February 2009 

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Response   |February.06.2009 Sometimes it is a lot easier to put things into perpective when it is put into more familiar terms. I hope you liked the analogy. The numbers aren't there, I am not sure exactly how many people are in the General Fund for IBEW, lets be generous and say 100, if you make them pay 20% of their medical, remembering they are the lowest paid and will feel the hit the worst, that is a maximum of say 3600 for a total of 360k, that doesn't equal 10M, that's assuming they all have family medical coverage. Even adding furlough at 2 days a month, that won't get you much above 1M. The focus has been lost and with VPOA getting off Scot-Free, it is too late... Not even IAFF could close that big of a gap. Council is after IBEW due to public perception, it doesn't matter if it is a drop in the bucket at this point. I was totally behind this until the morons approved the VPOA extension, there were tens of thousands to be reaped per VPOA member, now it is too late. We would have to get a really good deal from Cal-Fire and disband the Fire Department to make that up. Yo need an average of 100K per IAFF member. The momentum is gone, we, as a city, are screwed... The council should be personally liable for this crap, how can anyone be that stupid?! If any one of those idiots who voted for this gets re-elected, I am positive that the residents of this city should be prevented from breeding. Maybe the Judge has power that we are unaware of, else, we will need a miracle to fix this!

On Fire   |February.06.2009 Response,I hear what you are saying and I am not trying to coming off sounding like I am lumping everyone together. I know for a fact that there are plenty of people that get it and have been a part of the good fight. But what about the rest? The evil twins have always been the problem, and they have had help from mom, the enabler. As the "bad seed" they have infected the rest of the family and caused the entire family to be disfunctional. So unless the other members of the extended family stand up and turn things around, we will have this same discussion in a few months.

Response to On Fire   |February.06.2009 "But there has to be some concessions from all groups so to be fair" Let us pretend, you are Dad, City Council and Mayor are Mom, VPOA and IAFF are twins and IBEW and Camp are siblings of the twins. All 4 of the children are close to high school graduation but not yet 18. The twins have always been Mom's favorites who could do no wrong. They were spoiled and given gifts that were not extended to the other two children and were often at the expense of the other two children. Dad always made plenty of money to support the family but Dad recently got demoted due to recession and doesn't make the same money. The twins got mom to give them all of the savings Dad had and then broke into a store and caused damages that Mom and Dad were liable for, so Dad does nothing with Mom's favorite twin, VPOA, makes Camp get a part-time job, with the huge remainder to be obtained from the other two children, IBEW may have to work full-time and there is even talk of just kicking the other twin, IAFF, out of the house... As you said, it is only fair... Perhaps while you get that second job, new taxes, you can lament how bad of a parent you have been, and still are, while mom still really runs the house at the behest of the favored twin... Maybe if the twins were ever held to task, you might realize the problem has always been the twins and their twisted relationship with Mom, the drunk whore. I know it is not all your fault, but I will blame you (not all the citizens of Vallejo, myself included), it is only fair...

Anonymous   |February.06.2009 CBO: Obama stimulus harmful over long haul Wednesday, February 4, 2009 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/04/cbo-obama-stimulus-harmful-over-long-haul/ President Obama's economic recovery package will actually hurt the economy more in the long run than if he were to do nothing, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. CBO, the official scorekeepers for legislation, said the House and Senate bills will help in the short term but result in so much government debt that within a few years they would crowd out private investment, actually leading to a lower Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years than if the government had done nothing. CBO estimates that by 2019 the Senate legislation would reduce GDP by 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent on net. [The House bill] would have similar long-run effects, CBO said in a letter to Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican, who was tapped by Mr. Obama on Tuesday to be Commerce Secretary.

On Fire   |February.06.2009 Thanks Robert for putting together this report. I have to wonder when it is that the voting public will ever wise up to the fact that they are never really told what the city's contracts will actually cost us. Maybe it's because of some government-welfare-subsidy type of mentality that has made the majority of voters complacent? Having the feds take care of everything for too many years and not having to question the decisions that were made? When the city was flush with revenues and jobs, there was little to worry about, and that's how we ended up with so much dead wood being employed at City Hall. So many people just sitting on "special projects" and drawing a pay check and building their retirements nest eggs. This slowly began to change when the feds pulled out of Vallejo and the new hires like Ms. Barclay came on board and discovered the total amount of deadwood we were carrying. Then came the contracts, and fresh eyes looked at what the city was doing and the unions went ballistic. It's been like this ever since. We start off being upset that the secret negotiations have produced these unsustainable salaries and benefits, then when the unions start their fear campaigns, the citizens quiet their voice of concern, and we have yet another unsustainable contract signed. No big public outcry, even when they know that they will be asked to suffer through increased and additional "revenue enhancements" otherwise known as tax increases. This contract was never negotiated, it was settled. Just like the mayor wanted. Ms. Salerno and anyone else who was in on this deal should be fired for presenting this "half truth" about the best deal the city could have negotiated. Craig and Sandy were not qualified to do any negotiations, and yet if the great oz has his way, he will push once again to fire Tanner, and push Sandy into his office. Who would object since she got us such a great deal with VPOA? Again, she is not qualified for the job of CM either. But with her taking over, the oz will be able to continue with his micro-managing, thus having something to add to his resume for STRONG MAYOR! You can smell it coming. Another pile of hot mess for the citizens of Vallejo.

