...Don't you people check your posts? We are left with "researched" information that is meaningless! Use the word "dollar", its easy, I just did it, I spelled it write and everything (pun intended).

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 Turned off. Life is not always perfect. if you don't feel comfortable reading something scroll by it. Some of the rest of us have as stronger stomach and a more open mind.

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 I hear Tanner is vacationing in Las Vegas while all of this is going down. With the money he makes, I don't blame him. Hey Joe, split the tens against the seven...no, double down. On second thought, declare bankruptcy. Oh what the heck, give me anouther double Cadillac Margatita. Where is my 300K retirement??????

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 Marc, Your immediate reaction was to do the same thing, by using symbols to blank out your friends name. This has caused me to reassess my support for this web site and my participation on this blog. I will not have anything to do with an organization that focuses its negative energy on an individual the way you have done and continue to demonstrate here. I will no longer be posting here. Not only do you owe your friend an apology, you owe one to your readers too, for deciding for them what they can and can not read here, instead of leaving it up to them. You abused your authority by using it as a weapon in a personal matter that does not concern us.

Turned Off with the T-H   |May.16.2008 I can't stand the conversations on the t-h blogs because of the angry nonsense being posted there. Please don't start it up here.

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 Marc, It is so blatantly petty of you to replace &#*-'S name with asterisks after he had the decency to try to give you a scoop on this afternoon's closed Council session results. Considering the way you back stabbed him by banning him, after he was such a loyal and helpful friend to you when you first started VIB, it's a wonder why he even acknowledged your or VIB's existence by doing what he just did. Blanking out his name is like saying the holocaust never occurred. Even though you don't want to see his name, many of us have no problem with it and appreciate his comments as well as what he just demonstrated to us all. That he is a better man than you.

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 Character problem. empty comment

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 Dr. Bob Phd, I'm sure they taught you something about statistics in school. Now complete your statistics with a work load study...part one FBI violent crimes per officer and officers per capita. When you finish get back to me with those numbers(I noticed you disregarded the agencies which made more than Vallejo PD in your stats). VPD officers are paid well, but if you include a work load study, I think it will paint a more complete picture. Don't you want all of the fact before you give your prognosis doctor?

***'s Evil Twin   |May.16.2008 I was also told by a source I will not divulge to: "watch out for Hannigan." They did not make any further statement besides that one.

Sonic Toad   |May.16.2008 Since you're the evil twin, what does that make your brother? I thought I saw a halo over by the podium.

***'s Evil Twin   |May.16.2008 I attended the public portion of today's Council meeting. I waited until the closed session adjourned at 6:35 pm. It was confirmed to me by Craig Whittom, that no new developments have occurred.

***'s Evil Twin   |May.16.2008 >>>>>>>>>>BREAKING NEWS

silasbarnabe   |May.16.2008 Wow! The Times Horrid blog is hilarious! Golden Retirment, Robert, and then the court jester shrew. How embarrassing would this be for other communities to see our safety employees at their best. Begging the question: Are these people meant to have hoses, guns, and badges? I am so dismayed and disgusted by such behavior, but then again a high school diploma,a few semesters of college, and a personal opinion of oneself of total inadequacy makes a vitriolic, childish, and egocebtric public servant.

Robert Schussel PhD   |May.16.2008 Using fiqures supplied on the TH site I calculated the annualized difference in pay of other Police Depts with Vallejo.( before the 6.5% temporary giveback) . The Vallejo PD make on average $8,649 more. Vallejos salaries for PD are closer to the more wealthy Bay Area Citys such as Hayward and Berekley and significantly more than cities similar to Vallejo such as Vacaville,Richmond and Fairfied. Vacaville PD 20928 Richmond PD 15660 Concord PD 13980 Emeryville PD 13800 Fremont PD 9252 San Leandro 8280 Fairfield PD 7500 San Francisco 6312 Alameda PD 4116 Hayward PD 2496 Berkeley PD 1464

Vallejo Heights   |May.16.2008 On Fire, it's not the testosterone over there -- it's adrenaline. You know, when faced with a scary situation, adrenaline causes "fight or flight" response. They're fighting now but they're very, very scared.

On Fire   |May.16.2008 And now it makes sense. The mayor is looking for private investors to buy into Vallejo......hmmmmm! Keep an eye on that puppy! We know who he calls when he wants advice...Kevin Shelly and associates. RED FLAG ALERT!

On Fire   |May.16.2008 "The council implemented a policy of keeping a reserve of at least 15% of general fund spending, renegotiated labor agreements, and boosted both taxes and fees." The key, renegotiated labor agreements! If this was done here, there would be more support for "boosted tax and fees". The mayor has recognized the fact that Vallejo doesn't have a revenue problem. Which translates to Vallejo is spending too much. So while we certainly need more revenue, it isn't essential to keep the city operating. The cost of salaries and benefits is what is out of kilter.

Firebug   |May.16.2008 The boys in blue seem to have an obsession with Police academy, and homo-sexuality. I hope the VPD hasn't laid off the Padre and the Department Psychologist. They must harbor a much anger at the Supreme Court's decsion yesterday!

On Fire   |May.16.2008 I'd advise people to move back from their screens as the frothing at the mouth by the boys in blue will start resulting in spit flying through the screens! And we thought the ff's were bad!

Firebug   |May.16.2008 Phoenix- At least you aren't suing Santa Clara and San Francisco, and yet you do not use Fairfiled or Vacaville for comparisons....

phoenix   |May.17.2008 A TALE OF TWO CITIES with apologies to Dickens Struggling California Cities Vallejo and Richmond Take Different Financial Tacks Bond Buyer | Friday, May 16, 2008 By Andrew Ward SAN FRANCISCO - Vallejo, Calif., and nearby Richmond are both old industrial towns in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both suffer high jobless rates. Both are working-class towns in a region that is better known for its wealth and high technology industry. And both want to attract outside capital to redevelop their waterfronts. But the similarities end when it comes to how each city has handled it finances as of late. Vallejo announced it would file for bankruptcy last week - the city had not filed as of yesterday - and saw the ratings for various city-related bond issues slashed. Richmond last week earned an upgrade from Standard & Poor's to A-plus from A, just four years after a financial crisis of its own in 2004. "The difference in Richmond is management," said Gabe Petek, an analyst for Standard & Poor's in San Francisco. "Very strong management over the past few years has really paid off." The story of these two cities shows how differing strategies for development and financial management can yield drastically different outcomes despite seemingly similar starting points. The results matter because they'll decide which of the two cities will be able to attract the investments and workers that will allow them to develop, grow and provide essential government services. "It's certainly going to make it very, very difficult to go ahead with our waterfront and our downtown project," said Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis in an interview. He said he hopes to garner economic development through private investment even if the city itself can't tap the bond market. His city, with a population of 116,800, is slightly larger and wealthier than Richmond. The city's median family income was 67,000 in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Richmond, with 102,120 residents, had a median family income of about $55,000. Both cities face a sharp contraction in their housing markets, and above-average unemployment rates. Again, Richmond's data is weaker. Vallejo's jobless rate averaged 6.7% in 2007, while Richmond averaged 7.9%. A key difference between the two cities is how they have reacted to economic weakness. The Vallejo City Council voted unanimously last week to declare bankruptcy in an attempt to get out from under union contracts that current policymakers say the city can't afford. Davis, who has been in office for about six months, readily admits that the city's woes are of its own making. "It's a policy problem," Davis said. "It's not an economic problem and it never has been." The Vallejo Finance Department projects that it will deplete its general fund reserves by the end of this fiscal year and spend 16.6 million more than it brings in next year. Vallejo's most recent certified annual financial report showed that it spent 13 million more than it took in on an all-funds budget of 308.2 million. Richmond projects a balanced budget next year. Its 2007 CAFR showed a $37.3 million surplus on a 246.9 million all-funds budget. In 2004, Richmond faced its own financial crisis and cut its budget "to the bone," closing its recreation department and some libraries, said city manager Bill Lindsay. "The City Council made some really difficult decisions back in 2004 in terms of devastating service cuts," Lindsay said. "We really had kind of hit bottom." The council implemented a policy of keeping a reserve of at least 15% of general fund spending, renegotiated labor agreements, and boosted both taxes and fees. "At least it had stabilized - it was not a situation where we had to worry about making payroll, and so it was a matter of putting financial policies in place" that would prevent a repeat of the crisis, Lindsay said. "And the City Council has stuck with them." Vallejo, by comparison, has made serious cuts, including firing its police narcotics squad and youth outreach unit, but it's only willing to cut so far. For instance, it refused to shut libraries when its crisis erupted earlier this year. At this week's City Council meeting, Crystal Odum Ford, head of the local transit agency, told councilors that Vallejo would have to hike fares for its buses and ferries to cover rising fuel costs. Council members told her that wasn't acceptable and suggested she look for creative ways to lower fuel costs, such as buying fuel in advance or buying new ferries that are more fuel efficient. "As a city, as a community, we need to decide if public transportation is important, and if it is, then we need to find ways to help subsidize it," said Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes, who led the charge for bankruptcy in Vallejo. Gomes said the council should consider asking voters to approve a sales tax for transportation at some point, but she was hesitant to support a fare increase even in the face of the city's impending bankruptcy. The council votes on the proposed fare hike next week. Gomes has been a tough critic of the city's public safety unions, pointing out that public safety salaries eat up about three-quarters of the general fund budget, compared to about 50% in other cities. She's advocated bankruptcy to escape the contracts previous councils negotiated with the public safety workers. There's truth to the contention that Vallejo's public safety workers are very well paid, but police and firefighter unions say the general fund percentage is not a fair benchmark because Vallejo's budget includes 100 funds, often segregating expenses that would be in the general fund in other jurisdictions. The city admits it can't keep track of how much money it has lent to one fund from the next. Richmond and Vallejo report their public safety spending differently, but as a percentage of the all funds budget Vallejo spends less for police and fire than Richmond spends on "public safety," according to the cities' 2007 CAFRs. On a per-capita basis, Richmond spends 677 a year, while Vallejo spends 610. The average Richmond firefighter makes about 150,000 a year in salary and benefits, Lindsay said. A Vallejo firefighter makes 171,250, according to the city Finance Department. Vallejo's unions last week offered to close most of next year's $16 million budget gap by accepting 10.6 million in pay cuts. It also commissioned a report by the outside auditing firm to assess the city's claims that it is bankrupt. "They've basically operated with a very low level of reserves for at least 11 years. That just reflects the financial decisions and policies that the city has made," said Roger Mialocq, a principal at Harvey M. Rose & Associates, a well-known government consulting firm in the Bay Area that serves as the independent budget analysts for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Mialocq said the city could avoid bankruptcy with a series of one-time cuts and fee increases that would give it a $6 million general-fund surplus next year. Some of his suggestions included delaying replacement of city vehicles, applying for state funds the city is eligible for but doesn't receive, and transferring money from the city's redevelopment fund to its general fund to repay loans made in past years. "Clearly, they've been spending more money than they could afford and pouring extra money into redevelopment," Mialocq said. "They definitely don't need to go into bankruptcy - there's no question about that." Vallejo has rejected both the union's pay reduction offer and the Rose report's suggestions. Mayor Davis said the city isn't interested in any quick fixes to keep it out of bankruptcy. It's holding out for a permanent solution. "Even if you came up with an agreement that gets you through this year, what are you going to do, face this battle again next y...

Firebug   |May.16.2008 The Times Horrid blog is worse than I have ever seen it. Apparently the VPOE foks have joined into the bashing.

On Fire   |May.16.2008 From the way the henkettes are carrying on at the times horrid blogs, it would appear that the talks aren't going well for them. They are becoming more vile and nasty everyday. My! my! The testosterone levels are shooting out the roof! The city asks to have the staffing levels cut, so that the ff would cut down on overtime. riley/henke go ballistic and scream about putting the ff's lives in danger. So when the bankrutcy word moves forward, the unions offer to shut down two stations. Wouldn't it have been same result if they would have accepted a reduction in staffing? Back a couple of years ago, Pearsall suggested a cut in salary and giving up two years worth of salary increases to help balance the budget. We all remember how well that was received. And now we hear that the henkettes are offering to give up salary increases and take a cut in pay? (Even though they are not really giving up the increases) Wouldn't it have saved a lot of retirements and people leaving for other jobs if they only would have accepted the suggestion two years ago? So now we are "union busting". I haven't heard anything about getting rid of the unions or not permitting them to exist so how is it union busting? A suggested cut in salary translates to union busting? When are the rank and file going to wake up as see that henke/riley/mustard are not working for the memberships best interest? Or maybe they do realize it and just don't care because they want their part of the golden egg at any cost too?

Firebug   |May.16.2008 The timing does appear to be suspect, I know one thing I will never fully trust OZZY or the funded four.

City Hall Mole--Deep Cover   |May.16.2008 When the City Manager is Away The Dirty Rats Will Play!!! Hey, Joe Tanner is out of town for a few days. Much needed rest and last word was no new negotiations were scheduled. (By the way Michael Wilson is shlurping pasta in Italy right now) The unions rejected the city's last best offer. SUDDENLY--The Magnificent Ozby has set up a meeting from behind his little curtain. The City and the Unions are meeting as you read this...and without the benefit of the City Manager being present. Wonder what kind of deal is in the offing now. You can be sure the prior last best deal included contract extensions and deferrals. More of the same nonsense that got us where we are today. 4:30 closed session today. The agenda says: An open session will be held if city council takes action in closed session that must be reported to the public. Hmmm...wonder if Oz will sell us out and become the (faux) hero he so desperately hopes to be. Or maybe we'll all go back to Kansas without a heart or a brain or a Vallejo worth saving.

John K   |May.16.2008 The times horrid said the union rejected the latest City offer. What offer? Will someone print some details? MUSTARD: "The unions' bankruptcy attorney has told his clients the city's response to their latest budget proposal is unacceptable, and would result in a gutting of the labor contracts... What the city is attempting to impose on the unions - we would do better in bankruptcy court," Mustard said.

Anonymous   |May.16.2008 I understand that the BA's are in SF, W+W, but the unions were negotiating amongst themselves, correct me if I am wrong about this! Are we paying these people and their entourage any type of wages to travel to SF, have lunch, etc.? I still feel, since these negotiators are "employees", a better use of their time could be achieved by holding these talks right here!

Watching & Waiting   |May.16.2008 It's in the City likely because that's where the bankruptcy attorneys are. Mark my words, Osby is in full panic mode right now -- "what can I give to you unions that you'll take so I can avoid filing for bankruptcy?" So just watch -- today is the day the fox guarding the henhouse will eat all the chickens. We'll get "a deal" with years of contract extensions, revenue ideas that aren't legal or won't work, the same issues in the contracts that make them unsustainable now, and not enough permanent salary savings to solve the problem. And we'll be back in this same place in a year, maybe two.

Gabriele   |May.16.2008 Quote "In the wake of another unsuccessful mediation session with unions to avoid bankruptcy, the Vallejo City Council will meet in closed session today for an update, city officials said Thursday. "The session is basically just to brief the council on (Wednesday's) mediation session," said city public information officer JoAnn West. No action is expected, she added." So it looks there is no negotiation tonight, just a briefing of things discussed in San Francisco! Why is any discussion held in S.F.? This is a Vallejo issue and it should be discussed right here at City Hall. Bring your lunch like normal stiffs and you have saved 4 hours of downtime due to wasted time commuting. But I guess this allows the boys to get out of town for a bit.

silasbarnabe   |May.16.2008 Lex, It looks to be the last and final negotiating session with the PSU's and the caviat of discussing proposed concessions with the BK lawyers? Who knows, but to avert a bankruptcy our PSU friends will need to make real come to the table without thier gimmicks and crocodile tears.

Anonymous   |May.15.2008 ANOTHER COUNCIL MEETING TONITE??? WHATS THIS ABOUT...SEE CITY ADGENDAS>>LEX

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.15.2008 I was wondering if the City of Vallejo Business district and/or the Chamber of Commerce has ever promoted a "shop/visit Vallejo first" as they have in other cities such as Benicia. It was a very successful promo in Benicia, when I lived there in the early 90's. Businesses had a hard time getting people to shop downtown, so they started the "shop Benicia First" slogan for the towndown. I am sure the investors of the Fairfield Mall would not like our Visit/shop Vallejo First, as they fought the development of the shopping area at the Fairgrounds (they had a "group" front for them, but many of us know who they are.) Can you imagine if the Fairfield Mall lost the potential of our 120,000 residents to our own shopping area? Many of us suspect its the very reason we do not have Barnes and Nobel, Trader Joes and other such retail places, it would detract from the Fairfield Mall area...

diemosquito2   |May.15.2008 Hurray! I am UP on VALLEJO again! Hats off to the full council and Mayor Davis. I did not have faith! I was wrong. I am hopeful they will keep proving me wrong! Three Cheers! Keep up the tough stance! It is the right thing to do. A big thank you to VIB- w/o you...not sure where we would be...a special thanks to Schively and Gomes...heros! Oh- and another thing...three cheers to California! Reversing the Ban! I really feel a shift in the air! Yippee.

On Fire   |May.15.2008 It appears that some people over at the times horrid blogs have sat on a hornet's nest. Angry people! All doom and gloom. The people of Vallejo are stupid! The council is crazy! Oh the city will catch on fire and burn down. Oh the crime waves will take over the city and everyone will need to arm themselves! Oh, people will call 911 and no one will be there to answer and you medical crisis will go unattended! Oh yes, this makes me want to give them a 21 percent raise over the next three years at the cost of other city services, parks, senior services, arts and quality of life programs. Let me hurry and call the mayor to tell him to rush right down and give our grateful safety employees some more money! Especially those particularly vile ones. I think this would be good reading for all of the advertisers at the times horrid. Maybe a good cut and paste job in an email to let them know the kind of talk that the times horrid continues to let go on unchecked.

Edinator   |May.15.2008 Anonymous, Email me your letter and I'll post it for you. We're working on fixing the cut and paste problem. Sorry for the inconvenience. Marc Garman

Anonymous   |May.15.2008 okay--don't like cut and paste:

Anonymous   |May.15.2008 Character problem. empty comment

Anonymous   |May.15.2008 here'a a letter I wrote: I took a lot of personal info out. Dear Mayor Davis, City Council Members, and City Manager: I want to commend you and the members of the city council on your difficult decision to file bankruptcy. Although the decision to file bankruptcy is not something to applaud, it was however a courageous act

Truth Teller   |May.15.2008 Gotta smack down the City of Apathy post. The very reason WHY we are in the position we are in right now is because of past Apathy. Yep, the public sat back after Mare Island closed and let Intintoli and the Council make one bad decision after another. It took a long time to get to this place. I have run in to countless people, life-long, multi-generational Vallejoans, who said, "Why bother, the Council/Mayor are going to do what the Chamber/Unions/Old Boy Club wants them to do anyway". Then, almost every time I hear that I also hear "But thank you for speaking up, trying to make a change!". These people feel like it never will change and that they have no say. That is true apathy. I've been running into some of these people lately and I ask them what they think about BK. I am surprised that EVERY ONE of them has said something to the effect of "These safety union contacts are outrageous and MUST change. The union bosses only care about money and not Vallejo. I hope BK can change that!" These people don't hate police and fire but they hate that their city has lost all of it's community events, funding for the library and arts, funding to the parks and senior center and PAL and...so it is now that the tide is turning. Turning away from the greed of the special interest groups and turning towards a rebuilding of Vallejo. That can only happen when a re-balance within the city happens. ALL city jobs and salaries need to be examined. All employees should have to re-apply for their positions. Two-tiered systems for salaries and benefits need to be put in place. And hope will be reborn from the ashes of bad contracts.

