EDITOR’S NOTE: At 5:30 p.m. tonight and again at 10 p.m., KCET’s SoCal Connected will drop another bomb on City Hall’s DROP program — Deferred Retirement Option Plan — that is letting retired cops and firefighters retire one day on a 90 percent pension and come back the next day at their full salary with their pension check being banked for up to five years at 5 percent interest. Read more below about double-dipping retirees getting earning six-figure salaries and then getting lump sum checks of more than $1 million when they finally retire for good. Transcript and video here.
This is your last chance Los Angeles: If you pass Proposition A’s sales tax hike and put Greuel or Garcetti in the Mayor’s office, Feuer in City Attorney’s office and Zine in the Controller’s office with eight failed legislators, five obedient staffers and two cops on the City Council, you deserve the calamity that is coming.
Check out City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana’s “Road to Financial Recovery — City at a Crossroads” Analysis released Feb. 7 and see just how feeble City Hall’s efforts have been to rein in costs and how precarious the city’s financial position remains because of the inadequacy of the measures taken — more smoke and mirrors than substance, to be sure.
Santana who’s own position is said to be even more precarious than the city’s because the unions that so heavily funding the sleazy Greuel, Garcetti, Feuer and Zine campaigns have demanded he be fired. His crime: Daring to suggest over and over that stronger measures were needed while the elected officials showed what moral and political cowards they are by remaining silent.
You can see the depths of political perversity that reigns at City Hall in the opening words of Santana’s report when he credits “the steadfast leadership of the mayor” and “the resolve of the City Council” for a serious of half measures that have reduced general fund positions by 14.4 percent but not reduced salary costs a single penny.
Between the lines of his report, deep in the details, is a shocking story of mismanagement by those who would presume to rise to higher office like Greuel, Garcetti and Zine and those who want to double their salaries at public expense as Councilmen after years of destroying the state’s financial position as legislators in Sacramento.
What the report makes clear is the only losers are the residents and taxpayers. Of 5,300 positions eliminated from the general fund, barely 400 people lost their jobs, 2,400 were paid off handsomely to retire and the rest were transferred to the DWP, Harbor, Airport and the special funded positions.
It’s public services and maintenance of public facilities, roads and parks that have suffered.
The poster child of this failure is the city’s continuing use of the DROP program for cops and firefighters.
Two years ago, SoCal Connected exposed just how outrageous the program is at a time when there’s an unending budget crisis driven by out of control costs and people lined up dying to get great paying jobs in public safety.
Monday night, the show reports an updated look at how the program is working with more than 3,000 officers and firefighters having taken advantage of it over the last decade at a spectacular cost to the public.
Shockingly, the program reports that the city has never studied the cost and benefits of DROP even though other cities across the country are dropping DROP
Greuel and Garcetti — the gutless wonders — fully support DROP and despite their total ignorance of any facts, since there aren’t any, insist it’s cost effective and keeps veteran personnel on the job.
That from the people who created and endorsed the early retirement buyout for senior civilian workers, a shotgun approach that left numerous departments in chaos.
That from people that are too timid to speak out strongly against the sales tax hike on the ballot. That from people who don’t the courage to denounce the police and fire chief threatening to put your life in jeopardy by eliminating hundreds of public safety jobs as punishment if you don’t vote for a regressive, destructive and unnecessary tax that punishes low income people the most. i
Vote for these people if you want, it’s your right, it’s your city — just know you will have to live with the consequences and they won’t be pretty.
Great column Ron.
Ron, you probably don`t watch TV. Greuel has $160mm to balance the budget Just remember Riordan was going to finance the increase of the Police by selling LAX. Peope get what they deserve.
Riordan was going to do that? Well, right or wrong, at least he wanted to fund them with real money and not invisible money like
Riordan was the one who championed DROP. He needs to come out publically calling for its demise.
