Posted on 10/20/2010 5:30:51 PM PDT by dragnet2
A Stink in El Segundo Over Cadillac Salaries Cops earn $175,000, firefighters $210,000, in a town with few criminals or fires
The debate over skyrocketing government-worker salaries got nasty in El Segundo when a homeowner published the six-figure salaries flowing to the small town's cops and firefighters on his Gundo Blogger website — only to have a police captain track him down by phone at his UCLA job and chew him out.
The uneasy homeowner, David Burns, tells L.A. Weekly that Capt. Robert Turnbull "called me from his office to complain about my blog. ... He insisted on talking about it right now. I finally had to hang up on him."
Burns then sent Turnbull an e-mail explaining his policy of separating his blog from his job as manager of emergency preparedness at UCLA.
In a response that would have unnerved many citizens, the high-ranking cop e-mailed Burns back: "I will continue to call you at work whenever I want, as you may do the same for me, since our numbers are publicly listed."
Turnbull vehemently objected to Burns claiming on his blog that the captain's total pay is $302,000, insisting it should be "only" $225,000 — the amount the city defines as Turnbull's "total earnings."
But as Burns explains, he included "the hidden costs. [Turnbull] was trying to exclude all the extra money and special benefits beyond his base salary, but that all comes from the taxpayer's pocket."
Either way, it's a staggering sum to pay a police captain in a tiny city of 16,000 residents, with zero murders in 2009, according to FBI data — and only 36 violent crimes.
El Segundo is nearly broke. Last week — two years after the City Council, amidst the deep recession, handed city employees a series of fat raises — the council tapped out the last few cents from its reserve funds.
"We're Mayberry-by-the-Sea," Burns says. "We can't afford these crazy salaries and pensions."
Recently departed Police Chief David Cummings hauled in $425,000 last year, including a $200,000 "leave buyout" that almost doubled his final year's take. Cummings was hired for six months as an El Segundo contract employee, even while starting to draw his $210,000 pension.
"Chief Cummings' real take last year was north of $525,000," Councilman Don Brann, the only El Segundo council member who called for fiscal sanity, tells the Weekly. Cummings did not respond to several messages seeking comment.
The Weekly has learned that 23 city employees are being paid more than $250,000 in total compensation this fiscal year, while nine get more than $300,000 and four get more than $350,000.
In December 2008 and April 2009, the City Council handed big raises to police and firefighters.
It appears that few city employees are being paid normal wages. Today, El Segundo sworn firefighters average $210,000 in salaries and benefits. But they handle only a few structure fires each year, mostly responding to lower-level paramedic calls — not a $210,000 firefighting job by any measure.
Bell was just the tip of the corrupt government iceberg.
The tax payers are being gang raped by government at all levels.
Let me guess, they are democrats in control of the town??
this is lunatic stuff — we taxpayers cannot, should not, and will not continue to fund obscene salaries and benefits that are breaking budgets
Ping
Competion breeds success, and government has neither.
In Oakland, they contribute 0 to their pensions and the Police Union has fought any contribution for years.
The city lays off street cops to pay old pensioners.
Robbery. Government-style.
The population in El Segundo is only 16,000.
Its just ridiculous
The librarian is making $90,000 per YEAR !!!
GeronL yesterday proposed a special tax for public employees to pay for their unfunded pensions. 25% tax for all salary above $100K/yr.
It's almost like a bunch of aircraft related industrial enterprises and warehouses set themselves up as a city to beat high taxes ~ which it did when that action immunized themselves from being annexed by nearby Los Angeles.
Frankly, I was unaware there were any people who really lived there and would have to say "Whoa, somebody's there? Hey dude!"
The librarian is making $90,000 per YEAR !!!
lol.
Yes. They are the ones who love taxes after all
That is Tag Line material.
Taxpayers asleep at the wheel, IMO. If they had an interest in staying informed, these types of shenanigans would be much more difficult.
Municipal entities have to make public their budgets, as part of the legislative processes. The PUBLIC has the right to attend the PUBLIC HEARINGS that are, in most areas, required by law.
Routine meetings of municipal legislative bodies must be conducted in view of the public...i.e., PUBLIC MEETINGS.
To suddenly find out that some salaries are exorbitant? Clear evidence that the PUBLIC has failed to watch its own elected officials and the PUBLIC purse...
Well, I am posting live and direct from El Segundo, and I can tell you, we have maybe one big fire a year here. Key word is “maybe”.
There is absolutely no need for this type of gold-plated service in a town this small.
LA County can service our needs for much, much less than we’re currently spending...
This town has 16,000 “residents” (Bwahahahaha) and 30,000 “employees”.
What dragnet2 said.
These public sector pay/retirement/health benefit packages are an immense ticking time bomb. I live in one of the places that is going to blow at some point - anyone have any suggestions for where us regular private sector producers should retire/move to avoid the worst fallout?
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