In pitching his hypothetical plan to erase
the looming $530 million city budget deficit, the mayor visited editorial boards at local newspapers where he sought to prepare the public for his real plan to reduce payroll costs. Forget furloughs and pay cuts and no raises and free hours of work and all the other proposals mentioned in the mayor's budget plan. What Villaraigosa wants is an unbelievably costly plan to offer early retirement to thousands of city workers by giving them five extra years credit on their pensions.
The mayor, in an interview with Times reporters and editors, said he is reluctant to lay off anyone in the city's 50,000-member workforce because it could lead to cutbacks in municipal services. However, he acknowledged that sending workers into retirement would be better than sending them to the unemployment line.
"Of the two -- I'm not saying either one is perfect -- early retirement is better than layoffs. Because you're laying off a lot of deadwood, you know, the folks who wanted to go anyway," Villaraigosa told the LA Times.
"We believe, strongly, that it is better to preserve the younger workers who are on the frontline of city service and to allow those closest to retirement to retire early."
Deadwood? At City Hall? Who knew? Does he mean anyone over 50 who could take advantage of his offer? Isn't that age discrimination? Somebody should report it to the city Human Rights Commission but better hurry because he wants to eliminate it.
Contrary to the mayor's discriminatory statement, deadwood in the workplace is not age defined. And that's the real problem. City Hall has awarded sweetheart contracts to the unions that reward longevity, not productivity, and so there is no workplace discipline which results in a toxic environment where motivation to achieve is up to the individual and too many people just go through the motions.
Speaking of deadwood, the mayor also made some 2007
comments about his boy, poor Jack Weiss, that all but put the kiss of death on the wannabe City Attorney's campaign against Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich.The mayor noted the LAPD union, Police Protective League recently hired Don Novey, the former head of the powerful state prison guards union as its political consultant, and spent $250,000 on radio spots, $17,636 on a mailer, and $2,645 on a billboard highlighting
Trutanich's endorsements by Districh Attorney Steve Cooley and Sheriff Lee Baca.
"These guys are going to spend a lot of money. Don Novey is leading a charge," Villaraigosa told the Times. "I can't guarantee it; I can't tell you I know for sure what's going to happen. But I can tell you - he's a good man. He's a good man, and I think people need to take a second look."
That's Weiss he says is a good man who needs a "second look" because what people have seen in their first look was so unsatisfactory.
Bye, bye, Jack.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the National Enquirer.
This budget crisis coupled with Tony's chances for running for Governor is really turning him into a real dope. Now you see why he did not, or why his managers/handlers/people with any sense of reality wanted him to keep away from any open mikes unless he had a script and a moderator to squelch any off-the-cuff questions.
On top of making allegations that the nearing-retirement city personnel are deadwood, he's forgetting his own age- just a little younger than I am and I recall seeing a City Hall ceremony celebrating City Attorney Wilma Pinder's retirement from City Service. Wilma was another UCLA School of Law classmate of mine who would not be and should not be considered "deadwood" as she neared retirement.
Mayor Tony needs to reflect on his own shortcomings and consider that "deadwood" comes in all colors and ages, just as he touts achievement in all colors and among the "diversity" of Los Angeles.
Tony is and will continue to be a victim of his own hypocrisy, and as pressure on all fronts build, he will continue to screw up the one weak area he's been unable to improve- his ability to speak well in spontaneous situations; scripted offerings are still challenging for that matter; that State of the City speech was no gem.
But who on council or in commissions, especiall anti-discriminatory themed ones, will call him on it? Shades of the Emperor's New Clothes revisited.
Much as Weiss-bashing has always been the favorite sport of this blog and Ron Kaye, do you honestly mean to tell us that the Prison Guards' Union's idea of who is suitable is a GOOD thing? Are you kidding? They wanted to recall Arnold Schwarzenegger for trying to curb out-of-control spending on their salaries, pensions and benefits as part of solving our state fiscal crisis, only called it off because a poll showed it wouldn't have enough general support from the public.
And Police Protective League head Paul Weber, who hired this same mastermind, is trying to scare the public into pressuring our officials to protest against a proposal to furlough the cops just one hour/ week as their part of the "shared sacrifice." Their press release claims that this would mean hundreds of cops off the streets, but various media sources have noted his numbers don't add up at all.
Instead Weber wants to CUT 20 cops per class from recruits, according to an Orlov article in the Daily News even as Chief Bratton keeps telling us that the only way to serve the whole city as people want is to boost the force to 12,000, with 10,000 being a realistic goal we've seen our city struggling toward short-term.
This is the same Weber who's also pushing to elect the Chief, so he (or Zine, whose plans he boosts on a.m. talk radio) could take over -- and in fact, instead of any cuts at all, Orlov further quotes him saying he'd like to lobby Washington for stimulus money -- just as Bratton and local officials just came back from there doing just that. With close ties to the Obama administration, which a conservative Republican like Weber doesn't have, nor does he have Bratton's name or fame or clout.
Clearly we're watching a battle between Weber and his anti- metro L A (neither he nor his backers live IN the city) and Chief Bratton with the LAPD rank & file caught in the middle and many are NOT happy about it, nor do they support this Weber/ Zine lobbying effort. And it sure doesn't benefit US the taxpayers at any level.