Our “heroes” and their ever increasing greed. Both Beck & the Fire chief don’t even live in the city but are shameless in promoting more taxes to keep them living like millionaires. Don’t know when people will wake up and say enough is enough. Both police and fire are needed but not at this cost. We need money for other infrastructure needs where little is left after spending 70% of the budget on these two departments.
Beck was enrolled in DROP when he was appointed police chief and had to return money to the city.
Ron wrote: “That from the people who created and endorsed the early retirement buyout for senior civilian workers, a shotgun approach that left numerous departments in chaos.”
And let’s not forget that they also voted against Choi’s recommendation that the ERIP pay back should be four years. Council catered to the unions for a 15 year pay back.
And the debt just keeps on climbing.
But, alas, no matter how much we say it, one of those two will be at the throne. Zine will issue grandstanding audits. Feuer will issue supportive legal opinions on anything Council wishes to pass. And life goes on………or not.
Los Angeles Economic Recovery is not increased taxes – YJ Draiman
In short, the key to Los Angeles economic recovery is not an increase in taxes and fees. Rather, true long-term recovery will rely on the increase of efficiency and productivity; the reduction of bureaucracy; and the promotion of businesses and employment. All of which will instill confidence in our economy, generate greater revenues for the city of Los Angeles and other governmental entities.
American confidence in government is at an all time low. We no longer have the same level of faith in our institutions and leaders that we once had. Consequently, we are seeing a continued erosion of our outlook on the future. This outlook must change by initiating a massive and sound education program that produces innovation and technology.
We have an opportunity to jumpstart our economy, protect our environment and put our city on the path toward energy security through greater use of our domestic energy production such as natural gas. Our domestic energy production can serve as a foundation for our energy and economic independence. This path will enable us to develop the required innovation and production of other forms of energy sources.
To realize a course toward energy and economic security we must do what is necessary to instill confidence in the responsible development of our energy sources. We can use natural gas as a solid foundation on which to develop extensive R&D in renewable energy sources, and the efficient means to operate and maintain the mechanisms needed for such use.
Improving our educational system is the key to our economic survival. In a global, knowledge-driven economy, there is a direct correlation between engineering education and innovative progress. Our success or failure as a city will be measured by how well we do in providing the needed educational tools to promote innovation in all fields.
Leadership is not a birthright. Despite what many Americans believe, our city does not possess an innate knack for greatness. Greatness must be worked for and won by each new generation. Right now that is not happening. However, we still have time. If we place the emphasis we should on education, research and innovation, we can lead the world in the decades to come. Nevertheless, the only way to ensure we remain great tomorrow is to increase our investment in science and engineering today. In addition, we must invest in trade schools to train our future workers in the new and old technology.
We have to learn how to balance the need of the people vs. the need to protect the environment. Any extreme to either side is not good.
In today’s fast moving technologies, government as well as companies must learn to adjust and maneuver quickly to keep pace, or they will be out of business or incur deteriorating revenues and infrastructure. We must learn how to stay competitive and resourceful to survive and thrive economically.
I submit: Leadership by example. I plan to cut waste, maximize productivity, reduce bureaucracy, increase efficiency and conservation in all city departments and assets, eliminate duplicating tasks and reward excellent performance and innovative methods of job performance. In addition, we have to use the Neighborhood Council’s more effectively; they are the eyes and ears of all the communities in Los Angeles. These are hard economic times; we must all put our shoulder to the task.
We must put all our differences aside and work together in harmony for the good of the people and the city of Los Angeles. Your vote for me will be one more step in this positive direction and it will be a win for all the people in LA.
YJ Draiman for Mayor
http://www.smartvoter.org/2013/03/05/ca/la/vote/draiman_y/
http://bit.ly/draimanformayor2013 youtube
http://yjdraimanformayor.org
“In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.”
“Voter apathy was, and will remain the greatest threat to democracy.”
The Mayor of Los Angeles needs to follow these guidelines
A Mayor is an elected official, a leader who must serve all the people in the City of Los Angeles, not just the select few.
