Headlines Etc.

8/16/10-- Interesting headlines/links again. I'll do this every Monday. Folks can post other stuff they find during the week here too. Here are a dozen.--Editor

P.S.--Thought I'd put up a different interesting local pic each week just for fun.  Click the image for full size.

1) California's Two Major Gubernatorial Candidates' Pension Reform Plans Sadly Lacking (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)

2) The Ever-Shameless Jerry Brown (Steven Greenhut / BigGovernment.com)

3)Policy Shift Helped Lobbyist Crack CalPERS (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)

4) Revisiting a favorite city council video (publicceo.com / James Spencer)   (This one is a real gem.--ed.)

5) Boxer vs Villaraigosa on 'tough issues' (redcounty.com / Julie Soderlund)

6) Bell Must Give Up $2.9 Million in Property Taxes Raised Illegally to Fund Pensions (Kim Christensen, Ruben Vives and Evan Halper / LA Times)

7) It's Unfair That Other Cities Are on the Hook for Bell's Exorbitant Pensions (editorial - Long Beach Press-Telegram)

8) California Crackup Suggests Another Round Of Reform To Remake California's Constitution  (editorial Loren Kaye Fox & Hounds Daily)

9) California Gubernatorial Candidates Jump on Bell Outrage Bandwagon (Carla Marinucci and Joe Garofoli / San Francisco Chronicle)

10) AB 1987 Is a Misguided Attempt to Stop Pension Spiking in California (op-ed - John Gioia / Contra Costa Times)

11) Are We at a Tipping Point on Taxpayer Attitude Towards Union Benefits? (Joel Fox / Fox & Hounds Daily)

12) 50 local non profits could lose tax-exempt status (Matt Wilson / Contra Costa Times)

Comments

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Someone Else   |August.18.2010 Excellent point Anon. That actually pisses me off even more. The unions are willing to tolerate low level of entitlement and corruption if you're their buddy, but it is immediately reported if you're on the outs with them. Such hypocrisy. Unions do not belong in the public sector.

Anonymous   |August.18.2010 I think the real story here is that FD doesn't consider the Chief a loyal supporter of the union. The unions no-confidence vote in the Chief is a statement that they don't like the guy and want him gone. That this has been going on for years and has only come to light during contract negotiations, and that the evidence was provided by FD employees, says a lot. Apparently this fire Chief doesn't demonstrate the same qualities and loyalty to his unions that Chief Nic demonstrates to the VPOA. Maybe the Chief is both fiscally conservative and a crook? Only time will tell. Maybe we'll here more about this story in the coming weeks and months.

Someone Else   |August.18.2010 Looks like filling up on Alameda's dime wasn't in his contract after all http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/18/BASK1EVC85.DTL According to him, it was an agreement he made with the a city manager who isn't around any more. I'll be nice though and give him the benefit of a doubt on this one. So he gets a $250 allowance to use his personal vehicle and free gas? What a crock. At that point just give him a city vehicle with "Alameda" stamped all over it so he's less likely to take it on a trip to Tahoe. With this arrangement, he's able to have the tax payers foot his vacation gas bill.

John K   |August.18.2010 What is it with this Alameda public employee department head? The Alameda Chief seems to display a remarkable sense of entitlement as he plunders the public treasury.

Someone Else   |August.17.2010 Unions, consider yourself on notice for any violation, even perceived http://www.baycitizen.org/government/story/alameda-fire-chief-questioned-gas/ The Alameda Fire Chief is facing scrutiny after he was photographed filling up a personal vehicle with city gas. Needless to say, a policy that is loose enough to allow him to fill up any vehicle he owns (or is in) merely because he's always call is ridiculous. What's next, we start covering his home's electricity because he might work from home occasionally? Either give him a city vehicle and leave it at that or reimburse via cash.

Disability Scammer   |August.17.2010 Crazy. I bet if the unions were on the hook for covering their own pension shortfall they wouldn't be defending Captain Sheen. Doesn't matter to them though, they know the taxpayers have to cover the difference regardless of whether unfunded pension liability is the result of excessive compensation, pension spiking, calling uniform & car allowances pensionable income, Calpers mismanagement, the golden handshake, and who knows what else. But in this case it's just fraud according to the ruling. The taxpayers are getting hosed from every angle! I'll bet this FD union rep Sheen has also been vocal about the need for additional taxes to support vital city services. Now he is going out on the much abused disability retirement in order to avoid paying taxes on his income.

John K   |August.17.2010 The SJ firefighters union argued in the arbitration hearing that Skeen should merely have been reprimanded and that his actions only sought reimbursement for costs incurred on city business.

Anonymous   |August.17.2010 Great! The SJ Fire captain gets fired for ripping off the pension fund and now he says he's going out on 50% tax-free disability retirement. I guess the neck injury must of been do to all the stress related to paid administrative leave. What a crock! What a crook! Send the bum to jail!

Vallejo Heights   |August.17.2010 Documents reveal high living on public dime by former San Jose fire captain http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15774954?source=most_viewed

Anonymous   |August.16.2010 RE: favorite city council video. Keep in mind it's from Santa Cruz. The one person that applauded was probably focused on the rack. A true classic! Loved the part about how it's all "free" and we can sell it at the farmers market.

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