Once Again government proves by example it has no business in business. The free rent is not that big of a deal. The biggest mistake made by the past City Council was to pay for the upgrades, consulting, and retro fitting of the building. Yes my fellow Stocktonians it is not just the 2.7 million for the free rent, it is another 400K for the consulting fees, and a 3 million dollar retro fit on the floor, so it would not collapse under the weight of the kitchen. I’m sure Council members Eggman and Martin along with City Manager Gordon Palmer could give you a more detailed explanation.
However the real reason for failure of the Paragary's Bar & Grill is not some unified boycott by the citizens. The real reasons are high prices coupled with the downtown theater complex has become a haven for hundreds of out of control teenagers hanging out on Friday and Saturday nights. Often large scale gang fights have erupted directly out side of Paragary's. And why? Well because once again the Gordon Palmer financial management disaster robbed the funds from the police department preventing the hiring of extra officers to keep the little gangsters out of the area.
Now I don’t mind paying extra for a little serving of food once and a while, and I do like the upscale atmosphere Paragary's provides, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to drive my SL55 to downtown Stockton, and have it sit in front of the restaurant when there is a gang fight going on in the street, AGAIN. Then after our dinner we couldn’t even walk to the Starbucks for a cup of coffee due to the horde of pimple faced cussing teenagers clogging up the area and taking all the seats in Starbucks drinking free water.
Where have the police gone? Why are they not there? I’ll tell you why, GROSS MISMANAGEMENT by city staff.
Mayor get real, it is time to change out the coaches. Get rid of the incompetent city staff, or you can take responsibility for the years of robbing our tax dollars for failing capital ventures.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Workers Comp for All
Ok I volunteer to help my city, my community and my neighborhood. I will clean the streets, I will paint over the graffiti, and I will mow the grass in my park. Yes City of Stockton I will work for free…….. AND City of Stockton you will insure me, you will pay my medical bills, AND my lost wages, when I fall from the ladder as I trim YOUR tree, and when I cut my foot mowing YOUR grass. If you don’t pay up, as I’ve seen you do in the past, I will litigate you to no end, and as always you will have to pay huge OUTSIDE attorney fees to replace the incompetent ones you have……..of all the ridiculous ideas!
The law provides workers compensation coverage for any and all people volunteering to work for the city. Thats right, if you get hurt doing volunteer work for the City of Stockton, you will be covered by workers compensation.
Present volunteer opputunites with in the city are limited, and mostly involve peole who once worked or are trying to get a job with the city. These current volunteers have an interest in not abusing the sytem, as in they want to continue to associate with the organazation. But will the citizen who is helping to mow the grass in the parks, trim trees, paint grafetti have the same ethics.
Just in shere numbers alone the mayor is opening the city up to unmeasurable liabilities regarding personal injuries. hey if I were looking at getting laid off of my job, I'd get injured volunteering, and while I was off work anyway pursue compensation from a city who has a long history of giving "shut up money" to undeserving folks.
Another black eye in the propostions is, how in the heck does the city lay off workers and then hire free labor to work in the laid off workers position, with out following the city policy of re-hireing the laid off worker first?
And so what your telling me is that I should pay my taxes and then perform the work myself?
The law provides workers compensation coverage for any and all people volunteering to work for the city. Thats right, if you get hurt doing volunteer work for the City of Stockton, you will be covered by workers compensation.
Present volunteer opputunites with in the city are limited, and mostly involve peole who once worked or are trying to get a job with the city. These current volunteers have an interest in not abusing the sytem, as in they want to continue to associate with the organazation. But will the citizen who is helping to mow the grass in the parks, trim trees, paint grafetti have the same ethics.
Just in shere numbers alone the mayor is opening the city up to unmeasurable liabilities regarding personal injuries. hey if I were looking at getting laid off of my job, I'd get injured volunteering, and while I was off work anyway pursue compensation from a city who has a long history of giving "shut up money" to undeserving folks.
Another black eye in the propostions is, how in the heck does the city lay off workers and then hire free labor to work in the laid off workers position, with out following the city policy of re-hireing the laid off worker first?
And so what your telling me is that I should pay my taxes and then perform the work myself?
Monday, April 6, 2009
THUD, the Lead Balloon
“A lead balloon”, “ the elephant in the room”, “ an Albatross” , call it what you want, but the fact remains nobody wants to own it at the end of the day.
Interestingly enough is that the “lead balloon” is rapidly becoming the city staff, and not the budget, deficit, etc.. I say city staff due to the years of incompetent management by the city manager, city finance officer, deputy city manager, and H.R. director. The current crisis would be but a nominal slow down if it weren’t for the past years of continued mismanagement of taxpayer money.
