Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The lamest college mascot ever?
Penn State's mascot. Is it a lion, or a vampire squirrel?
Posted by Steve Sinai
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Planning Commissioner resignation - another one bites the dust
Pacifica lost another valuable voice of reason. BJ Nathansan resigned from the planning commission at the first meeting of November. Why? She very eloquently explained that the commission has lost its' way. I was a member of the planning commission when BJ was first appointed. My first thought, "another environmental ideologue". I was only half right. BJ was a true environmentalist, however, she was no ideologue. I was extremely impressed, as were the other commissioners, with her thoughtful and pragmatic evaluation of the tasks at hand and what her charge as a commissioner actually was.
Unfortunately, this commission has lost that ability to judge a project by the merits brought forward. It's a sad day when a builder says to me "if a project has to go to the planning commission, I won't bid on it". What's that say? That simply tells me that this commission has become something it should not be, a policy setting body and a roadblock to every project. This is the fault of the council majority. They are appointed by the council majority to reflect the majority view. The commission has ended up with a very narrow representation of our city's residents. Their views and decisions don't reflect what I believe the majority of Pacifica believes. That's too bad. This town needs to modernize, develop, and build it's way to fiscal independence and it won't happen with this commission. I want to extend my thanks to BJ for her many years of service to this town and thank her for being a voice of reason in a sea of irrationality. i wish her nothing but good luck, and hope she recharges and re-engages her talents and returns to help Pacifica move forward.
The above article was also a Pacifica Tribune letter-to-the-editor, printed 12/1/10.
Submitted by Jim Wagner, Planning Commission 2001-2005
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Seawall reply
Nov. 29, 2010
Jeff Miller’s
“My Turn” reply in the Tribune last week to my article of the previous
week on the Sharp Park seawall did not so much rebut the points I made
as much as it simply steered around them. My main concerns, and that of
many of my neighbors, are (1) the potential vulnerability of the
existing seawall, (2) the need for a detailed and impartial structural
study of the seawall, and (3) the Center for Biological Diversity’s
attempts to block that study. I believe I offered more than sufficient
evidence to support each of those points. Instead of addressing these
matters, however, Mr. Miller re-hashes his tired and tattered plan to
turn our venerable, historic, 77-year-old Sharp Park Golf Course into a frog and snake sanctuary.
(*Blogmaster's note: Here is a link to Jeff Miller's "My Turn" column regarding Sharp Park. )
(*Blogmaster's note: Here is a link to Jeff Miller's "My Turn" column regarding Sharp Park. )
This plan is based on two premises that don’t stand up to the light
of day. The first is that the golf course loses money, and the second is
that it kills frogs and snakes. In fact, every time Mr. Miller, or his
cohort Brent Plater, refers to Sharp Park, it is “…that money-losing,
species-killing golf course”. Simply put, those accusations are not
true. But as they are the basis of the “Restore Sharp Park” campaign,
Mr. Miller & Co. cannot accept that.
On the question of finances (and the correlated accusation of the
course being “underused”) Sharp Park generates an average annual revenue
of $1,228,160. Now, where that money goes, where it is tabulated, is up
to the City of San Francisco.
Money is routinely moved from the Sharp Park account to other accounts
at the discretion of the city. There is nothing illegal or even unusual
about this. But it is, understandably, tough to accurately say where any
monies come from and where they wind up. A ‘Sports Illustrated’ writer a
while ago called San Francisco’s Park and Rec
bookkeeping “laughingly deceptive”. Mr. Miller has obtained some
figures from some department that shows the course in a negative light.
He disregards any figures that show otherwise. Any reasonable observer
would conclude that Sharp Park operates in the black. With over 50,000
rounds a year played, it’s a moneymaker.
The question of “species-killing”, however tentative it may have
originally been, has been put to rest by San Francisco’s adoption of a
program developed by its environmental consultants, Tetra-Tech, Inc.,
with the support of Karen Swaim, the GGNRA’s biologist at the
neighboring Mori Point project and a recognized authority on the San Francisco Garter Snake
and the Red Legged Frog. She testified that both critters would
“thrive”” in Sharp Park under the conditions now being implemented.
This program took some time to wind its way through the various departments of San Francisco city government,
and at every level Mr. Miller and Mr. Plater had ample opportunity to
participate. Their arguments were disproved and rejected by the San Francisco Rec
and Park Commission, the S.F. Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory
Committee (PROSAC) and the S.F. Board of Supervisors Budget Committee.
All these bodies conducted open, lengthy hearings, considered their
evidence, listened to their testimony, and, time after time, rejected
it. The Pacifica City Council and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors have also adopted unanimous resolutions in favor of preserving Sharp Park.