The same guidelines apply to all elected officials at LA’s City Hall.
Yet servant leadership challenges all of this. It calls us to higher levels of leadership where the self is no longer king, and others become the priority. It stands in stark contrast to the sense of entitlement we often assume. Given today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, each of us has more power readily available than ever before. Yet the irony is that this individual empowerment has disconnected us in a sense; we have become somewhat removed from our sense of community. Servant leadership encourages us to face this – to take the focus off ourselves and to truly put others’ needs first as we nurture relationships and foster community. In fact, it calls us to love and to serve others so much that out of that a desire for leadership is born…not the other way around.
YJ Draiman
http://draimanformayor2013.com
Ron, thanks to you and your columns, I feel the election is going to be different this time, and “We the people” will be voting and thus changing how our city will be
in coming years. Yestrday I had to dial 911 for help to get to the West Hills
Hospital. I was frightened, but the men who came to help me were very kind
and made me feel like I was safe. I am ok. Back home and am able to tell you
that I thank and admire the police and fire department and I feel that they really care.
They are not the problem, the career politicians are ther ones who are doing
a poor job.
Ron -
The DROP program is just one example of how the public unions of this City has used membership dues to rob the taxpayer’s general fund treasury. It is proof that voters must defeat Prop A — a punishing permanent sales tax — and send a message to City Hall that retirement plans have to be cut way back from this insanity.
Key Question for Jackie Lacey, the new District Attorney:
What is the difference between Bell City Council members who boosted their salaries in return for no work in order to raid the treasury of Bell and the crooks at Los Angeles City Hall that devised a program to allow all kinds of BS salary bumping, and million dollar payouts to union thugs with a high school education in return for no additional work?
Let me guess – bell city council crooks were not special members of dem party. Gee maybe their membership had lapsed or was not in excellent standing. On the other hand-Villar, garcetti, gruel etc are all full members with special privileges and access. Hence they are untouchable.
An excellent question though.
32nd Degree no doubt? (out or three degrees known to the rank & file)
Wendy Gruel said that it was not double dipping. Garcetti supports the program too where fire & police personnel walk away with million dollar checks.
Ron’s darling, Perry, did not say she will drop the Drop. Instead she will “study” to see the impact. Yeah study. Go ahead and elect perry. See if she is any different from Hahn, villar etc.
http://www.kcet.org/shows/socal_connected/content/politics/drop-the-billion-dollar-pension-perk-still-getting-no-political-play.html
So…she’ll study the 5 year zero sum gain to the pension fund, or the phantom study after study Garcetti gets? (i.e., endorsements and campaign contribution increases means its working for him!)
A little known fact–the city has continued to hire and many city departments have the same numbers and promotions prior to ERIP. You’ll never hear that from the dishonest pols who only mention the positions that were eliminated.
reply to anonymous 2.26.13 at 12.19pm
yes and they have more promotions and new exec. jobs – example – parks and recreation department deleted childcare laying off employees and passed senior meals on wheels services to a “private non profit partnership” among other cutbacks, but, they were able to add another Assistant General Manager and an assistant for him as well as take a laid off AGM from animal services without bumping the Sr. MAII she should have replaced. The Childcare manager wasn’t laid off with the rest of her employees – she was moved into another management position. It is all about insiders keeping their people and jobs and getting raises.
All the established and entrenched candidates have only one thing to offer: the failure of Los Angeles. They have been voting the same way since they took office. Time for some real change since the same old same old isn’t working. Kevin James is a better option. At least he has some real ideas, not just the business as usual. IF L.A. gets any of the others and the same club members of the liberal, union owned democrats remain in power, I’ll be watching L.A. implode from a distance.
It would be great if all those writing to promote Kevin James would send a check to his campaign.
Only Kevin James and Cary Brazeman have not accepted union money and deserve our vote. Ron Galperin is supported by SEIU & won’t do much more than Gruel as a Controller.