Firebug   |February.06.2009 Do you have to guess? I wonder what others besides Hermie might comment on their NO vote. I can hardly wait until one his precinct walkers comes to my place and asks if I will support Hermie in the next election....I will respond "I don't have enough information to support him".

Anonymous   |February.06.2009 Binding arbitration is back on the agenda for Tuesday. Because it was a 3-3 vote, there was no action. I wonder how Bartenke will vote?

streetsweeper   |February.06.2009 Psu watch, from what I have heard about what happpend it sounds like the city made a huge mistake. Belnap did his second response that went through the IBEW survey which would give the city access to the only survey done by anybody on IBEW. Without that that survey or Mr Akins on the stand the city has nothing for proving the IBEW makes too much. Also they have to explain to the judge why they would do a survey for PSU but not IBEW.I think if the city would allow IBEW to keep the Kaiser plan they have now that makes retirees pay a large portion of the medical, we would have a deal. I have heard we already offered not to take increases for years and to take furlough days.

VHS   |February.06.2009 Well done Katy, thank you for the update.

Captain   |February.05.2009 Vallejo: Deal Or No Deal Article from the "Bond Buyer". A must read: http://www.bondbuyer.com/article?id=20090205T01YQ03W&pagenum=2&numpages=2

On Fire   |February.05.2009 Street Sweeper, the union's attorney argued Tuesday that they didn't want the second part of the Belnap response to be submitted into evidence, because he had included a survey for IBEW. I believe they wanted to depose Belnap prior to letting him discuss that part of his response. I understood that there was some trade off about his response not being admitted as long as the union's attorney didn't bring Akins to the stand, because the city's atty would then show how Akins' numbers were wrong. So maybe unless there is some trade off, neither of those salary studies will be entered. But that doesn't preclude the judge from still making the remaining unions open their contracts. I guess it would have to be re-negotiated? Bottom line though, if IBEW doesn't settle their negotiations, and the judge does re-open the contracts, you may not get a better deal than if you settled. From what I've read, it seems that IBEW's medical shouldn't be changed since you guys have been paying you own way all along. (almost) But there has to be some concessions from all groups so to be fair, I suppose they will be looking to cut something. Hope you guys work something out soon. Thanks Kati for the update. I understand that 90 percent of Woodruff's objections were overruled on Tuesday. It appears that she isn't persuading the judge very much the last two court dates with her arguements.

streetsweeper   |February.05.2009 In response to the court update my union rep said that the city did not do a salary survey for IBEW so they planned on the use of the union's survey. Since the union will not use the survey the city has nothing now to prove the IBEW salaries are too much. The IBEW is in great shape because the CAMP and police deal is much beter than what they have been offered.

Captain   |February.05.2009 Bankrupt Vallejo sick costs http://calpensions.com/2009/02/05/bankrupt-vallejos-sick-costs/

Captain   |February.05.2009 Bankrupt Vallejo

Captain   |February.05.2009 Bankrupt Vallejo

Captain   |February.05.2009 POLICEPAY.NET - Where We Stand On Vallejo http://policepay.blogspot.com/2009/02/policepaynet-where-we-stand-on-vallejo

The scoop...   |February.05.2009 For over twenty years, the City of Vallejo has been managed by "outsiders." Our leaders influenced by out of town politians and groups such as the unions (who are in bed with the politians.) That's why some of our council members dont vote for what's good for our city, but listen to Senators, Assembly persons, Union reps when it comes time to vote. If these same politicians lived in our community they would be voting on whats best for Vallejo, not whats best for another County. Wiggins and Evans are both "Wine Country Gals" following what their constituents dicate, great for their county, bad for Vallejo. Most of the PSU do not live in Vallejo, so they support the actions of Wiggins and Evans as well. Vallejo bears the burden of the overflow of adjacent cities low income housing. Napa wants to remain pristine, and known as the Wine Country, they have not fullfilled their obligation to build over 3400 units of affordable housing, that is why we end up with many of their low income folks. Napa has a serious problem with lack of sources of water, but wineries are popping up everywhere, not the most sustainable crop to grow, but you dont see Wiggins or Evans putting a moratorium on wineries, just the opposite, they supported over 40 new liquor licences last year. Vallejo suddenly had their Ferry take away with the endorsement of Senator Wiggins, and given to the State (a play by Don Perata and his Alameda wealthy developer friend Ron Cowan.) So the long arm of the politicians even influenced what happened to our ferry. We need to vote for senators, assembly persons that are from our city or our county. We need to stop looking at if they have a "D" or a "R" next to their name and blindly voting. If we are represented by politicans outside of our city and county, we are always going to get "crumbs" and treated as second class. We need to get our "MoJo" back...