So why are Mr. Miller, Mr. Plater, and their various organizations
still trying to close our golf course? I have to wonder. No one could
deny that a substantial amount of Pacifica is already sequestered for
hiking and biking trails, beaches, parks, hills, snowy plover habitat, etc. And I don’t object to that at all. As a matter of fact, I often walk my dog up Mori Point,
a well-planned and beautifully executed renovation that should be the
envy of the coast. I note, however, we have yet to see the bonanza of
ecotourism dollars we keep hearing about. No matter how much land we set
aside, Mr. Miller & friends want more. And they won’t quit. With
all the really serious environmental problems facing us today, these
guys are committed to closing a popular public golf course.
But I think that they have kind of painted themselves into a corner
with this Sharp Park business. I mean, they are now forced into
situations where they have to say that the frogs and snakes would do
fine in salt water, that more people would use a frog park than a golf
course, and that our homes in Fairway Park would be safer WITHOUT the
seawall (and worth more, too). They are certainly entitled to their
opinion. And with environmental litigation being the growth industry it
is today, there’s no shortage of “experts” to back them up. But I’d
still like to have the Army Corps of Engineers come in and take a look around. Just on the off chance that my house is NOT safer without the seawall.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Pacifican vies for Guinness World Record
Posted: 11/25/2010 06:00:00 AM
PST
Updated: 11/25/2010 06:12:42
AM PST
Jim Connolly and L.A. Treadwell painted 24 of the homes on one
street in a two-block area in Pacifica and believes no other painters can make
that claim.
All the 24 homes in the Saltaire community and the sidewalks around them were
power washed before painting and after. All of the homes were painted with
permalast technology paint, which has a limited lifetime warranty from Sherwin
Williams Paints.
The record attempt was witnessed by the Saltaire homeowner community's past
and present presidents Joe Hurley, Bill Haskins, Cindi and Bill Ekberg and Mike
and Gina Miglio.
The record attempt has been submitted to Guinness World Records headquarters
in London, England. Connolly holds two other records for basketball speed
shooting and his name is in the 2000 and 2001 editions of the Guinness Book of
World Records.
Your health insurance dollars at work
Large business and government in America seems to be full of "pork". Some of you wonder why
health insurance costs so much? One reason social programs. Health
insurance companies connect providers, provide accounting, member
services, oversight, research, and contribute to civic health
related charitable work. And that charitable work (which frequently
involves low cost/free clinics) is a State requirement.
Oakland, CA , KRON, Channel 4, 11/29/10 article, Kaiser Permanente gifting $10.5 million to support violence prevention. Of that total, $7.5 million pays for school-based health centers, strategic planning efforts, and an African-American male achievement program; $1 million for violence prevention support, and youth mentoring for at-risk kids; $2 million for "Remember Them", to build a social justice monument and park (a project initiated by the Chamber of Commerce).
Not that "pork" is bad if its helping your community, but it exists and we pay for it not only in government but also through our business transactions. The government (Senate) will vote soon to try living without "pork" for 2 years, we'll see how that goes.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
Oakland, CA , KRON, Channel 4, 11/29/10 article, Kaiser Permanente gifting $10.5 million to support violence prevention. Of that total, $7.5 million pays for school-based health centers, strategic planning efforts, and an African-American male achievement program; $1 million for violence prevention support, and youth mentoring for at-risk kids; $2 million for "Remember Them", to build a social justice monument and park (a project initiated by the Chamber of Commerce).
Not that "pork" is bad if its helping your community, but it exists and we pay for it not only in government but also through our business transactions. The government (Senate) will vote soon to try living without "pork" for 2 years, we'll see how that goes.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
California State Pension System Makes Madoff Proud. Video Reveals Gimmicks Used to Hide The Decline In Their Assets
CalPERS financial sleight of hand is reminiscent of Bernie Madoff’s
lying to his investors through phony statements designed to mask losses
and outright fraud.
Much has been written about The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) being underfunded by $500 billion due to massive investment losses over the last decade, but now we have video of a CalPERS Senior Pension Actuary,
Kung-pei Hwang, describing how they intend to change basic assumptions
in their financial model to (please allow me to mix my metaphors) Hide
The Decline in their assets held for municipal, county, and state
employee’s retirement.
Through this statistical gimmickry, CalPERS can push the loss into
later years and appear solvent today. Of course, at some point in the
future it will need to raise funds from state and local governments to
compensate for these losses. But for now, they seem content to hide the
disastrous condition of their fund.
