The juvenile targets, the Public Workforce[PW] & the Public Tax Payer[PTP], in their infantile stage, are beginning to wake up from an extended long of a long beauty sleep.

We’re behind & half hazard equipped – some low % of us are ants like running in all directions while carrying loads of baggage filled with obsulete self agenda – trying to catch up with tremendous hit & miss efforts.

Engineered “Budget Crisis” is part of a Planned Engineered Design [PED]

May be … the long shot solution could be to restructure & eliminate our back breaking highest cost components of this PED – the middle people of Mayor, Council, their extensive of more than 2000 entourages, 200 commission boards, minimum of 600 committees, almost 1500 consultants & advisors of all sorts & etc & etc.

As part of this PED – We pay and work to maintain these components.

May be … the just pleasent sounding Public-Private Partnership [P3], can no longer take the coat of paint of Sneaky Privatization. It NOW appears to be Obsulete!

May be … We need a NEW BUSINESS MODEL – Just Go Direct [JGD]!

New Business Model for Public-Private Partnership
The Public Work Force & Public Taxpayers to work directly with the true planners and designers of our system, the world of mega corporations, developers & investors.

Maybe …

Azar Nejad
Transportation Engineer
(213)972-8496
Public Service is a Full Time Job!
Furloughs ONLY HURT!
Our City Communities & Our Families!
Please HELP ENDING Our Furloughs!

For too long, progress in closing San Diego’s structural budget deficit has been sidetracked by a disinformation campaign that contends, against all evidence, that the city would be better off if it filed for bankruptcy. That’s baloney.

These claims are simply a mirage that distracts us from serious debate over real solutions. But unfortunately for our city, the peddlers of this fiction cannot be ignored.

By repeating their claims, again and again, they’ve convinced some San Diegans that bankruptcy is a real option. But the truth is talk of bankruptcy impedes progress on real substantive pension reform, and it poisons the climate for thoughtful solutions to our structural deficit.

In my view, the bankruptcy con job is nearly as irresponsible as the schemes that dug us into a financial hole in the first place.

Thankfully, this sham has been debunked by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. His detailed legal analysis of municipal bankruptcy found that it would only waste the city’s time and money, and – most import – it would offer no hope of a financial fix.

The city attorney exposed “the bankruptcy myth” in a speech to a taxpayer group this month. Here are some highlights:

Based on Orange County’s experience, bankruptcy would cost San Diego taxpayers between $100 million and $300 million in attorney fees.

After that money has been spent, a judge could easily dismiss our case, particularly if he or she feels the city has not done enough to solve its financial problems by raising taxes.

Bankruptcy cannot be used to void employee pension benefits once they are vested, which occurs the first day of employment. Our state Constitution protects those benefits.

No city or county has ever voided pension obligations through bankruptcy. It didn’t happen in Orange County. It’s not happening in Vallejo. Instead, bankruptcy would allow renegotiation of the labor contracts that took effect last year and include the 6 percent employee compensation reductions. They are helping to solve our financial problems, not contributing to them.

Any court ruling that voided vested pension benefits would almost certainly be appealed – costing the city more time and money – and then be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Labor leaders and their lawyers know the threat of bankruptcy is empty. It gives us no leverage with them in negotiations.

In the end, bankruptcy would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and net nothing in return. And the most compelling claim made on its behalf – that it would allow us to shed our pension obligations – is patently false.

Fortunately, while the bankruptcy hucksters were spinning their nonsense, my administration was developing and enacting pension reforms that are honest and substantial.

Our first goal was dealing with the huge pension debts left by previous city councils, which underfunded the pension system rather than making the tough decision to tighten spending. This cowardice created a crisis that damaged our reputation with Wall Street and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

After taking office, I acted quickly to restore our credibility by enacting a plan to pay down this liability, interest and principal, on an aggressive timeline. Those payments hurt. But future generations will be grateful that we did not repeat bad behavior and push our problems onto them.

Our second goal, then and now, is reducing future liabilities. We began by creating a two-tier retirement system that reduces taxpayer costs for new hires. The same kind of model is now being looked at by Los Angeles, San Francisco and state government. Ours took effect in
July. As new employees replace old ones, our savings will grow.

