TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption

Can’t tell if this Riverside Tax Payer was Tased by the shock of Higher Sales Taxes, or simply stumbled on the Transparent California Web Site and found out what our Public Employees really make!

The City of Riverside currently has $472 million (and growing daily) in unfunded pension liabilities (money due to employees in the future that has no dedicated revenue stream at the moment).  That’s more than 1 year’s general fund budget – you could shut down City Hall for a year and we’d still be $200 million short.  This is simply not payable, the City’s answer is to pillage the taxpayer for more taxes.  What we have been told by prior City Financial Officers, is that “we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” and I’ll leave it there.   As compared to the City of FRESNO, which has NO Unfunded pension liabilities and a $300 million pension surplus!  Go figure.  The City of Fresno is not only doing their City right, they are doing their taxpayers right.  It’s unfortunate that we have a culture of entitlement within the City of Riverside, specifically in public safety employees who believe they are worth more than what the market can bear.

The taxpayer of Riverside has been bullied, strong armed and shakedown by the public employees unions for years, and we are sick and tired of it!  Taxpayers hate the City Union threats, “YOU MUST PAY US MORE, OR WE WILL SLOW SERVICES, OR YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY SERVICES!”  Again what many taxpayers are telling TMC, is that they feel “a profound sense of betrayal by our City Government.”  This is a City Government which left you behind, which didn’t protect your tax monies, which didn’t do what they meant and didn’t mean what they said and fiscally didn’t take your best interest at heart.  The following is the cost per resident in order to fund total compensation including pensions in these cities 2014.

RIVERSIDE: $828
COLTON : $631
CORONA :$575                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        FRESNO: $566
SAN BERNARDINO: $460
MORENO VALLEY: $157

We don’t have any services now, that is because they, the City, have cut our services to pay the salaries of our so called “heroes,” Fire and Police,  in lieu of their employer, the taxpayer.  The Council of Riverside has been fiscally irresponsible for many years.  Councilman Mike Soubirous is the exception.  The problem has been that our City Council has been all purchased and paid for by Fire and Police Unions, especially Mayor Rusty Bailey.  Of course, the Riverside Chamber of Commerce and the Rain Cross Group, support Measure-Z, because they couldn’t survive in the real world, without their taxpayer handout, they simply could not make it on their own.  They are a good example of a City subsidized entity. City Pensions have been a priority to City Officials, as opposed to fixing our pot holes, cutting our trees, fixing our curbs and public safety.  Why is that?  Maybe because they are afraid of the dam unions?  If you are week, you will get no where, if you are strong, you will challenge those who you supposedly run to represent, the taxpayers of the City of Riverside.  As a representative you should represent them, the taxpayer, regardless of the consequence.

The City currently pays 35% of public safety employee salary every year to CalPERS; 25% for other employees.  These rates are rising at meteoric levels as CalPERS realizes the full extent of their problem.  Many of these employees have six figure salaries, and most have never paid 1 cent into their own CalPERS retirements, which max out at 90% of top salary when public employees retire at 50 (safety) or 55 (non-safety). There is nothing in the private sector that even remotely compares to these plans.  In fact, for some of the top government earners, it would be illegal under IRS rules in the private sector for companies to fund such a level of retirement pay.

While the private sector has still not seen their total compensation (adjusted for inflation) getting back to 2006 levels, when you include these unfunded benefits; Riverside’s employees have been getting well over 10% raises for the past decade.  Think about that: their compensation is up over 100%, while the rest of us have stagnated.  It is squeezing out public services surely but steadily.  They have literally hijacked the taxpayer to pay them more than should be reasonably compensated in the private sector.  This is criminal!

         

Once the average citizen educates themselves about this Ponzi scheme, these guys (fire and police) are going to retire in their early 50s making hundreds of thousands a year, while the rest of us, in the real world, work to our late 60’s with not much more than Social Security (currently $32k/year) and whatever dollar you we’re able to save in our IRA/401k (typical American has enough money for another $20k/year in income in retirement).  Then what do these public workers do next when they retire at 50?  They go get another City job and work a second pension.  Folks like us are not going to work another 15 more years for packages half as good as government workers, it simply makes no economical sense..  The taxpayer is not going to work harder, IN ORDER TO FUND THESE GOLDEN PARACHUTE DEALS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES, while accepting lower quality services from their government.  This isn’t fair, and they, the unions, don’t care.