As you can hear Mr. Hwang say in his presentation to the Huntington
Park City Council last week, “that means we will defer most of the loss
to future years.” “This means the city will realize another increase in
future years. I hate to bring bad news, but those are the facts.” Well,
the fact is this bad news will hit budgets for all cities, counties and
the state of California and not just Huntington Park. By playing with
its financial model in this way, CalPERS is treating all California
taxpayers like Madoff investors by cooking its actuarial books to Hide
The Decline in its assets.
Monday, November 29, 2010
What's a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report?
http://web.archive.org/web/20040708041151/http://www.cafrman.com/
To have a better understanding of what a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is. It is prepared annually.
Gerald R. Klatt
Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Ret.) Passed away in 2004.
First Career:
Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Retired
Education:
USAF Special Investigations School (FBI)
USAF Special Counterintelligence School (CIA)
Defense Language Institute – Chinese Mandarin
Experience:
Special Agent/Commander, USAF Office of Special Investigations – 20 years
Second Career:
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Business
Extensive post graduate work in accounting (Approx. 35 semester hours)
Masters Degree in Business Management
Professional Military Comptroller School (Equivalent to a Masters degree in Comptrollership)
Air Force Audit/Management System (B3500)
Auditing Data Processing Systems (USAF)
Former member of the Associations of Government Accountants (AGA)
Former member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers
Former Certified Cost Analyst (CCA) with the Institute of Cost Analysis (Certificate Nr. 233)
Experience:
Auditor/Commander, Air Force Audit Agency – 6 years
Federal Accountant –working primarily in the area of analyzing administrative costs for Federal cost reimbursement for States, counties, cities, universities, non-profit organizations, hospitals, Indian tribes, etc.
Worked with the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for 15 years.
There is More
In 1984 CAFRman used a similar economic impact analysis as explained in this site, with the help of Dr. Donald Ratajczak, Director, Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University.
At that time the above governments and some private organizations were
reluctant to prepare proper cost allocation plans to receive full
reimbursement for their costs in administering Federal programs. CAFRman
prepared an economic impact analysis to demonstrate the full impact of
their lack of concern for administrative cost reimbursement. From that
time on, Governors, mayors, etc. were ordering complete and
comprehensive cost plans.Also in 1984, CAFRman created what is now called Cross-Allocation Methodology for allocating administrative costs. Today, almost all of the organizations mentioned above and many companies use Cross-Allocation Methodology in their costing systems.
Purpose of This Site:
Prove that State and local governments have huge excesses (surpluses) of the taxpayers money they are not using.Provide
the methods/tools for about anyone to determine the amount of surpluses
their State and local governments have of their money.Demonstrate the huge economic impact if these surpluses were returned to the people.Provide
a guide to the type of legislation that should be in place in order to
prevent the surpluses from accumulating in the future. Provide a system for a small group of individuals to make an impact in their community.Submitted by Paul Emde
Election certified, final numbers now posted
http://www.shapethefuture.org/elections/results/nov2010/final/SOV_Nov021010.pdf
will take me a day to figure this out....
mark stechbart
Economic picture for county mixed
November 29, 2010, 03:30 AM By Michelle Durand Daily Journal Staff
San Mateo County’s economy is a mixed bag of a combination of increased housing prices but declining office space vacancies, spiking travel rates but rising unemployment — according to the Controller’s Office evaluation of the last fiscal year.
Controller Tom Huening recently released his annual financial report, providing county residents with a glimpse into just how the jurisdiction is making ends meet, struggling to stay ahead or remaining flat. In short, the hefty report shows that the county is much in line with the rest of the state’s economic trends.
The report looked at statistics through the end of June 30.
On the bright side, housing sales volume is up and commercial vacancies are dropping. Even the county’s increased unemployment rate isn’t necessarily a negative. Huening pointed out that even though the rate has moved to 9.2 percent, the rate appears to have hit its peak and is “positioned to rebound.” Yet, growth is anticipated to be sluggish for the next several years and county resources will remain stagnant.
Again offering a mixed evaluation, Huening notes that the county’s economic hits are still better than most areas rocked by the recession.
The number of single-family homes selling in San Mateo county has increased 18 percent between June 2008 and June 2010 but the median price dropped nearly the same amount — 17 percent. The median price in 2008 was $880,000 but in June of this year was $730,000. As a result, property tax revenues have declined from an average of 7 percent growth in the last five years to -1 percent in the last fiscal year. At this rate, they are projected at between zero and 3 percent through fiscal year 2014 to 2015.
Read more...