VHS   |February.05.2009 Here is a Vallejo vs. Chico comparison. Vallejo CAFR 2007 Property taxes 23,812,446 Sales taxes ...12,517,648 Other taxes ...6,686,545 Utility taxes 12,746,862 Tot Tax Revenue 55,763,501 Fire service .. 25,238,098 Police service 38,050,873 City Manager 405,000 Safety Services cost 63,288,971 Total General Fund expenses.. 83,178,534 Vallejo Demographics 2005 Median income.. 50,030 Population..... 117,483 Violent Crime.. 1,206 Land Area sq mi 30.20 Vallejo Ratios Vallejo General Fund Public Safety 76% Vallejo tax per resident $474 Vallejo Violent crime per 100 residents 1.02 Vallejo Manager wage per tax rev.(*100) .73 .................................. Chico CAFR 2007 Property taxes 37,062,036 Taxes ........ 27,165,852 Tot Tax Revenue 64,227,888 Safety Services cost 34,653,773 City Manager 89,000 Total General (minus Chicos GVRD) Fund expenses.. 87,055,547 ChicoDemographics 2006 Median income.. 29,359 Population..... 71,427 Violent Crime.. 337 Land Area sq mi 22.4 Chico Ratios Chico General Fund Public Safety 40% Chico tax per resident $899 Chico Violent crime per 100 residents .47 Chico Manager wage per tax rev.(*100) .14

Anonymous   |February.05.2009 Chico firefighters give up raises to save jobs Tuesday, February 3, 2009 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/02/03/state/n102208S70.DTL (02-03) 10:22 PST Chico, CA (AP) -- The union representing Chico firefighters has agreed to give up raises for two years and roll back wages for new hires to save jobs. Firefighters were scheduled to receive 4 percent increases this year and next. Eliminating those will save the city about $800,000 over two years. Chico also will pay about $66,000 less in health and dental insurance coverage. With the fire union's agreement, all eight of the city's employee groups have now accepted wage and health insurance concessions the city sought to balance its budget. City Manager Dave Burkland says if the City Council ratifies the new firefighters' contract, officials could rescind layoff notices that already have been sent to five firefighters.

Streetsweeper   |February.04.2009 Well if we are not going to focus on new revenue we should prepare for hard times. So what can we drink that's cheap? Having a glass of cabernet Sauvignon by Charles Shaw at $2.00 a bottle or 25 cents a glass if you pour 4 glasses. Might have to find cheap asprin to follow.

Big City   |February.04.2009 "...bringing more revenue into Vallejo..."? Dream on! That's a softer way of saying "EXTRACTING more revenue from the folks that are already in Vallejo and bringing it into the city coffers so the madness can be continued".

Firebug   |February.04.2009 When I heard Hermie say he agreed with the Mayor and we have more important things to do like finding additional revenue he could have at least rolled his shirt sleeves up (to appear to be hard working) like Bush counseled Brownie to do during the Katrina disaster.

Anonymous   |February.04.2009 SS do you think the Council really wants to bring in revenue? They like Vallejo just the way it is. These people wpuld never survive in any of the surrounding towns. We are the Baltic Avenue in the Bay Area and everyone likes it that way. Here's who controls our City (in bed with the PSUs): -Hermie "sounds like a Banana Republic Leader I wonder if he owns 1 thousand pairs of shoes" Sunga -Michael "I can't vote on anything cause my hands in every pot" Wilson -Erin "I wanna be like daddy get me up to Sacramento I don't need to run again" Hannigan -Ozzy "the man who would be king 'cuz god said so" Davis -Tom "slimeball lets get rich on Vallejo by buying/selling the Charles Hotel" Bartee And then there's the Chamber or Commerce who for years was given a lucrative contract to attract business here. I remember the year their rep Anita Hawkes presented to the Council a little froggy keychain that had "Vallejo" stamped on its back and when it was squeezed it stuck its tongue out. It was the city contract that paid for these froggies. That says it all. We're doomed to have a town run by idiots.

Disbeliever   |February.04.2009 Bringing into this city increased revenue is very important but we also must make sure there is no wasteful spending and what has happened to Vallejo is very wasteful. By using the topic of increasing of revenue as a deflection away from the topic of wasteful spending degrades both points.

streetsweeper   |February.04.2009 Fly on the Wall, our labor group is cut to the bone and the only positions under the general fund that don't bring in money to the general fund are the com operators. If you cut them who answers the phone for police or fire? Also, revenue has to be addressed with new taxes or somthing else. I live here and do not want to pay more taxes like many of you. I know new revenue will not happen overnight but we have to start now. What happend to the plan to contact Tesla? That's what the city should have been talking about last night. This battle with public safety is bad for the city and it's other workers.

Disbeliever   |February.04.2009 It must have been an off night for Mr Sunga.

Disbeliever   |February.04.2009 I mean no disrespect

Disbeliever   |February.04.2009 Really

Disbeliever   |February.04.2009 What I saw last night at the council meeting had me in disbelief. It is not that I do not believe that some politicians make bad choices for what seems to me to be bad reasons but seeing it in person in its full nakedness is quite breathtaking. Voting to put binding arbitration on the ballot seemed to be a no brainer. While binding arbitration did not force Vallejo bankrupt it did start the chain of events that led to it in my estimation. Watching Councilmember Sunga say he needed more information was completely shocking. It sounded no better an excuse then what a kid gives when they have not turned in there homework. How is it that a man that gives an answer like that can even get elected? Really

Firebug   |February.04.2009 Fly-on-the-wall, As I recall Ozzy and the funded four just gave away $700,000 to Gary Mandarich which is more than Walmart ever brought in. SS, Agreeing with Hermie Sunga on anything isn't something that I would speak out about. The only thing to do with feathers and Hermie Sunga will be the addition of the tar when he is run out of office.

