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"News blackout." by Lionel Emde
"Editor: One would think that Pacifica is running on autopilot, and has no governing body directing it, by the looks of the Pacifica Tribune. There was a city council meeting on Monday, April 9, and not a word about it appeared in the Tribune. Then there was a budget study session on Wednesday, April 11, and again, not a word in the Tribune.
I understand that newspaper budgets and staffs are small, but what are the priorities at the newspaper, and how are resources there being directed? Are these meetings of any importance to the community? If it wasn't for a letter to the editor in the April 18 edition of the Tribune, we wouldn't have heard that "...low-income patrons of the Resource Center and kids using the library are threatened with loss of services."
Are these issues of any importance, or should we be satisfied with "question-and-answer-time" on the front page? The Tribune has lost its way, and needs to face up to a serious re-ordering of priorities."
Posted by Kathy Meeh
90 comments:
Jeez, Lionel, now you have two windmills you're fighting! You remind me of a Billy Joel song, "Angry Young Man" except for the young part. Maybe the Tribs' priorities aren't your priorities and that's what has you pissed off. Why don't you start a blog of your own? Lionel's Lambaster could be a good moniker. Then rant all you want. I personnally think the Trib does an excellent job with the assets they have. What happened at the city council and budget session that was breaking news? Write the story yourself. I'm sure you can find a forum to run it. Here's a challenge, leave your bias out of the story and like the man said, "the facts mam, just the facts". Become an asset and not a liability to this town.
"Become an asset and not a liability to this town." (Murrow 751)
Town leadership has a long track record of not always being an asset to this city. The community newspaper covers all kinds of city news-- why not 1) city council meeting notifications, and 2) follow-up which includes such issues as city council threatening the Resource Center as a budgetary issue. City Council may have too much influence on the community newspaper.
The reason I chose this Letter to re-post is that Lionel makes two strong points of merit and concern. For that, Lionel is an asset and deserves our thanks and appreciation.
"Become an asset and not a liability to this town."
Ha spoken like a true bureaucrat.
He Ed, NEWS FLASH, media responds to it's readers. Especially if subscriptions start dwindling over ineffective reporting.
The Tribune is failing to cover important local issues fairly. Little or no mention of our budget crisis except this week.
They started to actually do ome reporting a couple of months ago when they printed city employee wages in the paper. But they must have gotten the signal to nix controversial stories because since then there's been nothing.
My subscription is up and I wont be renewing unless they start actually reporting and not being a puppet of the city or the unions or whomever.
I heard Lionel is attempting to get Elaine Larsen fired from her job at the TRIB and has been calling all over to do so. I think he used to write for the TRIB too so what's the problem? No more space for his inane rants? Lionel, try to be possitive about something. Your doom and gloom is old news.
"I heard Lionel is attempting to get Elaine Larsen fired from her job at the TRIB and has been calling all over to do so."
You made that up.
"I heard" means I'm about to tell a self-serving whopper.
The Trib does a good job of being a once-weekly community newspaper. Hard news and investigative reporting aren't their thing and pandering to politics of any stripe in this town would be suicide. If these disguntled Pacificans want an expose of some real malfeasance in local government then take it up with a larger newspaper. You'll need facts to interest the reporter.
I've renewed my subscription to the Tribune.
Someone needs to do a little more research before they dimiss the fact that Lionel is on a warpath to have Elaine fired. The fact is, he has made a concerted attempt to dis-credit her with her bosses. What would this town be like without the Trib?
Think about it. Daly City doesn't have a local paper. How much influence does Lionel think he's going to have (or anyone in Pacifica) at the San Mateo Times and how much time are they going to spend covering anything over here?
I also heard Lionel is after Elaine's job and has called many people in her news agency asking that she be fired. Lionel, please respond. Is this the truth or not?
I have been critical of the Tribune's coverage of City issues in the past, but I really think they've been doing much better with their reporting since February or so.
I don't know that the Tribune has the resources to be all things to all people; I believe they have only a single reporter -- Jane Northrop -- to cover most events and she can only be in so many places and can only file so many stories every week.
Civic watchdogs like Mr. Emde serve an important role and I have thanked him here and on other sites for his advocacy on behalf of Pacifica's citizens. That being said, I would like to hear what the real deal is with regards to the Tribune's editor. It's one thing to urge Ms. Larson to cover certain issues, but quite another to actively be seeking her replacement.