Now it seems as if the council and mayor will be content to buy in and own the city managements years of incompetence. The economy down turn did not create, but exposed the under handed misuse of the voters tax money.
The city management was caught taking money from the water department to pay for capital improvements, which was obviously illegal due to the “out of court settlement” to pay it back. The ambulance fund cost the city 17 million not 5 million as previously stated. The city negotiated a contract to re-structure police officers salary and then take the savings and pay for the 3@50 PERS retirement plan, but instead of using the concessions for the contracted purpose instead used it to build the arena, and then had to go into debt to PERS to pay up. They taxed the citizens, Measure W, for extra police and fire personnel, and then now plan layoffs. The trees are dying, the roads are a mess, but there is no need to go on,..... you get the message.
The city manager and staff are in way over their heads, and continue to offer completely unrealistic overnight solutions to a problem which was years in the making. Then suggest going into debt to buy minor league sports teams.
All the while the city manager sits on 160 million dollars of Capital Improvement Project funds, for projects which will not be started for 10 to 15 years, along with the city of Stockton sitting on 1.2 billion dollars worth of net assets. In spite of this usable wealth the mayor, council, and management toy and threaten the taxpayers with claiming bankruptcy and reducing vital services. Does anyone really think any municipality can simply claim bankruptcy and then have a judge re-negotiate a contract for .50 cents on the dollar, not going to happen. An industry standard will be used and awarded.
Just as the city government toys with bankruptcy and destroying a community with short term solutions and goals, the voters now toy with RECALL. One would have to be a total goof to think this council and mayor will survive a bankruptcy and the reduction of public safety, all the while keeping the same city management team in place.
So the political career question is, “who wants to hold the “lead balloon”? Poli-Sci 101 tells us at this point a change in management is way over due, or the elected officials will own the problems created by city management.
The mayor and council have two options,...... wash their hands of city management or start planning for the recall.
Time to change the coach!
(Nothing here in is intended to aid or hinder the City of Stockton's Government process. All contents are simply opinions of the author and are not the opinions of any government office, department, entity, or business)
Interestingly enough is that the “lead balloon” is rapidly becoming the city staff, and not the budget, deficit, etc.. I say city staff due to the years of incompetent management by the city manager, city finance officer, deputy city manager, and H.R. director. The current crisis would be but a nominal slow down if it weren’t for the past years of continued mismanagement of taxpayer money.
Now it seems as if the council and mayor will be content to buy in and own the city managements years of incompetence. The economy down turn did not create, but exposed the under handed misuse of the voters tax money.
The city management was caught taking money from the water department to pay for capital improvements, which was obviously illegal due to the “out of court settlement” to pay it back. The ambulance fund cost the city 17 million not 5 million as previously stated. The city negotiated a contract to re-structure police officers salary and then take the savings and pay for the 3@50 PERS retirement plan, but instead of using the concessions for the contracted purpose instead used it to build the arena, and then had to go into debt to PERS to pay up. They taxed the citizens, Measure W, for extra police and fire personnel, and then now plan layoffs. The trees are dying, the roads are a mess, but there is no need to go on,..... you get the message.
The city manager and staff are in way over their heads, and continue to offer completely unrealistic overnight solutions to a problem which was years in the making. Then suggest going into debt to buy minor league sports teams.
All the while the city manager sits on 160 million dollars of Capital Improvement Project funds, for projects which will not be started for 10 to 15 years, along with the city of Stockton sitting on 1.2 billion dollars worth of net assets. In spite of this usable wealth the mayor, council, and management toy and threaten the taxpayers with claiming bankruptcy and reducing vital services. Does anyone really think any municipality can simply claim bankruptcy and then have a judge re-negotiate a contract for .50 cents on the dollar, not going to happen. An industry standard will be used and awarded.
Just as the city government toys with bankruptcy and destroying a community with short term solutions and goals, the voters now toy with RECALL. One would have to be a total goof to think this council and mayor will survive a bankruptcy and the reduction of public safety, all the while keeping the same city management team in place.
So the political career question is, “who wants to hold the “lead balloon”? Poli-Sci 101 tells us at this point a change in management is way over due, or the elected officials will own the problems created by city management.
The mayor and council have two options,...... wash their hands of city management or start planning for the recall.
Time to change the coach!
(Nothing here in is intended to aid or hinder the City of Stockton's Government process. All contents are simply opinions of the author and are not the opinions of any government office, department, entity, or business)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Lets Get Up To Speed
About 6-10 years ago the metropolitan area around the City of Stockton, along with the city itself, experienced a boom in the housing industry. The city government, elected and appointed, spent money as if it was a disease they needed to rid themselves of.
