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VETO Assembly Bill (AB) 646.
By Vallejo Councilmember Marti Brown 9/28/11
OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN
CC: CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE
I urge you to VETO Assembly Bill (AB) 646.
AB 646 will undermine the authority of local elected officials to responsibly serve their communities. It creates another hurdle for local government to overcome before they can do the already tremendously difficult job of managing municipal budgets in a shrinking economy.
In 2010, the citizens of Vallejo voted to remove binding interest arbitration (BIA) from the city charter, because they wanted their elected officials to have local control over the salaries and benefits of city employees. AB 646 is a slap in the face to everyone who voted to remove BIA from the charter. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “[people] are respectable only as they respect.” How is the public being respected with a bill that directly undermines what they voted for?
You said in your 2010 platform that your “philosophy has always been one of frugality and living within our means.” And that’s exactly what Vallejo and other California Cities are trying to do. But the State Legislature’s attack on local control—taking local funds while exacting more and more unfunded mandates—has been unrelenting and irresponsible. Your platform also recognized the need for public employee pension reform: “the practices of public officials and pension fund managers must be carefully scrutinized to control costs and risks.” How does AB 646 help control costs and risks at the local level? Quite simply, it doesn’t.
If signed into law, AB 646 will require taxpayers to pay for a fact finding panel and mediation in the event of an impasse between management and an employee bargaining unit before the city council can impose a final and best offer. It allows local bargaining units to unilaterally impose a fact finding mission at the public’s expense. As the former president of my bargaining unit, I consider it the job of every union president to prepare for negotiations and spend union dues to conduct salary and benefit studies and a financial analysis of its municipality. The public should not pay for fact finding that unions should conduct as part of their due diligence in preparation for labor negotiations.
As a Vallejo City Councilmember, I’m particularly offended by the arrogance of the State Legislature—especially since most State representatives got their start in local government—to impose a bill that makes our jobs at the local level more difficult, more time consuming and costs the tax payers more money. It’s another example of “big brother” trying to fix something that isn’t broke. AB 646 is nothing more than Democratic Legislators ensuring their campaign coffers remain full with union money at election time. It is not about the best interest of the public or taxpayers. It’s about getting re-elected.
Local officials are in the trenches every day performing triage and making stone soup from the scraps left behind at the State dinner table. The soup is getting thinner and the dinner guests are getting angrier. We can’t keep telling them its beef stew when it’s gray water with a little savory. AB 646 is NOT the answer and will not improve this situation.
The State has been taking our local funds. Please don’t also usurp our local authority.
I urge you to VETO AB 646.
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