Chris I have to say that statement seems very unprofessional coming from a manager of our Garbage company. Do you have proof about Lionel trying to replace Elaine?
Personal squabbles aside, the Tribune is just a small town paper with very limited resources and a precarious position. Regardless of who sits in the editor's chair, exposes and investigative reporting are not the Trib's thing. Elaine is pretty much limited to the occasional editorial and I bet she has guidelines from her bosses on those. Got facts about some local government misdeeds? Conflicts of interest at City Hall? Take your facts and suspicions to the Merc or the Chronicle. They have the staff,the journalistic pedigree, regional standing, and the resources to investigate.
If Lionel has professional issues with Elaine Larsen as editor, who should he complain to? I believe he's made his concerns known to Elaine and the Tribune staff and the public. Seems appropriate to continue up the ladder if you don't get satisfaction. Think of it as a recall effort of his very own if it makes it more palatable for you!
BTW, I have no problem with the Tribune. As Fogel said, it can't be all things to all people.
The Chronicle and the Mercury have devoted plenty of ink to actual government malfeasance and misdeeds in small towns all around the Bay Area and South Bay and beyond. After the Bell CA fiasco, reporters drool over that stuff. Their editors drool over facts and solid sources.
aww, Chris and Lionel are at it again.
Hi Hutch...I have heard from a very reliable source or I certainly would not put my name next to the comment. You and I are some of the few people that do use our names. This person would definitely know if these calls were made by Lionel. I honestly don't find anything unprofessional about the comment in question and have requested Lionel respond either way.
Too funny. All kinds of people complain the Tribune isn't covering the real news in Pacifica, ie, city hall and council. But when Lionel Emde allegedly goes for the jugular, he's the villain?
If Elaine Larsen is running the Tribune the way her bosses want, and she probably is, then she's in no danger. And neither Lionel nor any of us are her boss.
I don't know Chris, it just seems inappropriate for public utility management to be engaging in personal accusations and making controversial political comments during business hours.
That said, being that I too speak my mind without fear I can't fault you.
Public utility? Recology is privately owned.
Hutch, Recology is a private company and Lionel Emde isn't on their Christmas card list.
privately owned esop company
the employees own it and their retirement plan is tied to company
profitability
"I personnally think the Trib does an excellent job with the assets they have. What happened at the city council and budget session that was breaking news?"
How would we know?
PG&E is a private company but they are also a pulic utility. Same with Recology.
No. Recology is not a public utility. PG&E is. Both are private companies. PG&E is owned by shareholders and listed on the NYSE. As a public utility and a natural monopoly it is regulated by the PUC. Recology is an ESOP, owned by its employees.
The word "public" in public utility refers to the public being provided the service, not that the company providing the service is publicly owned.
Exactly, Recology is a public utility. Thank you Chris Fogel.
And I really don't think it's Elaine that's making the decision to stay away from controversy. She may be being pressured from the city or unions. But I betcha the suits at BANG are the ones putting the nix on.
Not exactly. Before we all spin off the earth's surface, perhaps we can agree that Recology provides a public service. All sorts of companies provide public services. However, neither Recology nor any other trash collection provider, is a public utility. Public utilities are elec, gas, water, sewage and perhaps telephone in some areas. As Mr. Fogel noted, method of ownership is not the issue.
No, Recology is not a public utility.
The terms refers to electricity, natural gas, water and sewage, sometimes telephone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_utility
"A private business organization, subject to governmental regulation, that provides an essential commodity or service, such as water, electricity, transportation, or communication, to the public."
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/public+utility
Nice Try.But wrong anon 139
Definition of a Public Utility:
Has A monopoly on service - Check
Rates regulated by city - Check
Provides essential service to all citizens - Check Check
At any rate my point was that I think it's improper for the GM of an important city service provider to be accusing a private citizen of trying to tale the newspaper editors job.
Hutch, we'll have to agree to disagree on the utility biz, but this anon can somewhat see your point about Chris Porter criticizing Lionel Emde.
Okay that's fair.
So people, what about Pete and Sue willing to close the Recourse Center over their wanting to hike our taxes. Isn't that like blackmail? Shouldn't the Tribune at the very least be reporting on this?