Truth Teller   |May.15.2008 On Fire, you are ON FIRE!!! Your post starting with "Here's a free clue henkettes: LONG TERM SOLUTIONS, NO CONTRACT EXTENSIONS, REAL CONCESSIONS, AND STOP WITH THE PR SESSIONS THAT DON'T FOOL ANYONE!" needs to be pasted up on the bulletin board at the VPOA, IAFF & IBEW offices. You are speaking the truth and NOTHING less than what you stated should be accepted. Please put that in a letter to the editor of our Behind the Times Herald. Thank you for that post!

GoodFaith   |May.15.2008 City of Apathy, it sounds like you are a public safety employee who just got the lid of the cookie jar slammed down on your hand. You talk about "our community" not caring -- I know myself and many, many others who have been attending meetings, studying the issues, writing our elected officials, volunteering on committees, taking time away from our families, our jobs and our homes -- not because we make any money doing it, but because we care about "our community." You point the finger at Vallejo not developing properly over the years, and you are correct. This city has been mismanaged for a long time. But that mismanagement is over. Tanner, whom you are accusing of being a union buster and city destroyer, is finally putting Vallejo's fiscal and management house in order. Just because you don't like it and it affects your overly-generous paycheck doesn't mean it isn't right for "our community." And while you are pointing fingers at destroyers of this city and bad managmeent, look in the mirror, public safety unions. Your IAFF and VPOA bosses have led you here with their arrogance, their greediness, and their lack of ethical behavior. I say look in the mirror to the rank and file because ultimately, while it is your union bosses making the decisions, you are responsible for not standing up and saying, "no more!" and voting them out on their butts. I'm sick and tired of the public safety union whining. Let's fix OUR city and move on.

silasbarnabe   |May.15.2008 City of apathy, Vallejo's apathy was good enough when it gave binding arbitration, counfil candidates like Haniigan, Wilson, Sunga, and Bartee. Now that apathy won't give you taxes vallejo is all of sudden a bad place (for you folks anyways).

On Fire   |May.14.2008 And you rock Marc's mom! You go girl!

City of Apathy   |May.14.2008 This city is going down and no one cares. They closed two fire houses and police staffing is at a critical level. When the City files, police staffing levels will be a disaster...and no one seems to care. Citizens will say "what happened to our community?" Tanner will be enjoying his 300K retirement in the East Bay and say "see, I broke those unions" at the same time "breaking the City". Many will say it's the fault of the unions and binding arbitration. Only a few will recognize that although the FD was paid a little too much, the PD was paid the market rate for the services they provided. In any case, only the bright ones will recognize the City absolutley failed to develop this city in a proper fashion. Just drive up I80 and ask yourself "why couldn't Vallejo develop like Fairfield or Vacaville. They had all of the commercial infrastructure in place and more...with Mare Island". It's a sad day in Vallejo, City of Apathy.

On Fire   |May.14.2008 Here's a free clue henkettes: LONG TERM SOLUTIONS, NO CONTRACT EXTENSIONS, REAL CONCESSIONS, AND STOP WITH THE PR SESSIONS THAT DON'T FOOL ANYONE! I have been at the council meetings and it was clear to me that any offers had to include real concessions that would enable the city to have a balanced budget, reserves and money for the quality of life services. Flipping your anticipated salary increases into irrevocable trusts that further fluff your retirement pillows don't translate to concessions. Back end contract extensions only perpetuate the fiscal crisis we are in now. If we can't afford the contracts as they stand now, why would we then add additional years to an already identified financial albatross? People are already angry about the past transgressions made by our policy makers. So when you come back to the table, word to the wise, don't ask to have us repeat bad history! Put the cocktails down and sober up prior to sitting down at the negotiation table. If you can't handle the thought of giving up money in order to keep your jobs, at least there are options for you. Many facing lay offs and job eliminations don't have a signing bonus waiting for them. We appreciate the work you do, well at least most of you, and hate to have to lose qualified and seasoned employees. But we also want our city hall to stay open and functioning. We are willing to make sacrafices, but not if the end result will be to further line your pockets. I will pay more taxes to help our schools, but not pay higher salaries for administrators. I will pay more taxes to help keep up our parks, libraries, museums, and arts. But I will not vote yes to pay additional salary increases and give the henkettes more UBL'ing time. Not one red cent! Can you hear me now?

former housing employee   |May.14.2008 There is no website that would tell you what houses are Section 8. For that informaiton you have to call and ask specifically if a certain house is section 8 and they can only sat yes or no. The gosection8 website is only a lising of potential properties where landlords agree to rent to section 8. If your suspension are true and you have section 8 in your neighborhood please report any unusal activity. ie, a lot of people living there and/or drug activity.

Anonymous   |May.14.2008 Vallejo mediation session held, negotiators report no progress City rejects latest offer by public employee unions By JESSICA A. YORK/Times-Herald staff writer Article Launched: 05/14/2008 01:59:57 PM PDT http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_9258596 In the countdown to Vallejo's bankruptcy, another unsuccessful mediation session was held Wednesday between Vallejo public employee union representatives and city officials, negotiators said. The all-day session was held from 10 a.m. to about 6:30 p.m. in San Francisco, Mat Mustard, vice president of the Vallejo Police Officers Association, told the Times-Herald. A recent union offer on the table last Friday was formally rejected, Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis said early Wednesday night. Davis said while no agreement was reached Wednesday, he could not definitively say it would be the last mediated session before a bankruptcy petition is filed. No further meeting has been scheduled, Mustard confirmed. Last week, the day after the City Council voted unanimously to seek bankruptcy protection, city spokeswoman JoAnn West said she expected the filing to be completed in about a week. City lawyers were still engaged in "prep work," as far as she knew. "The lawyers are moving forward with this," West said Wednesday. "They have not been directed otherwise." West said the bankruptcy report would be filed electronically and then posted on the city's Web site for public viewing.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.14.2008 Dear Cranky Pants, the website to find section 8 is www.gosection8.com Enjoy!

MISSMARVLEOUS   |May.14.2008 Great job from Diana Lang and Jennifer, local realtors here in VAllejo that spoke out at last nights City Council Meeting. They pretty much said what Little Old Lady has been preaching at VIB. Funds from VHA (Vallejo Houing Authority) should be used to fund helping lower income families purchase homes. Not for supporting more section 8 rental properties. The purchase of a home is one time help for a family, section 8 rental support goes on and on... Lets be smart and help people buy homes and not be dependant on the City of Vallejo. No more large section 8 projects, they keep poor people in a "poor state of mind." p.s. Have you all been writing your letters to Solano County regarding their decision to allow high-density housing in unincorportate Vallejo? We only have until June 2nd.

Cranky Pants   |May.14.2008 Sorry to Barge in.....Could someone post the link for finding section 8 housing in a neighborhood? I have three homes that are attracting the criminal element to the 'hood and I have been told they are section 8. Since we have no code enforcemnt left I need to turn to the feds; good luck there.....But it is better than nothing, I want to say it was little old lady that posted the link but .....

overpaid   |May.14.2008 to those of you involved in the binding arbitration charter amendment...(nice speech yesterday!) please tread with care around California Code of Civil Procedure 1299 etc...particularly 1299.7 which states1299.7. (a) The arbitration panel shall mail or otherwise deliver a copy of the decision to the parties. However, the decision of the arbitration panel shall not be publicly disclosed, and shall not be binding, for a period of five days after service to the parties. During that five-day period, the parties may meet privately, attempt to resolve their differences and, by mutual agreement, amend or modify the decision of the arbitration panel. (b) At the conclusion of the five-day period, which may be extended by the parties, the arbitration panel's decision, as may be amended or modified by the parties pursuant to subdivision (a), shall be publicly disclosed and, unless the governing body acts in accordance with subdivision (c), shall be binding on all parties, and, if specified by the arbitration panel, be incorporated into and made a part of any existing memorandum of understanding as defined in Section 3505.1 of the Government Code. (c) The employer may by unanimous vote of all the members of the governing body reject the decision of the arbitration panel, except as specifically provided to the contrary in a city, county, or city and county charter with respect to the rejection of an arbitration award.

On Fire   |May.14.2008 I will be glad to see the analysis when it comes out but just a curser review of these "fabulous" concessions all seem to indicate that the money doesn't go back to the city to help fund anything but their own interests. Such as the reduction in compensation for VPOA and IAFF goes into a irrevocable trust through PERS to may for future retiree health plan costs. Then they give up the salary increase they were due effective 07/08, which would appear that they haven't lost a dime in compensation, they are only negotiating with future increases that they wouldn't get anyway because of the bankruptcy filing. IAFF also gets back their 6.5 percent in March 2009? Now I am not a numbers person so I will wait until we hear from our numbers cruncher, but this sure seems like some more smelly snake oil sales pitching to me! Now one could imagine that the portions of this summary that are missing, since the number of items go from #2 to #7, #3 to #7 and missing #8 for the VPOA and IAFF agreements, that they covered those secret contract extensions and the Rosey people were probably instructed to blank those tidbits out.

momster   |May.14.2008 Vallejo has not changed it's way of thinking. I'm all for mimicking Marin County and rebuilding the waterfront. Get rid of the God Ole Boys who control this town. And ,who wants to go to a football game with more police presence then people. Hey so every fire truck in Vallejo is on hwy 37 fighting a fire. major traffic jam right now.

Firebug   |May.14.2008 Great work Marc! Now I understand why Henke and Riley went balistic about the so called "support of new revenues". The one major thing that keeps that report going is to make believe new revenues could be gotten.

Anonymous   |May.14.2008 "This town is going to sink. We are not Marin County." Momster, please tell that to some poster who believes Vallejo is on the verge of becoming Sausalito, except for the PSU holding it back.

momster   |May.14.2008 and then I was even more bothered when I saw all the new housing developments. Houses pricing at 700,000.00 at Hiddencrooks. I knew this wasn't right. You can't sell houses for that price with horrible schools and no new attractions. This town is going to sink. We are not Marin County.

momster   |May.14.2008 i graduated from Vallejo High School in 1984 and just recently went to high a school football game last Fall. I was mortified to see how much the school went down hill. The bleachers were empty--no parental support. There were hords of police personnel. Vallejo always had an reputation for being tough--this was very disturbing for me, as I know Vallejo's crime hasn't increased that much. In grade school Loma Vista and Elsa Widenmann had pretty good teachers--very hip--out of Berkeley.

Firebug   |May.14.2008 I have a theory since this site opened up and some very knowledgeable posters have schooled us on section 8 housing. You don't suppose that Vallejo public schools has a large population of section 8 students? And with that thought you don't suppose that section 8 parents are less because of socio-economic factors appear to be apathetic towards their children's education. I know in 2003-4 right before bankruptcy the Board majority voted to remove police resource officers from many school campuses. I live in Glen Cove and every morning I see a parade of cars with youngsters going toward Benicia or on 80 toward American canyon. I wonder why? BTW I am firebug not Onfire. On Fire is way more articulate and I suspect more educated than I am!

Osbys Neigbhor   |May.14.2008 On Fire Thank you. To this day I wonder why the School Board got off so easy for all of the problems that occured. Also I don't understand the apathy that exists about the low academic standards.If we had good schools most homes would be worth 50 thousand more and the tax base would be significantly better. This is another example where past City Councils and the Mayors have dropped the ball.

Firebug   |May.14.2008 I came here in early 1999 and the school enrollment was about 20,000 students, and now it is under 15,000. The Superintendent at the time was a guy name Goldstone who supposedly was a pro-teacher non-good ole boy kind of guy. The School Board at the time was Verder-Aliga, Jones, Burkey Worel, Vanderbruggen, and Preovolos. In 1999 Pendergast ran for Vanderbruggen's seat (she retired) won and in June 2000, Jones, Pendergast, and Preovolus vote to fire Goldstone for unrevealed reasons. The then new board hires Glady6s Philip-Evans in 2001, in late 2002 Jones steps down and Hazel Wilson runs on her IRS experience in Fiscal prowess. The rest is history, you can ead the Grand Jury report here. For a good look at their incompetence. http://www.solanocourts.com/grandjury/2005/Reports/SCOE_Report.pdf Sorry I do not have any more history but I only moved here in 1999. From what I have been told the above mentioned group hated Goldstone and the teachers union because of a controversial 1993 teachers strike subsequent recall of a board member that led to the toppling of the so called good ole boy network of which Pendergast, Preovolos, and Jones allegedly belonged to. Perhpas an old timer can fill in the blanks for us.

Osbys neigbhor   |May.14.2008 I have always felt that the quality of Schools in Vallejo was a significant problem that isn't talked much about. Other than offering condolences City Council doesn't seem to care. Several School Board people such as Bill Pendergast have been priased in the past even though the District was deficiet on almost every area measured. Could someone who is knowledgable about the School System discuss why the School Board seems impotent and why the Schools continue to be at the bottom of the barrel.

Firebug   |May.14.2008 Hazel Wilson, Bill Pendergast, and Cathy Preovolos giving the current city council advice on the blame game and banruptcy! Now that is priceless they didn't want anyone to get in the blame game because they hired the Superintendent that bankrupted that District. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_9255160

Anonymous   |May.14.2008 Governor eyes lottery profits to fix budget Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Wednesday, May 14, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/13/MNGJ10M1AO.DTL&tsp=1 (05-14) 040 PDT Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will unveil a spending proposal today that calls for borrowing against future profits from the state lottery to help close what is expected to be a 15.2 billion budget deficit in the new fiscal year, administration officials said late Tuesday. Schwarzenegger plans to ask Wall Street investors to give California a lump sum of $15 billion in exchange for three years of the state lottery's revenue, said Aaron McLear, the governor's spokesman. The plan would require voter approval because the state lottery was installed as a result of a ballot initiative that promised to help fund education. If voters reject the idea, the governor proposes a temporary 1 percent increase in the sales tax, which would expire in 2011. The governor's plan calls for using about 5 billion of the lump sum to help reduce the projected 15.2 billion budget deficit. About 10 billion would be placed in a reserve that the governor wants to create to use during times of fiscal crisis as part of his proposed budget reform that he's been trumpeting up and down the state in recent months.

Anonymous   |May.13.2008 That CBS 5 video was pure nonsense. This Mustard guy, when asked by the reporters THREE TIMES why they are bringing this particular "proposal" up now, Mustard just evades the question. Seems to me that ALL THE UNIONS have something to hide at this point. City Council did the right thing by authorizing bankruptcy and calling the union's bluff.

Anonymous   |May.13.2008 While it is unlikely to change any VIB opinion, anyone who even remotely considers themselves to be objective should look at this... http://cbs5.com/local/vallejo.bankruptcy.plan.2.722334

Firebug   |May.13.2008 Wow no funding for senior centers and such? I thought that is happening right now? If its rock bottom you are worried about look no further, we have the worst roads in the county, no funding for non-profits, and public tranportation, and our libraries are reducing hours of operation because the city has pulled its funding. How much worse can it get for us? If I was making 200 K a year as a safety employee I might fear BK though.

John K   |May.13.2008 phoenix, I appreciate your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for posting. Before discussing Vallejo unionism, check out "A Word From Mom" at http://tinyurl.com/6fmzjo It's sobering to hear what she has to say about compensation in the retail industry. Most citizens and taxpayers in Vallejo can relate similar experiences.

phoenix   |May.13.2008 I would be only to happy to debate Anonymous and John L. on marcoeconomics and the history of public sector unionism, but I have a feeling it would be pointless.(the firfighters are no more reflective of the union movement, then the Patriot Act is of being a patriot). That being said, I get a bad feeling that no matter what comes out of this the people at the bottom will end up getting screwed. With or without bankruptcy, when the smoke clears the quality of life programs in Vallejo will disappear (libraries, recreation, senior centers) which impact those at the bottom of the so-called economic "trickle down" process. Foreclosures, already the highest in the county will accelerate and jobs will become harder to find. (and you can bet that the cops and firfighters will find other jobs) I have no problem with the City declaring bankruptcy if there is no real chance of solvency, but please buckle up because you're in for a rough ride. Good luck!

silasbarnabe   |May.13.2008 Hey look at the new look of the Times Horrid, about as meaningful and different as the unions latest regurgitated offers to the city.

John K   |May.13.2008 Vallejo is like an abused spouse Beaten cents-less by a vicious mate The abuser relents and starts talking sweet But you know it's gonna happen again... Chapter 9 is like a restraining order

Onlooker   |May.13.2008 I couldn't agree more Concerned. It makes me laugh when I think that the public safety unions are throwing their fellow employees under the bus. I wish I could make this point at the council meeting this evening, but I am away on business in Redding.

Onlooker   |May.13.2008 Stop with the infomercials please!!!

Anonymous   |May.13.2008 Phoenix said: "If it were not for unions we would have child labor, no minimum wage, no decent medical benefits, no pension plans. It was the unions that helped build this country. It was not unions who caused the enviromnmental disasters that have killed tens of thousands throughout the world and put us on the brink of an environmental holocaust." Hey Phoenix, people like you are fighting the battles of the past. Like the famous futurist Alvin Toffler said in all his publications, unions are "Second Wave" institutions, defended by "Second Wave" people, supporting a "Second Wave" industrial way of life. America in 21st century is heading towards a "Third Wave" civilization, which requires radically different "Third Wave" institutionsand ideas, run by people with "Third Wave" thinking. Vallejo's troubles are a result of fighting "Second Wave" battles -- Mare Island Naval Shipyard closure, along with this Local 1186 / City Council battles. Vallejo is the "canary in the mine", as some have said, because Vallejo failed to realize the truth that Alvin Toffler have long recognized. Many more California cities, counties, State government, and other cities, counties and State governments across the nation are going to face this truth as they watch what happens in Vallejo as a result of this Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Still not convince? Then you are most welcomed to reading Alvin Toffler's book, "Creating A New Civilization", linked below. Read what others have read and realize that "unions" are a thing of the past...... Creating a New Civilization http://www.alvintoffler.net/?fa=books "In yet-another ground-breaking analysis, the Tofflers turn their attention to politics in the 21st Century, and conclude that industrial-age institutions, policies and assumptions are no longer capable of dealing with the political complexities of the world of tomorrow. Creating a New Civilization tracks the growing conflict between Second and Third Wave politicians, and the schisms cracking traditional political parties. With an introduction by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich."

Concerned   |May.13.2008 I love the way the Unions hang their hats on the Harvey Rose Report. What is interesting to me is the fact that the city gets an independent audit done every year. Shouldn't the questions start their? My next question is this. Do you really think the city staff wants to go into bankruptcy? Would you fudge the numbers if you knew it may effect your pay as well? What the public safety unions don't realize is that their own fellow city workers are the ones who are doing this financial analysis. Don't they have a steak in this as well. They may have their benefits or salaries reduced. Why would finance jeapordize their own credibility and possible income? Would they do it just because they don't like the fire or police? I really doubt it. This bankruptcy will effect all employees, not just public safety. Let's use common sense people.

On Fire   |May.13.2008 I think the council will have a hard time accepting the latest greatest offer from the unions as one of the most important considerations is that whatever deal is made, it has to be LONG TERM. This does not mean March 2009 as offered by the unions. What is it that the unions simply don't get about "long term" solutions? They think that because they simply offer a bandaid that council is supposed to roll over and give them a four year contract extension? So to accept their offer, the city would then be consumed with trying to come up with more cuts to the budget that would start in March of next year. Which means the city still doesn't move forward with anything else except dealing with the unions and their salaries. I understand that the unions are only thinking about saving themselves. We all get that. But then they have the audacity to get mad at the tax payers because we want long term solutions and not another bandaid. We are living in two seperate worlds.

John K   |May.13.2008 phoenix, this is about city government employees... it's OK to have unions and collective bargaining, but you're talking nonsense. Vallejo City employees are guaranteed all the goodies, even without union help. What's happening with Vallejo's unions is a story about power and greed. Don't worry, it will all come out in the wash.