We need leadership and reform…none on the horizon that I see however.  Instead, our electeds’ have chosen to attempt to pillage the general public with increased taxes.  The earners are already leaving California for places like Nevada and Texas; this will just hasten municipal bankruptcies.  New contract have employees contributing 6% eventually to CalPERS, if raises are at least 2% per year.  By that time the City will be contributing the other 39% that’s being required.  And by tying their salaries to increased revenues under the Partnership Compensation Model, one can look forward to public safety union propaganda in the mail to pass new taxes, new developments, and higher utility bills every year…brilliant.

Remember, what seemingly appears to be the entitlement factor by Public Sector Employees, may be their own undoing.  Please continue to laugh in our faces.  The general public did not vote for your retirement packages.  They were a result of “elected officials” seeking special interest votes.  I find it will end in tears, not only for you, but for the taxpayer!  Union contracts should never be voted without public involvement!  After all we are the rightful employer.

When you look at total compensation, including benefits, pensions, over time and other pay, you will understand that what is paid out to public employee’s, is more than the base pay.  These cost our hidden from the public!  Purposely?  Good question.  Further, the revenue stream is not there, the contracts were made without financially assessing the final impact on the taxpayer.  Therefore, what we have is an unfunded pension liability, right?  The Council Owns this Fiscal Mess, including Davis!  Not listening to the Public.  Our current City Manager John Russo, who is banking on the taxpayer, tells Council Publicly to discount Public Comment!  “Asinine” and “morally corrupt,” as one public commenter indicated..Kevin Dawson to City Manager John Russo.

When you look at 250 employees at the City of Riverside making nearly $200K per year, it’s really 250 employees at the City making nearly $200K per year in total compensation, which includes their base pay, over time, other pay and benefits, which is not clearly addressed by them!

Back on August 16, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made this statement on “public sector unions.”  Listen closely Tim Strack, Fire Fighters Union; Listen closely Brian Smith, Riverside Police Officers Union; Listen Closely George Soros, SEIU…

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable. It is, therefore, with a feeling of gratification that I have noted in the constitution of the National Federation of Federal Employees the provision that “under no circumstances shall this Federation engage in or support strikes against the United States Government.”

Bottom line, this deal, like the previous firefighters and police deals, is a disaster for both the general public and the union members.  It creates the perverse incentive for our police and fire employees, through their unions, to support all new revenues measures (i.e. taxes, higher utility rates, new development)…like Measure Z (local sales tax increase).  It creates a us vs. them game concerning our wallets, which will create “distrust” issues (not the kind of thing public safety should be doing, particularly right now).

What Riverside Police Union President Brian Smith states in this video is inaccurate and defective.  President Sgt. Smith’s leadership within the Police Union is less than can be desired.  His care of his fellow police members monies is abhorrent.  The embezzlement loss of over $346K of police member monies, with over 15 Riverside Police Officers on their Boards, only makes you think how competent they are with accounting knowledge.  According to the Press Enterprise article, RPOA Vice President, Aurelio Melendrez (Son of current Councilman Andy Melendrez), stated, “It’s embarrassing for all of us, its a good lesson to the community that anyone can be victimized.”  Just for the record Aurelio Melendrez is a DETECTIVE for the Riverside Police Department!  He goes on to say, “Police aren’t businessmen.”  We suggest taking a course in accounting 101 at RCC.  It’s there that they are incompetent with member monies, and I can pretty much assume they will be incompetent with Taxpayers Monies.

Press Enterprise article where Measure Z is tied to fire and police salaries.  I find it repugnant once again City personal are out to community meetings pushing for the passing of Measure Z, but stating that they are their only for informational purposes.  Makes you lose respect for fire and police, and city personal and leadership.  The following is a propaganda video produced by the City of Riverside, paid by you, the taxpayer.  Beware, this is another City of Riverside “SCHEME,” known as the “Partnership Compensation Model.”  The City should not be in the business of doing business, but in the business of doing what is right for the taxpayer.

Sgt. Brian Smith of RPD, and also Union President, attempts to tell Riverside Taxpayers why Measure-Z should be passed.  It seems to be that it is all about Smith and his associates, but nothing with regards to the taxpayer!

On September 21,2016 Assistant City Manager Marianna Maryshevitz explains the City Manager John Russo’s new “Partnership Compensation Model” at the Janet Goeske Senior Center.

After Maryshevitz completes her explanation of the City’s new compensation model, Local Taxpayer Advocate & Riversidian Kevin Dawson unleashes against his opinion on the truth of Measure-Z.