Fly on the Wall   |February.04.2009 SS, when will you get it? This isn't about IBEW or your union's binding arbitration. You all don't represent much of the budget and you're expendable. That's sad but true. The PSUs represent 75% of the general fund. They matter the most. It was said last night that the city could have cut $2 million/year from the fire budget two years ago and couldn't because of binding arbitration. What business do you know of that will bring us $2 million a year? WalMart only brought $500k or so a year. So you think Hermie Sunga and his Chamber pals bringing in more business will solve the problem (along with more taxes of course)? HaHaHaHaHa.

Anonymous   |February.04.2009 Hammigan and Wilson are not up for re-election until 2011, unfortunately. Hermie, however, is up in November. Mr. "I don't have enough information."

Anonymous   |February.04.2009 Street, that says it all: "I agree with Sunga."

Streetsweeper   |February.04.2009 Sorry if I ruffle a few feathers but the police contract that everyone here thinks will still sink the city was not a result of BA. The council and city staff, all of them except the two no votes, said this is a good deal. The IBEW has BA and they are not killing the city with huge wages and benifits. Since I have been with the city IBEW has lost in BA more times than the city. Also, I agree with Sunga, we need to focus on helping bussness and bringing in revenue first. I'm still seeing no urgency from council or city staff on this issue.

Long Time Vallejoan   |February.04.2009 When do Hannigan, Sunga and Wilson come up for re-election?

silasbarnabe   |February.04.2009 It is truly amusing to read from the PSU trolls here that no other Council member but Shively voted on outrageous PSU contracts. I love the continued compartmentalization logic here from the school of times horrid poster "interesting". How quick PSU's are to not mention that just last week Ozzy and the funded four just voted in a contract extension for VPOA . I am hearing more and more talk on the street that no one will support a tax and even the extension of the UUT in November is not popular in my circles because everyine I know wants relief on their cable and PG&E bills. I can't help but wonder if the timing of Wiggin's attempt to block City's from filing BK in the future isn't tied into the fact Wiggins and PSU's already know that we are about to lose millions more of revenue in the housing meltdown and when no tax is passed and the UUT is defeated in November.

waz up wid dat?   |February.04.2009 I think both Wilson and Hannigan are being "coached" from higher up sourses. Remember Hannigan's father was an assemblyman, and Wilson was married by Senator Wiggins. Both Wiggins and Evans wrote letters (did not show up of course) asking we not vote for the bankruptcy. DO NOT VOTE FOR EITHER OF THESE POLITICOS AGAIN,its because of our Vallejo votes they are in the postions they hold. With Policial Dem's like the ones we are surrounded by, it makes the Republican party look appealing...

Tina Wandasky   |February.03.2009 Word on the street has it that Mayor Davis has some personal financial problems and would really like to obtain a big fat retirement package which is the ulterior motive behind his support for a strong mayor city government system. He opposes giving the citizens the right to vote on whether to remove binding arbitration from the city charter unless it's tied to funding his retirement. Your democratic rights were blocked by the rest of the oligarchy as well. Mr. Sunga, Ms. Hannigan and Mr. Wilson (Mr. Bartee was absent from last night's City Council meeting) don't want you to be able to vote on this pressing issue. Mr. Sunga spoke his usual pablum about not having enough information even though removal of binding arbitration has been shopped all over town by a group of local petitioners. Ms. Hannigan and Mr. Wilson, on the other hand, spoke no words, none, zero, zilch. They gave absolutely no explanation for denying your participation in democracy. I noticed there's finally a hole in the new chain-link fence the city put up under the causeway. All the books are gone now. I still have my copy of the Marquis de Sade's Justine which I checked out of that homeless person's library months ago. At least I'll have a safe place to sleep.

Anonymous   |February.03.2009 Council member Gomes is the only member sitting up there that has NOT voted for one PSU contract. Shively did but saw the error of her ways and apologized. Hermie, Tom, Erin, Wilson all voted yes. Rubber stamp in your face voters. At least Oz voted his concience tonight -- kudos to the mayor!

Captain   |February.03.2009 On that note: Breaking news: Scranton police union wins raises in arbitration Published: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 Updated: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 7:29 PM EST An arbitrator has awarded Scranton police a string of pay raises through 2014 in a new contract that will be destined for a court appeal. Sgt. Bob Martin, police union president, praised the award as a counterweight that would bring the department in line with average police salaries statewide. Echoing a similar award for the city's firefighters in November, a divided arbitration panel granted wage increases totaling 44.8 percent beginning in 2008. Mayor Chris Doherty promised the city would challenge the award, which was finalized Monday and released today by Sgt. Martin.

On Fire   |February.03.2009 Anono, not sure who you are talking to, but I am fully aware of the history of this mess, going back almost twenty years. I know that the council signed the contracts. They signed them because the CM and finance director told them that there was a pot of gold at the end of that contract rainbow, so yes they voted on the contract/extension then. Times were better then and if the fairytale that Martinez told, had come true, then the city would be swimming in money, and there would be less screaming about the contracts. Well, we all know how that turned out. It was a big mistake, but so was the most recent contract that was signed last week. But your wrong about this all starting within the last ten years. This shipwreck was traveling for over twenty years now. You see, with BA, even if Schivley wanted to say no, and even if she had the votes, which she didn't, it would have just ended up in BA and they would have got what they wanted anyway. This is why council can have yet another excuse to be irresponsible. The contracts will never end, as long as BA is on the books. Everything in the contracts, are able to trigger BA. Being mad at one component of the problem does nothing. She at least acknowledges her mistakes, so we can only move forward. I'd rather track Martinez and Wright down and kick them around. Pointing fingers at Schivley is just what the unions want people to do. The answer to this maddness, is to take BA off the city charter. Till then, the contracts will never go away. NEVER! So we can stand around stomping our feet, or we can acknowledge history and move forward. Hope you understand that this new contract that was signed for VPOA means that BA kicks in again in 2010, even if the city is still bankrupt. And so on and so on, and so on. Hope you like the deal a whole bunch, cause you may still be looking at it in 2020 and beyond, as long as the charter stays the same.