Gabriele   |May.13.2008 Yes, one thing is true, the individual agenda is now becoming clear. So my goal to finally have a quality of life, albeit small, makes me a right wing nut as well as a union buster and hater of public safety. As quoted, child labor, etc. is against the law in this great country of ours and yes, we can thank the unions for a lot of that, but get over yourselves, you had nothing to do with that, yet you want to ride that wave until it hits the sand. All along our city is being bled out through the benefits granted, not just wages, and because I now must, as the employer, apply some type of life support to stay alive, I am being labeled disloyal. If public employees want the host to survive, you have to come up with a better solution. We demand a decent life for our families, just like you do for yours. Most Vallejo citizens have neglected their duties and have not been on the ball when electing leaders who should have insured for our city to prosper. Employees, most of them not living here, have had the priviledge to provide well for their families. I am grateful for their honest work and dedication. I would hope that party affilliations would be put aside for this purpose. We are in this together, do you not aggree?

Firebug   |May.13.2008 I think MIlton Friedman is in the same party as your imperious leader Kurt Henke

phoenix   |May.13.2008 It is interesting to see individual's true agendas. Now Anonymous is attacking unions; a true right wing tactic. If it were not for unions we would have child labor, no minimum wage, no decent medical benefits, no pension plans. It was the unions that helped build this country. It was not unions who caused the enviromnmental disasters that have killed tens of thousands throughout the world and put us on the brink of an environmental holocaust. I suggest you study history since you seem to be deficient in this area. Every advanced democratic country in the world has strong unions; we do not need corporate fascism in this country. And the final insult is to reference Milton Friedman, a right wing economist, who help bolter Ronald Reagan's brilliant presidency and supported Pinochet in Chile. By the way since he had a free market, liassez-faire mentality he would have opposed bankruptcy (i.e. government intervention). By the way one of the definitions of anonymous is "marked by a lack of individuality or personality" How fiting!

JustMyOp   |May.13.2008 It just seems like it is a vicious circle or recurring nightmare. Nothing is going to change if the council accepts their offer. However, we still need to get rid of binding arbitration, regardless of what happens and think about recalling some council members. It is scary that Vallejo voters have been going along with this crap for so long seemingly indifferent to the problems the salary and benefits structure has caused them.

Vallejo Heights   |May.13.2008 The Chronicle has a story on the union proposal: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/13/BA2710L7BD.DTL It's (surprise, surprise) much more informative than the T-H story. For example, it explains that the 6.5 percent wage decrease the union is proposing only lasts for ONE YEAR! After that, we're back to the same situation. There's also this bit: Asked how saving $10.6 million would avert the need for bankruptcy in the face of a projected $16 million deficit, police Detective Mat Mustard, vice president of the Vallejo Police Officers Association, said, "If we solve two-thirds of their problem, I would hope they could come up with the other third. There's a lot of things they can do to save money." That's their best and final offer?!! Bring on bankruptcy!

Anonymous   |May.13.2008 Trade union - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_unions A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions, forming a cartel of labour. Criticism Main article: Opposition to trade unions Trade unions have been accused of benefiting the insider workers, those having secure jobs, at the cost of the outsider workers, consumers of the goods or services produced, and the shareholders of the unionized business. Those who are likely to be disadvantaged most from unionization are the unemployed, those at risk of unemployment or workers who are unable to get the job they want in a particular line of work.[7] Dr. Charles Baird of California State University East Bay argues that labor is a commodity, and unions essentially operate by centralizing labor, forming a monopoly on the commodity. This monopoly on labor has the same negative effects as any other monopoly.[8], of reducing the amount sold (in this case, this means increasing unemployment) raising the price in the short term and decreasing efficiency. In the United States, the outsourcing of labor to Asia, Latin America, and Africa has been partially driven by increasing costs of union partnership, which gives other countries a comparative advantage in labor, making it more efficient to perform labor-intensive work there.[9] Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist and advocate of laissez-faire capitalism claimed that unionization produces higher wages (for the union members) at the expense of fewer jobs, and that, if some industries are unionized while others are not, wages will decline in non-unionized industries. In the late nineteenth century, unions were sometimes regarded as a form of legalized conspiracy and extortion. American racketeering statutes still include an exemption for union activity. Unions are sometimes accused of holding society to ransom by taking strike actions that result in the disruption of public services.[10][11]

Anonymous   |May.13.2008 Here are the emails for council--please share! Tell them: no more bandaids, and no support for new taxes if they don't get serious consessions from the Safety Unions, which means if they don't get rid of BA and MOST DEFINITELY if they extend that contract anymore! Remember Susan Powers from the 80s: "Stop the Insanity" Mayor Osby Davis: mayor@ci.vallejo.ca.us Council Member Tom Bartee: tbartee@ci.vallejo.ca.us Stephanie Gomes: sgomes@ci.vallejo.ca.us Council Member Erin Hannigan: ehannigan@ci.vallejo.ca.us Council Member Joanne Schivley: jschivley@ci.vallejo.ca.us Council Member Hermie Sunga: hsunga@ci.vallejo.ca.us Council Member Michael Wilson: mwilson@ci.vallejo.ca.us

silasbarnabe   |May.13.2008 I agree more smoke and mirrors trying to buy the unions more time to convince elected officials to intervene. Keep the pressure up I and others are still pressing higher authorities to expand the Perata investigation to include the Ferry deal and whatever ugly creatures turning over rocks may reveal. I think many of our friends in Sacramento are worried about indictments coming down from the FBI corruption investigation and who's name besides Perata's will be on these indictments. The funny (no pun intended) thing is that as long ass the city delays bankruptcy, the less likely a tax will be passed to continue to pay these platinum contracts. When does a parasite finally realize it has killed its host? WHen it stops giving blood.

SmokeLifter   |May.12.2008 We all need to make it clear by e-mail or phone calls to the council that there will be no back-pedalling allowed. They made the tough decision a week ago and narrowly avoided a humongous recall initiative. It's a done deal. The message needs to be: Ignore the posturing of the unions. You have approved a formal resolution presented to you by staff and the train has left the station. Next stop, Eastern District Federal Court in Sacramento. To tamper with this action will doubtless destroy our credibility and any possilbe appearance of competence. Do not under any circumstances disrupt the positive, any only plausible action that could be taken or you will look like you are being played like a fish.

Anonymous   |May.12.2008 Take another look at my post. I never said they had "members" I said supporters. I recommended a "membership" if they didn't like divergent opinions.

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 So Funny, tell me how can VIB have members when it doesn't even require "member" login. Is there a roster somewhere to determine who VIB is? And if so who on this roster "disrupted" your little semi-public press conference?

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 "Falsely suggest otherwise" Would that be like saying things to the effect of "Keeping us safe and keeping them honest". Seems like I have heard many many false suggestions from Henke, Riley, Gordon, and now musTARD.

Funny   |May.12.2008 Well it wasn't "VIB" because who are "they"? "They" (VIB supporters) are part of the same group that disrupted the previous news conference. On another note, I thought the two individuals at the door were very professional, despite Marc trying to obviously bait them (a legitimate new agency?) . They were even off duty. Good job union guys!

Sonic Toad   |May.12.2008 VIB didn't disrupt that press conference it was the citizens who attended it. At least this one was not sponsored by the Mayor....or was it? And you must all see the clear difference of motivation. The union motivation is money, the citizen motivation is quality of life. Who do you think has more credibility with a judge?

Anonymous   |May.12.2008 Yes. Public safety or any union could be seen as a special interest, but they don't represent themselves as a "public forum" nor do they suggest they are totally "objective". Their focus is to represent the members...they don't falsly suggest otherwise.

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 "special interest" you mean like public safety?

Funny   |May.12.2008 I'm not anonymous...I'm Funny.

Anonymous   |May.12.2008 I thought this was a board that was open to public opinion (yet controlled by Marc if he doesn't like it). So you didn't like my post? Do you wish you could supress my opinion? If VIB doesn't like my post, then they should limit it to "members only"...like any other special interest group.

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 Funny, Yes it is funny that you and your ilk are free to post and disrupt this board, and all the while complain when you feel the Edinator censor's your posts. How ironic you cannot provide the same courtesy to VIB that you demand from VIB.

Funny   |May.12.2008 The unions conducted a public press conference on the steps of City Hall a few months ago and the VIB people felt the need to disrupt them because they didn't agree with the message. Why do you think they would let you in to private press conference? They have every right to restrict entry. You are not part of the credentialed press. You are only a special interest group who have shown your willingness to disrupt when you don't agree with the message. Although you would like to limit First Amendment rights to individuals who only agree with you, the law says otherwise...typical liberal. Good job unions.

Firebug   |May.12.2008 Nice work Mustard! I like how the process (bankruptcy) becomes the iceberg, and the effect of the structural deficit isn't any lack of cash

Sonic Toad   |May.12.2008 On Fire, I totally agree with you. This is a case of buttering up the judge. Me thinks the judge isn't so gullible.. but is the city council?

On Fire   |May.12.2008 Okay, so first it was the "shell game" where the unions stated that the city was moving money around to make it look like they were broke. Then we had the alan davis version, "the city isn't broke!" Then we had the "independant audit" which supposedly was clear evidence that the city's numbers were false, and that Vallejo wasn"t broke. (But we won't let the public see it.) Okay, now we have the "we are the hero's version" where they are taking salary cuts but using the city's version of the financial study? Wait, wait, wait one damn minute! Why would you offer concessions from a budget report that you (unions) said was wrong. Actually, they said it was false and misleading. If you truly believed in your own numbers from this well respected agency, why then are you basing your budget cuts from the City's "false and misleading" budget report? Something here just doesn't make sense. It smells to high heaven and I'm beginning to see strings following behind Mustard's heels. Wait look, they are tied to henke's heels too! The strings are dragging something behind them.....oh! Contract extensions....! Oh the tangled web we weave! The tangled web of deceit! Sorry people, I've watched this same rerun too many times to believe it has a different ending. I believe that it is another game to add to their list for the judge to take into consideration when he/she asks whether both sides bargained in good faith. Tired of the games but I will be waiting and watching tomorrow evening.

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 Phoenix- I might consider a deal like that if the unions agreed to remove binding arbitration from the City Charter. If the answer is "NO" then it sounds like even more comprehensive caca being offered over the last two months.

phoenix   |May.12.2008 There is no doubt that the unanimous vote by the council for bankruptcy forced the unions to make further concessions. I don't know whether these concessions are sufficient, but they are a significant departure from the union's previous position and deserve a careful review. I also am not interested in prolonging the filing if there is no alternative, but I am also mindful of the costs of bankruptcy since I am somewhat familiar with some of the implications. No, I don't want our City to run out of money and be forced to close its doors and I am not trying to be unrealistic. Municipal bankruptcy will discourage business, will drive down our bond ratings, will destroy what's left of our property value, may impose significant taxes, will cost at least 2 million dollars. This is not union propaganda, these are facts. In addition, it will take us at least 3 to 5 years to get back on our feet economically. In addition, while it will freeze claims against the city, it will not increase our revenues and may in fact increase claims and liabilities. I am only asking that tomorrow night,if it looks like a legitimate proposal, we seriously consider it. The only ones that really make out in bankruptcy are the lawyers, collecting their 500 an hour.

Sonic Toad   |May.12.2008 Thanks Sam..

Sonic Toad   |May.12.2008 Salary reductions are "forever" according to Mustard. Until the next raise that is.. and Mustard says they still do not think the city numbers are correct. And then he twists the entire city budget and tells us that PSU are 17% of the total. Sorry, but that's not a statement made in good faith. Quit spinning and I'll give the offers some validity. Just wait Osby and crew will delay the second vote and put the city in peril once again with no time to do the paperwork as was firmly recommended by the city BK Lawyers. This is a last ditch effort to spray a little perfume on the PSU - All I can say is make the numbers public..what are they afraid of? Mustard is the new mouthpiece. Such a giant mistake for the Cops to further align themselves with Fire. I was hoping they would keep a distance and stay above the fray.

Concerned   |May.12.2008 If I hear the phrase " Bankruptcy is not a panacea" one more time, I am going to scream.

John K   |May.12.2008 OK, Phoenix. OK, I'll accept a careful analysis. From City Staff. But the reporter asked why they've been negotiating for weeks and weeks and haven't put this on the table before? Are they just negotiating in the media? It doesn't help to have the union BK lawyer firing up the press and frightening the passengers with his dire warning that Vallejo is a ship and Chapter 9 is an iceberg. As if the whole City is at risk of going down with all hands and the only safe course is to accept this rescue from the union. Bad analogy, Dude. The ship has already foundered upon that berg. Isn't Chapter 9 where we find the lifeboats? VPOA VP Mustard (Financial Crimes Investigator) said he was now using "the City's numbers" to come up with this rescue solution to make the City solvent. But he's not using the City's number of 16 million for the deficit. Mustard says it's only 10 million... do you suppose Mr. Stout and the City Finance experts will be wiping egg off their faces? Didn't Staff already advise the Council that the union offer was insufficient? Isn't this a solution that will hobble the City and prevent the necessary restructuring? Prolong the agony? And lead to bankruptcy? Let's see what Mr. Stout and Company have to say. We already got a careful analysis. Now we need comments on this new proposal, with a reason of why or why not. Shouldn't take long. PS - this "confidentiality" stuff is getting old; what is the union trying to hide?

phoenix   |May.12.2008 I think everyone should listen to the CBS channel 5 video. Unions are preposing further permanent cuts; PLEASE don't be utterly distainful of these efforts. I am not a fan of the safety unions, but anyone that sees bankruptcy as a panacea is dislusional. It is an expensive and convoluted process and there is no guarantee that the contracts will be voided. Let's not let animosities get in the way of reviewing the latest proposal. I think it at least deserves a careful analysis.

John K   |May.12.2008 Did the lawyer really say we were heading for an iceberg? Better wake the Captain.

robert schussel   |May.12.2008 I just watched the 12 minutes of video supplied by channel 5. It is interesting that the Union cites a City budget of 220 Million and thus the Public Safety budget is less than 17% of the total budget--They said the City mislead the press about the amount of money available and the percentage of funds going to fire and Police. Public Safety say they will give up 11 Million and the other Unions 3MM. What was not said was the strings tied to this deal and what happens in the years going forward.

Firebug   |May.12.2008 Oops I forgot about the quirks of this site that is 16 million not really being 16 million

Firebug   |May.12.2008 Mustard's argument about the $16m not really being 416 million because it doesn't take into account the deal of closing the 2 fire stations until June 30. What Mustard doesn't mention is that the deal leaves us with no reserves as of July 1. Oh and damn the author of the Sunday funnies, Mustard and Henke will never look the same to me.

Robert Schussel   |May.12.2008 Remember that a 6.5% pay cut represents less than 10% of the $16MM the City will need for 2008/09 to make up for the shortfall.

What are those kids up to now?   |May.12.2008 Live feed of the press conference today: http://tinyurl.com/5q7hgy Wonder why we weren't invited?

Sonic Toad   |May.12.2008 A permanent pay cut is as permanent as the next raise! Remember that fact! We all know that it's tied to an extension that includes Binding Arbitration (BA). They do not want to lose BA even when 95% of California doesn't have it nor need it. 6.5% how laughable is that and they had their own private press conference to announce it. Sing along.. "It's my party and I'll deny entry if I want to..." REMEMBER - A Permanent Pay Cut is as Permanent as the Next Raise! And we know how the circle of pay bumps works..one rotation on the circle and they are back where they started with a permanent cut erased. Just a last ditch move of fakery with smoke and mirrors to impress the judge... but will it impress council? The numbers don't lie!

Firebug   |May.12.2008 From Matier and Ross today at SFgate.com "Bank on it: Chapter 9 bankruptcy might be the silver bullet the Vallejo City Council is looking for to renegotiate its costly police and fire union contracts, but the bullet could ricochet back on the city as well. In the months leading up to the council's decision last week, 13 firefighters pulled papers to retire. Over at the Police Department, union officials are predicting 15 to 20 officers will bail as well - this from a department that over the past five years has already gone from 155 officers down to 129. At the same time, Mayor Osby Davis tells us that Vallejo can't solve its $16 million shortfall with cuts and employee givebacks alone. "There is no question about it," Davis said. "The city is also going to need to raise more revenue." He said the most likely move would be to ask voters to approve an increase the sales tax." I will not vote for a nickel more in taxes unless BA is out of the charter.

Firebug   |May.12.2008 I saw some petitioners at Safeway in Glen Cove over the weekend, at one moment there was a particularly awckward moment when a group of firefighters and a Solano County Sheriff walked into Safeway past a petitioner. If I had artistic talents it would look similar to the Sunday funny. A sketch of Burkey Worel would also be funny when he was asked to sign the petition. To whom ever you were I offer my sincere thanks for your bravery and dedication.

John K   |May.12.2008 http://www.citizensforvallejo.org/Sign/ Good call, Mike! The above link allows you to download a petition with room for 3 signatures. Follow the instructions for printing and you'll get an 8X10, 3 page petition for printing. Be sure to staple the pages together as each group of 3 pages constitutes the legal form of the petition. Good Luck, Vallejo

Micahel Tatham   |May.12.2008 has everyone signed the petition to remove binding arbitration from the city charter?????? or better yet, how about circulating a petition???? we need all the help we can get we need to get 10,000 signatures by june 3rd to get this on the november ballot.

Micahel Tatham   |May.12.2008 the rats afre leaving the sinking ship- the latest vallejo police officer to leave said he was going to another city so he could "get his finnaces in order". i feel like vallejo is awhore to some of our public servants

Show Me The Money   |May.12.2008 The unions are having a press conference this morning at 110 to tell us the City is not broke. We're in the money We're in the money

admin   |May.12.2008 MissM, I don't think those posts about "partying" were old. Somebody just wanted to give us a reminder! Saw one on TH also.

silasbarnabe   |May.12.2008 Excellent MissMarvelous and Little Old Lady a letter shall be sent to the address found with the general plan! Thanks very much!

John K   |May.12.2008 http://ethicalego.com/vallejo_bankruptcy.htm Kenneth Brooks offers an interesting solution to the Stout versus Rose conflict.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.12.2008 Help webmaster, somehow old "Screams" going back to 5/8 and 5-2-5/3 are showing up on the left hand side of the prompt screen and have gotten ahead of the current Screams, can you fix this please? Its kind of confusing as the issues are different and mix our "train of thought." Thanks much!

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.11.2008 Little Old Lady, I know you cannot see me right now, but I am standing and loudly applauding your informative directives regarding the Solano County General Plan, as well as protecting our Historic Districts and Mare Island. After I finish this VIB blog, I am going to start my first letter to Solano County with regards to burdening a City that has just filed bankruptcy with affordable housing projects that we "just cant afford," and as a result our City would be barely able to offer substandard services to these projects. In fact, we all should start a letter writing campaign to Solano County, it would probably be a shock to see such interest in the General Plan. Thank You Little Old Lady, you inspire us with your insights to take action to protect our history and our future!

Anonymous   |May.11.2008 ttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/12/MN9FVI02V.DTL Vallejo's fire union partied on city's dime Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, March 12, 2008 ..."The fire chief's 'hands-off' approach to (union business leave) was taken advantage of by union leadership to greatly, albeit not openly, expand the utilization of (such leave)," Freifeld wrote. Union president's response Henke called both reports "absolutely biased." The city has long been trying to break the union, he said, and often seeks damaging information to erode public support during contract negotiations. "They hired an investigator to come up with a predetermined result," he said. "They want to make it look like we did something wrong. We did nothing wrong." From 2000 to 2006, the Vallejo Firefighters Local 1186 and the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce threw an annual Seafood Extravaganza and happy hour at McCormack Hall at the county fairgrounds in Vallejo. Henke said several firefighters are licensed abalone divers who took union business time to harvest the prized shellfish off the North Coast before the event. Proceeds typically amounted to between $8,000 and $10,000, Henke said, which was split between the chamber and donations to charities. Firefighters also would barbecue tri-tip steak for the party, which typically drew about 400 people paying $60 per ticket. "We had to stop because it was getting to be too much work," said Connie Howard, the chamber's community promotions coordinator. "But it was fun. And the food was fabulous. It took us a week to recover." City and union leaders are meeting almost daily, furiously trying to renegotiate the fire and police contracts in advance of the April 22 bankruptcy deadline. The talks are confidential, and neither side will say if union business leave is under negotiation. For more information you can search Vallejo salaries above $100,000 here. E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.