The courts won’t let us reduce vested benefits for current employees. But our new system lowers our obligations to newly hired employees by reducing costs and risks, eliminating excessive perks, raising retirement ages and no longer pegging benefits to an employee’s highest earnings.

We also reined in the DROP program, which encourages early retirements, so future participation is cost-free to the taxpayer. An independent analysis of DROP will be completed soon and alert us if further refinements are necessary.

Finally, we have scaled back our obligation for post-employment health care benefits by freezing the benefits escalator. We are working closely with our employees to identify appropriate funding sources and levels for this nonvested benefit, which will further reduce our unfunded liability.

We are now in the second phase of pension reform, seeking further enhancements of a four-year record of true cost savings. We are constantly pursuing responsible and legal reforms – undeterred by those who would delay progress by mythologizing bankruptcy.

Sanders is the mayor of San Diego.

Sometimes, the so called acknowledgment or compliment by some entities seem alarming during the wonders of a City in BIG RED!

According to the below linked City Finance Department report updated as of 1/10/2010:
http://www.lacity.org/finance/delinquent.htm

Just until 1/10/2010

• There are 172 TOP egregious DELINQUENT Business Taxpayers owing to our City ranging from $102k to $73 million – Mostly Parking Operators, Private Transport Co, Private Health clinics & etc & etc.
• This amounts to way over $150 million.
• Where is the city collection report for this?
• Is this notable amount of more than $150 million, penciled as a shared sacrifice towards the political write off planned to be chipped in by which other group, City workers or City residents?
• Are we complying to the model of “some are to take hefty business profit while others are to bare the sacrifice”?
• Are the conductors written off these costs to the usual target suspects to bare such burdens?
• After all – we know we have expert entertainers keeping us all amused and busy with spot lighted commonly attractive & noisy hoop las!

** Let’s remember that Monday evening, 1/25/10 – the Council Budget Committee Meeting – While LANCC was busy with their beautiful mobilization of public tax payers, the committee had already agendized approved motions for:

3 of Business Tax Refund Claims = $321k
10-0037 = Approve Refund = $122k
http://budgetla.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Budget-FinanceCommitteeAgenda.pdf
10-0036 = Approve Refund = $119k
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2010/10-0036_rpt_bfc_01-26-10.pdf
10-0035 = Approve Refund = $80k
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2010/10-0035_rpt_bfc_01-26-10.pdf

AND more important show of manipulation and disregard for the public safety and/or the budget concern is this below approved motion of out sourcing:
10-0089 = Approve irresponsible outsourcing of $871,421
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2010/10-0089_rpt_ps_01-27-2010.pdf
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2010/10-0089_RPT_CAO_01-25-10.pdf
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2010/10-0089_mot_1-20-2010.pdf
Motion (Garcetti-Smith) relative to a request for the transfer of funds to continue outsourcing DNA analysis while the hiring of 26 new positions to perform DNA analysis is being addressed through the managed hiring process, and related matters. (Also referred to Public Safety Committee.)

Below is the July 2009 Controller News Release about the TOP egregious DELINQUENT Business Taxpayers in the City of Los Angeles.

Regards,  Azar Nejad
One Professional City Employee
FURLOUGHS ONLY HURT!
Our City Communities & Our Families!
Please END Our Furlough NOW!
—————————————————————
http://controller.lacity.org/documents/Greuel090722DelinquentTaxpayer.pdf

NEWS

July 22nd, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ben Golombek
(213) 595-2650
LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER
WENDY GREUEL
Los Angeles City Hall East
200 North Main Street, Room 300
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Telephone (213) 978-7200
Facsimile (213) 978-7211

CITY CONTROLLER WENDY GREUEL UNVEILS CITY HAS COLLECTED MILLIONS FROM DELINQUENT TAXPAYERS

(Los Angeles) – Continuing her efforts to reduce the City’s budget deficit, City Controller Wendy Greuel revealed today, that her delinquent taxpayer program has successfully collected nearly $3 million from 16 delinquent taxpayers in just the past 4 months. In late February 2009, Controller Greuel unveiled the City’s first delinquent taxpayer list, to crack down on the most egregious delinquent business taxpayers in the City of Los Angeles.