Anonymous   |February.03.2009 Fire Bug.....I think you should re-read what NOPE said and think about it for a minute...Yes,Council members are the ones that have signed their names to the contracts that have got us into this BK mess.But lets be real honest, it wasn't ANY of the current members, EXCEPT ONE Ms.Schively. She was on the Council from 1999 through 2007 and was the ONLY ONE that voted on the extensions with raises; she is the only one that felt the ELEPHANT in the room that Ms. Gomes mentioned; she was turned down by the Employees Unions (including the Local PSU's and the Chamber, which she solicited; she never mentioned BA while she was giving in and now has the gall to speak holier than thou and accuse the Mayor and her Council colleagues, for caving in and not cleaning up the mess she helped create. Why doesn't Mr.Schussel and Mr. Garman do a non-bias review of when these give aways started and why wasn't BA requrred to be used during its first 28 years of existence and if Council's crumbled at that time, why did we not go BK before. In reality, the problems started in the late 90's (1999-2007)and now the new Councilmembers are getting the hearfor trying to undo problems they never created and still Ms. Schively wants them to do it immediately and on her say so. I hope Ms. Gomes does not get set up, as most of her ideas are good and sensible, but the apperance of teaming up with Ms. Schivley, maybe her downfall. Ms. Gomes may want to sit down with her Supervisor friend and be refreshed on how the City lost control with the former Council. At least Supervisor Kondylis doesn't throw stones and decrade her collegeauges like Ms. Schively does. It is beginning to get riducouls and regardless if BA is taken out of the Charter or not, we are still broke and the only way out is to increase revenues, while controlloing expenses. As much as I hated seeing the POA get an extension (with no raises for 2 years) I am now convinced it is a step in the right direction. The BA discussion, as important as it may be, was only a political stunt by Ms. Schively and should be declared for what it was....Sorry she completely lost me this time. What would she have done is she had gotten the Union and Chambers support in 1999??????? We will never know, but it is good arguement for exclusive limitation of terms. Serve your 8 and give someone else a chance. You can never ever turn a clock back or teach an OLD Dog new tricks.......Enough already.

Sonic Toad   |February.03.2009 Another night of disgusting corrupt Vallejo politics. Wilson and Hannigan made it crystal clear who butters their bread. And it isn't the people who live here. It's the high salaried Unions who pay for their campaigns. Perhaps if they had any skill whatsoever to be on the dais I might understand, but they don't. They apparently do not want the responsibility of running our fair city and prefer it be in the hands of others. Typical do nothing loser politicians. Sunga also made it clear who butters his bread, but as usual couldn't find the bread, the butter or even some remote instrument to go through the motions. That guy is brain dead as far as I'm concerned. If you don't have enough information to vote on binding arbitration after 42 years of it being in the charter and years of it being in the forefront of Vallejo politics then something is wrong with you. Ozzie, how sad that you are so arrogant and self centered that you won't take action unless it benefits you personally. If you think you're another Ron Dellums then perhaps you shouldn't make such a wish. Dellums is a perfect example of a failed politician with an ego so big that the realities of inexperience aren't recognized. A strong mayor with Ozzie in charge would be a disaster! Gomes and Schivley of course are out to support the "people" of Vallejo and nothing else which I applaud completely.

FLyONtHeWaLl   |February.03.2009 Thanks to all that went down to Council to speak. Remember, the Berlin wall came down one brick at a time. Then the momentum caused it all to come crashing down. Getting things done in Vallejo, always begins with one brick at a time.

On Fire   |February.03.2009 Nope, bet you were holding your breath weren't you! Pushing to have it on the ballot for Nov. was a long shot and even more so without Bartee there. (Don't forget how the union apologist have already written Sunga and Bartee off. Remember how you all bragged about the fact that they were through and you all tossed them aside? Think they haven't heard?) Just a matter of time. Our voices didn't fail, nor did a 3-3 vote say that the "people" wanted to keep it. You dream on. Just another chance to to expose the three bobble heads who are reluctant to accept responsibility. With the mayor's support, get ready to deal with change cause change is a comin' buddy boy.

Nope   |February.03.2009 3 to 3 = No Action. The council and the speakers failed to show how BA has had a negative impact on the city. BA has not been used to settle a contract in many many years. All of the contracts which allegedly caused all of the financial problems were signed by council members. Remember, when you point your finger, you point three back at yourself. So it does not sound like BA will be on the November ballot.

Anonymous   |February.03.2009 I keep hearing the Final Jeopardy song playing over and over in my head today. Bankruptcy court hearing and a vote to put binding arbitration on the ballot -- Vallejo hangs in the balance.

