Posted on 05/19/2011 7:46:59 AM PDT by joinedafterattack
They've brought Wisconsin to California. That's what Orange County Employees Association general manager Nick Berardino told attendees a few weeks ago at the California Democratic Party convention, referring to efforts by the Costa Mesa City Council to curb its public employee costs and rising pension liabilities. The battle for fiscal sanity in Costa Mesa is about to intensify with the union poised to strike, but the city should stay the course, even in the face of tremendous opposition.
Costa Mesa officials have projected a $5.1 million budget deficit for the 2011-12 fiscal year. As the council continues to enact reforms, opposition will grow fiercer. The newly formed Costa Mesa Taxpayers Association released a video Tuesday that shows Mr. Berardino claiming to have "intercepted" city memos about the council's plans. And the union has helped to fund a new organization, Repair Costa Mesa, which has purchased Google advertisements and produced videos criticizing city council members. A recall effort may even be afoot.
Fighting for reform isn't easy and city council members in Costa Mesa are learning that firsthand. But as reporter Jennifer Medina wrote in the New York Times on March 24, if Costa Mesa's efforts are successful, the city "will, in one great swoop, reinvent municipal government here, and perhaps lead the way for other cities." If bringing Wisconsin to Costa Mesa leads to reform of pension costs and public employee compensation, we welcome the move.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
The very instant the Union Thugs go on strike, FIRE THEM ALL, and put up Help Wanted signs, the positions will be filled overnight. With the Unemployment rate what it is my bet is there will thousands of people lined up to take these Ungrateful Union Thugs jobs.
The thing that needs to happen is for ALL cities to start running like businesses and meet the challenge from the unions head on. The unions cannot afford to be in court with every municipality, so let’s force them into court at every opportunity. The unions have a lot of money, but not enough to stop a wall of lawsuits. I’d rather see my city spend my tax dollars getting rid of the PE unions than bleeding to death slowly while these parasites sit around with their fingers up their a$$es doing as little work as they can get away with. The city down in Florida that has outsourced everything should be the model of the future.
Looks like Redding, CA is doing the same thing http://m.redding.com/news/2011/apr/05/redding-push-ahead-outsourcing/
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