Over the weekend these little signs began appearing on a few intersections in Fullerton.
The print is so small that you’ll have to pull over and get out of your car to read it. This one warns of Chris Thompson’s endorsement by U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, which is pretty funny considering it’s the same message that Thompson is trying to get out himself. I’m sure he appreciates the help, but next time please make them big enough to actually read.
Other equally odd versions of the sign say “bad for our children, bad for our teachers” and “Bushala puppet.” Thompson is an advocate for promoting good teachers and identifying underperforming ones, which I guess would make him “bad for BAD teachers,” but arguably good for children.
So if Thompson is good for good teachers and bad for bad teachers, who do you think would put up this sign?
Our famous firefighter video has become some sort of Internet sensation, bringing in tens of thousands of viewers and building some serious buzz. Oddly enough, the clip seems to be extra popular on computers within the halls of public agencies throughout the nation.
But just in case you missed it, here it is again:
And a special thank you to our anonymous friend, Mr. Oliver Stone. The popularity of this clip has inspired other cinematic greats such as “Cop Gets Schooled” and “Fire Chief Watches House Burn.” Keep ’em coming, Mr. Stone.
A senior CalPERS attorney just told me that the annual pension liability reports for local agencies, which are normally distributed every October, have now been delayed until after the November elections. The delays are allegedly due to furloughs, but conveniently prevent local pension watchdogs from using the data to promote fiscally conservative candidates and pension reform leading up to the November 2nd.
I bury'd it.
This year’s reports would be the first to calculate pension liabilities after the disastrous market crash of 2008/2009 which caused CalPERS to loose a large portion of its holdings, which in turn has caused cities’ unfunded liability and annual contributions to skyrocket. But the damage to each city is unknown until the individual reports are released.
How bad will it be? Here’s one example: rough calculations show Fullerton’s “non-smoothed” unfunded liability for itspublic safety plan will soar past $100,000,000 this year, nearly three times the amount presented last year. Throughout the state, the debts shown in these report are likely to be shocking compared to previous filings.
The data would have undoubtedly been used to draw more attention to the dire pension situation in cities throughout California. The reports would have come just in time for local elections, which makes CalPERS’ stated cause for the delay extremely suspect.
Ouch
The annual “Actuarial Valuation” reports are prepared by CalPERS actuaries for each participating agency to justify annual increases in required contributions. Here is a example of Fullerton’s public safety report for 2008, which is the most recent year available.
Today the first public employee union campaign signs went up across Fullerton. Predictably, the union is backing all three worthless RINOs: Don Bankhead, Pat McKinley and Roland Chi.
The public safety unions’ motives have always been clear to the observant. They will support the candidates who offer them the biggest return. What do the unions expect? More generous pay raises. More obscene benefits. More unsustainable pensions. Multi-million dollar retirement packages. And more debt and taxes to pay for it.
Rookie draft complete. Now presenting the 2010 Union Dream Team
The unions have proven that they hold little regard for Fullerton taxpayers, as evidenced by their pension-driven destruction of Fullerton’s financial future for the benefit of a few public servants. They lobby for raises, pray on the emotions of the weak, and lie about future benefit costs all while complaining about their cushy jobs. When it’s time to negotiate with our empty-headed council, all of the union deceit comes together like a finely tuned machine. It’s sole purpose? To line their own pockets in exchange for the least amount of effort and accountability as possible.
How could the unions take so much from Fullerton’s conservative voter base? That’s easy. For decades, Republican voters have been fooled in to electing spineless cowards who are afraid to stand up for taxpayers at their end of the bargaining table. They shrivel up in fear at the thought of going against the unions and offer nothing but endless excuses when their negligence is exposed.
It’s frightening, but it’s true. The unions are in it for themselves, taxpayers be damned. They won’t quit until we’ve been sucked dry, and they’ve found just the right candidates to do it. In 2010, it really is “us vs. them.” Let’s bring some sanity back to this city.
It transpires that the police union in the beautiful and high-toned town of Santa Barbra are unhappy with their city manager. “Joe” sez you, “so what?”
A man discovers his true vocation...
Well, it turns out that the City Manager of Santa Barbara is none other than James L. Armstrong, who used to occupy that job description here in Fullerton. The union has discovered our humble blog and shared some of our history lessons.
Although this stuff occurred a few years before my time, this blog has had some great fun recounting the myriad disasters that occurred during the reign of King James I. Things like Redevelopment boondoggles, general unaccountability, high-handed behavior, and the sort of arrogant bullshit that is normally reserved for those who can pull of the Divine Right of Kings gig.
Nice trousers...
Here’s the post on the website, just in case you’re interested in enjoying the SBPD union’s take on their beloved leader.
Well, we got rid of him, at least.
Update – the link is broken. Here is a back up copy.
Last week we presented this hilarious dialog between a distraught taxpayer and a union firefighter, which became an instant hit across the country. While the clip had no problem making it onto the workstations of public agencies far and wide, we also had many requests for a G-Rated version.
Despite our concern that self-censorship may inhibit the fine directorial talents of our anonymous Oliver Stone, he was happy to oblige:
Of course, most will probably prefer the original profanity-laced version here: Stop the Madness Now!
That’s what members of Fullerton’s police and fire unions get from us.
Almost all of the candidates are talking about pension reform now, but they don’t quite have their figures right. According to the city’s HR Director, public safety employees currently pay 2.557% of thier salaries towards their multi-million dollar retirements, while taxpayers pick up the rest. This year, we’re paying an additional 29.752% of their salaries towards their retirements, and it’s set to shoot much higher.
In private-sector terms, that’s equivalent to an employer 401(k) match of 1200%. That’s twenty-four times the average out here in the real world.
Author Steven Greenhut delivers a dismal report for those looking for pension reform to come out of the state legislature: It ain’t gonna happen. Cities and schools must save themselves.
But we are still the masters of our fate. If we move quickly, there are things that can be done to prevent this financial disaster from passing on to our children, although they will require unconventional courage, wisdom and action. So who’s going to step up to the plate and rescue Fullerton?
What happens when you run up a credit card but only make the minimum payment? It never works out very well. But that’s how Fullerton is handling $30,000,000 in retiree health care commitments.
Jack Dean passed along this unfortunate piece from the OC Register which exposes over $1 billion in unfunded retiree health commitments for Orange County and its cities. Fullerton’s spending problem is summarized here:
City
Fullerton
Population
138,610
Unfunded costs
$29,986,735
Unfunded cost per capita
$216
Maximum benefit (per year)
$9,744
Paid in 2009
$1,927,528
Does the agency pay only the minimum cost?
Yes
Is a lifetime benefit offered?
Fire employees
Source: Retiree health costs and other retiree data from local cities and the county; population statistics from the California Department of Finance
Retiree health benefits are negotiated between our city council and the public employee unions during contract renewals. Supervisor John Moorlach says they are an easy squeeze for unions because boosting benefits for employees requires no up-front cost to the city.
Much like exorbitant pensions, these benefits are a long-term commitment where the future costs are impossible to calculate at the time the entitlements are given. Ultimately, taxpayers are responsible if costs “unexpectedly” spiral out of control. And of course, they always do.