As fun as that would be, how about we get serious and urge the Trib to cover that Sheriff's proposal which Council discussed this week in closed session. Estimated savings with a multi-year contract are enough to not only build a reserve, but can also make further cuts to services and programs unneccessary. The unions were at the meeting so how about letting us lowly tax-payers in on the secret? That seems like a worthy project for the Tribune. Lord knows, transparency and info in an election year are hard to come by.
Good Point Anon 946. If the unions know what the deal is why shouldn't the tax payers.
Same with current negotiations. The unions know what the cities position is. Why don't we know? The whole thing stinks. Why isn't the Tribune reporting on what the city is asking of the unions?
Because you can't negotiate in public.
I like Lionel. I would vote for Lionel as a City Council Member even though politically we are on different sides. I have great respect for him and his private business and work. I would vote for him over any of these other carpet baggers that try to come into the bay area and change our culture. So if he is after Elaine Larson to lose her job he must have serious reasons as to why he feels that should happen. I trust him.
Hutch accuses Chris of being unprofessional and then engages in wild, irresponsible speculations and rumor-mongering.
How rich.
"How rich."
No how bankrupt of you Anonymous 954. All you've done is slime an individual who speaks with his name. And your "speculations and rumor-mongering" point is "wild" and not made.
Anonymous 634 said...
"Because you can't negotiate in public."
------------
Oh bullcrap. Pick up a newspaper sometime. Our City should be telling the public what WE are asking for. There's no reason to keep it a secret except for their usual anti transparency MO.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/03/city-employees-decry-wage-cuts
Your buddy Chris speaks with her name. Is it okay for Hutch to "slime" her (whatever that means)?
Anon 11:41, you obviously don't know much about labor negotiations.
Anyone would seem to know more about negotiations than Ritma and our Council.
In fact, the only reason the city would be hiding their negotiating position from voters would be that they're planning on giving their co-workers another sweetheart deal.
Don't know about any sweetheart deals these days, but certainly the city is not going to cut employees making over $100,000 down to the so-called average Pacifican's wage of $50,000. Impossible. I'm more interested in a multi-year wage freeze and changes to benefits and the pension plans. No more freebies or cafeteria cash.
Nobody ever said to cut them down to 50K. They have said there should be real wage cuts of 10% + or a scaled cut of 1% for each 10K in wages.
And in addition roll back benefits
The 50K average income was brought up to show how over inflated city government wages are.
Wages were cut 3% for some unions and 0% for others last year.
http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/patch-provides-city-employee-wage-benefits-cut-summaries?ncid=following_comment#pdf-8986257
Other California cities that are in a financial crisis are making wage cuts of 10% and more.
We won't know about the results until after the contract. I haven't heard or seen anything to make me think anything bigger than a 3% cut is on the table for any of this city's bargaining units. Has anybody else? Of course keeping the public in the dark keeps the pressure off the negotiations. This secrecy is out of step with the fiscal emergency they keep telling us about as they threaten service cuts and ask for more money.
Anon 724, I like the idea of 50K for these admin jobs. Hell the city attorney's clerk is still on board at over $100K and we no longer have a city attorney. And outsource the cops. Still a lot of fat on the payroll.
It has not been established that the average salary for working Pacificans is $50,000.
"the only reason the city would be hiding their negotiating position from voters would be that they're planning on giving their co-workers another sweetheart deal' No, that is NOT the "only reason" the city does not disclose its negotiating position. If that's the only reason you can think of, then you don't know jack about it.
The city is playing it the way they have always played it. Wake up city hall! It's a new economic world and the people are with you if you make the tough decisions.
Average individual income in Pacifica is probably 40-50K
Household income in Pacifica is $89K. Divided by two people working = about 45K pert year.
From Wikipedia
"Household income is often the combination of two income earners pooling the resources and should therefore not be confused with an individual's earnings."
Wikipedia explains why you can't estimate individual average income from household income. There are many single person households as well as single earner, multiple person households and also multiple earner and multiple person households. How many of each is unknown. Estimations of average income per working person in Pacifica based on household income data are invalid and could be quite wrong.
"..household income data are invalid."
Only in your head, Anon 557. CLR Search, data from 2010 US Census. Household Income: median $93,216, average $111,435, per capita $40,853. View the graphs and the income statistics.
How people spend or pool their money is a separate issue.
