What's Up in Vallejo?

[ten08]

I've heard that the City went into Bankruptcy in order to bust the Union Contracts and "renegotiate" salaries, benefits and pensions:mad:

[DAL]

Here is the latest:

Vallejo's financial woes are felt on several fronts
By JESSICA A. YORK/Times-Herald staff writer
Posted: 12/28/2008 02:04:17 AM PST

Latest in a series on top local stories of 2008. Today: Vallejo.

Although 2008 may be most remembered locally as the year Vallejo declared bankruptcy, the substory of the city's collateral impacts had plenty of its own twists and turns throughout downtown and beyond.

Elected city leaders, some only months into the position, were almost immediately handed a troubled budget in need of attention. Council newcomers Michael Wilson and Erin Hannigan, along with past Councilwoman Joanne Schivley, were elected to serve with council veterans Tom Bartee, Hermie Sunga and Stephanie Gomes.

Mayor Osby Davis, a former county superintendent, entered the new year fresh from a convoluted and heated election race for the leading City Council position. Davis and former Councilman Gary Cloutier had bothh vied to replace two-term former mayor Tony Intintoli Jr.

The two, both attorneys, found themselves within mere ballots of each other at the final count, causing a recount request from Davis and later legal challenge by Cloutier.

Cloutier relinquished his position as mayor-for-a-week after a ballot recount was finalized in December 2007. He had dropped his legal challenge by March.

Meanwhile, the council's efforts to plug a gushing fiscal wound in the city's coffers spiraled downward. This year city spending was projected to overshoot funds the city was taking in as revenue, as it had been for years, but without any reserves to cover the difference.

After cutting back on some spending and nearly all its community organization funding, the city turned to its public safety employees' contracts, seeking to reduce the strain of those annually growing costs with staffing, salary and operational cutbacks.

"Bankruptcy" began to be bandied about with more frequency after the city lost a binding arbitration battle over fire department minimum employee staffing requirements, and in February when 13 veteran firefighters and seven police officers unexpectedly announced their retirements. City employees across the spectrum have continued to trickle out of Vallejo since.

Public safety staffing is down significantly lower than staffing in recent memory, but city staff has begun forging a plan to replenish the ranks through new hires and training programs. Other city departments are relying on reduced public service hours, staff members taking on multiple and interim positions and the utilization of contractors to fill full-time slots.

Community groups long reliant on city funds faced stark decisions when those funds were withdrawn. Particularly, the city's Solano County libraries, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Police Athletic League, the Florence Douglas Senior Center, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, Youth and Family Services and the Community Arts Foundation dropped to zero funding for 2008-2009 fiscal year.

In other areas, planned downtown development that expected to break ground this year never materialized. Talks that would have set a cash penalty and contract expiration date after 13 months for developer Triad Communities started in January and have remained behind closed doors since.

Triad had contracted with the city to renovate a large downtown area with retail, office and living space. City Manager Joe Tanner said as far back as January that he did not expect to see the project ever materialize.

Touro University on Mare Island, meanwhile, moved forward with its plans to build a $330 million state-of-the-art combined particle therapy cancer treatment center and associated facilities. In June, the council approved a series of agreements, including acquisition, right of entry and demolition, public improvement construction and development agreements.

The project was initially designed to work with medical supplier Siemen's Medical Solutions to bring combined particle beam therapy, including proton beam and heavy carbon ions to the facility. In October, Touro University representatives announced that Siemens had withdrawn its participation in the cancer research and treatment center.

Also out on Mare Island, the city-hired master developer for about 650 acres of the city's former military base declared its own bankruptcy in June. The voluntary filing was in conjunction with 20 other companies falling under the umbrella of developer LandSource Communities LLC.

That bankruptcy, filed in Delaware federal court, may involve the auctioning off of certain company properties after the beginning of the near year. Company spokespersons have not released details on how or if lots owned by Lennar on Mare Island will be affected.

[ten08]

Several Years ago I looked at a Lennar Model Home Leaseback on Mare Island. I bid $600K and someone elsee got it for $738K. They are going for about half that now but the taxes listed with all the Mello Roos and special taxes to clean up the base are around a thousand a month, that and the condition of the City ascaring me off what would be a bargain.

[ten08]

The other thing that upsets me is the idea that the City by Feigning Bankruptcy can force the renegotiation of contracts. I certainly wish the Police there were FOP so they could bring some national pressure to shut that down before it catches on. Every City in California and most throughout the country are facing eroding tax bases, if they can use this as an excuse not to fulfill thier pension and health care obligations we are all in trouble

[tait]

I am not sure about the police side. But my Step Father is a retired Vallejo Fire Fighter. A few of the ones that retired, were basically asked to leave cuz their "time" was already over. They were all over the 30+ year mark. They still got their full reitirement pay and are still recieving their benifits.

So don't look into the news story too much. They did not just get kicked out cuz they were almost there. Their time was coming up anyway.

Granted the city did tell all services in the city that they were out of money. I think that they still have the money, they are just playing scared. But that is only my take on what I have heard.

[ten08]

From what I heard the Police and Fire took a 15% reduction in pay, I'm not sure what happened with Benefits but about 25% of the Department has moved on.

[SgtCHP]

Here is the Vallejo PD site:

http://www.vallejopd.com/

I could find nothing in the negative within the site........

[ten08]

The City stopped them from posting on it