On Fire   |February.02.2009 Regardless what happens tomorrow in court, we have got to turn out in numbers for the City Council meeting. The next step for regaining control over our city and how our tax dollars are used, is to get rid of binding arbitration. This section of the City Charter has been held over the heads of Council for years. Just the thought of having to go to binding arbitration has caused some of our weak spined council members to use this as an excuse to cave into union demands. Those who were funded by the unions, used this to say that the city would come out spending less money dealing with the decision of an arbiter, then if we didn't have binding arbitration and the unions were to take us to court. Just recently, a law firm in San Francisco that specializes in Employment law said this: "It is important to note that high-salaried employees seeking damages may do better in arbitration than in court. Jurors, most of whom are not highly compensated professionals, maybe less sympathetic to a high-salaried executive's claims for commissions or bonus compensation, especially if that executive earns much higher wages than the jurors themselves. The other important advantage for employees who sign arbitration agreements is that arbitration service providers generally require the employer to pay all arbitration costs up front. Depending on how long the arbitration is expected to last, the employer may be out of pocket substantial fees, even if the cases settles, which relieves an employee of this substantial expenses, and also encourages employers to consider settling the case instead of potentially wasting money on arbitration with a chance to lose to an employee." It's time to put the responsibility of running our city, and how our tax dollars are spent, back into the hands of people that we can hold accountable. This type of negotiation has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and now there is a flood of cities/counties in other States that are trying to have this provision removed from their city/county ordinances. Why? Because it puts control over city budgets in the hands of what is supposed to be "impartial" arbiters, but we have witnessed throughout the history of Vallejo, that the decision is almost guarenteed to go to the unions and not the city. This means the taxpayers lose. Do not let our current funded council members make excuses that they can no longer justify. Show up and tell the funded four and the Oz, that they need to do their job and represent all the people of Vallejo. Put the issue on the ballot and let the people decide. Viva Vallejo!

Anonymous   |February.02.2009 The Vallejo firefighters better be careful. An example is being set on competition for firefighter jobs -- see article below -- from the local populace and for even lower salaries. Check out the Miami (Florida) story below. This is out of sheer desperation due to hard economic times. CNN picked up the story tonight, saying the starting firefighter salary in Miami is $47K a year. Maybe Vallejo City Council can learn a lesson from this...... Hundreds line up for days for Miami firefighter positions, camp out for days Monday, February 2, 2009 http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI111600/ MIAMI (WSVN) -- With the unemployment rate in South Florida rising, Miami Fire Rescue was inundated with hundreds of applications for only a few positions. Hector Mirabile, the director of employee relations at the City of Miami offered a harsh reality of the job application process. "There are 35 openings that we have," he said. "We will accept 750 qualified applications who will compete for those 35 positions." The City of Miami accepted the applications on Monday morning from hundreds of job seekers, some of whom had waited outside since Saturday to apply. By noon, there were still people in line with no guarantee to be hired. Fernando Figueroa is one of approximately a thousand people hoping for a chance to become a Miami firefighter. He stood amongst hundreds Sunday hoping to get a chance at employment. "I'm unemployed. I just got out of active duty for the Marines. I have a son. I have to pay the bills, and pretty much it's tough times," Figueroa said. Over the weekend and into Monday morning, the line wrapped around an acre of land at Miami Riverside Center and first in line stood Alex Valdez. "It's hitting really hard. People are trying to survive and people are desperate," Valdez said. Valdez said he endured an array of the elements as he waited a total of 50 hours to turn in his application. "It was freezing Saturday night, and it was raining last night, and then, during the day, it was hot," he said. Travis Miller also camped out early to apply for the job. "I really love this job, and I'm basically wiling to do anything for it at this point," he said. The unemployment rate in Florida is the highest it's been in 16 years. In Miami-Dade, the unemployment rate is at seven percent, and in Broward County just under seven percent. Both are up almost three percent since December 2007.

Robert Schussel   |February.01.2009 I meant 28%m of wages for this year not 38%.

Robert Schussel   |February.01.2009 Anonymous The big mistakes included 1) Not forcing cost sharing for health benefits ($135M unfunded liability for entire city) 2) Not reining in excessive vacation and sick leave ($29M accured for entire city) ---according to Policepay.net compensation survey Vallejo Police work fewer hours per year than those in the other comparision cities. Its even worse for Fire fighters who get 5 weeks of sick leave per year and 5 weeks vacation after 12 years . 3) Pensions (unfunded liability $84M). There is no evidence that police and fire can't do their job after age 50. In fact the City wants to hire back retired officiers to do Patrol. --the 3% at 50 costs the City at least $10,000 more per year than 2.7% @55. With Calpers rates increases the city will start to pay 34% to 40% of a FF or Police wage versus the 38% for this year. Where is the City going to get these monies without massive LAYOFFS. Our generous City Council seems to enjoy giving away other peoples money.And in most instances by the time they leave office someone else has to clean up the mess they created. Unfortunately this time the housing market/economy imploded and prior shell games will no longer work--Vallejo's Ponzi scheme ran out of new cash.

Streetsweeper   |February.01.2009 On fire, thanks I hope this whole mess could come to some type of end so we can just work without all the stress. Not sure what our leadership will do or how long it will be before we are out like PD. One of my union reps said our team is meeting with the city tomorrow but I'm not real optimistic.

