Here's the deal (Union-mou-Letter_of_Agreement_2009-06-26_TA[1].pdf) your elected city officials have cut to protect union jobs no matter what the cost to the public, and to the future of the city.It's eight pages of giveaways and promises to protect union jobs without regard to the public interest. (The ninth page, the last, is missing and may contain even more damaging information).
The goal is to reduce the city's payroll by $320 million but there is no financial analysis yet provided that shows this deal will actually achieve that in the short term or that the huge costs built into it over the long term can ever be afforded.
On paper, the savings is achieved by enhancing pensions of 2,400 senior city workers to get them to retire, and deferring cost-of-living but not other raises for two years with commitments to make them whole with bonuses in the following years. It ensures they don't lose a cent through layoffs or furloughs, and most of all saves city officials from the task of making hard decisions on what services we can afford, the basics, and what we have to eliminate.
City Hall, after all, for too long has been a jobs program, not a services program. That's why it costs so much and does so little. There's no workplace discipline. Nobody gets held accountable for performance. It's all politicized and the public interest counts for nothing.
The mayor, fatigued by his lackluster inaugural address, has headed off to party in South Africa for nine days, instead of getting down to work as the steward of the city's affairs and putting his efforts into revitalizing our neighborhoods and making sure we get the basic services needed to create economic opportunity and rebuild LA's vanishing middle class.
This document, for all its gobbledygook, is a bill of indictment on the failure of leadership.
It is an appendix to the city budget which was balanced on paper by raiding bond money and special funds, transfering millions of dollars in general fund costs to the DWP which is raising rates with impunity and requiring residents and businesses to pay the full cost for services that should be, and have been provided with tax dollars.
You can read for yourselves how the city is promising it won't contract for any outside services if city workers can do the job no matter what the cost difference; how city workers will fill open jobs at the harbor, airport and DWP (all are exempt from budget cuts) whether they're qualified or not; how assets will be sold, money borrowed on credit cards and federal stimulus money stolen to protect city workers from layoffs and furloughs.
It doesn't end there.
This sweetheart deal actually guarantees the unions will get 25 percent of any new revenue source of more than $40 million and that in the event of a catastrophe that costs the city $100 million or more, only one third of the cost will be borne by the unions.
In other words, your elected officials have tied their own hands in dealing with this ongoing budget crisis for years to come and as this passage makes clear, they are on the same side of the bargaining table as the unions, leaving the public out completely.
"In reaching this agreement, the Coalition of LA City Unions has stepped forward ahead of all others and demonstrated its commitment to the long-term sustainabilty of the City workforce and the services its workers provide," the agreement says. "The City acknowledges the sacrifice and initiative taken by the Coalition and will use the Mutual Gains process to address concerns that Coalition members are treat equitably for the life of this agreement."
Page 3 of the document is the most telling as it shows the length city officials will go to avoid actually downsizing city government and learning to live within the means available:
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.
Instead of bringing some much needed fiscal discipline into the operation of the City, this deal makes the already broken budget worse. This insures that the City is headed into bankruptcy court within 5 years, where this deal will be torn up. I understand Villaraigosa has no principles, but isn't anyone on the city council opposed to this this. Bernard Parks?
The missing ninth page is likely just the signature page. This is a draft document subject to council approval.
The waste in city operations is unbelievable. We need to permanently rid the city of unnecessary departments and personnel. If we can't restructure now & bring in efficiences, when are we going to do it. After the bankruptcy? That goes for DWP, Airports & Harbor. They are city agencies, and can't continue to pay their employees out-of-scale wages because they have a lock on raising revenue ie. rates. The other employees then want the same moneys for similar work. As currently structured, it is a no-win situation. Can't go on forever. These agencies along with Fire & Police create a lot of angst for the rest of the employees. Lets impose an upper ceiling for all departments at par, and have at least a 5 year moratorium on wage increases along the board.
The Michael Jackson circus is in town and the mayor isn't.
I nearly chocked when I read an online story in yesterday's Times that within 48 hours of taking his second oath of office V. was already in Africa, and Garcetti in Japan leaving Jan "my constituents are so fat they can have another new fast food restaurant in their district" Perry in charge.
On Tuesday, we might have another real financial crisis on our hands if not a "riotous" one with yet another circus and freak show coming to Staples Center and nobody knowing how it will be handled and who is going to pay for it.
And when is the council going to deal with it?
Why Tuesday, of course!
So mayor, you have a jolly good time in Africa while L.A. might burn and anyone who still has a job downtown won't be able to get there from here.
L.A. keeps digging its tax paying citizens deeper and deeper in debt, and most of us couldn't even afford a vacation in Santa Monica, let alone far off exotic Africa.
We didn't want the city to pay one penny for the Laker celebration, so they found private money to pay it. Who's going to foot the bill for Tuesday's memorial celebration and freak show?
And who is paying for all the police monitoring at Staples now, and the clean up of the mess being created right now in and around Staples, which is innundated with world press and people who have nothing better to do than hang around waiting for something to happen?
You will be thrilled to know that Jan Perry has just announced that the city will be picking up the entire bill for Tuesday's celbration.
According to press reports, Ms. Perry said that LAPD has built into their budgets money for "extraordinary events" such as the need for 1600 LAPD officers for this event (who are getting time and half).
Further, there will be a mile square mile around Staples closed on Tuesday except to those people who get one of the 11,000 tickets.
If you work in that area--Tough. I don't think that anyone has declared it a national holiday.
SO, AEG who have already gotten huge tax breaks now has the city subsidizing their opportunity to sell concert paraphelia.
About the only thing this is missing is 25% of gross merchandising sales going to city of LA employees as a bonus for suspending COLA adjustments over the next 2 years.
May I wish you all a very Happy Fourth of July!
We still live in a free country, a rarity in this world. May God Bless America! TH
Yes ! Happy 4th of July to all.
If anyone is bored tomorrow, there's a Rally at the Westwood VA in opposition to a land grab of 16 acres by a local Homeowners Association, at the NE corner of Wilshire and San Vicente, 1 PM to 4PM. Bring a hat…..a lot of Sun.
Also: TH: my list is growing of items that could be discussed at a C3. How’s your list doing?
After this Tuesday’s MJ menagerie is over, could you persuade Mr. RK to post a column asking for possible changes/amendments to the City Charter?
Fly your Flag everyone.
The idea that Michael Jackson fans would be rioters is ridiculous at best.
Have you seen any of the mourners? They don't even look like people who would riot. And looting?
Were you being sarcastic and I didn't get it because I'm sure you weren't serious.
I could freakin care if the MJ mourners look and act like church goers! What is ridiculous is to have to pay millions out of a city treasury that is is bad trouble to make money for the Jackson family and AEG for a memorial for someone who has only lived in Holmby Hills since January and was leaving town!