Posted by Steve Sinai
San Mateo County’s economy is a mixed bag of a combination of increased housing prices but declining office space vacancies, spiking travel rates but rising unemployment — according to the Controller’s Office evaluation of the last fiscal year.
Controller Tom Huening recently released his annual financial report, providing county residents with a glimpse into just how the jurisdiction is making ends meet, struggling to stay ahead or remaining flat. In short, the hefty report shows that the county is much in line with the rest of the state’s economic trends.
The report looked at statistics through the end of June 30.
On the bright side, housing sales volume is up and commercial vacancies are dropping. Even the county’s increased unemployment rate isn’t necessarily a negative. Huening pointed out that even though the rate has moved to 9.2 percent, the rate appears to have hit its peak and is “positioned to rebound.” Yet, growth is anticipated to be sluggish for the next several years and county resources will remain stagnant.
Again offering a mixed evaluation, Huening notes that the county’s economic hits are still better than most areas rocked by the recession.
The number of single-family homes selling in San Mateo county has increased 18 percent between June 2008 and June 2010 but the median price dropped nearly the same amount — 17 percent. The median price in 2008 was $880,000 but in June of this year was $730,000. As a result, property tax revenues have declined from an average of 7 percent growth in the last five years to -1 percent in the last fiscal year. At this rate, they are projected at between zero and 3 percent through fiscal year 2014 to 2015.
Read more...
Posted by Steve Sinai
Saturday, November 27, 2010
LA Times: The saga of Maywood's downward spiral
This summer, the small city of Maywood made national headlines when it laid off most of its workers, disbanded the Police Department and contracted most city services to the neighboring city of Bell.
Maywood's move was quickly overshadowed by the salary scandal in Bell, which resulted in the indictments of eight current and former city officials on charges of public corruption. Now Maywood is working to extricate itself from Bell and rebuild its own city government.
But an examination into how Maywood found itself in this position offers a window into the struggles of this group of small, largely working-class communities that straddle the 710 Freeway southeast of downtown L.A.
Maywood's problems have their roots in an effort seven years ago to provide police services to another neighboring city, Cudahy.
The cities agreed upon a fee of $261 per officer hour, enough to cover Maywood's costs.
But in the ensuing years, rising costs of policing Cudahy quietly drained Maywood of more money every year.
By 2009, its $5-million reserves were gone and the budget was in deficit. A city consultant discovered that the contract was actually losing Maywood $1.1 million a year.
Maywood's insurer, and its city staff, urged the council to sign a more lucrative contract with Cudahy that would have rebuilt its reserves. But the council delayed. Members wanted to study forming a regional police force with Bell and other cities.
Instead, Maywood lost its insurance, forcing the city to hand over the reins to Bell.
"It's an incredible story if you think of a community with a small budget throwing away" money like that, said Paul Philips, Maywood's interim city manager in 2009 who noticed the contract's problems and left when the City Council ignored his warnings.
Today, Maywood struggles to remain a city at all.
Interim city officials don't have a clear idea how much the city has in reserve, though they say it's sure to be minuscule.
"It's a scary place we're in right now," said Gerardo Mayagoitia, a 34-year resident of Maywood, at a recent City Council meeting.
The saga — which started with that one ill-conceived police contract in 2003 — has led to questions about the economic viability of some southeastern Los Angeles County cities, where the tax base has withered along with the manufacturing that once supported the towns' incorporation. Formerly home to Bethlehem Steel, Maywood now counts an Arco AM PM, King Taco and a McDonald's among its largest sales-tax generators.
But the Maywood police contract story suggests these cities' viability is threatened more by a dysfunctional political culture that undermines their economic progress.
Read more...
Posted by Steve Sinai
LA Times: State's GOP is sinking fast
George Skelton
From Sacramento
Go ahead: Accuse me of shooting the wounded. But it may be that the body already is dead.
I'm referring to the California Republican Party.
How alive could the state GOP be after suffering the pounding it took on Nov. 2, a day of historic party triumph elsewhere across America?
"It's not just wounded, it's in a coma," says Republican Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado.
Maldonado was one of several Republican victims on election day. He lost the lieutenant governor's race to Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
I wouldn't be belaboring the obvious about the party's sorry shape except for a news release that caught my eye from veteran Republican consultant Kevin Spillane. He was senior strategist for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's campaign for attorney general.
Cooley was the biggest Republican vote-getter in California, which isn't saying much. At last count he was narrowly trailing Democratic San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris by half a percentage point in their seesaw battle.
Most surprisingly, Cooley was beaten badly — by 14 points — in his home county, where he had won three district attorney races by landslides.