On Fire   |February.01.2009 Street Sweeper, I hope things work out for you. I would only say that you need to pay attention and ask questions of your union leadership. Hopefully the other two contracts will be settled, without our funded council making more promises they can't keep. I'd rather see more money going to public works employees and those that have to keep city hall going. Those two areas are going to be what we need in order to convince new businesses we are worth looking at. If our city's infrastructure and streets aren't fixed, potential investors will turn around after hitting several potholes and having no one to assist them when they show up in the planning department or economic development.

Streetsweeper   |February.01.2009 Well looks like the judge or arbitrator will figure out how much pain we get. Also, if the city is going to layoff people why are do they continue to hire people into our union? Why is it they continue to use contractors and not cut them loose? We are cut to the bone any further cuts for us and we will have nobody to answer the 911 calls or keep water flowing to the city. Maybe we could turn the lights out in the city at night to save money. Wonder what our PGE bill is every month?

On Fire   |February.01.2009 Street Sweeper, the difference between us and the PSU's is that they used smoke and mirrors to make the numbers come out the way they wanted. They could not provide any real basis for their scare tactics. We have accountants, bankruptcy attorneys, the City's finance director, and every news service in the country that reports about the country's economic forecast that tells us that it is going to get worse, a lot worse before it gets better. The funded council has the same data available to them but they choose to keep those details under wraps and not deal in realities. It's like hearing a tornado watch and continuing to go outside, thinking that you will not be hit. Then you hear the sirens going off and there is a tornado warning, yet still sit out in the open, and figure you will take your chances. What we are saying, is don't take the risk. Hunker down and be prepared. You use rations conservatively and make sure you can survive after the storm hits. The window for making deals to have everyone pay their share of medical costs has come and gone. The rest of the 10 million dollar deficit will come from the bargaining units that are left. Time to hunker down Street Sweeper. Too late to run.

Down the tube   |February.01.2009 Streetsweeper Its more than healthcare. Its seems highly likely that the City will have to layoff 50 to 100 minimum to survive. Remember revenues will decline by 10 to 15% and costs such as healthcare,pensionsand wages etc will go up by 15 to 20% even with concessions. ASK Robert Stout for the truth. Haven't you wondered why none of the booble heads wanted 2010 thru 2012 projections. They don't want everyone to know how bad it is. Wilson is a CFO--don't you think he understands. This is not gloom and doom ,but rather the sad reality of what the PSU and incompetent City Councils have dealt this City.

Anonymous   |February.01.2009 Ahhhh, but Street, Gomes said ALL employees should pay part of their health care (including Council). That was one of the main reasons she and Joanne didn't vote for VPOA contract. Does that give the other groups a free health care ride, too? I hope not. Health care is critical to controlling costs. Giving that to the cops was a huge mistake.

Streetsweeper   |February.01.2009 Wow, you guys are as bad as the PSU with the scare tactics and gloom and doom. My sources are telling me the big hang up with IBEW is health care now because the cops, council, dept heads don't have to pay squat. I'll vote to pay for health care but only if everyone pays. I mean that's fair right? Even Gomes said it would not be fair to have second class employees when it comes to health care.

histprian   |February.01.2009 Vallejo... The furthest west, furthest south abandoned rust belt industrial city in the country.

On Fire   |February.01.2009 Street Sweeper, the longer the unions draw this out, the faster the city will run out of all money to operate. The Govenor has issued mandated layoffs for State employees because we haven't been able to come up with a budget. This city will lay off everyone except essestial services if we run out of money. The judge will not let the unions to continue to file appeals without making some decisions. So if by Tuesday morning, there is no tenative settlement offer on the table, it may mean he opens the contracts and makes a ruling. We shall see. Maybe Tanner does what ozzy said, and lays off everyone except police. Who knows. One thing for sure, the country lost almost 150,000 jobs just this week. Let me repeat, JUST THIS WEEK. I'm sure that some of our citizens are in those numbers. If they need non-union workers to do some contracted work while you all are carrying signs in front of city hall, there will be plenty of people willing to cross those lines and take your jobs. Your choice.

Pyriphlegethon   |February.01.2009 SS, be careful what you wish for. With the economy the way it is, the City could easily do an "Air Traffic Controller" move like Reagan. It makes me ill to think I now understand and see the value of what Ronnie did. Our council should have done that with the PSU. IBEW is much more expendible so just be careful...

Streetsweeper   |February.01.2009 The mayor not checking his e-mail was lame. I think everyone knows the mayor and council kept police deal quite then rushed it through. Now they will try to screw the other unions. I bet the judge has already made up his mind on the contracts. If the city bankruptcy attorney is right and binding arbitration is used to settle new contracts how long will that take? Don't both sides have to reach impass before binding arbitration is used? Also, if binding arbitration is removed can the IBEW go on strike since there is no state law stopping them?

On Fire   |February.01.2009 So ozzy thinks that we should open up our wallets and give him some more money to give away to developers and pay for contracts that even a tax increase this year, won't help in 2011? All the while he runs around the country, trying to be somebody, neglecting to even bother to open, much less read, concerns about one of the biggest decisions he's about to make! Like we don't know he has a secretary, and that he can access his email while away from the office. Okay, so let's make a deal ozzy. You put and support BA on the ballot along with your beggar tax, and you get the funded four to fully support it, and maybe we will consider giving up some more of our hard earned tax dollars to pay for services OTHER THAN than public safety. You want to be a strong mayor, then you figure out where to get the revenues to fund your beloved projects. How about that ozzy?

