San Jose Officials Warn of Massive Police and Fire Layoffs

Mercury News.com ^ | Feb. 17, 2011 | Sean Webby

[katiedidit1]

Sketching out a worst-case scenario of San Jose's budget meltdown, city officials warned this week that they could lay off as many as 349 police officers and 145 firefighters, slashing close to a quarter of the city's public safety employees.

The city is also looking at millions of dollars in other cuts, including shutting off neighborhood

streetlights for much of the night and eliminating some gang-prevention programs.

There has never been a major layoff of police officers in the city's modern history. But last year San Jose laid off 49 firefighters, and this is the second year in a row the Police Department has faced layoffs.

[ratsreek]

That’s why nothing short of a massive layoff and complete restructuring is in order, and it must happen now. That is why the pubs and Gov. Walker need to pull the trigger in WI and take the collective bargaining component out of the budget bill and pass it stand alone or attach it to a non-buedgetary bill. The public employee pigs need to be put on notice that we will not pay for their greed anymore.

[headstamp 2]

Was that Chief McNamara?

[A message]

Read it and weep. It's good to feed at the trough.

San Jose public employee salaries, benefits, pensions 2009

[The KG9 Kid]

Yes. Now he's a fellow at the Hoover Institution parroting the easily disprovable bird-brained arguments for drug legalization -- 'brand new tax revenue', 'cartels will dry up and blow away overnight', 'less kids will experience drugs when it's all legal' -- while others sympathetic to him still insist he's very forthright and on record against drug legalization of any kind. Yet, guns must go! ... and no answer on whether his presumably unemployed ex-narcotrafficantes will switch to running guns, based upon his own rationale for ending prohibitions on drugs.

People challenge him on this in debate and he turns into a red-faced angry stuttering mess and cites his hoity-toity credentials as if the gravity of his Ivy League sheepskins immunizes him from scrutiny.

Yeah, that's him. That asshole.

[Lancey Howard]

(yawn)

That’s San Jose’s problem. It’s the residents who elected their scum, so let the residents suffer.
Screw them.

[Tea Party Reveler]

But will they be missed?

I live in a north bay town and I’ve been calling the cops for 2 days trying to make them shut down a rental property next to me thats being used for a under the table auto repair business / body work spray painting. It’s a black kid who saw me with my camera outside today and started screaming “honkey” and “FU and your camera” at the top of his lungs. I reported it to the city council too but they wont lift a finger.

YouTube Video = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW36YYw5z1Y

[dragnet2]

Just a wild guess - is San Jose a “sanctuary city”?

Here's some wild breaking news for ya:

The United States is a de facto sanctuary country....

All brought to you by the overpaid, controlling ruling class entrenched in the government.

Your first clue should be the 900 illegal alien anchor babies being delivered every single month at Texas Dallas Parkland Hospital....

[dragnet2]

That’s San Jose’s problem. It’s the residents who elected their scum, so let the residents suffer.

You don't get out much right?

The United States is a de facto sanctuary country....

All brought to you by the overpaid, controlling ruling class entrenched in the government.

Your first clue should be the 900 illegal alien anchor babies being delivered every single month at Texas Dallas Parkland Hospital....

[dragnet2]

My point is, your Fedgov is 15 trillion in the hole, and will likely die there.

BTW, for the record, 1000 billion, equals just 1 trillion....lol

[Lancey Howard]

I’ll be retiring soon, so you youngsters just keep working hard and paying your taxes so ol’ Lancy can keep getting those Social Security checks that will help me with my boat payments.

[dragnet2]

My boat is paid for, but I wish you luck with the payments and retirement....My partner retired 4 years ago, and died of a massive heart attack on the anniversary of his second year of retirement...

Good luck!

[Lancey Howard]

My partner retired 4 years ago, and died of a massive heart attack on the anniversary of his second year of retirement...

I hope he retired at the age of 96!

[screaminsunshine]

The Sheriff should Deputize local citizens. Posses could be formed to go after the gangs of crooks. Bountys should be offered for Drug Dealers and Burglars.