Why couldn't Cooley carry L.A.? Spillane points out that local races, unlike state contests, are nonpartisan. Local candidates don't list party affiliations.
"Cooley has been elected and reelected D.A. as an individual," Spillane wrote. "The moment the word 'Republican' appeared on the ballot next to [his] name in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, it was a huge anchor that dragged him down, exacerbated by the collapse of the GOP ticket in the final week of the campaign."
GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman wound up getting trounced by Democratic Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.
It was the GOP as Republican "anchor" that raised my eyebrows.
Read more...
Posted by Steve Sinai
From Sacramento
I'm referring to the California Republican Party.
How alive could the state GOP be after suffering the pounding it took on Nov. 2, a day of historic party triumph elsewhere across America?
"It's not just wounded, it's in a coma," says Republican Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado.
Maldonado was one of several Republican victims on election day. He lost the lieutenant governor's race to Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
I wouldn't be belaboring the obvious about the party's sorry shape except for a news release that caught my eye from veteran Republican consultant Kevin Spillane. He was senior strategist for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's campaign for attorney general.
Cooley was the biggest Republican vote-getter in California, which isn't saying much. At last count he was narrowly trailing Democratic San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris by half a percentage point in their seesaw battle.
Most surprisingly, Cooley was beaten badly — by 14 points — in his home county, where he had won three district attorney races by landslides.
Why couldn't Cooley carry L.A.? Spillane points out that local races, unlike state contests, are nonpartisan. Local candidates don't list party affiliations.
"Cooley has been elected and reelected D.A. as an individual," Spillane wrote. "The moment the word 'Republican' appeared on the ballot next to [his] name in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, it was a huge anchor that dragged him down, exacerbated by the collapse of the GOP ticket in the final week of the campaign."
GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman wound up getting trounced by Democratic Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.
It was the GOP as Republican "anchor" that raised my eyebrows.
Read more...
Posted by Steve Sinai
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Jerry Hill's Bill Idea Contest
Press Release: Jerry Hill Announces 3rd Annual Constituent
Bill Idea Contest
Contact: Nate Solov 916-768-1378
Jerry Hill Announces 3rd
Annual Bill Idea Contest
Invites
Constituents to Author Legislative Measures – January 1 Deadline
Sacramento, CA
– Assemblymember Jerry Hill, D - San Mateo, announced his third annual
“Oughta Be A Law…Or Not” contest for San Mateo County.
The contest is open to all constituents of the 19th Assembly District and
allows residents to submit their ideas for improving the quality of life in San
Mateo County or the state of California. Ideas can vary from local community
improvements to statewide reforms. Applicants can submit their ideas for the
creation of a new law or the repeal or revision of laws already on the
books.
“This
is a great opportunity for constituents to participate in the legislative
process,” Hill said. “Winners from the last two years
traveled to Sacramento to testify in committee and their
proposals passed the legislature with bipartisan support.” Assemblymember Hill will select a winner and then introduce the idea as legislation. The individual who submits the winning idea will have the opportunity to testify in Sacramento at a hearing on the legislation.
Applications can be obtained by calling Assemblymember Hill’s San Mateo office at 650-349-1900 or from his website: www.assembly.ca.gov/hill
Completed applications may be e-mailed to Assemblymember.hill@assembly.ca.gov, faxed to the San Mateo district office at 650-341-4676 or mailed to the district office located at 1528 South El Camino Real, Suite 302, San Mateo, CA 94402. Submissions must be received by January 1, 2011. The deadline to introduce bills for the 2011 legislative session is February 18.
The 19th Assembly District includes the cities of Belmont, Brisbane,
Burlingame, Daly City, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Millbrae,
Pacifica, San Bruno, San Mateo, and South San Francisco and parts of
unincorporated San Mateo County.
Past winners include:
2009 – Assembly Bill 1379
Eda Cook of Half Moon Bay and Scott Buschman of San Bruno
were awarded co-winners of the 2009 contest for their proposals addressing the
problem of spilled debris from trucks on highways and roads. The bill
increased the base fine for spilling debris from commercial trucks. In
recent years there were over 7,000 collisions caused by spilled loads in California
resulting in 10 fatalities. The measure passed the legislature but was
vetoed by the Governor.
2010 – Assembly Bill 2654
The brainchild of Stan Fetterman of Millbrae, Assembly
Bill 2654 would require firms that send out solicitation letters that appear to
be on behalf of government agencies to include a disclaimer atop the first page
stating: “This product or service has not been approved or endorsed by
any government agency.” Fetterman proposed the law after noticing
that his business had received a pile of official-sounding letters that, in one
instance, demanded companies make a $225 payment to fulfill a bogus state
requirement. Under the bill, these letters would be required to include
the disclaimer and violations would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six
months in jail and a $2,500 fine. The measure passed the legislature but
was vetoed by the Governor.