Anonymous   |May.11.2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/03/12/MN9FVI02V.DTL Vallejo's fire union partied on city's dime Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, March 12, 2008 While Vallejo's finances were plunging faster than a roller coaster at the Six Flags amusement park, the city's firefighters were going abalone diving, grilling tri-tip and drinking cocktails on the public's dime, records show. Under their contract, the firefighters union has been allowed since 2003 to charge the city 600 hours a year - at a cost of more than $24,000 annually - for union activities that were approved by the union's chief. The junkets included an annual Seafood Extravaganza at the fairgrounds, a 10-kilometer run ending with a party at the amusement park and a dunk tank at the Waterfront Festival. The Solano County grand jury blasted the fire union's unusual business-leave arrangement in a 2006 report, as did an Oakland attorney hired by the city in November. But firefighters say they used the time to raise money for Little League, Boys and Girls Clubs and other local charities. "Was it true we had a cocktail every now and then? Absolutely. Were we out boozing and not coming back (to work) because we were hung over? Absolutely not," union President Kurt Henke said Tuesday. "It's no different than going to a business lunch or reception." Dwindling tax revenue and ballooning public safety expenses have put Vallejo on the brink of becoming the largest city in California to declare bankruptcy. Officials there have until April 22 to devise a long-term plan to stave off financial ruin. Public safety workers' salaries are being cut, two firehouses have been closed, 12 police officer positions are being eliminated, and city staff members will be laid off. In addition, funding to senior centers, libraries, museums and other amenities is being slashed to zero. Practice criticized "I think city-funded union business leave needs to be abolished," City Councilwoman Stephanie Gomes said Tuesday. "It's an obvious violation of public trust and a misuse of public funds." Katy Meissner, a community activist, said the firefighters' paid leave angers residents who are dealing with dwindling public services. "You have this group that's been going fishing and drinking and doing charity dunk tanks on city time. It's pretty despicable," Meissner said. City and union leaders last week whittled the 600-hour cap to 500 hours and limited the activities to firefighter and union conventions. Still, the allowance is more generous than those in many other Bay Area cities. In Hayward, firefighters hold about 600 hours' worth of charity golf tournaments and fundraisers each year, but they use time donated from their own vacation and compensatory-time allowances. In San Francisco, the firefighters' contract doesn't limit the number of hours for union business leave, but the fire chief must approve the time off. In Oakland, the firefighters union gets 576 hours a year of such leave, but it is split among 504 union members - roughly six times the number in Vallejo. Even then, the hours are rarely used because they must be approved by the chief and the individuals must pay their own expenses, said Donna Hom, the fire department's chief financial officer. In its report, the county grand jury slammed Vallejo's firefighters for charging full 24-hour shifts for union business when they used a few hours for an activity. The report added that the city had to pay replacement workers overtime at time-and-a-half to fill in. In the city-funded private investigation, attorney Douglas Freifeld described the union leaders as "unapologetic" about using city time for charity events, dinners and political campaigning. "The fire chief's 'hands-off' approach to (union business leave) was taken advantage of by union leadership to greatly, albeit not openly, expand the utilization of (such leave)," Freifeld wrote. Union president's response Henke called both reports "absolutely biased." The city has long been trying to break the union, he said, and often seeks damaging information to erode public support during contract negotiations. "They hired an investigator to come up with a predetermined result," he said. "They want to make it look like we did something wrong. We did nothing wrong." From 2000 to 2006, the Vallejo Firefighters Local 1186 and the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce threw an annual Seafood Extravaganza and happy hour at McCormack Hall at the county fairgrounds in Vallejo. Henke said several firefighters are licensed abalone divers who took union business time to harvest the prized shellfish off the North Coast before the event. Proceeds typically amounted to between $8,000 and $10,000, Henke said, which was split between the chamber and donations to charities. Firefighters also would barbecue tri-tip steak for the party, which typically drew about 400 people paying $60 per ticket. "We had to stop because it was getting to be too much work," said Connie Howard, the chamber's community promotions coordinator. "But it was fun. And the food was fabulous. It took us a week to recover." City and union leaders are meeting almost daily, furiously trying to renegotiate the fire and police contracts in advance of the April 22 bankruptcy deadline. The talks are confidential, and neither side will say if union business leave is under negotiation. For more information you can search Vallejo salaries above $100,000 here. E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.

Little Old Lady   |May.11.2008 Ah... Finally I agree with Overpaid. CEQA is a process designed to be inforced by citizen litigation but one needs to step on all the squares. That means we participate in the public process and build an Administrative Record as to inadequately addressed impacts of the Project (that's the General Plan). That means we all to write letters to Solano County on the General Plan stating something to the effect that the Draft Environmental Impact Report inadequately evaluates the negative impact on disadvantaged populations by concentrating "affordable" (subsidized) housing, halfway houses, rehab centers in areas with substandard services, dwellings, infrastructure, parks, schools, etc. in Vallejo. If you can go to the hearing mid May, do so and scream. Solano County has to address every one of those comments in the Final EIR. So if they don't resolve the concerns adequately, you have "standing" and can sue. If you don't say anything now (by June 2, 200 then you lose your chance. Too bad. The powers-that-be have long just done what they wanted, tailored the laws, changed the words, tap danced and lied. But the good citizens of Vallejo are now on to them and are watching carefully. The GOB's whine that it is our fault Projects don't move forward smoothly so that the money they planned on will come flooding in but if they did it right the first time, we would not be in this mess. LNG? Think the FBI would let those tankers under the Golden Gate Bridge when the harbor pilots can't aim correctly? I have heard some duzzies. Like the time the Lennar consultant said that "Demolition is a Treatment". What??? In anybody's book (CEQA, NEPA, NHPA) demolition, like death, is a "negative impact". p.s. Regarding the fire station in Hiddenbrooke... EIR's are supposed to address adequacy of services, roads, schools. So that EIR was faked too. Staff either does not know how to proof those documents or assumes their fat paychecks depend on greasing the skids for the developers. Regarding the "affordable" housing issue.... HUD Section 8, (choice and Project) is a Program that triggers the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106. More than you ever want to know can be found in 36CFR800. Vallejo has never dealt with the adverse effects on "historic properties"...that would be listed and eligible historic districts. Who do you call??? The President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington D.C. There is a HUD liaison to the ACHP. Enough squeeky wheels might get us somewhere. It really looks like we don't have any friends in the various legislatures. They need our Democratic votes to get them in office since their districts have many conservative voters. But once they are in, they forget about Vallejo and just help their friends...developers, unions, and I bet a whole cast of characters we would be shocked to find out about. I was surprised that years of Reports to Congress that listed Mare Island as a gravely threatened National Historic Landmark seem to never gotten attention from our very own Senators or Representatives. Why????

overpaid   |May.11.2008 The economic impact of having low income housing disproportionately affecting Vallejo might have been an impact which was overlooked in the general plan environmental documents. Someone may want to check and raise that challenge.

silasbarnabe   |May.11.2008 MissMarvelous, I understand what you are trying to say, and it looks like having these new section 8 developments on (unincorporated) County lands reduces our voice in a planning commission meeting. Outside of writing letters I am trying to figure out what we can do to stop this. It is unbelievable to me that these developments can be constructed that cost Vallejo taxpayers more in for example safety services yet I can't find a podium where we would have a voice to stop this because the planning commision is largely not an authority in these developments? Am I making wrong assumptions here?

John K   |May.11.2008 Little Old Lady already mentioned page LU-18... I think she said it looks like this allows for concentrating low income and disadvantaged people into areas with substandard services. It is segregation by income. This is the opposite of creating economically diverse neighborhoods. She said most suburbs are about 6-8 dwelling units/acre. This General Plan allows 25 dwelling units per acre and most likely these would be two to three story apartment buildings. What do you think, MISSMARVELOUS? No doubt others are unclear as well, and LOL will likely help, but we should all read the Plan in preparation for her next lecture. And the county plan is just one aspect of the problem? You may be the expert on the other ways Vallejo is getting disproportioned in this matter. Please continue to post on this topic.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.11.2008 John K. We will need help from Little Old Lady on this subject, she has much more experience in this "field" lets wait to see what her response is on this subject. Little Old Lady, can you shed some light on John K. question please, we would all really like to know...

John K   |May.11.2008 MISSMARVELOUS, have you learned any more about how the Solano County General Plan stacks the deck unfairly for Vallejo? What did you make of the reference to Vallejo on page LU-5 of http://tinyurl.com/3pvtzu

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.11.2008 I would like to say, that I am "for" helping those less fortunate with affordable housing in our own city. I am against recruiting the "less fortunate" from other cites and counties to come live in our town so that we can benefit from their Section 8 Vouchers. Remember, "if you build it they will come" and they will keep coming from all over the Bay Area until we stop being the Section 8 welcome wagon. We dont need "out of town" developers and speculators to buy up our apartment buildings, turn them into affordable housing so they can meet the affordable housing issues of the city they are building in. We also do not need "out of towners" buying homes in residential areas so that they can put "recovery homes" in them. We really should start writing to the newspapers of surrounding cites and counties, admonishing them that we will not take their "poor and hungry" and that they will have to start providing for their own social welfare.

Anonymous   |May.11.2008 Vallejo one of few cities to use Chapter 9 Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, May 11, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/11/BA6E10JVID.DTL&tsp=1 By declaring bankruptcy, Vallejo has thrust itself into the national spotlight as a test case for thousands of floundering cities desperate to unload their extravagant public employee contracts. "There's a wave of this coming across the U.S.," said Sajan George, an adviser to struggling public entities who worked on restructuring Orange County after it declared bankruptcy in 1994. "What happens in Vallejo could definitely set a precedent." "Chapter 9 is still relatively unknown," he said. "It's not common now, but depending what happens in Vallejo it may become more common." It's very possible a judge will void Vallejo's labor contracts, George said. When airlines began filing bankruptcy several years ago, judges allowed them to renegotiate their union contracts, making bankruptcy an attractive option across the airline industry, he said.

Anonymous   |May.10.2008 Laura Simpson gone? Next we'll probably get someone who doesn't care about loud mouth Vallejoans, and someone who is paid even more since loud mouth Vallejoans are hard to deal with (combat pay?). Dancing in the street? Be careful what you wish for.

Doug Sherman   |May.10.2008 Ive been looking into the issue of affordable housing, thanks in large part to the info little old lady has posted here. Some of this is obvious but Ill say it just to make my point clear. Affordable housing has two effects on our financials the way I see. The first is an indirect effect where lower income families dont have disposable income to support neighborhood businesses and thus sales taxes are depressed. Im not sure how one would measure this but intuitively it seems to make sense. The other effect is direct and can be measured. The California Property Tax Welfare Exemption law allows qualified property owners that are providing low income housing to be exempt from property taxes. This can be measured IF the board of equalization will release the data. Ive emailed and phoned the board several times and to date have had no luck getting the data. What I believe we need is a list from the property tax database for all of Solano County for each property that is receiving the exemption. In fact, to get a complete picture of how the exemption is distributed in our region we would need data from all counties that surround us. So for the direct measurable impact on our general fund, the question is not how many affordable housing units each municipality has it is how many property tax exemptions are in use and what is the total value of the exemptions. As a Vallejoan my concern would be data that shows a disproportionate number of exemptions within Vallejo. If this is true and could be documented it might give Vallejo justification to say NO to surrounding cities that want to satisfy their low income housing requirements by building units in Vallejo. I dont think there is any shame in pursuing this issue. Vallejo has a big heart from what we understand about the numbers so far. We appear to have many more affordable housing units than our neighbors and we can take pride in that. Property tax exemption http://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub149.pdf

silasbarnabe   |May.10.2008 MissMarvelous, I have learned much about section 8 housing and historic properties from yours and Little Old Ladies posts. I understand the BA issue and what I can do to help with it, is there a plan of attack or suggestions on what we can do to stop the kind of atrocities you and Little Old Lady bring up?

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.10.2008 Lets all think about the lesson VIB blogger "Little Old Lady" taught us about the Federal mandate that helps to protect Historic Districts. One of the regulations is that Federal Funds (Vallejo Housing Funds) not be used to impose blight or harm to a Historic District. If our Historic District is continuously being filled with section 8 housing, that rule is being ignored. Not to mention the "recovery" home that just opened across the street from the Historic Julia Morgan house on Capitol Street. We have a "treasure-load" of significant homes in Vallejo, I can hardly believe that on one has called the Fed's to find out what can be done about saving our historic district from the blight the Housing Authority is imposing on it... Little Old Lady help us out with this one, is this subject do you think any relationship to the reasons the head of the Housing Authority, Laura Simpson is now MIA?

silasbarnabe   |May.10.2008 In today's Times Horrid the Council is back at it negotiating behind closed doors about the city accepting the unions demand for a union paid audit.

Michael Tatham   |May.10.2008 re the resignation of the housing director-the funding for the housing authority comes from the federa govt

Alex Rosales   |May.09.2008 What happened? My dear Vallejo, I leave you for college and I return to a bankrupt city? Anyway, I'm a Poli Sci major at UC Irvine (in Orange County), but originally from the Bay Area. (My permanent address is currently in Vallejo, right off Mini Dr. in the College Park area.) but anyway, we were talking about unions in one of my classes and i brought up Vallejo, as a city ruined by unions. A city that needed help, but instead received demands from unions. Now what? Unions should have just backed off until Vallejo was back on its feet, they should have done it for the city which they serve. The firefighters let the city burn to the ground with their demands.

overpaid   |May.09.2008 The scoop on Laura is that she meant well in that she wanted to provide affordable housing to Vallejo residents. However, in my opinion she came from a privileged, liberal, elitist perspective. Did not get along well with loudmouth Vallejoans. Had a couple of bad experiences with projects (inclusionary housing, and that multi-unit development) Had to commute in from Walnut Creek. Things at City Hall are ugly and threatening to get uglier. People are starting to choke. That's the scoop.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.09.2008 Laura Simpson gone from her lucrative post as head of the Vallejo Housing Authority? Um, something smells... VIB has been exposing corruption at every level lately, including examining why Vallejo bears the weight of Solano County's affordable housing, while other Solano County Cites build shopping centers, high-end grocery chains, eateries etc. Keep up the good work everyone, Viva Vallejo! What say you Little Old Lady?

J.M   |May.09.2008 It would be interesting to know how much time, the resigning officer below put on our town. Even with cuts to the P.D, I would assume most officers would still be making a good living, considering most are making well over $100k...Oh, I'm sorry, I guess they won't be able to afford their expensive house in Danville. How many more officers will betray the City of Vallejo & leave in these times of crisis? Some obviously do not understand the impact of Union Contracts to our City and what their huge pay has done. I am sorry for all Union personnel(P,D & Fire), if this has caused such an inconvenience to their lifestyles. Most do not live here in Vallejo anyway. We should understand however & not blame present current local government, for declaring bankruptcy. I belive we have competent City Officials on the board. With help from Public Unions & previous Vallejo local governments(not our current local government), this has caused the current situation & then some. Old Vallejo local government officials = Decades of Fiscal Mismanagement. Tanner,Davis & recent council members have finally broke the mold!!

Snark   |May.09.2008 Hey, does anyone know why Laura Simpson, the head of Vallejo Housing Authority, gave one day's notice last week and was out of there by last Friday? Don't get me wrong, I ain't sad at all (dancing in the streets really) but would love to know the inside scoop. Hmmmmm?

Gabriele   |May.09.2008 Mr. Schussel, thank you for the clarification. Yes, there were and are incompetent public servants at the helm at various departments, however that does not excuse sloppy overall management. Please keep up your very informative posts.

Michael Tatham   |May.09.2008 the rats are leaving the sinking ship. the 1st police officer to resign said the "city was not loyal to him" by engaging in fiscal mismanagemnt!!! this is the caliber of person we have on the streets to protect us?? it is time for new blood in the city workforce, employees who actually care about the people they are supposed to serve

robert schusel   |May.09.2008 Anon I won't torture you with the sad history of Hiddenbrooke. But the lack of a Fire House is due to a City Manager who thought Hiddenbrooke would never be built and traded the Developers obligation for a fire truck. As to the lack of a school --bad planning ,deal making and incompetence. The orginal school site was moved and placed at the foot of a landslide so that the Developer could build in a more desirable area.It turns out Triad got rights to the Orchards in Hiddenbrooke shortly after this sweet heart deal was consommated. Hiddenbrooke should be a reminder to all in Vallejo about the incomptentcy in City Government and City Council that existed for many years. Hiddenbrooke was the Golden Goose that rised millions in fees that allowed City Council to pay for the Public Safety Unions ever increasing budget. What they forgot was that these were one time fees and sooner or later a day of reckoning would come. I was aware of the problem 1.5 months after I moved here 6 years ago. I find it incredulous that City Council members and the Mayor claims they didn't know.

Gabriele   |May.09.2008 Admin, please check on how to correct the nasty habit of the site to split sentences. I do not cut and paste, but type directly into the little window provided. It would make for easier reading of the post. The previous post is mine, I forgot to put my name onto it, sorry.

Anonymous   |May.09.2008 Well, I will give it the benefit it may deserve. I am not a 'Brookie", however utilize the golf course intermittently. How any one from the city level down to the residents who purchased these homes allowed this development WITHOUT a prior placement of a fire station as well as a school is beyond me. I guess all the $$ signs obstructed the city's and some peoples clear view. Also, it may just be me, but has anyone seen the fire department check the neighborhoods they are located in for code enforcement, i.e. weeds as high as fences behind open land, etc. I have not seen anyone from my neck of the weeds (GC) patrol with that cute little pick-up for years now. I guess there are too many other emergencies to perform than this preventive detail for the community. It has been done in the past with grateful appreciation from all of us on my street. How about it VFDP?

Firebug   |May.09.2008 Thanks for the clarification Osby's Neighbor, and yes Gabrielle that is what I meant I haven't been able to use a spell checker then cut and past into this Board.

Osbys Neighbor   |May.09.2008 Firebug When I asked Mr. Tanner about the closing of the fire stations he told me the FF wanted to keep the station near Hiddenbrooke open. Staff and Tanner were the one who decided to close it. I am assuming that they felt that the newer homes are less at risk than the older parts of Vallejo

Anonymous   |May.09.2008 The Editor. Vallejo Times Herald, Dear Sir: So Vallejo Police Officer Wang has quit his job because of the city's insolvency ("First police officer quits partment", May 9th. ) The officer told your reporter that he could no longer tolerate the city council's "constant fiscal mismanagement" -- such as paying unsustainably high salaries and benefits to, among others, Police Officers -- and so was quitting to accept a "lower paying" job with the Napa Sheriff. I'm sure that Officer Wang will not be the last public safety employee regrettably forced to punish Vallejo by moving elsewhere to earn less money. At Tuesday's Council meeting, Chief Nicoletti reported that he expected to lose officers to high salaries and hiring bonuses offered in Oakland and elsewhere. So, I hope the Chief was reassured by today's San Francisco Chronicle report that Oakland Mayor Dellums has initiated major budget cuts and is facing possible "civilianization" (replacement of Officers with lower cost Security Guards) of his Police Department because of deficits caused by "unsustainably high public safety costs". Your sincerely Alun Whittaker

Thumper   |May.09.2008 I agree with Gabriele, the union could benefit from better leadership. Either they knew or they weren't bright enough to understand that a City of modest means could not,sustain such a one sided agreement in the long run. We ordinary citizens, may never know what thinking (on both sides) could have lead to the contracts of 2000. Both sides should have realized they were setting up a situation that would lead to bitter disagreements down the road. SAD!

