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Pension Costs Reach 69% of City Payroll, Says DeMaio
As Don mentions we may have some new readers to his blog. So to give some of our new readers a little history into the veracity of BillyBobHeny, Johnny Vegas or as he is known these days Surf Puppy. This person has changed their blog name repeatedly over the years but never their tune. The distortions are extreme and rarely, if ever truthful. For example, In Comment #23 above he says: "Not true. The City left SS for a defined benefit pension plan-THAT was the reason for leaving SS, the SPSP had nothing to do with it. And the reason was because the City said they could pay less into the DB pension plan, while providing better benefits to the employees." Well if we take just a few minutes to do a little research and read this PDF http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/reports/pcs… Now it just might be me, but I suspect the truth about SPSP is in this document, not the fabrications spewed onto this blog by Surf Puppy.— January 21, 2010 7:10 a.m.
Pension Costs Reach 69% of City Payroll, Says DeMaio
CONTINUED.. 4. Annual Leave This is red herring. Yes it’s true some labor groups still have access to terminal leave. It's also true these are earned days of leave. This means if an employee takes a vacation they are paid and earn pension credits while on vacation. So if an employee took a vacation six months before retiring they earn those days of service. IF and this is a big if the city is following the law and its own rules, monies are set aside to an escrow account to pay these benefits. In other words this already is a budgeted expense and another DeMaio red herring. 5. DROP Everyone wants the DROP analysis to be completed. Until is it we are all speculating. Our Rube chooses to be incendiary but he does it cautiously because he is keenly aware DROP may actually be saving the City money. Read his words careful he says, “…Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) -- which could open the door to significant taxpayer savings. Not will but "could". Ever the politician even the RUBE know how to speak out of both sides of his mouth. The Rube has created a loophole for himself when the study reveals a cost savings. He goes on to complain about, “a legal dispute with the pension board has held up the elimination of the DROP program for several groups of city employees.” The Board believe it was acting lawfully following rules set up in the Municipal Code, one enacted and passed by the very City Council that our Rube sits on. Let’s remember and state the record clearly: It was the City’s own Attorney who CHOSE to DELAY actions regarding new employees and DROP by a previous council. He did it, if we choose to believe him, for tactical reasons during a trial that the City Attorney eventually lost. Is that City Attorney held responsible for not carrying out the Council will? No, our RUBE want to deflect responsibilities to SDCERS. As a current City Council member Mr. DeMaio's redirection of blame through revisionist history to SDCERS is just plain wrong. It was, and still is, the City Council’s responsibility to ensure its attorney follows through on the Ordinances it passes. This one act by Mr. DeMaio alone is reprehensible, combined this with all the other spin, and San Diegans should be sickened by such behavior. The citizens of San Diego are sick and tired of their elected representative lying, omitting or distorting the truth to further their own personal career or agenda. DeMaio has both. He will let nothing get in his way or stop him from attaining it, not even the truth.— January 20, 2010 5:39 p.m.
Pension Costs Reach 69% of City Payroll, Says DeMaio
To paraphrase Joe Wilson and putting it into the context of Carl DeMaio; He lies. Now let’s take a look at some other issues and examine the truthfulness of Mr. DeMaio's five recommendations. The required payment of $231M is based upon a June 30 valuation of the SDCERS investment pool. Since June, the stock market has soared recovering more than 60 percent as of December 31st. SDCERS' actuaries have NOT recalculated and WILL NOT recalculate until June 30, 2010's valuation by plan rules, rules set by the City Council in ordinances they enacted. 1. Finish reforming Pensions Mayor Sanders specifically did not change public safety retirements because he knows he must compete for qualified workers. Wasn't it just a few years ago when seasoned employees were leaving in droves? It costs .5 Million dollars to train a cop and we were and still are more than 200 officer short of the budgeted strength approved by the City Council. 2. Offsets Pension pickups or offsets were offered by the city in lieu of pay increases. Those pickups reduced retirement benefits. A fact you left out. 3. Other City Plans City workers were promised SPSP, Supplemental Pension Security Plan for agreeing to leave Social Security in the early 80's. Many city employees have not earned credits to receive social security payments like private sector workers. CONTINUED....— January 20, 2010 5:38 p.m.
SD's Drinking Water 9th Worst of Major Cities
Woooooooow!— January 11, 2010 6:17 p.m.
SD's Drinking Water 9th Worst of Major Cities
Care to give us more details or a link where we might read for ourselves? Ninth worse in what respect? Contaminants? Taste or purity? While it's alarming to read headlines like this it's really hard to judge the severity of the problem. Heck for all we know reading this, it could have been ninth worse or 92nd out of a 100 in viscosity. I really do appreciate you bringing out stories others, for whatever reasons, do not, but a little more detail goes a long way in understanding the issue/problems. If the water quality in San Diego has gone haywire, especially if we can compare it to previous years, then the Sanders Administration may be tampering with the standards just to save a buck here or there. In doing so they may be endangering public health and that's a news story certainly worthy of investigating.— January 9, 2010 9:10 a.m.
Local Unemployment Rate Rises to 10.5% in October
Well that was intense...I'm just wondering when you'll be packing those bags and moving to a country where you'll be better off?— November 22, 2009 8:14 a.m.
Supreme Court Justice Asks: Who Passed Bribe?
Verisimilitude or not there's one truth out there...JohnnyV spins the tale to fit his needs, truth be damm. We know one thing....and if I could quote Col. Jessup, from A Few Good Men, JohnnyV "...You can’t handle the truth!" I'm just wondering, is that a prerequisite for practicing law in California?— November 11, 2009 12:17 p.m.
What movie character do you most identify with?
No it's a cartoon character, just like you!— November 11, 2009 9:38 a.m.
None
Yes Johnny...you're a dog.— November 10, 2009 7:53 p.m.
Supreme Court Justice Asks: Who Passed Bribe?
And Trolls, like JohnnyV, drone on and on, endlessly buzzing about. Looking for attention, at any level to add something, anything to their pathetic life.— November 6, 2009 11:54 p.m.