“I’m pleased that we were able to collect nearly $3 million since the inception of the delinquent taxpayer program. The millions of dollars we have saved will allow us to close the City’s massive budget deficit,” said City Controller Greuel.

“With over $107 million in delinquent taxes still to be collected, we will remain vigilant cracking down on tax cheats. Cheating on your business taxes may seem appealing in the short-term, but costing the city such sorely needed revenues puts an unfair burden on the millions of law-abiding Angelenos.”

Controller Greuel also announced that her delinquent taxpayer program has notified – and is working to collect – an additional $107 million in delinquent taxes from 126 tax scofflaws.

These scofflaws have their names, and the amounts they owe, posted on a website
http://www.lacity.org/finance/delinquent.htm that is regularly updated.

“It’s no secret that Los Angeles has one of the highest business tax rates in the state, but the law is the law. Businesses are expected to pay their fair share and as a business organization, we will partner with the Controller to hold their feet to the fire,” said Carol Schatz, CEO of the Central City Association. Controller Greuel hopes that by publicizing the names of those taxpayers who refuse to pay their fair share, they will quickly come forward and settle their debt.

The list also serves to create a fairer business climate, by preventing scofflaw businesses from gaining an advantage over their competitors.

“VICA is impressed with the progress that has been made on collecting delinquent taxes and Controller Greuel’s hard work on this issue,” said VICA Chair Greg Lippe. “While we recognize this success, it also reminds us that there is still a lot of work to be done and that these uncollected funds are needed to help close the city’s budget gap. We have confidence that Controller Greuel will get the job done.”

“During this historic economic downturn every dollar counts,” said Gary Toebben, President & CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. “The L.A. Area Chamber applauds Controller Wendy Greuel for her efforts to collect from delinquent taxpayers bringing nearly $3 million to the City in just a few months.”

“We are pleased with the results of the Top Tax Debtor’s program thus far. It is one of many collection tools available to the Office of Finance to help increase tax compliance and lessen the burden on those taxpayers who pay their fair share of taxes to the city,” said Antoinette Christovale the GM of the City’s Office of Finance.

Other jurisdictions have successfully implemented delinquent taxpayer lists and have collected millions of dollars in overdue taxes.

Connecticut was the first state to create a public list, and has collected $108 million in the first four years of the program. California is the biggest state to create a delinquent taxpayer list.

Since the state’s list was published in December 2007, California has collected $18.25 million in delinquent taxes. At least 10 other states have similar lists.

The delinquent taxpayers were sent a certified letter advising them that they had 30 days to pay or settle their debt. Those debtors who did not respond or enter into settlement negotiations were immediately posted to the City’s website.Please post this in the Budgetla.org – Public View section. I appreciate it.

We’ve got to end the Tug Of War between all the real stakeholders, equally been manipulated into sharing the role of being the “Targets” so the same for the same continues “To Do Business As Usual”.

This critical time is forcing us for a different type of opportunity for the 4 prongs of this system that has held our dysfunctional city by taking advantage of short term gains or short sightedness – to come to table, all clean & open and all at the same time to work together with spirit of cooperation in spite of the no longer working attitude of residual perceptions and out dated opinions of the past.

The 4 CRITICAL PPRONGS are:

1. City Management & Legislative body: Mayor, Council[15], CAO, Chief Legislative Analyst, Controller, DA, all various Commission Boards & GM’s of operating departments
2. Business Community – Through BizFed & Various Chamber of Commerces
3. Public Tax Payers – Through NC’s & LANCC) Public Tax Payers – Through NC’s & LANCC
4. Public Sector Employees – through the Union Community

In this part of Civilized world – some of us need to RENEW our knowings of and about each other through open conversations while having the understanding there are varied point of views that combined would produce fundamental sustainable solution.

Resolving this City’s vast extent of systematic dysfunction necessitates that we efficiently utilize all of our resources of expertize from all the 4 prongs. Seasonal shifting of the burden of a dysfunction from one leg of the prong to another definitely ends with full collapse for the whole.