Gabriele   |May.09.2008 Firebug, I think you meant to say that "It was done as retaliation .....? I think most of us feel the union membership would greatly benefit by a change of leadership that is in tune with the population and circumstances and not living in a far of land full of milk and honey?

Firebug   |May.09.2008 It should be an interesting next couple of years. I also remember Henke getting tarred and feathered at the Hiddenbrook community meeting when he tried to garner support for possible tax (fire district) to support Hiddenbrook. After being chased out of that meeting I can't help but feel the closure of the fire station nearest to Hiddenbrook was not done in retalitation to the good people of the Hiddenbrook community.

Anonymous   |May.08.2008 Vallejo leaders should have seen crisis coming Chip Johnson Friday, May 9, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/05/09/BAC210JILA.DTL And what's particularly disconcerting is that many of the same factors that pushed Vallejo beyond the precipice of financial stability are at work in many other cities around the state, including Oakland, where property, real estate transfer taxes and builder permits and fees make up 74 percent of the city's budget. With a projected budget deficit of $6.7 million at the end of the fiscal year in June, city officials led by Mayor Ron Dellums have reined in some of the more downright ludicrous benefits offered to the Oakland Police Officers Association. But the savings there have been offset by losses in other areas. The once-healthy property transfer tax revenue stream has dried up in Oakland - and city officials are projecting a $20 million drop in revenues because of the decline in the housing market. Add to that a citizens' initiative to add another 300 police officers, without raising taxes to pay for them, and you have Vallejo all over again. "That's another $75 million to the general fund and would mean that 80 percent of our funds went to pay for public safety," said City Councilwoman Jean Quan.

anonymoos   |May.08.2008 We're in the SF Chronicle again. Vallejo leaders should have seen crisis coming by columnist Chip Johnson http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/search/columnists.cgi?waisdbname=/web/wais-indexes/chronicle/&byline=chip+johnson

Mark H   |May.08.2008 My letter to Wiggins.. I oppose your statements regarding the financial situation in Vallejo. It was obvious based on what Mayor Davis read that you have no idea what the issue is here and are simply promoting the opinions of your supporters in the Public Safety Unions. I reject your involvement in our fair city and I reject your opinions as having any value whatsoever. The council voted unanimously to approve the move towards filing bankruptcy. It was the only choice they could have made considering the deadlines involved and the total lack of negotiation from the Public Safety Unions. Why you would think otherwise really is astounding. I would suggest you do some research and investigate the facts before sticking your nose into our city business. Unrespectfully Yours, Mark

On Fire   |May.08.2008 Firebug, how well I remember that whole episode with the United Democratic Club and Linda Engleman. She brought henke, a republican, to the Central Committee meeting to testify against the United Dems, claiming that the members had slandered him and alan davis writing the ltr to the Central Committee to threaten them with a law suit if they did not remove the United Dem's charter. The oldest Democratic club in Solano County! Even back then, the henkettes were munipulating the elected officials outside of Vallejo proper. I have not forgot and will not forget. But the first letter that Wiggins sent supporting the safety unions was enough for me to remove any support for her. Now she follows up with her meddling letter regarding our bankruptcy, along with Noreen Evans. I have no doubt that henke pulled the strings for the both of them to perform. IAFF contributed and supported both of these two people. They gave money and walked precincts for them. So now the time has come to pay the piper. Again, we have to keep an eye on who becomes involved at the State level on any attempt to come in and inject themselves into our budget issues. Anything other than financial assistance should trigger complaints via email, phone calls and letters to these two women. The union's arms are far reaching but the elected officials need the citizen's support to get into and stay in office. We will be watching and listening. With Wiggins' involvement with the ferry takeover mess should make her think twice about interferring with Vallejo's restructuring process. We will be following that sordid mess as well.

Truth Teller   |May.08.2008 Dear Osby and council peeps: DO NOT CAPITULATE! Please hold strong, know that though bankruptcy is messy and long, you are in the power seat. Is it any surprise Henke is calling up, begging for a meeting? No! But to give in to a (no doubt) weak deal right now, you would be blowing what 'political capital' you just earned by moving forward. Seems kinda like an abusive relationship where the victim must stay clear at all costs of the whining manipulations of the abuser. Remember, keep moving forward and if the unions present a super great deal for all parties, by all means, consider it. But mark my words, you take the time to get caught up in the Henke/Alan Davis' web, and you'll lose. Just like you did so many times in the past. Hang tough, move forward and let's get to the place where we can re-balance this system so it is equitable for all sides. Might I suggest what many other communities do with their unions? Any negotiations on contracts are done without pay. Yep, the union boss takes personal time (or donated UBL) to negotiate. You wanna know how quickly these issues are resolved? Just take out the financial incentive of the 7 or so union fatties burning up MY tax dollars for the last few months just to 'screw with the city'. Yeah, that's who you are dealing with and don't ever forget it.

Don't Blink   |May.08.2008 Anybody hear about a secret negotiating session with the unions tomorrow? Has Henke finally gotten religion?? Or is there yet another deal in the works? Whazzup??

GoodFaith   |May.08.2008 Hardball In Vallejo, No Balls In D.C. http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/05/hardball-in-vallejo-no-balls-in-dc Great article -- love the author's comments: -Taxpayers of Vallejo are winners, perhaps more so than if a deal was struck. -There was indeed poor leadership in Vallejo. Failed leadership is decades old. Year after year Vallejo has agreed to contracts the city could not afford. This move attempts to correct the error. -Exactly how does a cut in pay or benefits endanger public safety or the safety of the workers? Clearly it doesn't. This was all or nothing hardball by the unions and it could be a fatal mistake. Pension benefits will now be under court review. Anything goes. -If I was a Vallejo taxpayer, this is what I would be asking: What special talents does the firefighter and police force in Vallejo have that merit significantly significantly higher than the state average" wages and benefits? -Taxpayers everywhere should be rooting for those contracts to be dissolved. And if that happens, it will set a nice precedent for renegotiating all unaffordable government contracts, which is to say thousands of city and municipal contracts across the nation.

silasbarnabe   |May.08.2008 Littleoldlady- I was intrigued by your post and Firebug's post about the Democratic Committees and the rifts, the players. If I am reading between the lines correctly then are you saying to write letters to Pat Wiggins? I still believe that Bay Area Politicians are under a microscope with the FBI corruption investigation of Senator Perata. I keep reading innuendos about things like this, and things about the county general plan and how dense VIB'ers are. Would someone please take a moment to direct us to some action if your desired results are not being accomplished?

Little Old Lady   |May.08.2008 I would expect better from Noreen Evans; she was not the Democratic Party favorite when she ran. Her opponent parroted the party line about noble firefighters and dedicated teachers. (yes, we know they are worth their weight in gold, but we don't have any more money...get it). But Pat Wiggins has been a major disappointment. At a party recently, her husband was following her around the buffet table telling her what she could and could not eat. When I told her I was upset that her chief of staff flat lied to me, said husband shooed her off and split hairs with me about the definition of "to lie". He handed me his business card....ah, he's a political consultant. So that's the guy the developers, union leaders and anyone who wants a favor call and he handles it. Nice.

On Fire   |May.08.2008 Just going over some of the blogs at the times horrid and it's interesting that now that the council has made a decision to file bankruptcy, unanimously, the henkettes don't know who to go after. What was an exclusive club whose members were Gomes and Schivley, were then joined by Tanner, the JoAnn West, has now incorporated the citizen's of Vallejo. Now everyone is to blame. Everyone but the henkettes and their supportes of course. Hey, but what about ozzy and the funded four? Don't they get to join the list of people hated by the henkettes? Remember that whole "we can work it out" speech by riley who said that now that ozzy was on board, they would come together and come to some resolution to the budget crisis and how they now trusted the new council??? Gee, now henke/riley have gone running to the big boys to try to get them to "investigate" the city's books. That sounds like they now don't trust the council either as they are implying that the entire city is hiding money and lying to the public. Maybe, just maybe it's the union boys that are living in fantasy land and don't know fact from fiction anymore? Short honeymoon huh funded four and ozzy? But we tried to tell ya that they would turn on you the first time you voted against them didn't we? But what do we tree hugging, pinko hippies know? New target for letters/emails: Noreen Evans and Pat Wiggins. If they are going to continue to accept funding from the safety unions, they shouldn't stick their noses in the city's budget problems. It's a conflict of "moral" interests when your balking at the safety employee's having to take a cut in pay due to bankruptcy filing and you cry about your concern about our future. Now if they want to simply send some funding our way or stop the appropriations of our taxes to pay for the States financial woes, by all means, jump on in there, but if their offices get involved with some attempt from the State offices to "investigate" our financial status, they need to hear from us big time.

Anonymous   |May.08.2008 SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE EDITORIAL Ominous signs in Vallejo Thursday, May 8, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/08/ED8410II45.DTL Vallejo has become the first city in California to file for bankruptcy because it didn't have enough money to provide basic services. This is dreadful news for Vallejo - and its citizens - but it's also an ominous report for the rest of us. The city council's unanimous decision Tuesday night, which came after hours of impassioned public comment, represents a failure of Vallejo's police and firefighter unions to understand basic economic realities. The unions - whose members are among the highest-paid in the state - refused to allow the city to cut their pay. Perhaps they didn't believe that times are really as hard as they are. A rise in foreclosures, a dramatic loss of home values, declining retail sales, looting of the city's coffers by the state - Vallejo has been hit hard over the last few years, and it would have been prudent for the unions to allow the city some breathing room. Since they didn't do so willingly, a judge will probably force them to do so anyway, at great cost to all parties involved. Going forward, the people of Vallejo are going to have to learn new expectations for their city services - and other cities are going to need to pay close attention to the kinds of trade-offs being made. On average, cities in California spend about 60 percent of their budgets on firefighter and police salaries. In time, Vallejo's plight may be contagious.

Shay58   |May.08.2008 Today's S.F. Chron has an interesting editorial on Vallejo's bankruptcy.

Firebug   |May.08.2008 MissMarvelous With the bankruptcy issue in Vallejo do you know whom(County or City) will pay for the financial impact on resources like Police and Fire services?

momster   |May.08.2008 www.marinij.com/ci_9184200? fyi: If you curious as to what other counties are saying and thinking. I guess Vallejo's mess is freaking out other counties. Now the local newspaper just posted a public payroll database for county employees. "... Remember, uncontrolled salaries and costs in the Vallejo Fire Dept. were significant factors in forcing that city into bankruptcy. Wake up Board of Supervisors! Spend less time creating ridiculous "green" and "sustainable Marin" programs and more on stopping wasteful spending, such as that in the county's fire dept. " is what one blogger posted.

John K   |May.08.2008 Solano General Plan Check out Page LU-5, where you'll find: "A small amount of unincorporated Countys residential land is used for urban density residential single family and multifamily development including apartment buildings, duplexes, triplexes and similar housing types located in unincorporated areas in Vallejo." http://tinyurl.com/3pvtzu

Sonic Toad   |May.08.2008 We've already been hijacked. We're basically the dumping ground for most low income housing in the county (yes we need it), we're the dumping ground for released prisoners, and we have the worst school system which feeds the entire system that I just mentioned.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.08.2008 I would like to add, while it is boring to read through, all of us should read the new Solano County General Plan of 2008. They are hoping to bore us to death, so once again we will not poke our noses in and give our two cents worth. Please address some questions to Little Old Lady on the VIB, we all want to be enlightended as to what is going on in our county, and would like to know if the City of Vallejo is getting ready to be "high-jacked" by Solano County.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.08.2008 Keep your eye on the "ball" AKA the new and improved Solano County General Plan. Little Old Lady is attempting to get through our thick heads that the County intends to allow high density housing in unincorporated VAllejo. Why would this be? What does it mean? It means more low income housing, to socially segregate the poor together as our VAllejo Housing Authority has done at 201 Maine St. and at the new Sereno Village. Please address this issue Little Old Lady, does this mean a developer can built in another Solano County City such as Vacaville and fulfill his obligation of affordable housing by building it in another city such as VAllejo? How can this be? If this is true, we need to protest!!! The sleeping giant has awakened to find all kind of tom-foolery can happen when you are "napping on the job." Little Old Lady, please be specific and address us "thick heads" on VIB we want to understand more!

silasbarnabe   |May.08.2008 Thanks John K interesting article but I agree with Vallejo Visitor mostly "eyewash" and should be expected. I consider this a diversion for us and we must stick to our real target of getting rid of BA. The biggest media boost us was the bankruptcy which will be difficult for the IAFF and Political allies to over-come. I fully expect more issues in an atttempt to cloud the BA process. With the FBI Perata corruption probe in full force I seriously doubt Evan's or Wiggins want to overtly get involved in meddling in cahoots with the greater PORC or IAFF the possibility of violating RICO statutes and raqueteering allegations may just rear its ugly head in their direction. Keep those letters coming to M and R of the Chronicle and Dan Walters of the Sac Bee as this kind of national meddling and the possible stories it could produce is the kind of lucrative news all the major outlets are looking for.

John K   |May.07.2008 Con... Sonar. IAFF torpedo in the water. High speed screws, bearing one one eight six... better wake the Captain... http://www.timesheraldonline.com/todaysnews/ci_9187482

Overpaid   |May.07.2008 What a day! thanks Sam and the nice people who sent in letters. I have to say staff was genuinely floored when Bartee started to talk,and we are still picking up our jaws from the floor. I can say that there is actually some hope after months and months of what can only be described as abuse and harassment of certain staffers (Finance, Craig, Joe) People are hopeful that in BK we can discuss not only the labor contracts but the multiple ways we can improve both services and business. There are so many things that we do that don't make any sense, but we kept doing them because 1) good old boys in charge (many still here) and 2)lower level staff too busy dealing with IAFF/VPOA vs. management conflicts. I am hoping someone will suggest an open forum for staff to voice all the ways we can 1) improve revenues and 2) improve services. Talking to other staffers today, there's a lot of hope that these things may actually be accomplished, now there is a possibility the departments will stop bleeding to pay for safety salaries, and we can stop working around the clock just to make them happy. Joe, now that we're here, please make sure we have the right managers in charge, and that the dead weight (and you know who they are) are encouraged to retire. We need people who want to work, and who want to change, not just retire at 55. And since I guess now they're not talking to us, can we bring back the anti-nepotism policy and a more reasonable vesting period for retirement benefits so that people like Roger Kemp dont come here, work for two minutes and then retire with full benefits?

Anonymous   |May.07.2008 HERE IT IS... CNBC VIDEO ON VALLEJO BANKRUPTCY Is Your Town Next? http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=733614263 Discussing whether your town could face bankruptcy next, with Josh Gonze, Thornburg Investment Management and CNBC's Erin Burnett

admin   |May.07.2008 I've contacted the developer about these caching issues and they are working on it. They have concurred that there is not a security risk, but admit that it's confusing to all of us who post comments.

v-res   |May.07.2008 Why does Firebugs name keep popping up in my "Name" field of the comments section for this blog? I certainly have not ever used that handle/lable.

Concerned   |May.07.2008 What a night. It was wonderful to see everyone there come to the conclusion we have all been waiting to here. I am really of proud of our city staff. I am told that the city's finance department had been virtually working around the clock for past few months. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Stout and he told me that the team he hired in Finance are the best he has ever worked with. Much thanks to their hard work and effort. We as Vallejo citizens need to show our thanks to Mr. Tanner, Mr. Whittom, and Mr. Stout. Without them who knows where we would be. I would also like to say that we all need to stay on top of this issue and keep attending council meetings and keep our voices heard. I am really hopeful that we are beginning to get our city back.

Anonymous   |May.07.2008 Watching CNBC... Erin Burnett on her Street Signs program just finished a segment on the Vallejo bankruptcy situation. The bonds trader she interviewed said Vallejo's situation is "unique" because it had nothing to do with the subprime mortgage crisis, just mismanagement of the city's finances. CNBC video coming up soon on CNBC website.

Truth Teller   |May.07.2008 I wrote this for that 'other blog' (ugh) but thought it apropos for here too: It is a sad resolution but, only through deconstruction of the long developed labyrinth of deception can we create a new and equitable set of employee contracts. It is not just the safety union contracts that will merit scrutiny and reconstruction, it will be all city departments, all city employees. I can see a new marketing strategy though, something about being part of creating a new city structure for the City of Potential. We've seen it for years, now we must move into it. A new day has dawned!

Firebug   |May.07.2008 On fire, Your dilemna was mine exactly this is why I quit the democratic party and became and indeoendent earlier this year. I felt that the Central Democratic commitee blanketly supports any union but my dilmna is that not all unions are good or always right in their fights. A good example of this of course is our friends at the IAFF and VPOA. Putting two and two together many years ago on Vallejonews.com there was a fight between the Carquinez Democratic commitee and the Vallejo Democratic commitee that involved none other than Alan Davis hiring a James Alford to Smear Joann Shively's 2001 campaign and have the charter revoked from one of these comitees that was chaired by none other than our friend Linda Engleman. I believe this was around one these commitees not wanting to endorse the IAFF in the upcoming election as I recall a Mr. Dave West has much more knowledge about this. I believe Marc posted a letter from Alan Davis threatening legal action about comments on Vallejonews.com.

Vallejo Visitor   |May.07.2008 CONGRATULATIONS VALLEJO! I couldn't let this moment pass without acknowledging the hard work by many folks who visit this website, who've kept this issue alive. But as Mark says, this really is only the beginning. I've written elsewhere that folks only get involved when they feel they have something at stake. Clearly, the prospect of bankruptcy has galvanized Vallejoans. But the vote last night is the first step in a process that will take YEARS of effort if Vallejo is to dramatically change. Voter turnout has always been extremely low, which has meant that established interests, including the public safety unions, have been able to get their candidates elected. They have a natural advantage because citizens are inclined to hold their police and fire employees in high regard. Making an argument on behalf of fiscal sanity is much more difficult. To carry the message, folks need to craft their message well and do the legwork necessary to put it before their neighbors, friends and strangers on the other side of towm. The old way of doing business in town will change ONLY if those of your who have become involved in this battle are willing to stay involved. I'm talking about more than the gadflies who attend City Council meetings and commission meetings. They are too easy to dismiss. What is required is organization and serious analysis. I know there are folks with the skills to make this happen. I've read them online and heard them on video. Vallejo needs solutions now, not simply critics on the sideline. Being part of the solution demands rolling up sleeves and getting to work understanding issues and speaking with authority. Go for it Vallejo. This City truly belongs to all of you. It is time you took it back from the unions, the Chamber of Commerce, downtown property owners and the Times-Herald.

On Fire   |May.07.2008 Now for a side bar. Has anyone even seen Noreen Evans since she was put in office? I mean other than the fourth of July parade and Chamber events? At least Pat Wiggins comes around and you see her frequently, but what is up with these two sticking their noses in our business? Didn't Wiggins vote for the ferry take over without even understanding the impact it made? Did she bother to call our cty leaders and ask if voting for this bill was a wise move? No she did not. I sent several emails to her office both local and in Sacramento, and never had a response to any of them. I did however, start receiving her emailed legislative updates that I never signed up for. So I know she received my inquires, but she didn't feel compelled to respond. Not even the standard "I received your email and thank you for being interested in your community" type. Evans is fighting real hard for the Napa folks as we see this in the news frequently, but what has she done for Vallejo? While these two women may have a good reason to jump in, I find it hard to not consider the fact the they both rely heavily on union support. IAFF is prominent on her financial support list. This doesn't make me feel good about my voting for the both of them.