[Leisler]

Be careful. The retire usually with pension higher than the local incomes and they have time on their hands. They start hanging out with their local counterparts, cops, teachers, firemen and next thing you know they are running for office and your local taxes and debts start going through the roof with pay increases and project spending.

[dragnet2]

Barely 60....

[MeganC]

I grew up on Percivale Drive off White Road and the taxes drove my family to Loomis, California and from there we’ve moved to near Cody, Wyoming. Even paying for things like propane to be trucked in it’s still cheaper for us to live here than it was in San Jose.

[Richard Kimball]

Libraries tend to get hit pretty hard, actually.

Cities complain a lot about unfunded mandates, and many city employees are there because the Feds require them. Well, the Feds can't legally require them but they make having them a requirement to get Federal funds for anything.

This is another shell game that will have to end. Money goes from the local taxpayer to the Feds. The Feds use a lot of it, then allocate back based on compliance. They've set up a system where locals pay to the Feds, the Feds then don't return funds unless the local gov. sets up high dollar programs. The money goes out no matter what, and if you want to get any of it back, you have to pay the piper.

[TLI]

When faced with budgetary constraints, they don't slash pensions, bennies, and bloated bureaucracies... they cut essential services to “teach” the insolent public a lesson.

Let them.

Let them lay off half the cops and half the firefighters.

When the people are getting robbed and houses are burning down the laid off service personnel can show up and pass out phone numbers and stats of who in their local “government” is still employed.

When the locals see fat cat paper pushers, three levels of “management” for teachers and city workers that sleep in their trucks going about their day to day still collecting paychecks when the 349 police officers and 145 firefighters are in the unemployment lines perhaps the locals will get a clue on how to VOTE.

Till then, let `em burn.

.

[Red Badger]

That’s called ‘extortion’ if you and I tried to do that............

[Vendome]

There is an epidemic of Public employees looting the taxpayer.

Nationwide we are paying fealty and bowing in adoration to our public employees as they demand, each year, a larger share of the taxpayer wallet!

For instance, here in San Jose, CA our public employees have the most generous pay and benefits package, probably compared to anywhere.

At least that is the way it feels after looking at the numbers:

We employ approximately 945 people in the Fire Department

Of those employees there are 675 Firemen, that’s firemen, who earn in excess of $100,000 per year.

The city and that should really read “The Taxpayer” pays for their Medical / Dental to the tune of about $14,287 Dollarino’s!
The taxpayer further kicks in another $30,000 to $60,000 for their retirement package.

So let’s take a fire fighter who earns only $125,000(approx) and add in the Medical/Dental of about $14,287(which comes out of the tax payers wallet) and add in the taxpayer contribution to their retirement of say $37,000.

That fire fighter actually makes:

$125,000 (Salary approx)
$14,287 (Medical/Dental)
$37,000 (retirement)
$176,287 per year! Total compensation

Oh! And he gets something called “Other Cash Compensation” of around $14,000 bringing his real wage to $190,287! Per Year!

So let’s take a fire fighter who earns only $150,000(approx) and add in the Medical/Dental of about $14,287(which comes out of the tax payers wallet) and add in the taxpayer contribution to their retirement of say $37,000.

That fire fighter actually makes:
$150,000 (Salary approx)
$14,287 (Medical/Dental)
$40,000 (retirement)
$204,287 per year! Total compensation

Oh! And he gets something called “Other Cash Compensation” of around $14,000 bringing his real wage to $249,287! Per Year!

Look at those figures again.

There are approximately 945 employees in the Fire Department and of those 675 have a total compensation of at least $176,287 per year! That’s at least 2/3rds of their department making easily more than 3 times what the average citizen makes here in San Jose.

Firefighters, on average, earn more than twice the median income of a typical San Jose resident ($66,000 approx.)

By the way, those 675 firefighters earn more than our Mayor!

Now let’s look at the San Jose Police Department

We employ approximately 2,010 people in the Police Department

Of those employees there are 1,215 Policemen, that’s Policemen, who earn in excess of $100,000 per year.

The city and that should really read “The Taxpayer” pays for their Medical / Dental to the tune of about $14,287 Dollarino’s!
The taxpayer further kicks in another $30,000 to $40,000 for their retirement package.