Is there any reason that the City of Riverside Taxpayers should question new City Manager John Russo on any of his high falluting ideas? Should we even consider our City Manager John Russo as relevant to the City of Riverside’s welfare?  We need to renegotiate those union deals, or go broke.  We cannot sustain these contracts.  The past city negotiators were simply not good negotiators, and basically gave the farm away, in lieu of their responsibility to the taxpayer.  Shameful.  Many taxpayers feel as I do within our City of Riverside, “a profound sense of betrayal by our City Government.”  This is what TMC is retrieving from our subscribers.  Again they are questioning decisions made by are current and past City leadership. Why is it that our current leadership is unable to decipher the past wrong doing of our Council and justifiably make it right?  So taxpayers have a right to ask about the newly hired City Managers view of the foregoing future of our City.  Is his view of our City the same cookie cuter reproduction of the past?  Is it “Partnership Compensation Model” that Russo placed in Oakland California?  What happened there?

RPOA President, Brian Smith’s former boss was RPD Detective Chris Lanzillo..  What did RPD Sgt. Brian Smith learn from his from his former boss, former RPD Detective Chris Lanzillo, was it how to politically manipulate public politics?  Did Sgt. Smith attempt to do just that against Councilman Mike Soubirous?  Should Sgt. Smith be investigated?  Many in the community are telling TMC yes!

CITY OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA HAS A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSION SURPLUS..GO FIGURE!

According to a March 10, 2016 article in the Fresno Bee, the City of Fresno has a Pension Surplus!  In my eyes, according to the Fresno Pension Plan, Riverside is simply paying to dam much.  The following is the cost per taxpayer on property taxes per year in 2014, the figures taken from Transparent California.

RIVERSIDE: $828
COLTON : $631
CORONA :$575                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        FRESNO: $566
SAN BERNARDINO: $460
MORENO VALLEY: $157

AND, “the most shocking fact of all is that the Riverside City payroll INCREASED by $10,000,000 between 2014 and 2015.  The precise figure of our deficit. Think about it………” – Ron Todar

Bottom line, City Manager John Russo is not a proponent for the residents and taxpayer of the City of Riverside!  You as a taxpayer have been had.  Have your streets been fixed, trees cut, concerns of in home burglaries, theft from our front yards, drug deals, prostitution rings in our Wood Streets, drug deals in the Wood Streets,  shootings in the Wood Street?  Well Russo’s street has been fixed by the Riverside Gravy Train as expected. Sorry folks if your P.C., but the fact remains, “This is Piss Pour Politics at Hand,” and we should not tolerate it as taxpayers.  Russo is again a parasite who feeds on the “gravy train” of Riverside Taxpayers and every other city taxpayer that he has nomadically strives through.  Our Council is simply to dumb to distinguish the difference.

DID CITY OF RIVERSIDE MAYOR WILLIAM “RUSTY” BAILEY VIOLATE CALIFORNIA FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICES COMMISSION’S RULES ON CAMPAIGNS?

VOTE NO ON MEASURE-Z!

REASONS TO VOTE NO ON MEASURE-Z PER KEVIN DAWSON AT THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 1, 2016!  IS MEASURE-Z A RUSSO MONSTER?

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S REGIONAL COUNTIES MOST, “NEGATIVE,” “RAUNCHY,” “LOW CLASS,” “VISIONS OF GRANDEUR,” “FULL OF B.S.,” “REPREHENSIBLE,” “IGNORANT,” “MISGUIDED,” “BULLYISH,” “FILTHY,” “VILE,” “SICK,” “PERVERTED,” “DEFAMATORY,” “STUPID,” “PATHETIC,” “DESPICABLE,” “DISAPPOINTING,” “BELOW THE BELT,” “A NEW LOW,” “SHOCKING,” “OFFENSIVE,” “OBNOXIOUS,” “INAPPROPRIATE,” “HURTFUL,” “MEAN SPIRITED,” “DISTASTEFUL,” “EMBARRASSING,” HORIFFIC,” “SLANDEROUS” “FIT TO BE VIEWED FROM THE REAR” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE!  YES WE ADMIT WE OUR ALL OF THAT AND MORE, WHICH IN CURRENT TERMS IS KNOWN AS “UNPOLITICALLY CORRECT.”  TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED.  I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO THE ACLU.  RATED ONE TWO ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS..  … AGAIN, THANK YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT!  CONTACT US:  thirtymilescorruption@hotmail.com