Median and average household income and per capita income do not indicate average income per earner. It's not in the graphs, it's not in the data, and it's not just in my head. It's statistics.
None so blind as those who will not see.
"..it's not just in my head. It's statistics."
Statistics, what statistics? You have supplied none. Whatever "significant" point you're attempting to make, try google rather than rhetoric.
Lionel does not want Elaine's job. Elaine has said time and again she wont do hard stories. Elaine could but doesn't want to. Lionel's issue with the Trib is that it is a news letter not a news paper.
Lionel has every right to ask the Trib's owners to instruct Elaine to cover issues he'd like to see covered. One such story is the garbage contracts, another is city salaries increasing every year even as revenues shrink, and yet another is the ever increasing waste water rates who's surpluses in pas years was used for city staff wages and pensions, surpluses that are not being repaid by employees BTW.
It would be swell to have the time, money and resources to to have journalists cover these things. But the biggest story that is not being reported is the lack of info from city hall concerning any of this when info is sought. I've had this complaint relayed to me directly from the paper, yet the paper will not publish that complaint.
At any rate if the HOUSEHOLD income in Pacifica is $90,000 we can surmise that the average INDIVIDUAL income is far below that. And it's even further below the $100K-$170K+ a year in our city contracts.
Over the past 5 years private tax payers have seen their income cut by 20, 30% and more. Plus huge cuts to their health care, pension and benefits.
http://www.calwatchdog.com/2011/12/07/state-cant-support-more-spendin/
There are serious problems in this town including a lack of transparency in local government. The press should be a watchdog not a lapdog. Elaine's the editor. She has influence over the paper's content and editorial policy. Not total control, but serious influence. If it really is her anti-hard news bias that keeps important stories out of the paper, then we all should be complaining to her bosses. Seriously, where else would you take that kind of complaint?
It's back.
Elaine has said time and again she wont do hard stories.
Hi Todd,
Would you happen to know when and where she's said this?
Thanks.
-Chris
who is her boss? Give us an email.
Yeah there's been virtually no coverage of important matters like the budget, unions, recall.
oh dear lord not the argument about average/median/mean again. I am willing to believe that the majority of city employees make more than $100K and that means they make more than I do after 30 years on the job. OK. I could have been a tree-trimmer, cop, or waste water treatment worker. I didn't want to. My choice. But a lot of them will make more on pension than I will while still slaving away. And when I finally do retire and get my $2000 month ssi and whatever I've put by, they'll still be making a lot more. It's that pension thing that really bothers me. I paid for their pensions and mine. That ain't right!
Chris I can understand why you might want and how you might cite quotes, situations etc., but the proof of the Trib's fluffy editorial policy is right there in the paper. It's nothing new. The only way to change that is to take it up with ownership. Who knows how much they contribute to the fluff policy or if they are even aware of the complaints? Elaine is fully aware.
Elaine has indicated to me that they must be careful what they print otherwise they could face a lawsuit.
Anon 218 said: "I paid for their pensions and mine. That ain't right!"
The pesions ARE the real problem. We get $2000 a month when we're 65, they can get 90% of their highest years pay at 50.
Friggin crazy. This is why Pacifica owes over 20 mil for pensions.
I understand what you're saying.
I didn't mean to come off as confrontational or demanding -- it's hard to relay tone online -- i was just wondering if it's a case of "I've heard that..." or if the editor actually said this directly to Todd.
no problema chris
Hutch, that makes sense only until you compare the Tribune to other similar papers. Hands down, the Trib wins the fluffy journalism award among its class. No one, well at least I'm not, is suggesting that Elaine turn the paper into some one-sided political rag. But why not look into some of the issues raised by residents in various forums and provide real reporting? Provide the truth...good, bad, or ugly. Sticking to the facts and solid source-checking should cut down on the risk.
I still want to know if Councilmembers who serve long enough get city pensions. A few years back they voted to get the same benefits as high level employees. Does that include a pension? How about the Tribune detailing exactly what our elected officials get? Just the facts, no spin, no criticism. It's a legitimate request by a taxpayer.
"I still want to know if Councilmembers who serve long enough get city pensions." Oh good grief. If you want to know the answer ask a council member that you trust or at least aren't trashing frequently on this blog, like Len Stone. If he doesn't know the answer-or can't get the answer-that tells you all you need to know about him as a council member. When you have the answer, you can stop whining about how the Tribune didn't find out the answer for you.
