"Orange Juice! Politics For The Rest Of Us." - 10 new articles
City of San Jose, CA drowning in an ocean of pension obligationsSometimes it takes time for the news to be published by the print media. On April 29th I began blogging a series on CalPERS Pensions with my first target being the city of Vernon whose City Administrator receives $499,675 per anum in this city of under 100 residents. Folks. That’s $29.0 million just for the top rung and we wonder how cities are going to survive in a down economy. How many other former employees in San Jose have retired and are receiving just under $100,000 per year? Many of these retired employees have been replaced by the next group of public servants who will be entitled to the same pension payout unless the system can be altered. Let’s be candid. This “defined benefit “obligation throughout California simply cannot be sustained. Following is the opening 5 brief paragraphs of the San Jose Mercury report. The actual link is located at the end of the post. (Doug Griswold - Mercury News Illustration) Veteran San Jose Fire Capt. Randy Sekany hung up his helmet in December at the age of 53. But he didn’t leave behind his $100,000-a-year-plus salary. Instead, he joined the ranks of hundreds of former city workers making six-figure sums, with a pension that will pay him $121,510 this year. He is one of 44 firefighters and police officers who left the city last year alone with six-figure pensions, thanks to a controversial retirement system that is receiving renewed scrutiny. Even as the cash-strapped city cuts services, it is contributing more than ever to shore up the pension fund amid the market meltdown. Under the system, San Jose’s veteran public safety workers don’t have to be retired for long before their pensions exceed their former salaries. Depending on how long they worked for the city, they can retire with 90 percent of their salaries while receiving guaranteed, 3 percent annual cost-of-living increases — while private-sector workers are seeing their 401(k)s gutted by market losses. All told, San Jose’s $100,000-plus pension club includes 256 retired officers and firefighters and 34 other city workers. “It’s absolutely outrageous,” said Jerry Mungai, a San Jose resident who retired from Cypress Semiconductor and is frustrated that while city retirees collect hefty pensions, his street is “cracked and crumbling” and no one picks up the phone when he calls City Hall.
Breaking News, IRAN: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's Fatwa Issued
Long Beach, CA RDA Agenda violates Prop 99 Property Rights protectionProp 99, as passed by the voters in 2008, amended the California Constitution to protect private property owners against government takings of their homes by “eminent domain” police powers when they did not wish to sell. At least that is what the opposition stated in all of their rhetoric as they opposed our Prop 98 full property rights protection Initiative last year. Explain Prop 99 to Victoria Ballesteros, Communications Officer for the Long Beach Redevelopment Services Department. That department also includes the Redevelopment Agency. Ms. Ballesteros was quoted in the Press Telegram article written by Karen Robes where she said: “I’m sympathetic to someone who doesn’t want to sell their house but at the same time, they do get fair market value.” She adds: “It is a process dictated by state law, and they do receive just compensation. They do receive relocation assistance. There’s a mechanism in place to assist, to ensure that property owners are treated fairly.” Perhaps the home has been in your family for generations and you want to pass it down to your heirs. Some have said that “This is not a question of money for us. We just want to be left alone with what is rightfully ours.” Perhaps Ms. Ballesteros needs to read Section 19 parts (b) and (e3) of The Amended California Constitution which now reads: (b) The State and local governments are prohibited from acquiring by eminent domain an owner-occupied residence for the purpose of conveying it to a private person. (c) Subdivision (b) of this section does not apply when State or local government exercises the power of eminent domain for the purpose of protecting public health and safety; preventing serious, repeated criminal activity; responding to an emergency; or remedying environmental contamination that poses a threat to public health and safety. (d) Subdivision (b) of this section does not apply when State or local government exercises the power of eminent domain for the purpose of acquiring private property for a public work or improvement. (e) For the purpose of this section: 1. “Conveyance” means a transfer of real property whether by sale, lease, gift, franchise, or otherwise. 2. “Local government” means any city, including a charter city, county, city and county, school district, special district, authority, regional entity, redevelopment agency, or any other political subdivision within the State. 