John K   |May.07.2008 Binding arbitration, mediation, and court of law are 3 methods listed here for settling labor disputes. Are any other methods possible? How about a decision made by the elected officials of the City? What a novel idea! Imagine having elected officials held accountable for these decisions instead of some third party outsider. When binding arbitration is removed from the City Charter, City Council will be required (by Charter) to write an ordinance that governs collective negotiating. Perhaps some of us Screamers can suggest some phrasing for this new task the City Council will be facing?

v-res   |May.07.2008 With no BA and no ability to strike, do unresolved differences between labor and management go through the court system? Is that process subject to appeals and injunctions?

Firebug   |May.07.2008 Abolutely giant heart felt thanks to Marc, Katy,J.D. Miller, and all other VIB volunteers. You did this on your own time with no profit motives other than to have a better quality of life in the city we all agree can be better. Much thanks to the bravery of Ms. Shively, Ms. Gomes, Joe Tanner, Mr. Levinson and all the brave speakers who frequent council meeting on their own time. A special thanks to Vallejo Vistor who ever you are your knowledge and insight was extemely helpful.

Katy Miessner   |May.07.2008 Kudos to all the Council members for finally taking the first step in taking control of our finances away from the safety unions: Stephanie Gomes and Joanne Schivley for diligently staying on top of the issue and challenging the Unions' obfuscation of the situation every time. We wouldn't have gotten here without them. And to all the other council members for taking this stand and realizing its our only way out. Union and Chamber members in the audience--that some council members are closely tied--learly did not want bankruptcy, but they chose to protect the interests of the entire town. This is a first and I hope it means a seachange in how Vallejo does business.

J.M   |May.07.2008 Bloomberg.com has a good overall report on Vallejo's latest "Breaking News" It feels the report is written enhancing Vallejo's image & no biased reporting. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=atl3yFmV508A&refer=news VIB, a very well deserved Gracias for all your hardwork & involvement.

Anonymous   |May.07.2008 THE DRUDGE REPORT (100AM PDT) California City To File For Bankruptcy Protection... http://nbc11.com/politics/16185467/detail

On Fire   |May.07.2008 Yes using the arbitor may be faster, but it puts the decision in the hands of someone who is not accountable to the people of Vallejo. This person can make decisions on how our money is spent without any thought of how it may or maynot affet our budget. Perfect example was the 4 million dollar decision recently made. We need our Council to make these decisions as the they are elected to represent the people and if they screw up they can be recalled. If the unions in the other 400 plus cities can come to an agreement on contracts without relying on binding interest arbitration, then Vallejo can too. Think "New Way of Doing Business", the mantra for the City of Vallejo.

momster   |May.07.2008 yeah, Thanks VIB for all your information. So, let's just take a break and pop open a few cold ones.

Firebug   |May.07.2008 V-res it certainly will be as Vallejo Visitor put in the TH blogs, this is now Union Attorney (and BA architect) Alan Davis' personal war against the citizens of Vallejo.

v-res   |May.07.2008 The next battle front: BA How is a dispute resolved sans BA? Arbitration and Mediation are two alternatives to court settlements of claims. Either alternative is faster and less expensive than going through the regular court system. In San Francisco and other Bay Area cities it can take two years for a claims case to come to court, and in Los Angeles as much as five years. Arbitration or Mediation can come to a hearing in less than a month and emergency sessions can be called within 24 hours. Arbitration: Both parties must agree in advance to accept the decision of the arbitrator (a neutral third party who must be acceptable to both sides or is often a panel of three persons). A hearing is arranged and the arbitrator listens to both sides and reviews the evidence. A written decision is then rendered and sent to both parties. When parties agree to binding arbitration, they essentially are substituting the decision of an arbitrator for a court decision.

Shay58   |May.07.2008 Thansk VIB for keeping us informed about our city's budget crisis over the past several months.

John K   |May.07.2008 Anonymous, was he corrupted or was he just a bad decision maker? Rin Tin Tintoli made some poor choices for Vallejo, but I thought his intentions were good.

Anonymous   |May.07.2008 How about petitioning the Governor to recall his nomination of Intintoli as Vallejo's representative to WETA? No need to have a corrupt politician responsible for Vallejo's plight on such an important board.

John K   |May.06.2008 Wasn't it thrilling to hear every Member speak intelligently? I had hoped Councilmember Sunga would do something different tonight, and he did! A unanimous Council! They are deserving of respect and support. And as Councilmember Hannigan suggested, it would be good to end "the blame game." Viva Vallejo!

Anonymous   |May.06.2008 Vallejo City Council Votes To File For Bankruptcy VALLEJO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) http://cbs5.com/local/vallejo.bankruptcy.vote.2.717689 "There is a stigma associated with bankruptcy that's not necessarily warranted," said Sajan George, an Atlanta-based financial turnaround consultant who worked on the Orange County bankruptcy. "My message to residents of Vallejo is, this is not a death knell and should not be equated with that," George said. "We put together plan for Orange County, issued municipal bonds that allowed county to emerge from Chapter 9 a couple of years later, and now Orange County is thriving."

rick mariani   |May.06.2008 i just wanted to thank all of the members of council who voted to move forward to resolve our issues. i know it was a difficult decision for all involved for mr. bartee, ms hannigan, mr sunga, mr wilson and mayor davis to accept the recommendation after seeing that all of their negotiations were rejected by the unions i have to applaud them in finally steering the ship in the right direction. of course i need to also congratulate ms gomes and ms shively for their unending resolve and leadership in this matter. now it is time for all of us to come together to heal vallejo and volunteer our time to help the city in any way we can.

Vallejo Heights   |May.06.2008 OK, I give up. The vote is in though -- unanimous in favor of bankruptcy! Finally, an end to the unsustainable economic policies of the last few decades is in sight.

Vallejo Heights   |May.06.2008 Let's try that again... Vallejo to become largest Calif. city to file for bankruptcy By JASON DEAREN

Vallejo Heights   |May.06.2008 Finally, this city will be operated under adult supervision! Vallejo to become largest Calif. city to file for bankruptcy By JASON DEAREN

Anonymous   |May.06.2008 Vallejo votes to declare bankruptcy Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, May 6, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/06/BACH10HUK6.DTL&tsp=1 (05-06) 23:37 PDT Vallejo -- Vallejo voted to declare bankruptcy Tuesday night after months of last-ditch wrangling failed to rescue the city from financial catastrophy. The North Bay city of 117,000 now heads into largely unchartered territory, as no California city of this size has ever opted for this route. "This has been a long frustrating process for everyone," said City Manager Joe Tanner. "There are no winners here tonight." After about four hours of discussion and public comment from the standing-room-only crowd, the council voted 7-0 to approve Tanner's recommendation to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection as a means to reorganize its finances, which have been shattered by spiraling public employee salaries and the plummeting housing market.

Anonymous   |May.06.2008 The Vote Is In.... 7-0 BANKRUPTCY!!!!!

Little Old Lady   |May.06.2008 UR Urban Residential 2 to 25 dwelling units per acre. Provides for urban densities of residential development within municipal service areas. These areas are intended to be annexed and developed by cities with the necessary services and facilities to support development at urban densities. (Note: Exceptions are the unincorporated Vallejo and Vacaville areas with urban services.)

silasbarnabe   |May.06.2008 Wow it is almost 7:30 and no televised City COuncil meeting I wonder what B.S. is going on? Remember the cinderella man quote, "if it takes them this long to decide someone is getting screwed". That would be us!

Little Old Lady   |May.06.2008 For those interested in yelling (I mean, "commenting" ) on the Solano County General Plan, check out their website. Looks like the deadline for comments is June 2, 2008 but call them to see if that has been adjusted since the documents were not available when promised. All the info is on the website including where to send comments. Plus there is a number to call. I have seen handwritten letters sent in on CEQA documents. Indicate that you think there is an unaddressed negative impact...whatever you think. It does not have to be overly technical; that's EDAW's job. Increased impacts on Vallejo roadways, urban runoff, social justice (concentrations of poverty),whatever. This looks like a Social Justice issue...concentrating low income and disadvantaged people into areas with substandard services. It is segregation by income. This is the opposite of creating economically diverse neighborhoods. The County will have to address each and every one of the written comments in their Final EIR. As reference, most suburbs are about 6-8 dwelling units/ acre. 25 dwelling units per acre would be two to three story apartment buildings with on grade parking. LU-page 18 of the Solano General Plan calls for the following for the unincorporated areas of Solano County within the City of Vallejo. "UR: Urban Residential 2

Osbys Neighbor   |May.06.2008 John K Sunga made up his mind a long time ago. Please do not believe his statements. He is part of the reason we are in the current situation.

On Fire   |May.06.2008 It could also be that the unions are still playing their games, stringing ozzy along and hoping that the public will come to their defense. (Please don't file bankruptcy!) If ozzy and the funded four don't make a decision tonight, they need to be severely scolded. What are they waiting for? What is that magic number they are trying to get to and why do they think the unions will make it happen. If they were going to make those type of concessions, it would have happened by now. According to the times horrid blogs, several have already put their applications in with other cities. So is henke trying to buy them time to get out of dodge? If the city files for bankruptcy, then they most likely would not get their buy out money and so henke may be buying them more time? Has anyone seen any tv trucks at city hall? That may tell us if a decision is in the making or not. By all means though, show up for the meeting and let the council know how you feel.

John K   |May.06.2008 From the times horrid article, it seems possible that Councilmember Hannigan has already written her bandaid acceptance speech, but I can report that, as of last night, at least Councilmember Sunga had not yet made up his mind. Of the 7 emails I sent, only Sunga has replied, and he assured me that my input, together with several other emails and phone calls he received over the past several days, along with other advice will all be considered when he makes his decision. Tonight could be the night he makes a rousing speech and leads his colleagues to the best decision for Vallejo. Carpe noctem, Councilman.

Firebug   |May.06.2008 Someone else emailed me to let me know this, and apparently when you click edit it will say "you do not have sufficient rights to perform task" or something like that. I do like my new avatar though!

admin   |May.06.2008 Ghost, We're aware of the problem you posted and will bring it up with the developers of the application. Based on an earlier report it doesn't appear that there is a security risk. Thanks for letting us know. Public domain software does have it's limitations...

Ghost   |May.06.2008 Okay, this was weird. I came into this site to see what was happening in the Daily Scream. On Firebug's last two posting I had a edit/delete area in red that would have allowed me to edit or delete that posting.....I'm not Firebug, nor have I even been on my computer this morning. Was there a bug in the system? Is it being hacked? I know I have up to date virus protection, Norton 2008. I got out of the site, closed out of the internet and signed back on, came back to this site and now the edit/delete isn't there.........just thought you guys would like to know. Something would have allowed me to edit/delete someone elses posts............

Firebug   |May.06.2008 Onfire, I thought long and hard about contract extensions, but is it really a contract extension with less mandatory staffing? Could our funded frazzled four and Ozzy just be trying to give the unions a save face victory by exending a contract with the current concessions? It would be a tough spin outside of Vallejo when virtually every other major paper has called vallejo's safety contracts "over-priced" "lucrative", and "over-generous". Somehow such adjectives don't belong in the same sentence as cash strapped, broke or bankrupt.

On Fire   |May.06.2008 I think that's the million dollar question Firebug. Although it's hard to make sense of any attempt to apply another band aid as the numbers just won't add up. Even with concessions from all unions, the rest of the budget would only pay for a portion of staffing that is left. If the concessions were to be large enough, it would seem that the city would have to give in to a contract extension that would be for the life of the city. What will be interesting is to hear from ozzy and the funded fuzzy math four, on what they are looking at as the conclusion of this extended 5 month discussion with mediators, legal reps., staff, unions and council. The outcry by some of the FFMF was regarding the cost of filing for bankruptcy. Wondering the cost of this last round of "discussions" that didn't pay off? And will it only to come up with the same conclusions that Tanner presented months ago? Today is "D" day. Do what's needed or Duck your head back into the sand Day. John K any further cyber bets you want to place? You have another nipperkin floating around? I say the council will hem and ha around, making excuses about how this has been so hard and that the henkettes have really done so much by stepping up to the plate, but they have to consider the needs of the citizens and city, etc. etc. and stall some more, hoping that another big golden egg drops out of the sky into their laps, that they will pass on to the henkettes. Why change now? The side show will be those "mystery dollars" that the henkettes and alan davis keep talking about. You know they have a secret file that they have put their numbers into and won't reveal. Maybe they will be opened and passed along to the council and public tonight. Maybe a rabbit will appear in the magic hat!

Firebug   |May.06.2008 Ever wonder if this on again off again BK is really just drama around the union coming to a last minute deal to save the city?

Denise Martin   |May.06.2008 To Little Old Lady: I appreciate the information you provided regarding the County's General Plan and deadlines for filings comments regarding environmental and financial impacts or objections to the plan. I was very interested in your analysis of the General Plan regarding the location of certain housing in Vallejo compared with rest of the county. I have never filed a comment or objection pursuant to CEQA to a General Plan. Is there a website or article which lays out what would need to be included in the objection to meet the CEQA guidelines. Thank you.

momster.   |May.06.2008 www.ktvu.com/news/16170670/detail yes John K--the Old Barrel Club--confirmed by my dad.

silasbarnabe   |May.06.2008 Looks like Hannigan is giving us another clue in the Times Horrid this morning. She does not expect the city manager to change his recommendation, but she feels bankruptcy should be avoided at all costs. This looks like a replay of the March meeting where we will likely have a 5-2 or 4-2-1 vote against bankruptcy.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.06.2008 Tonight is the night folks! All eyes will be watching to see if Vallejo can make the "right choice." The decision that is made tonight will not only affect the citizens of Vallejo, but will also determine what other cities such as the Cities of San Jose and San Bruno decide to do with their own city contracts with public safety. It could be the most positive of imagine makers for Vallejo. Obviously for it to be the "right choice" either the VFD and VPD will need to take a 25% cut in pay, or the City will make an historic move to declare bankruptcy. We can either show strength by forcing a cut in wages, or use our "forced hand" and declare bankruptcy. The best thing that ever came of all of this, is that due to the financial woes of VAllejo, all Bay Area Cities city contracts are under the "scope." People are truely shocked at what has been going on for far too long. Lets "fight the good fight" and keep up the momentum with not only our budget issues, but protecting our city from being the receipiant of other cities, and counties affordable housing, drug rehab houses, and other social programs that dont fit with their new developments. We need to keep exposing what is going on in our Solano County, and force the powers that be to more fairly distribute the "wealth," as well as force developers and cities to provide their own social programs and housing! Keep up the good works, lets keep up the "high exposure" of the issues at hand and keep the public/tax payer informed!!!!

overpaid   |May.05.2008 HEROES (def) refers to characters that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice, that is, heroism, for some greater good, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence

Prophet   |May.05.2008 After lookong at the way the council and the Mayor have been handling this situation, I have reached a conclusion that it all resides in hope of future political gain. What we need to realize is that other cities in the state and all over the country are in similiar financial situations. The last thing states want is cities to file chapter 9. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody or a few members in the Vallejo elected government are getting a little heat from the outside regarding this issue. Probably from those way up the political food chain. So let me ask you this. Would you really want to be one of the elected officials who possibly set the dominos tumbling? Reach for any execuse not to do the right the thing council. I think that is what you will see in 24 hours.

concerned   |May.05.2008 HMMMM. "I don't believe the numbers. " What a crock.

silasbarnabe   |May.05.2008 I guess more will be known in about 26 hours, I really hope contract extensions aren't a part of this. We do have to take into consideration past behavior despite our dire financial condition. So PeeWee Wilson still doesn't believe the numbers? One thing better about him is at least he is starting to voice some opinions as opposed to (I never learned as much as a real MBA forgot) Sunga, and Mrs. (sounds of the ocean in the brain) Hannigan. Firebug or others with Kool avatars are going to have to tell me how I can get one of those.

Truth Teller   |May.05.2008 On Fire is right on point: "The other concern would be if they make the agreement and offer extensions, then some unforseen expense comes up, and the city has to again revisit possible bankruptcy, would the judge then frown upon the city for having made an agreement (extension) that was known to be part of the reason for a budget deficit in the first place this year?' Absolute fiscal malfeasance. Definition: the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used esp. of an act in violation of a public trust). I say the public (us, you and me, your neighbor, etc.) needs to shout out that those council members voting in favor of a contract extension and band aid will be charged with fiscal malfeasance. Then let's hang 'em high. A vote for a band aid is a vote AGAINST the people and future of Vallejo!

On Fire   |May.05.2008 The other concern would be if they make the agreement and offer extensions, then some unforseen expense comes up, and the city has to again revisit possible bankruptcy, would the judge then frown upon the city for having made an agreement (extension) that was known to be part of the reason for a budget deficit in the first place this year?

Firebug   |May.05.2008 Onfire, I would hope that a vote of the people would prevail over the extension. I suspect it would but it would require someone (to file a lawsuit) to make the funded four and Ozzy to comply. Speaking of that as long as Ozzy is toying with the idea of backend deals, if a group of citizens decided to be litigious with the city over every little thing I wonder if such behavior would force the city back to the negotiation table? I am glad you like the FireMarshall it about sums up my feelings of Henke and Riley.

On Fire   |May.05.2008 Firebug, that is a thought that was running across my mind today. Seems like ozzy is trying his best to 'backend' the deals. First he sweeps the UBL abuse under the carpet. If he now moves to agree to extend the contracts knowing that their is a movement to take b/a off the charter, he is sending a clear message that the unions come first in this town. Which also will mean that he was not telling the truth while he was campaigning because he stated that the budget was out of control and that he thought b/a was not good for the city. (Like this would be a real surprise based on his past performance.) But we need to send a clear message to ozzy and the fuzzy math funded four. Apparently mike 'can't vote on any issue' wilson doesn't think the city's numbers are correct either. And he's the CFO of his business? And love Fire Marshall Bill!

John K   |May.05.2008 Terry's and The Barrel Club were both Curtola operations, I think? http://tinyurl.com/3pro4t

Firebug   |May.05.2008 I am having trouble envisioning the numbers to show a significant savings yielded from contract extensions with the current "band-aid" arrangement. The other implication I am wondering about is if we are successful in tossing binding arbitration and the Council grants a 5 year extension would this be a violation of city charter or does it qualify as "ex post facto"?

momster   |May.05.2008 sorry victim Darlene was her name...Dee was her nickname.

momster   |May.05.2008 Terry's off of 80 near the Carqueniz (sp?) bridge

John K   |May.05.2008 On Fire, thanks. I emailed a message separately to the Mayor and each Councilmember, asking that in the event of some eleventh hour breakthrough in negotiations, if some new plan is considered in lieu of bankruptcy, please ensure that any new plan does not allow extension of existing labor contracts. The City needs to negotiate new contracts, and the existing contracts must be allowed to expire. Contract Extension: PLEASE SAY NO Email addresses are at this link: http://www.ci.vallejo.ca.us/GovSite/default.asp?serviceID1=23

momster   |May.05.2008 Terry's Waffle Shop on Magazine Street. I do not know much about the Barrel Club. I frequented Terry's from the age of 3 yrs old to 18 years old. A lot of VPD and Maritime students hung out there. Zodiac victim Dea was my mother's best friend.

Reach Out and Touch Someone   |May.05.2008 Here are some phone numbers--none are unlisted or acquired by any means that is not legal. Why not give them a jingle and let them know your feelings about tomorrows vote? Please be respectful. Erin Hannigan, Home 642-9675, Work 641-7110 Hermie Sunga, Home 554-1652, Work 644-3000 Tom Bartee, Home 290-6044, Work 552-2072 Michael Wilson, Home 554-6119, Work 745-0502 or 752-6037

On Fire   |May.05.2008 For everyone that is concerned about the possibility of extending the union contracts, please send an email today to every council member and the mayor asking, no demanding that no contract extensions should be considered.

John K   |May.05.2008 momster, was it the Terry's by The Barrel Club? On Highway 40?