Anon oh good grief, that particular topic may be of no interest to you, or perhaps it's of personal interest, or maybe you never even thought about it, but the lack of transparency in this town is well-known. Pensions are an enormous problem that will get worse and threaten our recovery. The Tribune could provide a real public service by filling in the information gaps, no matter what kind of flak it creates. A concerned, tax-paying resident should not have to take a survey to get this info. We're paying Council and the rest. How much and for how long?
Good grief, it's not a "survey." It's a simple question. Why not ask it? Take some responsibility instead of expecting someone else to do it for you.
The press [is] the only tocsin of a nation. [When it] is completely silenced... all means of a general effort [are] taken away." --Thomas Jefferson
Hutch: Thanks for the new word. tocsin an alarm sounded on a bell. A warning; omen.
What a bunch of weenies. Not even enough courage to ask a simple question.
"until you compare the Tribune to other similar papers"
You mean the Daly City Gazette?
You people just love to whine. Get off your ass and work on fixing things or just shut up, please.
Good grief, wow that's a great idea. Yours? Yes, I'm well aware it's easy to ask a question in a on-on-one but that isn't the issue. What about everyone else who has a right to know? Why do you encourage and tolerate the lack of transparency in local government? And, in a one-on-one there's the very real chance of a wrong answer being given for any number of reasons.
Anonymous 815, find-out, document and let us know. Thanks, good grief.
Get a clue. The Tribune is a community weekly. It has no money to pay for investigative journalism or even basic news reporting. Newspapers are dying anyway. There's this thing called the internet. Journalism is being democratized. As Scoop Nisker said, "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own." Then publish it here or any place else you want.
I know, I liked that word too Tom.
Yes anon 8:15 , the city should be much more transparent. It shouldn't be up to individual citizens to find out the truth.
Ha Anon 834, Yeah newspapers are dead.
Pacifica Tribune readership 10,000+
readership of Fix Pacifica 500-1000
It's easy to make assumptions about the effectiveness of newspapers. But I can assure you that their death has been widely exaggerated.
Anons, making it about personal initiative is the real wienie smokescreen. It's about having a local paper that is a watchdog over local government. Just the tiniest amount of good reporting could make a big difference in this town. And that is not too much to ask, even in Pacifica.
"You people"? What arrogance.
nobody is going to get a straight answer to that question but the rumor has been around a while
smoke, fire?
Anonymous 850, hits on Fix Pacifica are listed at the lower left blog column. Works out to about 7500 hits per month. Tribune is a long established newspaper. Fix is a community blog, with different goals. Hopefully your Tribune numbers are correct, but seem high.
"Hits?" A hit is every time you or I "CLICK" on
something here. 7500 in a month? Not very much.
Believe it or not, newspapers still beat the internet for response.
Last I looked closely, which was about six months ago, Fix Pacifica was getting around 9000 distinct views a month. That's what the counter registers.
A distinct view is registered when someone comes to the site who hasn't been here in the previous half-hour. The first month the blog existed, it had something like 3000 distinct views. I suppose if you averaged all the distinct views since the time the blog started, it might be 7500/month.
We have about 400-500 hard-core, repeat readers. Half the registered hits/distinct views are people who stumble onto the site from somewhere like Belarus, and leave almost immediately.
10,000 does seem high for Tribune readership, although I agree that more people read the Tribune than Fix Pacifica, Riptide and Patch.
"Believe it or not, newspapers still beat the internet for response."
Great Anonymous 952, this response took about 1/2 hour. Google is faster.
9000 monthly hits on Fix Pacifica now, that pretty good.
I just checked, and for the last 30 days, the blog had 10,576 distinct visits. (Now statcounter.com calls them unique views, and they extended the half-hour between visits to an hour. If it was still 30 minutes, the count would be even higher.)
This blog is a media mammoth!!
"..for the last 30 days, the blog had 10,576 distinct visits." Steve Sinai (Blogmaster 11:51 pm)
Wow, those numbers are definitely going in the right direction. Right, grumpy Anon 8:50pm, 9:20pm, 9:52pm (one and the same person)? Never mind, don't respond with a grumpy answer.
FYI, there is no "win a contest" competition among these different media sources. Most of us appreciate them all for the news, information, pictures and dialog they deliver.
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