So let’s take a Police Officer who earns only $125,000(approx) and add in the Medical/Dental of about $14,287(which comes out of the tax payers wallet) and add in the taxpayer contribution to their retirement of say $37,000.

That Police Officer actually makes:
$125,000 (Salary approx)
$14,287 (Medical/Dental)
$37,000 (retirement)
$176,287 per year! Total compensation

Oh! And he gets something called “Other Cash Compensation” of around $14,000 bringing his real wage to $190,287! Per Year!

So let’s take a Police Officer who earns only $150,000(approx) and add in the Medical/Dental of about $14,287(which comes out of the tax payers wallet) and add in the taxpayer contribution to their retirement of say $37,000.

That Police Officer actually makes:
$150,000 (Salary approx)
$14,287 (Medical/Dental)
$40,000 (retirement)
$204,287 per year! Total compensation

Oh! And he gets something called “Other Cash Compensation” of around $14,000 bringing his real wage to $249,287! Per Year!

Look at those figures again.

There are approximately 2,010 employees in the Police Department and of those 1,215 have a total compensation of at least $176,287 per year! That’s at least 2/3rds of their department making easily more than 3 times what the average citizen makes here in San Jose.(That number holds true if you factor in 225 jobs are most likely part time and earn less than $10,000 per year such as “Cross Guards, radio dispatch, etc. even they get some sort of “Other Cash Compensation”.

Police Officers, on average, earn more than twice the median income of a typical San Jose resident($66,000 approx.)

Oh! And did I mention that 1,215 Police Officers earn more than our Mayor!


So for Public Safety we have some 1,890 employees earning at least 3 times more than the average citizen of San Jose and even more than our terrific Mayor, Chuck Reed!




Heck, we even have Librarians earning more than $100k per year with one who makes a fabulous $223K!

And check this out. We kick in the following for her grand salary:

Sick and Vacation Payouts *** Other Cash Compensation Deferred Compensation City Paid City Paid Medical / Dental City Paid Retirement Contribution
$12,420 $4,200 $0 $6,246 $52,681 $75,547


That means she actually made some $298,000(approx) Last Year!

A Fr ic kin Librarian? Really?

If I look at jobs such as Air Conditioning Mechanic or Network Engineer their wages are typical of a private sector job except for their benefits package, which they would never earn in a private job.

And dang if a Street Sweeper doesn’t earn some $85,000 in total compensation.

How in the heck is this fair?

Don’t forget, if you retire from the Police/Fire Department you are paid 90% of your 3 highest earning years.

All you do is put in a tremendous amount of overtime your last three years, bringing your total earnings to about $200,000 and you can retire with $180,000 per year for the rest of your life! Oh and you get to keep your Gold Plated Mecical/Dental plan Grati and you can buy good and services all around the country for less than your private sector neighbors can.

Ain’t it great!

Makes me think I should have gone on to become a LEO and I could retire in just a couple of years, print some business cards and hand them out at parties when people ask me what I do for a living.

Who in the private sector can retire at 50 years old with a $180k a year guaranteed check and then pretend to be in business or have that for a safety net if you actually do something?

 

Think about this:

If an Officer or Fireman retires at the age of 50 he can be expected to live til at least 70 if not 80 years old and beyond.  At that rate for 20 years of retirement the taxpayer will hand the retiree some $2,000,000 for 20 years of retirement and over $3.5 million for 30 years of retirement!

 

Doesn't that strike anyone as just plain unfair and outrageous!?

 

And get this, due to collective bargaining all other departments have similar retirement packages.

 

Now multiply those numbers time the current amount of retirees and then start adding more retirees every year and the numbers are astounding!

 

We simply cannot continue to pay government workers, at all levels, these lucrative retirement packages and nearly free Medical services.

And don’t any of you get cute about the whole thing. I personally know off the top of my head 10 former LEO who have some weird business, supposedly and they are only a few years older than me.

Wanna confirm my numbers above? Well then click thee to this website, the City of San Jose 2010 Employees Salaries:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/salary/Default.aspx

 

At some point it comes down to this:

 

How much more will the taxpayer continue to put up with the evergrowing pressure on their finances to support an over compensated public employyee and still be expected to finance their lavish retirement packages?