CaliforniaCityNews.org

Vallejo Set to Ax City Manager

Vallejo City Manager Joe Tanner is set to be dismissed by the City Council.  Tanner is the 7th manager to have guided the city in the last 4 years... which tends to say more about the city's financial situation than the employee, if you ask us.  Given his 2 1/2 year run, Tanner certainly seems to have fared better than his predecessors. 

As the city has been in throes of bankruptcy, Tanner took a pretty hard line against city unions, who are among his most vocal critics.  He's not without supporters on the council, as councilwoman Stephanie Gross called the firing a "vendetta" by those same political opponents. 

Read more in the SF Chron and/or the Merc.

Charter Cities Win Prevailing Wage Case

Charter Cities scored a big court victory this week, as the state's 4th District Court of Appeals upheld their right to not pay prevailing wage on municipal projects.  The decision was made on suit filed by major unions against the City of Vista, who became a Charter City in 2007.  At the time, Vista had a hefty docket of shovel-ready projects, everything from a civic center to firehouses. 

Most see this one heading to the State Supreme Court. For a good look at the legal aspects, check out this post from the California Constitution blog. For the nuts and bolts, try the Union Trib. 

AG Finds 'Gross Misconduct and Widespread Abuse' in City PD

Attorney General Jerry Brown dropped the hammer on the City of Maywood this week, releasing a report finding 'Gross Misconduct and Widespread Abuse' in the city's police department.  The AG's 30 page report speaks of a culture of harassment and racial insensitivity and calls for a top-to-bottom overhaul. 

The LA Times initially drew attention to the Maywood PD in 2007, running an expose calling it a "haven for misfit cops." 

Read more in the LAT or catch video here. 

LA Tightens Regs on Mortgage Consultants

In a bid to head off anger from the legions of distressed homeowners in thier city, LA Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to place restrictions on mortgage consultants who would charge up-front fees to help homeowners refinance.  Laws are already on the books preventing such fees from being levied on homeowners in default.  Mayor Villariagosa called this a -frist-of-its-kind ordinance to protect homeowners and keep families in their homes.

Read more in the LAT. 

Are We Nearing The End Of The Bass And Villines Era?

It's strange to be considering the end of an era in Sacramento when they now only last a few months or so. But, an interesting question to consider -- are Speaker Bass and Minority Leader Villines on their way out?

If conventional wisdom has anything to do with it, and Propositions 1A-1E lose on May 19th, then i'ts difficult to see any other scenario than a change in leadership in both parties' lower house. One way or the other, one party is going to claim a mandate on the morning of May 20th and their resolve to move forward will be matched only by the resolve of the opposition to prevent their moving forward.

In short, this is a train wreck for both Bass and Villines, who crafted a compromise that no one is happy with.

Joel Matthews, in a great column The Fox and Hounds daily, put it succinctly: 

"The first casualties of defeat likely would be political, not economic. It’s hard for me to see the Democratic and Republican leaders in the Assembly surviving such a defeat. Both Karen Bass and Mike Villines have put their prestige and credibility on the line in making the deal, and defending it. In doing so, they’ve taken a big political risk, and for a good reason. Without a deal, the state’s cash crunch would have hurt not only the government but also the economy."

Both Bass and Villines have gone "all in" on this package -- as have the Governor and Senate Pro-Tem Steinberg.  But unlike these two, Bass and Villines are at the end of their Sacramento relevance. Both have cranky caucuses, upset and angered special interests to deal with, and ambitious politicos nipping at their heels (yes, there are dozens in town who believe they are best suited for the job).

What does this mean for cities? Well, there's likely promise as well as pitfalls. Simple odds dictate there's a good chance the next leaders could come from local government (as neither Bass nor Villines did) but there will also be incredible pressure on the lawmakers to borrow, raid, rip-off or steal local government funds.  Though they have recently left local coffers alone, it's just as plausible that lawmakers will now take every cent they can off local governments.

What is clear is that the state will have a severely weakened Governor, and new (or weakened) legislative leaders entering negotiations at a most precarious time in California history. And at a time when we Californian's need to think bigger than our problems, we may end up stymied by a system that will only allow for more of the same.

Palo Alto Targets Styrofoam

Palo Alto has already nixed plastic grocery bags, styrofoam is now public enemy #2.  The Council took up discussion on a proposed ban Monday night.  The ban passed, and is set to take effect next Earth Day (April 22, 2010, for those of you keeping track).

While the plastic bag ban was relatively small in scope (it only impacted the city's 7 supermarkets), the styrofoam ban will force changes at dozens of restaurants and other establishment. 

Read more from the San Jose Merc. 

Op-Eds Roll in Against City Bankruptcy Bill

Over the weekend the SacBee and the Oakland Trib weighed in against AB 155, the Assemblyman Mendoza authored bill that would make it more difficult for cities to declare bankruptcy.

The basic messages of the editorials keyed on the union-backing of the bill, coupled with the state's inability to balance its own books.  As the Bee wrote: "Having driven the state to the brink of bankruptcy, legislators are now moving to make it more difficult for California's cities and counties to put their shaky fiscal houses in order."

The bill is also bad policy.  Again, from the Bee: "Far from protecting the state and other jurisdictions from the potential negative spillover effects if one local government seeks bankruptcy protection, AB 155 may actually put the state at great financial risk."

The Trib piles on: "legislators... should focus their time on getting the state's fiscal house in order rather than trying to undermine rare, but legitimate attempts by local government to seek court protection while they are fixing their own problems."

Read the full pieces by the Trib and the Bee.

Solar Permit Fees Vary Widely

Permits for the same set of solar panels could set you back anywhere from pocket change to $11 grand, depending on your city.  The San Jose Merc takes a look at South Bay Area fees and found the wide discrepancies, like $324 in Morgan Hill vs. $11,737 in Cupertino. 

An environmental group in fact surveyed all 41 South bay cities back in 2005, prompting many to dramatically lower fees to stay in line with their neighbors.  Now the Sierra Club is out with what "is believed to be the first review of commercial permit costs in the United States."

Read more in the Merc.

Best Cities to Relocate? Hardest Cities to Get By?

Riverside, Temecula and Vacaville are in elite company -- ranked as the only 3 California cities among the "Top 100 Places to Live" in RelocateAmerica's annual listing.  The website has been rating the top 100 cities for 12 years now, and though they only rank numerically in the top 10, it's worth noting that while many young families flee the Golden State, at least a handful of cities still rate relocation consideration.

Cities must be nominated for evaluation, and the panel reviews "key data regarding education, employment, economy, crime, parks, recreation and housing."

Read the write-ups for Temecula, Riverside and Vacaville for yourself. 

Interestingly, Riverside also figured high on a Forbes list of "Hardest Cities to Get By," released this month.  Riverside was #3, and California cities dominated the list... just 20 towns long.  San Diego clocked in at #18, San Jose was #17, Sacramento #11 and LA #2.  Get that story here.

Local Decision Making Processes Laid Out in Plain English... and Spanish

The Institute for Local Government has released the newest resource in its “Local Government 101” series, "Understanding the Basics of Local Agency Decision-Making."  Providing "plain language" explanations of local decision making processes for the general public and/or newly elected officials, the publication is available in both English and Spanish.

Liebert Cassidy Whitmore sponsored the publication, which the ILG is encouraging cities to link to from their websites.  And it's free!  Download it here (English), or get the Spanish version aqui.   (Spanish).