As Sacramento struggles to balance its budget, the ominous realization that political interests in both parties are so hopelessly dug in during these times has forced the dark special-interest driven process - the "sausage making" - that is government out into the daylight. And as we all watch the state come apart, filled with awe, anger, disgust, sorrow, pity (add your own adjective here)...we in local government should take heed of the lessons being learned in the state capitol and do our very best to avoid them lest we fall victim to these practices ourselves.
A regular critic of local government, Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Organization penned a particularly insightful article about what the Democrat party means when it talks about protecting the "needy" in the state. The blog post which appeared in "The Flashreport", a conservative news blog that is a popluar read among capitol denizens aptly illustrates the stranglehold that public employee unions have over elected officials. Disgaree with Coupal if you will, but one can not help but seethe potential landmines just around the corner for local governments if they dont break loose from the same iron grip of public employee unions as that they hold over the state government.
To that point, in an article titled "City workers' pay goes beyond base salary" that appeared recently in the San Diego Union Tribune, the city of San Diego is showcased as a city where raises can occur as a result of pre-determined formulas and "hidden" agreements - just the type of thing that promises anger and mistrust from residents watching government at all levels verbalizing their financial predicaments.
The article begins with a familiar story in law enforcement...Jaime Fitzpatrick, a police officer who patrols Carmel and Sorrento valleys, received a 47 percent increase in pay last year. It was one of the largest raises among the city's work force.
The increase wasn't triggered by a promotion or a change in duties.
Fitzpatrick received a step increase, education incentive and general salary increase that the police union negotiated. Most of the raise, which boosted her pay to $84,500, was prompted by her completion of two years on patrol and the fact that she had a college degree.Full story in the SDUT here