Nate Solov
Office of Assemblymember Jerry Hill
916-319-2019 (P)
916-319-2119 (F)
Posted by Steve Sinai
Monday, November 22, 2010
Emde v. City of Pacifica
PRESS RELEASE
KRAUSE, KALFAYAN, BENINK & SLAVENS, LLP, Announces Court Ruling Allowing Lawsuit Against the City of Pacifica Alleging Proposition 218 Violations to Move Forward
.
SAN DIEGO, November 22, 2010
Pacifica and Recology argued that because it contracts with a private entity to perform the refuse collection services,
Proposition 218’s mandates do not apply. There is scant legal authority
regarding Proposition 218’s application in the context of
public-private contracts for property-related services and thus, Judge
Buchwald’s ruling represents a significant victory for rate-payers in
Pacifica. No trial date has been set.
About Krause Kalfayan Benink & Slavens, LLP.: KKBS is a boutique law firm located in San Diego, CA representing consumers, rate-payers, shareholders, and businesses in individual and class action litigation.
If
you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning the
lawsuit or rights or interests with respect to these matters, please
contact attorneys for plaintiff, Eric J. Benink at Krause, Kalfayan,
Benink & Slavens, LLP, 625 Broadway, Suite 635, San Diego, CA 92101, Tel: (619) 232-0331, email: . Website: kkbs-law.com.
Submitted by Lionel Emde
Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
Defined benefit pension plans are in trouble across the country, but
politicians in states like Arizona and Illinois are reluctant to tackle the
problem. Voters across the country however, have taken matters into their own
hands by refusing to agree to tax hikes and by voting to reduce
benefits.
In California, voters in eight of nine cities or counties approved measures to reduce public-pension benefits. Moreover, six new governor-elects want to kill defined benefit plans.
Finally, the speaker of the House in Arizona wants a constitutional amendment to lower pension benefits.
Arizona Central covers these issues and more in a pair of articles. Let's start with a look at Pension reform a difficult task.
In California, voters in eight of nine cities or counties approved measures to reduce public-pension benefits. Moreover, six new governor-elects want to kill defined benefit plans.
Finally, the speaker of the House in Arizona wants a constitutional amendment to lower pension benefits.
Arizona Central covers these issues and more in a pair of articles. Let's start with a look at Pension reform a difficult task.
The Arizona Legislature's incoming House speaker and Senate president said lawmakers can go only so far to slow the rate of growth for the state's pension systems, which an Arizona Republic analysis found cost taxpayers $1.39 billion last year, a 448 percent increase from a decade ago.Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams Proposes Constitutional Amendment
These rising taxpayer costs, coming at a time when state and local governments have cut services to balance their budgets, have been driven in part by the pension trusts' investment losses during the market downturn but also by ongoing pension-benefit improvements and efforts to hold down costs for employees themselves.
"It's time we get serious about reforming the public-pension systems," said House Speaker Kirk Adams, R-Mesa. "But if we are going to have any fundamental change, the voters will have to get involved."
Adams said he would work to get the Legislature to have voters in 2012 change the state Constitution, which prohibits benefits from being diminished for those in the public-pension systems. Adams said he has yet to get support from the Republican-controlled Senate or Gov. Jan Brewer, a fellow Republican.
In 1998, the intent of the measure was to protect public-pension trust funds, which had surpluses at the time, from being raided by lawmakers in the event of lean budget times. Since then, the pensions have not been touched by lawmakers.
In a significant indication of change, six newly elected governors in Alabama, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Rhode Island have suggested that they want to amend their states' pension systems to 401(k) plans similar to the private sector's, said Stephen Fehr, a pension expert for the Pew Center on the States. The center is a non-profit policy-advocating group.
"They want to shift away from guaranteed pensions," Fehr said.
Even in states with strong labor unions, such as California and Illinois, action has been taken, Fehr noted.
Voters in eight of nine California cities and counties approved measures during the recent election to cut public-pension benefits. In addition, Fehr said, more than 40 suburban communities in Chicago approved a ballot question that called on the Illinois Legislature to reduce benefits for future state workers.
There is much more in the article, please give it a look. Also consider House speaker unveils sweeping plans
Adams plans next session to ask lawmakers to:Fraudulent Promises Need Not Be Kept
- Eliminate the Deferred Retirement Option Plan for public-safety officers. This program costs tens of millions of dollars, providing lump-sum payments to police and firefighters who agree to defer retirement for up to five years and stay on the job.