3. “Owner-occupied residence” means real property that is improved with a single-family residence such as a detached home, condominium, or townhouse and that is the owner or owners’ principal place of residence for at least one year prior to the State or local government’s initial written offer to purchase the property. Owner-occupied residence also includes a residential dwelling unit attached to or detached from such a single-family residence which provides complete independent living facilities for one or more persons. 4. “Person” means any individual or association, or any business entity, including, but not limited to, a partnership, corporation, or limited liability company. 5. “Public work or improvement” means facilities or infrastructure for the delivery of public services such as education, police, fire protection, parks, recreation, emergency medical, public health, libraries, flood protection, streets or highways, public transit, railroad, airports and seaports; utility, common carrier or other similar projects such as energy-related, communication-related, water-related and wastewater-related facilities or infrastructure; projects identified by a State or local government for recovery from natural disasters; and private uses incidental to, or necessary for, the public work or improvement. 6. “State” means the State of California and any of its agencies or departments. Ms. Ballesteros. I have some news for you. The property owners of the “Long Beach Citizens Against Eminent Domain Abuse” are not looking for any or your “sympathy.” They only wish to be left alone. Is that too much to ask for? For those newcomers reading my blog posts on property rights I need to be fully transparent. I am a member of the Castle Coalition arm of the Institue for Justice, Orange County Co-director of Californians United for Redevelopment Education, CURE, and Board Member of the California Alliance to Protect Private Property Rights, CAPPPR
Obama sells ambassadorial posts, just like Bush did
“When candidate Barack Obama spoke of change, we thought he meant a new way of doing business, but apparently he also meant coinage. Because President Obama has kept the unsavory tradition of doling out some of the cushiest ambassadorial posts to fundraisers who brought in some of the biggest chunks of change to his campaign. Fifteen of the 62 ambassadors nominated so far were money “bundlers” for the campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, among them Pittsburgh Steelers owner Daniel M. Rooney, retired Chicago investment banker Louis B. Susman and Los Angeles entertainment executive Charles H. Rivkin,” according to the L.A. Times. Change? Looks like business as usual.
This is awful. Then again, President George W. Bush appointed a guy who ran horse shows to run FEMA…
Sarah Palin to speak at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley
“Republican Women Federated of Simi Valley said in a statement that Palin is slated to appear at the group’s 50th anniversary gala at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Aug. 8,” according to the San Jose Mercury News. I wonder how much Palin will get paid to speak to this group? It looks like Levi Johnston was right. Palin is cashing in! Group spokeswoman Pat Saraceno said Palin “embodies the values that we hold dear: faith, family, country first and service.” LOL! Palin embodies the sad state of the GOP - she is bat crazy!
Did Dick Cheney hide a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress?
John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Sarah Palin and now Dick Cheney. What a year it has been for the red-faced Republicans!
Republicans say adios to Latino voters as they continue to bash Judge Sotomayor
UPDATE: “With Democrats holding a 12-7 majority on the Judiciary Committee and a 60-40 advantage in the full Senate, Sotomayor doesn't need any GOP votes to get confirmed if Democrats stay united,” according to Politico.com. And “Senators from both political parties predicted Sonia Sotomayor won't face a filibuster on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court,” according to Bloomberg. It’s a done deal! Why are some Republicans so upset about the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court? She is replacing a liberal. The American Bar Association has given her their highest rating. She has backing from many prominent Republicans. So what is the problem? Are some Republicans afraid that she will do a great job on the highest court in the land? Are they afraid that she will inspire her fellow Latinos? Are they hoping to keep her and all other Latinos down? Does her nomination scare them because it means that Latinos can now aspire to the highest positions in our government? Check out what the odious Rush Limbaugh had to say about Sotomayor, according to Think Progress:
Aha! These Republicans just want Democrats to fail, period. They don’t care about the U.S. or the people in it. They care only for their putrid party. Sotomayor will be confirmed. And I have no doubt that she will do a fine job. Will I agree with all of her decisions? Probably not. But I respect her as a person and as a professional, just as I respect President Obama. The politics of destruction being practiced by Limbaugh and his ilk is going to destroy what is left of the GOP. Latinos are taking note of the current hate-fest against Sotomayor. We won’t forget this.