Brian D'Arcy is a villian but DON NOVEY of the PRISON GUARDS UNION is a good guy?
Why do you think Novey, notorious statewide for his heavyhanded tactics is dumping hundreds of thousands into buying billboards and radio spots supporting Trutanich....because he is for clean open government? Get real Ron...
find out the truth at www.true2009.com
Give it a rest, Ace-at-12:10pm.
Looks like the Mayor is just as guilty of sterotyping and discrimination as those he rails against for criticizing his patronizing of illegal aliens. Lumping all City employees with more seniority as "deadwood" is inflammatory. As in any organization, there are workers with more seniority that may not be as productive. There are also those whose knowledge & experience continue to be assets to the City on a daily basis. The same can be said of younger employees. We are all individuals and should be judged on our merits. Many City workers have been loyal employees for years and made many positive contributions. The Mayor is a fizzling comet crashing to earth and dragging the City with him.
The Mayor is just trying to burnish his reputation at the expense of the more senior City employees. He just wants a quick fix to further his gubernatorial aspirations and be damned to the future of the City because he'll be gone. Definitely sterotypical and discriminatory comments. Hope his organizer buddies in SEIU appreciate them.
The Mayor is an old fart, so who's he talking about? And he hasn't made any positive contributions, so maybe he better give up his chair to a younger more productive type than will work more than 11% of the time.
Yes, let's tar all senior City employees as "deadwood," when the Mayor can recycle all the same tired old termed out hacks (and/or cronies and those owed political favors) to all the really juicy paying positions on his commissions (no experience required!) or appointing S. David Freeman to Deputy Mayor of Energy & Environment formerly of the Harbor Commission and prior to that head of DWP. Where the young new productive workers for these spots? What a hypocrite!
Excuse me Mayor, all due respects to you but us dedicated "deadwood" employees are the ones who have kept this City running long before you started your tenure as Mayor.
I have worked for the City 33 1/2 productive years. I love the City of Los Angeles and I have always been a dedicated employee serving the citizens of Los Angeles w/the most professional, prompt service. Even at this time in my latter time of my career, I take my job extremely serious and with the utmost respect.
I understand you are probably under severe pressure but you must chose your words wisely.
I am totally offended by you stating that we older employees are "deadwood" and less productive. I think you are totally out of touch w/your employees. As a matter of fact in my surroundings us "deadwood" are some of the most productive.
I think you owe us all an apology. You don't know how I'm am fuming at this moment, as I type this, at your insult.
Mr. Villar, You are an insult. Our Council Office has some young folks that use poor grammar, words out of context, and can't spell. I will take the deadwood any day of the week.
City Hall getting rid of deadwood? Is Villaraigosa and his entourage leaving?
Gosh, I know I shouldn't take this personally, but as one who lives in the post-50 land I sure hate for my peers to be called "deadwood".
LOL, that's so awful! You know what? If the mayor wants to offer early retirement to workers and they jump at it, then fine. Some people do have other plans. Let them go.
But dear God I hope he doesn't throw out all the old brains of the organizations. Old brains know a thing or two. Your old brain, Ron, figured out a way to beat Measure B. That's something.
And if he's tossing out old brains then he, Cortines and Bratton all have to go! They are all way too old.
Sorry to burden you with reality but letting go senior city employees with 5 years of early retirement isn't going to save any money. What is will do is to remove most caucasian and asian supervisors from L.A. City departments... to be replaced by loyal hispanics.
Villaraigosa's leadership is about denial
By Doug McIntyre
Politically, the mayor has a giant problem. He wants to be governor but what record does he run on? Imagine this commercial: "Hi, I'm Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles. I was the front man for Measure B which lost. I'm a big supporter of Measures 1A through 1F, which are going down in flames. I barely got 55 percent of the vote against amateur politicians with no money, and my city has a billion-dollar budget deficit and leads the nation in poor, homelessness and the uninsured. Vote for me so I can do for California what I've done for Los Angles."
L.A. Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_12194907?source=rss_emailed
Dead wood:
"Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872.[1] Villaraigosa was elected mayor of Los Angeles in a run-off election on May 17, 2005, in which he defeated incumbent mayor James Hahn. Prior to his service as mayor, Villaraigosa was the California State Assemblyman for the 45th District, the Speaker of the California State Assembly, and the Los Angeles City Councilman representing the 14th District. Before being elected to public office, Villaraigosa had a long career as a labor organizer."
Young, extemely bright, and passionate about his work instead of being out of town all of the time:
"Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is the current mayor of San Francisco. A Democrat, Newsom was elected mayor in 2003, succeeding Willie Brown and becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years.[1] Newsom was re-elected in 2007 with 72 percent of the vote.[2][3]
Newsom graduated in 1989 from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. His PlumpJack Wine Shop, founded in 1992, grew into a multi-million dollar enterprise. He was first appointed by Willie Brown to serve on San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996, and was appointed the following year as Supervisor. Newsom drew voter attention with his Care Not Cash program, designed to move homeless people into city assisted care. He defeated Matt Gonzalez by 6% in his race for mayor in 2003.