They invested in several capital ventures, restructured redevelopment agency districts, to aid in tax collecting, and expanded city staffing levels in almost all departments.
Almost anyone with any economic training understood this boom was just that, a boom. Not a status quo to be counted on and depended on for rears to come. Any competent manager could have seen the end coming before the story even began to develop. In fact at a meeting of county tax assessors the word was put out to start saving due to the boom coming to a bust. San Joaquin County began saving, Stockton’s City management began spending like drunken sailors, and raiding funds like drunken pirates.
When revenue began to slow down the city manager continued to spend and invest in capital ventures such as a multipurpose sports arena, minor league baseball field, and a high end marina. A new city hall was also purchased with millions of dollars of upgrades.
Tax money was diverted from the general fund to pay for these high end projects. Money that was ear marked through contract negotiations meant to be spent on public safety retirements and back loaded contracts (which were at the city‘s request to save money when they were making money). Tax money ear marked for the water district was also diverted. City staff has now admitted to removing 38 million dollars from the general fund to pay for the arena.
Now revenues have decreased and the city manger, who while facing the drop in revenues refused to stop spending, even making statements similar to “I have people money and thing money, I have a lot of thing money and not very much people money, and I‘m not losing my things“, now blames the employees salary and benefit packages for the city’s financial problems.
During the “boom” one thing was certain, the written labor contracts.
Any competent manager could have, should have, read the contracts and then realized there was a bill coming due, and then curtailed discretionary spending, thereby securing funds to pay the contracts.
Any competent manager would have stopped the spending.
This manager was incompetent in reading the existing contracts, following the advice of professionals, and has now created a huge financial problem.
The truth is the City of Stockton would have at least an 8 million dollar surplus instead of a 30 million dollar deficit, had the city manager not removed the 38 million dollars to pay for pet projects.
The truth is the financial mess was created by mismanagement of taxpayers funds, and the economy downturn only shined the light on the city manager’s incompetence.
Nothing here in is intended to aid or hinder the City of Stockton's Government process. All contents are simply opinions of the author and are not the opinions of any government office, department, entity, or business. For entertaiment purposes only.
About 6-10 years ago the metropolitan area around the City of Stockton, along with the city itself, experienced a boom in the housing industry. The city government, elected and appointed, spent money as if it was a disease they needed to rid themselves of.
They invested in several capital ventures, restructured redevelopment agency districts, to aid in tax collecting, and expanded city staffing levels in almost all departments.
Almost anyone with any economic training understood this boom was just that, a boom. Not a status quo to be counted on and depended on for rears to come. Any competent manager could have seen the end coming before the story even began to develop. In fact at a meeting of county tax assessors the word was put out to start saving due to the boom coming to a bust. San Joaquin County began saving, Stockton’s City management began spending like drunken sailors, and raiding funds like drunken pirates.
When revenue began to slow down the city manager continued to spend and invest in capital ventures such as a multipurpose sports arena, minor league baseball field, and a high end marina. A new city hall was also purchased with millions of dollars of upgrades.
Tax money was diverted from the general fund to pay for these high end projects. Money that was ear marked through contract negotiations meant to be spent on public safety retirements and back loaded contracts (which were at the city‘s request to save money when they were making money). Tax money ear marked for the water district was also diverted. City staff has now admitted to removing 38 million dollars from the general fund to pay for the arena.
Now revenues have decreased and the city manger, who while facing the drop in revenues refused to stop spending, even making statements similar to “I have people money and thing money, I have a lot of thing money and not very much people money, and I‘m not losing my things“, now blames the employees salary and benefit packages for the city’s financial problems.
During the “boom” one thing was certain, the written labor contracts.
Any competent manager could have, should have, read the contracts and then realized there was a bill coming due, and then curtailed discretionary spending, thereby securing funds to pay the contracts.
Any competent manager would have stopped the spending.
This manager was incompetent in reading the existing contracts, following the advice of professionals, and has now created a huge financial problem.
The truth is the City of Stockton would have at least an 8 million dollar surplus instead of a 30 million dollar deficit, had the city manager not removed the 38 million dollars to pay for pet projects.
The truth is the financial mess was created by mismanagement of taxpayers funds, and the economy downturn only shined the light on the city manager’s incompetence.
Nothing here in is intended to aid or hinder the City of Stockton's Government process. All contents are simply opinions of the author and are not the opinions of any government office, department, entity, or business. For entertaiment purposes only.
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