Pyriphlegethon   |February.01.2009 A Street Sweeper can use a BlackBerry but our mayor can't. Sweeper for mayor in 2011!

Pyriphlegethon   |February.01.2009 Osby was telling people last week that we will be paying for increased cost with a "public safety tax". Oh, yeah? Says who? Try getting the voters to agree to it. Because you'll need one. Thank you, Fire Bug for that excellent link in the Jan Scream!

Streetsweeper   |February.01.2009 How much money would it cost to put BA on the ballot? Why not just use bankruptcy when you need contract changes, it only costs a few million. Oh, sorry if my whole life does not revolve around this site but I do have other interests like the superbowl today. Also, I along with millions of others can use a blackberry or other cell phone devices to check email or stocks and maybe blog sites.

On Fire   |February.01.2009 Interesting that they would put the matter of BA on the agenda the same day that the city is due back in court for the bankruptcy hearings. So if IAFF and IBEW don't have a tentative agreement by Tuesday, and the court opens the contracts, the city would be in the position to use a charter amendment as a leverage tool? The unions say that they need BA to deal with the city trying to take away their goodies. The city now says they need a court to deal with the unions, who want to take away the citizen's goodies . It appears that the city's "decision maker" is the big guns that was needed to persuade the unions to come up with a deal. They were able to do so without BA. So it now seems that the city and unions have proven the point that we no longer need BA, just a mediator to go over the facts and help make the decisions. Which is exactly what the Citizens For Vallejo proposed on their petition. So what argument could funded council possibly come up with to vote against removing it, other than their promise to the unions for their support? The time is now, to remove BA from the Charter and put it to the voters to decide. If the voters think it is still needed, so be it. The PSU apologists are now saying they love Tanner, and have faith that the city's consultant will work out the other contracts before Tuesday. So with the contract negotiations out of the way, this would no longer be an impediment toward that goal. With that being over and done with, this is a great time for Council to have BA removed, as something that is no longer needed.

silasbarnabe   |February.01.2009 The strange thing about the bought council's comments concerning the cost of putting BA on the ballot is that if they ask the voters to pass a tax it could also be put on the ballot at the same time.

Anonymous   |February.01.2009 Banks Sought Foreign Workers As System Crashed http://www.cnbc.com/id/28963919 Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications. The dozen banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households. As the economic collapse worsened last year - with huge numbers of bank employees laid off - the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in the 2007 budget year to 4,163 in fiscal 2008. The AP reviewed visa applications the banks filed with the Labor Department under the H-1B visa program, which allows temporary employment of foreign workers in specialized-skill and advanced-degree positions.

Anonymous   |February.01.2009 At the meeting a couple of weeks ago, Joanne and Stephanie asked to have binding arbitration agendized. Wilson made some lame comment that he hoped they weren't agendizing something that would be legally problematic. Hint: he won't support it. Which means Erin won't support it. And Hermie said last week on the VPOA vote that it woul cost the city too much to put binding arbitration on the ballot.

Fed Up   |February.01.2009 Hey Street Sweeper, I quess it is not Monday through Friday, so you don't have the time on your off hours to respond bi-hourly like you do during the workweek when the taxpayer pays your salary.

Fed Up   |February.01.2009 And I also agree with Pyro---our mayor too busy to review his emails about the most important decision to hit the Vallejo City Council in 20 years!!!!!@!

Fed Up   |February.01.2009 My question to Bob McConnell is this: Our city council basically signed a blank check to cover legal fees for the Police Union last Tuesday. Where do you think our governing bodies are going to slide in tax increases that do not involve agreement by a public vote? Because right now, I am seeming single family homes for sale in Vallejo for $80K-----too good to be true!! There has got to be a back side hit!

Pyriphlegethon   |February.01.2009 I don't know if there are any consequences, but Ozzy proved he thinks he's King last Tuesday. On one of the most important votes during his tenure and one that will have the MOST impact on this godforsaken town (where's Ennio Marcone?) he quite clearly shows how much respect he has for his constituents (NADA, NONE, ZILCH) when--clearly annoyed by Shivley's request that he announce how many emails and letters he got--said he didn't have time to read them, too busy in DC. He should take a clue from Obama and get a BlackBerry!

Anonymous   |February.01.2009 Does anyone know if an email to our elected officials is considered the same as a snail mail letter in terms of official communication? Thanks

Sonic Toad   |February.01.2009 Are any of the letters we're writing being acknowledged by the Mayor as is supposed to happen in the written communications section of the council meeting? If not, what is the consequence?

Fed Up   |February.01.2009 I would like to thank JoAnne also for bringing binding arbitration to the public discussion table. It will be really interesting to hear the "funded four," commentary on how binding arbitration helps? Vallejo.

John K   |February.01.2009 Tuesday Feb 3 Agenda Thanks to Joanne Schivley, the City Council Meeting Agenda for February 3 includes a discussion and determination of whether to direct the City Attorney to prepare a proposed City Charter amendment to eliminate binding arbitration from the Charter and to direct the City Manager to "meet and confer" with appropriate union groups. I believe the Council has the power to put this on the ballot and I've written to the Mayor and Council Members and requested them to do so. Thank You Joanne!

admin   |January.31.2009 It's that time again! January was a great month for screams. Keep it going! Plenty to scream about I'd say...

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