Sotomayor hacks going after New Haven firefighter
She’s IN. Its all over but the counting. Live with it. These are the words of those who either have no argument or believe no argument is necessary to defend this abberant Supreme Court nominee. But does their behavior belie their words? I think it does. Take the newest twist in this sad trail of the racist “race-conscious” lefties who back this sorry candidate. Now the leftist kneecappers are going after one of the New Haven firefighters who just won his Supreme Court case! They’re trying to refight a case where Sotomayor is shown to have ignored jurisprudence, tacitly favored discrimination without showing any reason whatsoever, and basically being shown up for the clown she is.
People for the American Way? Barf! Can you get anymore pretentious than that? Sounds like the American Family Association on the right! ROFLMAO! Who do these people think they’re kidding? Hypocrites who think they represent the American way! They certainly don’t. Going after as sympathetic a plaintiff as Ricci, a man who just succeeded in proving reverse discrimination by a Supreme Court nominee, is hot stuff. Lets hope the leftist radicals get burned!
Sotomayor Enters Confirmation Process with Miers-Like Numbers
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. I dont like having to keep bringing this up, but the news just keeps pouring in and it just keeps getting worse. Its bad enough we have pundits, hacks and liberal radicals trying to distract from this candidates pathetic record with her race. Yeah, she’s a Latina. Get over it! In fact, not even Robert Bork had ratings this negative! In the last poll during his hearings, only 35% did not want to see Bork confirmed!
You know what really puzzles me? I can understand that the Senate Democrats are probably going to push her through. I can understand that it is not so much what people think as the responsibility of the Senate to decide the matters. But there are people out there who PRETEND like this isn’t going to be one of the worst placements on the Supreme Court in DECADES. “Oh, Louis Freeh likes her!” Louis Freeh? Gimme a break! Instead its, “oh she’s gonna get in. just get over it.” Nothing about her qualifications. Nothing about merit. Nothing about whether it will do justice any good to someone who puts blind justice at risk. I guess maybe I shouldnt expect any better. I guess when I hear someone say a politician should speak to a latino differently than they would an asian, as if they automatically have different issues and different interests, and to speak to one as you would the other is going to turn them off, that shouldnt surprise me. That typically comes from someone who has no idea what it is that makes American culture. Who thinks that you cant speak to someone from the barrio the same as little Saigon, that talking to them like they should be concerned Americans isnt good enough or “race conscious” enough. There are people who even think that there is NO AMERICAN CULTURE. And THAT is why they dont mind tragedies of judgement, justice and jurisprudence like this Supreme Court nominee to get in. Being Latina trumps all that. The leftists and liberals are the ones who brought up Sotomayors race, before she was ever even selected. They made it known that the race and gender of the nominee were the deciding factors in the decision, and that having a Latino or Latina on the Court was more important than finding a good candidate. And we may all pay the price by having just a little less respect, a little less reason to believe that the Court is the place of final say, and the place where final justice can be found. Its certainly going to be a little harder, isnt it? p.s. I think this poll is fair. those of you who couldnt admit her statements wouldnt be racist if spoken by a white person should have no trouble finding an answer you can check.
Free Bolivian Festival in Santa Ana this Saturday night
Picture Courtesy of the O.C. Register. “A celebration highlighting the sights and sounds of Bolivian culture will be held this Saturday night to showcase the country’s heritage and to build a stronger base among those of Bolivian descent. The event, sponsored by the League of United Latin American Citizens Council 3097 and supported by various groups, features multiple dance troops and musical acts.” according to the O.C. Register. Here are the event details: Time: 8 p.m. Date: Saturday, July 11 Location: Yost Theatre, 307 N. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana Entertainment: Musical groups Alturas and Miriam Mita Ayllu Sankayo; dance ensembles Bolivia Internacional, Fraternidad Diablada Bolivia, Jenecheru, Llajtamasis, Morenada Bolivia USA and Morenada Quime-Bolivia Admission: Free Information:714-558-8181
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