Katy Miessner   |May.05.2008 John can you scan the agenda and send it vib editor? The agenda is not on the City web site... thanks!

John K   |May.05.2008 MEETING TONIGHT - 5 PM - CLOSED SESSION Item 1 - CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS...,Item 2 - Conference... anticipated litigation... Update: Agenda scanned and sent to vib.editor@gmail.com, 1439hrs

momster   |May.05.2008 Terry's Waffle Shop--oh fond childhood memories of this restuarant. My mother worked there since 1966, and as a young child, I was there quite frequently--At 16, I became a banquet waitress, older brother was the cook, and other older brother a waiter in the Captain's Table. I remember working the Chamber of Commerce, the rotary, the lions club. point: I can't believe these old cronies,oops gentlemen, are still running the town.

Just A Thought   |May.05.2008 Only someone who has been paid off or is benefiting in some way or an utter moron would approve a contract extension at this point, unless they are passing the crack pipe in closed session. Either of last two would be disputable in court as to their lack of sound mind...

Just A Thought   |May.05.2008 Your program doesn't like dollar signs.. 50 or should I say Fifty dollars an hour

That ain't whaz up   |May.05.2008 don't know where you are getting your information about a 25% cut to VPD & VFD but you are ded wrong. What I heard is they wont get the raises from last year or this for part of the year. What that means in money I don't know but the men and women of these organizations are counting on an extension of contracts. My buddy said 2 more years.

John K   |May.05.2008 On Fire, et.al... bankruptcy and police shortages didn't frighten me too much, but On Fire's dire picture of Vallejo's new band aid just scares my sox off... the very thought of contract extensions turns my legs to jelly, harrows up my soul, freezes my young blood and makes each particular hair stand on end like quills upon the fretful porpentine...

Just A Thought   |May.05.2008 So, someone said a lot of cities pay more than Vallejo to their Policeman, the nearest one I know of is Oakland, enjoy your commute, you say you already live close, than why don't you work there already, do you like paying tolls, or is it just more dangerous. Perhaps Vallejo pays just as well when you throw in all the fringe benefits. When we have enough officers that some spend their time pulling people over for lightly tinted windows or in my case, a headlight that just went out that same day, maybe we are overstaffed. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the stupid ticket, but I can't help thinking that a Policeman making "at least" $50/hr should have better things to do. It is obvious to me that pay should be reflective of a city's economy, industry, and real estate value. The unions will never agree, ergo, bankruptcy or hold out 'till Jul 1 2010. I'd prefer the latter, just don't know if we can make it. Our streets are falling apart... By the way, binding arbitration isn't a bad thing, generally, it just settles a contract dispute and historically has generally resulted in a ruling in favor of the employer, unless some moron signs a bad contract. There are those that have their heads deep in the sand and think otherwise, they are just mad that currently we have a contract that falls under that description...Did I just insult someone...GOOD

Firebug   |May.05.2008 Onfire- I am not sure if the funded four can now all vote the same on this. Wouldn't having a zero balance also mean that the Chamber of corruptions pet downtown projects would also be stalled? I am wondering without real concessions from the unions if the funded four will have to make a history making choice between unions and the chamber.

On Fire   |May.05.2008 Okay folks, one more day before we learn the fate of Vallejo. I think it would be a stretch to think Ozzy and the funded four would go for bankruptcy so that means a band aid which will be stuck on us for at least two more years. Now if the employee's agree to the concessions, in order to meet the budgets, will mean that they would have to take severe cuts in pay and benefits. If history is telling, then agreed upon cuts will result in am extension of contracts with several strings attached. Okay, so in effect, they will have sold the farm. Even if the binding arbitration initiative is voted in by the taxpayers, we will be stuck with binding arbitration for several years down the road. If that won't be bad enough, it will also mean that the council will be discussing budget problems for the next several years, with no time for any quality of life issues because we will be floating by narrowest margin of a zero balance budget, no smooth development process for all of the large developements that are in the wings as there will be no employees to process the paperwork through and unless the developers are willing to pay for extra help, they will fold up their wagons and head out of town. We will suffer even more with less city services and forget about those pot holes. We will hear from the henkettes about bringing in new revenues and I can tell ya, ain't enough wallymarts could be built in this town to bring in the type of revenues to jump start our economy right now. I will be watching. listening and waiting to hear from Ozzy and the funded four as they try to explain how we are expected to settle for their decisions. It doesn't look promising.

Michael Tatham   |May.05.2008 one thing about bankruptcy- maybe it will scare some of the ublic safety unions in other cities. we are not the only city dealing with union contracts we simply can't afford. though we are probaly the one in the worst boat at least we are the guiding light for the rest of the state

WATZ UP WIT DAT?   |May.05.2008 Hey what ever happened to all the fire fighters that were going to go to the city of Hayward, because Vallejo wouldnt "play right?" Um, I guess they didnt want to take a cut in pay and have to move down to the East Bay. If the VFD and the VPD have to take a 25% cut in pay, they will still make 50% more than many of us in the professional private sector! They are totally "out of touch" with what is going on in private sector. Public servants historically receive excellant benefits and medical because the salary wasn't so hot. No one ever was going to "get rich" from working for the City, State or Govt. We are all tired of the whinning. Do Govt/union workers realize that most of us in the private sector are "employeed at will." I personally have no sick time, 10 days vacation, medical for only myself and a $400.00 allowance for dental and optical. I am not allowed overtime. I am not complaining, just stating the facts, if I thought it was "unfair" I would find another job. Many of us are sick and tired of hearing the whinning of things that unions want, they are like spoiled children, as soon as they get what they want, they want more and more!!! Welcome to the City of Vallejo!

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Initially I thought about how bad bankruptcy would be, but knowing how these 'negotiating in good faith' sessions have gone in the past, there was no way the city would get the cncessions they needed from the hebkettes. So now we are just about one day from "D" day. Debit, Doom, disasterous, devestating, dumb butt (can't post the other word) decision day. Any or all of the above happening. Now with it so close, it's more dread because Ozzy id legend building so bankruptcy is out. Which means added years of discussions on nothing but the budgets for at least two more years and more if we sell the farm. More cuts to staffing, more cuts in quality of life programs, more cuts to city services. Bankruptcy seemed an easier way to go. At least then we had a chance to cut across the board would have been less painful. But it will be hard to watch those shiney red trucks roll by and not feel resentful. Same with the shiney black and whites. What a wonderful life huh?

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Channel 7 news is reporting no agreement tonight from mediation talks. Posible cuts to police and fire staffing to meet budgets. Talks to continue with closed door session with council tomorrow.

momster   |May.04.2008 I lived in the north west the last 10 years and never once got pulled over by the police--The first day I moved to Vallejo, we were suddenly pulled over for tinted windows... micro-enforcement. My husband, who grew up in the Mission District, still cannot fathom why Vallejo needs so much policing. When in fact, Vallejo is pretty quiet and doesn't have a busy downtown. He said at least in Mission cops were seen and their presence were known. As for crime in Vallejo--it will probably remain the same. Our town will just have a bunch of cars driving around with tinted windows. I can handle that.

On Fire   |May.04.2008 I agree, these scare tactics are becoming tiresome. First we have Parker talking about "people are going to die" then we have the henke/riley follow up show, talking about how much they are concerned about the citizens and their well being, now we have the PD fan club comparing us with Richmond, Oakland and East Palo Alto. Maybe there is some wind of what is coming down the pike from the mediation session? Is there a sense of loss here? For wages and not the potential of less officers. If there are going to be less then it's because they are going to protect their salaries. Somehow, I don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling that the citizens are getting anything in return out of this deal. I'm not afraid either Momster. ****ed off, but certainly not afraid.

Anonymous   |May.04.2008 WOW, Vallejo has indeed started a trend. Look at what the San Francisco Chronicle has been up to lately...... Data Center: Searchable Databases & Map They Make How Much? http://www.sfgate.com/data/ As economic times get tougher, a flood of newly available information about the paychecks of everyone from street cleaners to corporate CEOs is turning up the heat on an age-old debate: How much pay is too much? In the Bay Area, comparing salaries may well be usurping another favorite topic -- the value of homes -- as the No. 1 topic on people's minds. Find out how much people are making by searching the salary databases below. NEW: University of California Salaries Above $100,000 (2006-2007) NEW: Alameda County Salaries Above $100,000 (2007) NEW: Berkeley Salaries Above $100,000 (2007) NEW: Concord Salaries Above $100,000 (2007) NEW: Giants and A's Salaries (200 Your Pay vs. Barry Zito's San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Other Cities' Over-$100,000 Earners

momster   |May.04.2008 I do crime stats, In fact, crime has pretty much stayed the same the past 10 years;however, a little rise in violant crimes. As for cops leaving Vallejo for employment elsewhere-- good luck b/c other cities are not hiring, and will also be in the same boat soon. Vallejo has too many law enforcement personnel. The scare tactics do not scare me.

Shay58   |May.04.2008 Truth: Why would Vallejo be compared to East Palo Alto? What point were you trying to make? Because of our large populations of people of color?

Anonymous   |May.04.2008 On Fire, If you are going to respond to my statement,and don't accept the facts, please check the location I pointed to. Regarding the staffing issues and negotiations, I have no idea what is being discussed.I only have friends close to the police department. Your suggestion that more police (at least police deployed properly) doesn't have an impact on crime is also false. Go back to New York and check on their COMSTAT program. I now that reality might take a little work, but I think it will be worthwhil for you

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Yes sir, right away sir. I didn't say the salaries are posted anywhere. Your comparison to the other city implied that because our crime statistics (so you say) are far worse, our employees somehow are supposed to get paid more? And it's been well documented and much written about the fact that there is no documented proof that more police means less crime. Sorry. And you didn't answer my question. Isn't minimum staffing for the VPD on the table for negotiations? So if they come up with a concession worthy of Ozzy and company accepting it, or even if we file for bankruptcy, and we were to have 10 to 15 leave, wouldn't the city be obligated to hire replacements up to the minimum staffing levels again?

Truth   |May.04.2008 Thanks for fixing that Marc. I understand the need.

Anonymous   |May.04.2008 On Fire, You must be looking at the wrong site. Salaries are not posted on the FBI web site...try again and get back to me. Please respond to my statements, not make some apples to oranges comparison which arn't related to my comments.

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Truth, I'm sorry, since it's posted on the FBI wesite, uhhhh, must be true. Funny, NY city's police dept. starts their pay under 40,000 a year. So snce they make less money, the people in NY are less safe? If you are equating wages to qualifications, shouldn't all of New York be afraid? If 15 to 20 leave, gee you think maybe the city will have to hire more since they have the agreement to miniumum staffing on the table?

Truth   |May.04.2008 Overpaid, REALLY? Where are those plans? Please tell me. Also, tell me how you police this City with 110 cops? Please answer the questions. Don't just aviod the questions and ask another one.

overpaid   |May.04.2008 The threat that Vallejo will turn back into the murder capital of the world is just amazing to me. I happen to believe that VPD does, for the most part, an excellent job. However, If 15 to 20 officers retire/ leave, we'll deal with it. There are contingency plans. What scares me most is the lack of integrity displayed... the threats to people's security, and all to bolster the union's argument. It scares me that we've come to this. But now that we're here, fine, we'll deal.

Anonymous   |May.04.2008 Marc, What's up with your filter. My comment was..."not even in the same ballpark" Your filter showed "not even in the same ballpark". Let me spell it backwards EMAS. That's funny.

Truth   |May.04.2008 On Fire, Your comments are simply not true.I'm surprised you would make such a comment without looking into it. Oh I forgot, this is the VIB site. Go to the FBI site and get back to me. I think they only missed one year...2005?

On Fire   |May.04.2008 I believe that the FBI files do not have up to date statistics for Vallejo. The VPD has not reported their statistics on a timely basis for years now. At least not to the state as they stated that they did not have the man power to pull all the information together to submit it. There were inquires regarding their non-compliance because some in the city wanted to know how the department prioritized their work if they didn't know what the stats were? So I would check those figures before saying someone else is wrong about the information.

Truth   |May.04.2008 Apparently VIB is not cut and paste from a Word document friendly. Katy, Here is my point. While Palo Alto might pay less proportionately, the VPD and VFD calls for service are not even in the same ballpark. Don't believe me, check out the FBI violent crime stats. And remember, while they might show VPD with 158 sworn, after losing four officer this week they are closer to 129 sworn. This represents one of the highest violent crime per officer stats in the entire State. If BK is filed, 12-15 officers will be gone within 2-3 weeks.They already have their backgrounds for other police agencies finished. While most do not want to leave, the recent instability and risk of future insability compells them to leave. VPD officers can make as much, if not more, in other Bay Area cities. My intent is not to scare people with effects of BK (at least for the next few years)it is simply to expose only one of the impacts BK will have on the City. If BK is filed, Vallejo will be compared to East Palo Alto...not Palo Alto. Truth.

Waz up wit dat?   |May.04.2008 Insider information from the Vacaville front(Several VPD and VPD live in Vacaville,) apparently both the VPD and the VFD have been put on notice that they may expect to receive a 20-25% reduction in pay, if they wish to remain employess of the City of Vallejo. The tears are already starting to fall...

Truth   |May.04.2008 Katy, Tell the whole story, not just part of it. Palo Alto pays less proportionately

Katy Miessner   |May.04.2008 Thanks, Good Faith for that great link. A statemnt I found particularly interesting in the article: "The analysis shows that while Palo Alto employs more people, Vallejo spends proportionally more on salaries and benefits."

Bill Klein   |May.04.2008 As long as they use their real names they are more credible than anyone who does not, regardless of how they choose to express themselves.

wondering   |May.04.2008 "I am not Sam Kurshan and for you to assume that is proof of your culpability in trying to silence him as well as anyone who supports him." The rules are: True vile pointless nastiness will be deleted. The "edinator" and/or dialogue monitor must have reason to believe that Sam and anyone who supports has a high probablility of being "vile", "pointless" and/or "nasty". So ..... your gone. Are vile, nasty and pointless people and those they associate with credible?

Bill Klein   |May.04.2008 I am not Sam Kurshan and for you to assume that is proof of your culpability in trying to silence him as well as anyone who supports him.

Little Old Lady   |May.04.2008 CEQA Lesson... The California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA) requires every project, including General Plans, that might have an environmental impact to prepare an Environmental Impact Report to assess the severity of those impacts and, if possible, avoid or mitigate those impacts. CEQA is designed to be inforced through citizen litigation. During the 45 day review period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report, potentially affected parties must review the documents and provide comments to Solano County, preferably in writing, by the due date. Comments, called the Administrative Record, protect your right to sue if the impacts are not addressed correctly. If you don't say anything, you lose the right to sue later..like when the bulldozers are grading the site for the new foundations.

Dialog Monitor   |May.04.2008 Bill Klein=Sam Kurshan User banned for bad behavior

Little Old Lady   |May.04.2008 Affront... Forgive me. I wasn't clear. I was not suggesting that any new affordable (subsidized) housing should be built in Vallejo. As you say, we have more than our share. What I meant to say was that all new housing in the unincorporated areas of Solano County must have an "affordable" component within the project area. We can't keep allowing developers to pay a fee to the jurisdiction to pay for "affordable" housing someplace else because that someplace else is always Vallejo.

Good Faith   |May.04.2008 Great article in the Palo Alto Daily News today: www.paloaltodailynews.com/article/2008-5-4-budget-study Highlights: Vallejo: 78% of general fund = employee salaries and benefits Palo Alto: 65% of general fund = employee salaries and benefits Vallejo: 73% of general fund = public safety Palo Alto: 52% of general fund = public safety

Glass Half Empty   |May.04.2008 Today's Sunday Funny is incredible! Huge kudos to whoever created it. It's so sad -- I laughed when I first saw it, and then quickly stopped laughing when I realized that it's a humorous poke at a very real, very terrible reality in Vallejo right now. How the heck did we end up here? Shhhhhhhhh! Don't look behind the curtain.

silasbarnabe   |May.04.2008 So at least we know that the IAFF, and possibly VPOA with the same lawyer Alan Davis can care less about free speech. Shall we bring up all those they have sued to silence free speeach? With that said I am certain all the free speech and "I swore not to post here again" kooks are irrelevant as they should be; because implicitly they are involved in their own personal agendas and put making Vallejo a great place to live a distant second to what feeds their greed.

Shay58   |May.04.2008 The last part of the sentecne should read: "Not all firefighter's abuse the taxpayer's like Vallejo's do. It is time for the Vallejo Firefighters to face the music." None of the local firefighters on the blog wants to touch this - for good reason. (thanks John K.)

Anonymous   |May.04.2008 >> So far we have banned only one >> individual due to behaviors that >> generated an onslaught of >> complaints. And alienated how many others who prefer freedom of individual speech over the tyranny of an anonymous majority?

Shay58   |May.04.2008 Here it is - hopefully this works. Posted by Nor Cal Firefighter As a professional union firefighter, I must say I dont support the Vallejo Firefighters. It is well known in California that the Vallejo Union is out of control. It is true that firefighters are deserving of fair pay, but Vallejo Firefighters have abused the city and should be taken to task for this abuse. The Vallejo Firefighters make over double what I and my fellow firefighters make. What upsets me is that the Vallejo Firefighters have given all firefighters in California a black eye. Not all firefighters abuse the taxpayers like Vallejo

John K   |May.04.2008 Shay... it might copy and paste if you dump the apostrophe in dont?

Shay58   |May.04.2008 Hmmmm I noticed my copying and pasting didn't work: If you're interested go to the T-H blog (ugh) on yesterday's bankruptcy article and check it out.

Shay58   |May.04.2008 Thought you might be interested in this item posted at the Times-Herald blog (bankruptcy article). The local ff's are obviously renegades. The poster was Nor Cal Firefighter: "As a professional union firefighter, I must say I don

silasbarnabe   |May.04.2008 Other areas take up affordable housing? But our good ole boys don't own property in those areas (at least not second homes). They also know such developoments get the citizens of those respective cities active and riled up.

affront   |May.04.2008 LOL, why do we have to spread additional affordable housing throughout new and fairly new developments? We have plenty of that already liberally spread throughout for crying out loud. All of Vallejo is affordable at this time and for the patient, upper mobil would be buyer, will be even more affordable in the near future. It is time for other towns to step up and take in the down trodden, I am no longer willing to live in the garbage bowl of the North Bay.

Little Old Lady   |May.04.2008 Missy asked if I knew anything about where the ferry parking garage money is. No. I just know that the horrendous costs are due to the fact that it is planned with two levels below ground on former wetland. So that means it has to be completely waterproof. Very costly construction. Plus, the powers-that-be refuse to believe in global warming with a projected sea level rise that will overtop the sea walls really soon. So the below grade floors will become a bathtub. Did you really want to park there? Plus there is only one entrance on Mare Island Way so all the drivers trying to catch the ferry at the last minute will be funneled into one location to compete with the folks on foot trying to run across the road. Of course there is a better site where it would be much cheaper (about one third) to build and it would accommodate multiple entries. But the garage location can never be changed according to the powers-that-be. It's "pork".

Little Old Lady   |May.04.2008 Uh Oh!!! While we are all focusing on the bankrupcy train wreck, the good-old-boys are working busily below the radar of public scrutiny to further the same old Vallejo gulag plan. There were few Vallejo citizens at the Library for the Solano County General Plan dog and pony show last week. Mostly a whole bunch of consultants in their shiney tap shoes and the County appointed facilitator, Terry Curtola. So there in black and white on the fancy story boards explaining the Economy, Environment and Social Equity platitudes was the same old stuff on Land Use. The Estate Residential and new subdivisions will be located tastefully over the hill; and that messy "affordable" housing will be in multiunit rental buildings in the unincorporated portion of Solano County within the City Limits of Vallejo. That includes the strip of land along Curtola Parkway (yes, named for the same guy)where we shot down a new 56 unit subsidized housing PROJECT on a key Vallejo gateway last year. What??? So who is watching out for Vallejo's interests? One of the reasons we are tanking economically is the concentration of regional poverty in one poor overwhelmed city. Everyone pays more in direct and indirect costs in citys like Vallejo. What about real social equity where it is spread out equally in every new development and community? But the Plan is all written and printed. Only chance now is to yell really loud in your written comments on the adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Report by the end of the 45 day comment period...that's June 15th or thereabouts. As if we don't have enough to do. So is the Fire Fighter's Union in cahouts with the good-old-boys?