As Mayor, Newsom has focused on development projects in Hunters Point and Treasure Island. He signed the Health Choices Plan in 2007 to provide San Francisco residents with universal healthcare. Under Newsom, San Francisco joined the Kyoto Protocol. In 2004, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[4] In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time. Still, Newsom's unexpected move brought national attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay rights, solidifying political support for Newsom in San Francisco and in the gay community, and causing several other states to change their laws concerning marriage and gay rights.[5][2][6]
Newsom announced his candidacy for governor of California in the 2010 election via Twitter."
Newsom Tweets.
To Anonymous on April 23, 2009 1:34 AM :
I don't think the mayor should run for governor, not because he's old, but because I think Newsome is the better candidate and not because Newsome is young. I think Newsome knows how to take progressive ideas and put them into practice while Villaraigosa is busy working for the unions that got him elected.
What do the unions need to feed on to stay employed? Building projects. Projects the consumers eventually pay for one way or another. But in an economy that is shrinking because builders and business owners can't get loans, what are you going to have the union workers do? If they could do only Federal projects that might keep them busy for a while, but those construction workers unions always need to be fed don't they?
Plus if Villaraigosa ran away from the schools he has supposedly adopted and from helping L.A. through the recession as the first Latino mayor in over 100 years, I really think that would ruin his image in the eyes of many. I think people would very much hold that against him, especially regarding the schools.
Plus I think he's make a better congressman than he would a governor. He should move to some district where he stands a good chance of being elected to congress and run in a few years. LOL, I know that idea will set many to reeling here, but that's what I think. Sorry!
To Anonymous on April 23, 2009 1:34 AM :
I don't think the mayor should run for governor, not because he's old, but because I think Newsome is the better candidate and not because Newsome is young. I think Newsome knows how to take progressive ideas and put them into practice while Villaraigosa is busy working for the unions that got him elected.
What do the unions need to feed on to stay employed? Building projects. Projects the consumers eventually pay for one way or another. But in an economy that is shrinking because builders and business owners can't get loans, what are you going to have the union workers do? If they could do only Federal projects that might keep them busy for a while, but those construction workers unions always need to be fed don't they?
Plus if Villaraigosa ran away from the schools he has supposedly adopted and from helping L.A. through the recession as the first Latino mayor in over 100 years, I really think that would ruin his image in the eyes of many. I think people would very much hold that against him, especially regarding the schools.
Plus I think he'd make a better congressman than he would a governor. He should move to some district where he stands a good chance of being elected to congress and run in a few years. LOL, I know that idea will set many to reeling here, but that's what I think. Sorry!
Mr. Mayor,
I consider your remarks quoted in today's LA Times referring to senior City employees as "deadwood" to be stereotypical and discriminatory.
I give 150% to my City job every day. For years I have put in extra time without compensation (long before any furloughs were thought of) and didn't expect any because I take pride in serving the City.
All City employees regardless of seniority should be judged on their individual merits. If we were to refer to one of our subordinates in this manner we would be accused of age discrimination.
Many senior employees continue to make positive contributions based upon knowledge and experience. Now our capabilities have been devalued and denigrated in a major City newspaper.
Senior employees act as mentors providing real world experience to the "younger" staff assisting them to acquire the essential skills to be more productive.
You have spoken many times on the diversity of our City and now it appears those were empty words. Elected officials come and go, but City employees are the backbone that keep the City functioning and safe.
We do not appreciate being callously and indifferently referred to as the useless baggage of deadwood.
Well like always, whenever an elected official or Commission Member etc. get in trouble we all have to go to another class for training.
Well like always, whenever an elected official or Commission Member etc. get in trouble we all have to go to another class for training.
To Antonio Villar : Calling us DEADWOOD is an outrage . Remember we reap what we sow and we're all in the same waiting room ...
The people on the mayor's staff who are over 50 aren't the problem. The people on the mayor's staff who are the problem are the young staffers who don't know how to deal with constituents, write good letters, don't know any of the history of the people they are trying to handle and represent and simply aren't responsive.
The Mayor's staff are hired based upon looks and tits. It shows. Half of them are ignorant asses and the other half cannot spell. THERE'S THE DEADWOOD.
Mirthala said she had a problem with "dead wood" too.
The 'surprise' retirement incentives are expected reactions that go back to similar packages at the DWP where critical staff left. As to the wonders of the young, the City has long ago lowered its standards because exempted managers with no clue but the right connections were left in charge of hiring fellow clueless but connected underlings. Harbor, LAWA, and DWP will be left to make up any budgetary differences and also pick up the slack even with the various 'hidden taxes'losses in the courts.
And as to the comment re caucasian and asian supervisors being pushed out for 'loyal hispanics, guess what mi amigo, hispanics are all over the place in government employ and have been for decades along with your fellow gringos, last to the party have been asian who are thought of as bookish but not leaders and therefore have hit the glass ceiling. And by the way, read up on your demographics especially where the observations that hispanics do not vote as a blob is mentioned along with the fact that many of same are more embarassed about this Mayor and his government cronies than you are because we get tainted by his failures and follies.