- Prohibit public employees from retiring and returning to work. The practice of "double-dipping" reduces contributions to the pension systems by millions of dollars.
- Prohibit public officials convicted of crimes related to official duties from receiving pensions.
- Eliminate the pension system for elected officials and move judges who are in that plan into the larger Arizona State Retirement System. Pensions for elected officials are the best in the state.
- Change the state's pension plans, which have guaranteed payouts, to 401(k)-type systems.
- Refer a constitutional amendment to voters in 2012 to allow pension benefits to be reduced. A provision in the Arizona Constitution prohibits benefits from being diminished.
Many will say we cannot renege on promises. The reality is those promises are invalid because they came about as a result of fraud. Politicians got into bed with public unions by making promises they knew they could not keep, in return for endorsements from unions to get elected.
The entire vote-buying process by unions is fraudulent. No one represented taxpayers, even though public workers are supposed to be public servants.
It is not at all wrong to take away promises made via fraudulent vote buying, influence peddling, and bribes. The same applies to public union wages as well.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Submitted by Jim Alex
Sunday, November 21, 2010
San Diego Mayor Proposes Eliminating City Pensions
As time runs down in San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' tenure, his proposals to solve the city's financial crisis are becoming more drastic. This summer, he embraced a tax hike. Friday, he proposed 401(k)-style retirement accounts for most new city employees, and in turn, eliminating their pensions.
Staring him and everyone else in the face is a $70 million-plus ongoing deficit, one that neither a tax increase or a pension elimination will fix. The tax hike won't work because voters said no. The pension elimination, which also needs voter approval, won't save any money for years and wouldn't go on a ballot until next year at the earliest.
Sanders has two more years to solve the financial problem he was elected to fix. Friday, he recommitted to the task.
"I won't pass the structural deficit on to the next mayor," Sanders said.
As he tries to fulfill that pledge, Sanders' proposals include the familiar: All the reforms tied to the Proposition D tax hike. They include the major: Consolidating departments and potentially privatizing the city's airports and golf courses. And they include the minor: Ending free trash pickup for 18,000 homes on privately owned streets and using more energy-efficient bulbs in street lights.
Read more...
Submitted by Jim Alex
Friday, November 19, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving - enjoy!
"Good grief its 4 o'clock, we're suppose to be at grandmothers house by 4:30."
A Charlie Brown thanksgiving, on television from the "good old days" (1973?), video 20:20 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42u0TiZZPCY
Posted by Kathy Meeh
Is the economy improving?
Its a long ways back, but in California exports point to "yes it is."
Posted by Kathy Meeh
Ice pick stabbing leads to attempted murder charges
November 19, 2010, 02:19 AM By Michelle Durand Daily Journal Staff
A Pacifica man stabbed his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend with an ice pick
through the ear to his brain after encountering the couple while
drinking at the beach with his new paramour, according to prosecutors.
Arthur John Armstrong, 37, denied doing anything other than
physically assaulting the 39-year-old victim Monday night near the pier
in Pacifica, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
However, Wagstaffe said, authorities found an ice pick in the
bushes near the scene of the assault and the victim is currently in a
drug-induced coma with brain swelling.
On Thursday, Armstrong appeared in San Mateo County Superior
Court on charges of attempted murder and assault plus the special
allegations of using a knife and causing great bodily injury. Armstrong
asked for a court-appointed attorney and put off a plea until Nov. 24
after his attorney is assigned. He was ordered held without bail.
Armstrong and the victim met up the evening of Nov. 15 after they
separately headed to the same beach area near the pier to drink with
their girlfriends, Wagstaffe said.
Armstrong’s current girlfriend reportedly was previously involved with the victim.
The victim told police the couples exchanged insults before
Armstrong threw a lit firecracker in their direction. When the victim
asked what he was doing, he said Armstrong approached and began punching
him while the ex-girlfriend assaulted the current girlfriend.
Submitted by Jim Alex
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Take notes from now on when you go thru TSA
DA promises to prosecute overly touchy pat downs
Lyanne Melendez KCO ABC 7 TVMore: Bio, E-mail, News Team
SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The San Mateo district attorney's office has a warning for all TSA personnel at SFO -- anyone inappropriately touching a passenger during a security pat down will be prosecuted.
"The case would be reviewed and if we could prove the elements of it, that it was inappropriately done with a sexual or lewd intent, that person would be prosecuted," he said.
The charge -- sexual battery.