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Okay,"B" day is two days away. I fully expected to open the times horrid today to find an in-depth story on the analysis of bankruptcy verses bandaid and how the city got into this mess. Okay kay, I made the last part up but I did at least expect our home town paper to have something. At least more than the other local papers have printed. But hey, then they wouldn't be the times horrid would they? Since apparently henke is supposedly off on worker's comp for tripping on a abalone shell, maybe he was hired as an consultant to the times horrid and has prevented them for writing anything negative about him and his buddys. He doesn't want anything to get in his way for his plans to retire from a disability even if the city goes bankrupt and his bid for a third trial to sue the council members, present and past, and the preseent and former city employees. So shedding light into his "reputation" and his part in the city finances would hamper his case. Especially since it would have to include the fact that his numerous frivolous and bogus lawsuits in the past ten years had cost this city millions. Not to improve the way we do business, but for his own personal vindetta. But that's another story.

On Fire   |May.04.2008 Oh the Sunday funny is a scream! I love the shh tape and the bound hands! But one question? Where's hermie?

Just My Op   |May.04.2008 I was wondering about the West hire too. It makes no sense and I would be interested in the reason other than what they gave in the article. The management of the city is deplorable at best...it's like they lose their brains once they sign on.

thank you   |May.03.2008 thank you marc for banning Master Kurshan from this site. Hatefull and bordering on insane....

On Fire   |May.03.2008 Interesting, a whole day of blogging on various news sites and now the henkettes have forgotten about going after Gomes and Schivley. Now it's Tanner that's the villian. Hummmm, maybe his get tuff stance has hit a nerve? The gravy train is pulling into the station as Tanner as conductor is calling Last Stop! Or maybe a leprechaun was caught by henke while abalone diving and he gave up where the pot of gold was, and now allen davis is hiding it till Tuesday?

GoodFaith   |May.03.2008 The captains got about a 10% raise when the council majority agreed to allow them to go from CAMP to VPOA. You may recall that this agreement was asked for by the unions in order for them to agree to come to the table and negotiate last year. Yet another insane give away by the council just to get these guys to talk. They keep talking but give nothing. Their talk is worth about as much as the Times Horrid birdcage liner my birds pooped all over today. Davis and HenkeRiley keep saying they've worked with the city in good faith. Can you say extortion??!

freakingout   |May.03.2008 Anyway... As to JoAnne West, that just sends chills up my spine. Ex Capt. JoAnne was NOT VPOA until just a few months prior to her retirement(remember that management was not and should not be part of the union). But she switched to VPOA nevertheless..., like the other captains (who now are part of the union) and I assume got better retirement benefits than mere mortals in management. What does this mean?? it's hard to tell but it doesn't look good.

Edinator   |May.03.2008 Hard to sell out when you run this site for free. We do monitor this site though and will take action if a poster is disruptive to the point of infringing on others rights. Deletion is mentioned on the header. This site is not without rules. If there is a public outcry regarding the action of a specific individual on the blog we will consider action. So far we have banned only one individual due to behaviors that generated an onslaught of complaints. The management of this blog takes action based on input from the online community and our evaluation of this input. We try our best to run this blog in a way that is responsive to those using it. Hands off is our preferred course of action, however, that is not always practical. If you find the management offensive, you are free to blog elsewhere or start your own blog with rules as you see fit. Marc Garman

The Voice of Reason   |May.03.2008 Oh yeah Editinator, What's your excuse for removing Sam Kurshan's posts? You're a sellout. No better than the T.H. I'll bet you remove my post for telling it like it is.

Interested   |May.03.2008 "Does anyone care that this presumably expensive, hardy unbiased employee is now the voice of our city in bankruptcy-and back on the gravy train, with a newer issued double-dipper?" Hmmmmmmmmmm, Why would Joe Tanner hire her?

Edinator   |May.03.2008 Alun, It seems that there is a problem cutting and pasting on this blog. We will try to see if we can solve the problem. Sorry for any inconvenience. Marc Garman

Edinator   |May.03.2008 Here's Alun's post that got cut off: Does anyone care , that the announcement of Vallejo's bankruptcy was handled by City Hall's newest employee--previously Vallejo's highest paid employee, and public safety union member--Public Affairs Officer JoAnn West? Does anyone care that this presumably expensive, hardy unbiased employee is now the voice of our city in bankruptcy-and back on the gravy train, with a newer issued double-dipper? Does anyone wonder why our first step on the road to bankruptcy was to hire a new City Hall employee, who has neither management nor functional role. We're short of staff in every department, but she doesn't run anything, she doesn't bring anything in, and she doesn't fix anything. This ex-cop has only one responsibility--to objectively explain to the press and public how the city is handling its cop/firefighter-caused bankruptcy. Is anyone reminded that when Mayor Davis called his March 1st, "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" press conference on City Hall steps, he chose the Fire Department's Public Information Officer to manage the event, and that the "City of Vallejo" press release came with the police and fire union's emblems on top, and a Fire Department phone number--no city crest, and no City Hall phone number? You weren't there? That's probably because His Honor invited the press from far and wide, along with numerous officers and spokespersons from the unions, but no City Managers, Council members, nor members of the public. Is that how Jo Ann West's--and his--future press conferences will be structured? Does anyone wonder who hired Jo Ann West for this job? Not who's idea it was--that's pretty obvious. But who actually did the dirty deed--did he have the constitutional authority to do so, and did all the necessary votes, HR referrals, and sign-off's get made? If this is as rotten as it looks, then recall may not be an option, but it could be a necessity.

Edinator   |May.03.2008 Alun, No action was taken to delete or manipulate your post in any way. There are some glitches from time to time though. We built this board using free software. We have no budget. If you want to use a software glitch to try to paint this site as some sort of villain, that's too bad. I hope not. Please try your post again, or if there really is some problem send it to me and I'll post it for you. Marc Garman

Alun Whittaker   |May.03.2008 Yes. Oddly enough they are ... at least, so far they haven't deleted my letter. see it over there if you're interested. Now I'm really gone.

John K   |May.03.2008 Alun, sometimes a post gets cut off if there is an apostrophe, but I see from another blog that you had a dash. The formatting scheme for this bulletin board is weird. As for Ms. West, speaking for me and my mate, we were stunned at this incredible piece of news. We thought the position had been abolished when Mark Mazzaferro departed. Surely it had to be volunteer work on her part, but now we get the idea that it's a paid position? Perhaps temporary? Somebody will enlighten us with facts, but here's a quote from Vallejo Visitor, from a times horrid thread: "She will likely be perceived as a traitor, similar to Tony Pearsall, by the folks in blue since now she will be speaking on behalf of the whole City and not just the public safety perspective. Frankly, it is a pretty slick gambit on the part of City staff to have a former union member speaking for the City as it does battle with those same unions. It raised a smile on my face..."

Alun Whittaker   |May.03.2008 So, the rest gets censored. Maybe the Times Herald is more open to free speech.

Alun Whittaker   |May.03.2008 No takers? OK, it was early, I hadn't had my coffee. Let me try it again. Does anyone care, that the announcement of Vallejo's bankruptcy was handled by City Hall's newest employee -- previously Vallejo's highest paid employee, and public safety union member -- Public Affairs Officer JoAnn West? Does anyone care that this presumably expensive, hardy unbiased employee is now the voice of our city in bankruptcy

Alun Whittaker   |May.03.2008 No takers? OK, it was early, I hadn't had my coffee. Let me try it again. Does anyone care, that the announcement of Vallejo's bankruptcy was handled by City Hall's newest employee -- previously Vallejo's highest paid employee, and public safety union member -- Public Affairs Officer JoAnn West? Does anyone care that this presumably expensive, hardy unbiased employee is now the voice of our city in bankruptcy

Vallejo Heights   |May.03.2008 There's another potential smoking gun on the Mercury News web site. They're owned by the same conglomerate that owns the local birdcage liner and the papers in that chain will frequently share content. The Mercury News story, which has the same lead paragraph as the T-H story, includes the phrase "unaffordable public safety contracts." It doesn't track word-for-word with the T-H "BANKRUPT" story, but I would be very interested in seeing how closely it matches up to the T-H "breaking news" story published yesterday. Here's the link: http://www.mercurynews.com/portal/breakingnews/ci_9136854

Ann O. Nemus   |May.03.2008 Katy Miessner: what you probably found is Google's archive. Do save the article in your harddrive. Then you can compare it with the "edited" version (which you can also save). You have living proof that our local paper is no better than the Xinhua News Agency, an official mouthpiece.

On Fire   |May.03.2008 Okay, day 3 has arrived and Tanner has laid out the game plan. Will the players follow? Or will the funded four and Ozzy go for the tipped ball or hope for ball four with an easy walk? (I purposely leave out Ms. Gomes and Ms. Schivley as we all know they tend to have a more realistic view of what's what.) The news and opinions around the Bay Area seem to be strongly opposed to the safety union's salary/benefits and it's affect on other city budgets. With all eyes watching, expect a strong stand by the unions with support from the nationals to push the henkettes to wage an all out war. The renegotiations of contracts can open the flood gates for other cities to move toward the same actions. Fire storm coming our way people!

J.M   |May.03.2008 Amen "Missmarvelous" Katy- Outstanding report!! I just keep getting impressed when logging on this site, even if a bit of turbulance is present at times.

Alun Whittaker   |May.03.2008 Hello Again: I too swore never to post again on this board but this is important. There are two "Breaking" stories on the Tomes Herald site: "Vallejo top officials recommend bankruptcy" and "BANKRUPTCY" (their capitals). there isn't much new there that isn't in the City Council Agenda and Staff Reports, but I have two sidelight observations. First, Sarah Rohrs has got back her byline for both stories. Second, "recently retired Vallejo Police Department Captain" JoAnn West is credited as the "new public information officer". Wasn't West reported on ViB as the highest paid city employess of 2007 with a gross of over $400,000. Didn't her defenders point out that this was a cumulative payment including a retirement settlement. So, is her current work at City Hall performed pro bono, or is this another case of public employee double-dipping, and is that legal? --------------- PS It's interesting to see that the verbosely anonymous ramblers are still trying to bully the people with the chutzpah to present their real names and opinions on this board.

missmarvelous   |May.03.2008 Hey everyone, log onto sfgate.com and read the blogs that are linked to the bankruptcy article headline. We are getting lots of support from what looks like the greater Bay Area. 90% of the blogs support the City of Vallejo, it looks like a few fire dudes are blogging trying to defend themselves, without much success. Who know, bankruptcy might improve the image of Vallejo, as well as a move to remove binding arbitration from our city charter. Other cities are watching to see what we do, so lets hope we "do it." Is it possible that successfully battling the unions with bankruptcy could be positive for our image? Vallejo has had a lot of exposure via the media lately, surprisingly, the true citizens of Vallejo have been exposed as caring, educated, well spoken, civic minded and driven to do the right thing. I think the Bay Area has thought of Vallejo as getto near the Napa Valley, full of the un-educated, un-caring, un-knowing, and the birthplace of several "gansta" rappers. The financial crisis has brought us all together from all parts of the city of Vallejo, to participate in cleaning up the city, forming neighborhood watch groups, and be more involved in city politics such as the movement to remove binding arbitration from the city charter. I would say the best press we have ever received is due to negative circumstances, now how odd is that? Keep up the good work citizens of Vallejo!!!!!!!!!!!!

silasbarnabe   |May.03.2008 I keep posting in other places, with Wallymarts best year in Vallejo at $700,000, Disco Kingdom's best year was over $2,000,000 when you have to pay total compensation for entry legvel Police and Fireman at $180,000 a year not including the overtime how many busineses would be needed to fund a 120 man fD or a 150 man PD? When Wallymart buys maybe two positions we would have to bring in some kind of money to support that kind of a burden. Hey Edinator how can I upload a Kool Icon like yours now that I have registered?

Edinator   |May.02.2008 Holy Smokes, Genuine Orwellian doublethink and newspeak in our very own hometown paper? Goodness me...Oh my!! And I thought I was Mr. Nasty?? Geez. The T-H keeps making me look like a choir boy!! "LA LA LA LA LA" Nice GOTCHA Katy. Marc Garman

Katy Miessner   |May.02.2008 I love google. I searched "Vallejo Times Herald" and "unaffordable union contracts" and look what pops up in their summary line: Vallejo has been hard hit by the housing crisis, the slowdown in the economy and unaffordable public safety contracts which account for nearly 75 percent of ... Of course, click on the link brings us to the current article which now has no mention of "unaffordable union contracts". HMMMMMMMM.....

Katy Miessner   |May.02.2008 I went on line and checked out their story..and it must have been shut down for a rewrite. Earlier in the evening the article had a paragraph that blamed Vallejo's economic woes on the housing market, economic downturn and....the unaffordable union contracts! I know it was there, I mentioned it to someone else because I was completely aghast that they would print something so honest...well, only for a minute until you-know-who got to them. And it seems Alan Davis is now writing for the Times Herald: "Union groups hired a financial consultant who has supplied at least two reports which contradict the city's dire financial projections, Davis said, "UNWILLING TO ELABORATE" (my emphasis). Bring on the bankruptcy--as others have said, we will know absolutely that there is no secret pot 'o gold the City is hiding!

Anonymous   |May.02.2008 Vallejo city manager advises bankruptcy Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, May 2, 2008 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/02/MNIJ10FV5N.DTL ...Bay Area TV Cameras and the San Francisco Chronicle are closing in for the kill. We'll see what happens on Tuesday.

John C.   |May.02.2008 What's a "nipperkin"? Trying to follow the thread...

Gabriele   |May.02.2008 It popped up again, Kurt blinked! Has anyone else noted that we have a new information officer at City Hall, and it is none other than JoAnn West. Maybe just a coincidence, as the real CPT. JoAnn West has retired. Maybe not!

Shay58   |May.02.2008 Just noticed something interesting at the T-H blog. There was a breaking news story there about the Tuesday nite council meeting that all of a sudden disappeared. Hmmm, maybe Kurt and Jon didn't get a chance to aprove it before it was posted.

John K   |May.02.2008 Katy, nice article on the VIB front page! I wonder if the times horrid will quote you? "...Filing for bankruptcy will create a stable environment in which the City can restructure the relationship between revenues and expenses, in an environment that removes the enormous pressure from the Safety Unions, to create a true long-term viable and sustainable fiscal plan." Thank You!

Shay58   |May.02.2008 Breaking News story at the T-H blog regarding Tuesday's meeting.

MISSMARVELOUS   |May.02.2008 I was wondering if anyone knows what is happening to the 58 million in federal funds that our city received from the Fed's to build the transit center, and was suppose to be used by this year. Does anyone know what is happening to those funds? Did we "miss the boat (hey we know the boat was swiped from under us, no pun intended.) The funds were going to be taken away from us if they were not used by this year, "Little Old Lady" do you know anything about this matter?

silasbarnabe   |May.02.2008 Good eye John K. now the only question is will it be chapter 9 or will it be band-aid? http://vallejo.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=62562a240a21048e2b801adf59866b75.pdf

John K   |May.02.2008 BREAKER, BREAKER... City Council Agenda For May 6, 2008 Admin Item 10. A. PROVISION OF UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING... PROPOSED ACTION: Adopt the resolution approving the filing of a petition under Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code On Fire, I owe you 1 nipperkin

Rick Mariani   |May.02.2008 Actually the negotiated plan this tue night to vote on is an agreed upon 20% cut in salary for both safety unions and Kurt Henke will accept a 50% cut in his salary. This will keep us out of bankruptcy and the city will prosper and everyone will be happy. Then the next day President Bush will pull out the troops from Iraq. China will let the Dali Lama return to Tibet and have autonomy, Hillary and Barak will join together on the same ticket and draw straws for who will be at the top of the ticket, and the Giants Barry Zito will go on to win 20 straight shutout games. Ahhhhhhhhh I can dream can't I?

comeOnBabyLightmyFire   |May.02.2008 GaungaJim:

Truth Teller   |May.02.2008 I don't think there is a plan that can 'get us by' for one year. Really, where else can they cut to make up this huge deficit? It's almost like they (Davis & Funded Four) think they are smarter than the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, the Finance Director, the City Attorney and the bankruptcy attorney's who are saying there is no way other than bankruptcy to go. My 2 cents says that the Funded Four are the dummies and Davis is ego driven - both afflictions directly work against the the people of Vallejo. Get us into protection now!

Firebug   |May.02.2008 I have always felt the browning out of the two firestations was partially done in the hope that something really bad would happend to help further the agenda of the fire union, but alas to date there just hasn't been any really disaster that has gripped the city in fear (like the Zodiac murders in the 60's). I suspect that there really isn't anything that Ozzy and the fab four can present that will address this mess as promised though 2012.

On Fire   |May.02.2008 John, the answer to your question regarding council ever voting against staff recommendation is yes. As a matter of fact, Tanner recommended filing for bankruptcy initially and council said no. I suspect he will again recommend filing as there is no real proposal on the table that will keep the city operational until 2012 and put money in the reserves. Not to file would mean that they will be going through the year on a wing and a prayer, in hopes that not one single unexpected expenditure comes up during the year as it will send their fantasy budget into a tailspin. So rather than going yet another year dealing with the budget as they have for the last two years, Tanner will recommend filing so that the court could have a go at restructuring the debts and contracts. Council will of course, agree to Ozzy's legend building course of action and agree to skirt by yet another year. Which means of course that they will be embroiled in budget issues instead of moving to bring in more revenues and move the major projects ahead. Nipperkin it is.

John K   |May.02.2008 Well... if Staff recommends it, they will Aye it. I'm new here, so I may have missed it, and I may be naive. When was the last time Council said Nay to a Staff recommendation? But that's way too easy. Council needs something to vote on Tuesday, so they will be given two tough choices. One choice will be bankruptcy. And here's my cyber bet, On Fire. I'll wager a nipperkin on a second choice with an alternative to bankruptcy. A New Plan. Temporary, of course, but it would push Chapter 9 further into our future. It will require City Council to make a tough decision to go for increased revenue, pay cuts, staff reductions, and further hobbling of City services. Two tough choices. In my mind's eye, I can see the voting display board tabulating Tuesday night's votes...

silasbarnabe   |May.02.2008 Overpaid, I am intrigued as to why you think the controversial 911 fee/tax will be considered a fee and not brought to the voters? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/30/BAQA10E2O S.DTL&hw=911+fee&sn=001&sc=1000 There has been more than one challenge to this and in both cases the appeals court determined it is a tax and needs to go back to the voters. Is there some knowledge you have that the supreme court will find it a fee or do you think the city of vallejo will carelessly plow ahead and wait for litigation?

On Fire   |May.02.2008 Admin never mind! It's working fine, I'm the one that needs adjusting and need to have my morning coffee! Okay, day 4 till "this-is-your-life day! But today is money-rama-mystery-revealed day! I will be anxiously waiting by my computer for the Staff report and recommendations that come out from Tanner's office today that is supposed to be posted on the City website. Any takers to a cyber bet on what Tanner will suggest? I say bankruptcy.

On Fire   |May.02.2008 Admin, unless you specifically hit the May Scream button on the left side, when you open the Daily Scream it takes you to the April Scream. Halla!

admin   |May.01.2008 We're in a new month. Please post in the May 2008 Daily Scream!!!