"If it is skin to skin, if someone were to take their hand and put it underneath somebody's blouse and touch someone inappropriately and go skin to skin, that's a felony, and if it's done simply over the clothing, according to California law, that's a misdemeanor," Wagstaffe said.
More pat down searches are expected because some passengers are refusing to go through the image scanning device. Homeland Security announced more scanners are on the way as part of the enhanced security measures at all airports.
Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano has said a passenger's privacy is protected.
"We built privacy concerns into the procedures when they were deployed," she said.
Not all travelers are buying Napolitano's claim.
"It's ridiculous and it's not safer, they are just doing it to have us more fearful and there is no reason for it," passenger Cathlyn Daley
But many passengers at SFO do not mind the enhanced security.
"I would much rather go through a little uncomfortableness and know that I will be safe or a least know that everything was done to protect me," passenger Suzanne Beaty said.
A few however, do.
"A stranger groping you basically," passenger David Barth said.
Passengers should know once they go through security, a TSA officer can ask them to submit to a pat down.
"At that point somewhere in that process you get to a point where you can't withdraw and you will be searched whether you like it or not," ABC7 legal analyst Dean Johnson said.
Wagstaffe has yet to receive a complaint.
SFO security screeners work for a company contracted by the TSA but undergo the same training and comply with the same regulations as TSA employees.
As for the assurance that the images from body scanners are never saved, tech blog Gizmodo obtained 100 saved photos after filing a request through the Freedom of Information Act, just a few of the 35,000 photos that were stored on a machine at the federal courthouse in Miami.
Gizmodo eliminated identifying features before posting them, but the pictures demonstrate the security issues still being worked out with the machines.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=7793386
Submitted by Mark Stechbart
Some things are just ironic
Posted: 11/16/2010 07:47:46 AM PST
Updated: 11/16/2010 10:02:40 AM PST
The
three-alarm blaze that caused $1.1 million in damage to a warehouse
filled with rock legend Neil Young's music equipment and memorabilia
appears to have started in a one-of-a-kind hybrid car stored at the
site, a fire official said Monday.
Flames began in a 1959 Lincoln Continental dubbed LincVolt, which runs on electric batteries and a biodiesel-powered generator, and then spread to the warehouse at 593 Quarry Road in the early morning of Nov. 9, according to Belmont-San Carlos Fire Marshal Jim Palisi and a website devoted to the car.
Young assembled a team of workers in 2008 to convert the 19.5-foot behemoth from gasoline to hybrid power, an effort he chronicled in a four-part film series.
Read more...
Submitted by Jim Wagner
Chamber
Well just as I was preparing to comment on the news that BJ Nathanson resigned in disappointment from the Pacifica Planning Commission (noting that "As years went on, however, new people came on, the tenor of the commission just kept changing and changing and changing and not for the better, It completely tilted in one political direction and lately, the current commission...I have found a few commissioners who are just refuse to follow the rules.") . . . an early Christmas gift fell into my lap.
The tax returns for the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce for 2006, 2007, and 2008:
PACIFICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2006 form 990
PACIFICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2007 form 990
PACIFICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2008 form 990
Some analysis of these returns unveils some very interesting information.
As Pacifica's business community was quickly dying from 2006 to 2008, Chamber of Commerce CEO Don Eagleston was given a raise in salary and benefits from $83,413 in 2006 to $94,424 in 2007, to $103,799 in 2008.
During the same time period, the Visitors center lost $1,425 during 2006, $46 in 2007, and did manage to eke out a $543 profit in 2008.
Also noted in the 2008 return is the participation of Councilwoman Julie Lancelle, the City of Pacifica's liaison to the chamber, of approximately 2 hours a week. You may recall Ms. Lancelle was very upset that, despite the weak endorsement from Don Eagleston of the proposed sales tax in May of 2009 (Measure D), it failed by over a 60%/40% margin. Perhaps she did not spend enough time with the Chamber of Commerce discussing actual ECONOMIC BUSINESS PROPOSALS that didn't include regressive taxes.
So apparently the one person who profited most by Pacifica's lack of attention to the needs of the business community was its Chamber of Commerce's own CEO. And as the Chamber of Commerce was co-opted by the same non-profit environmentalist community supported by the liaison Julie Lancelle, I have to revisit Nancy Hall's whiny diatribe in the Tribune a few weeks ago and wonder who's fault was it really that the business community was not competently represented the past 8 years???
Article from Jeff Simons, http://jeffsbigmouth.blogspot.com/2010/11/pacificas-chamber-of-commerce-good-for.html
Submitted by Jim Alex
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