HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-07-2015 B2 HallsCOUNCIL MEETING: 7a I
ITEM NO.:
Secrecy surrounding pay
and benefits mocks
democracy
June 25, 2015
OPINION By PETER SCHEER
from CalCoast News
Local officials talk a good game about government
transparency and accountability. And while city
council members and county supervisors often go
through the motions of conducting official busi-
ness in an open and public way, on the biggest,
most costly and consequential issues that come
before them — issues that dwarf all others by or-
ders of magnitude —those same elected officials
revert to total secrecy.
I am referring to decisions on compensation and
benefits for public employees- which, for most cit-
ies and counties in California, consume north of
80 percent of all government spending. Regard-
less of one's party affiliation or views about local
taxes or the value of government services, there
is no credible argument that this is a good thing —
that the public ought to be excluded from such
crucial deliberations. Not in a democracy.
with zero public
evitably difficult
be made.
Collective bargaining agreements
covering government workers
are, almost everywhere, written
in secrecy by negotiators who, on
the government side, receive
their marching orders from
elected officials meeting behind
closed doors. Proposals, counter-
proposals, and the final hand-
shake on an agreement all take
place in an information blackout,
scrutiny of, or input into, the in-
choices and trade -offs that must
The public's first look —at an agreement that could
profoundly affect all local priorities and policies
well into the future —comes only after approval by
the union rank - and -file and on the eve (literally)
of a city council or board of supervisors meeting
at which the deal will be offered for a perfunctory
vote of approval. When first made available to the
public, in other words, the collective bargaining
agreement is a fait accompli in a process that
makes a mockery of democratic self - government.
The consequences of this process are painfully evi-
dent in the federal bankruptcy proceedings of cities
like Vallejo, San Bernardino, and Stockton. But, for-
tunately, some local communities are rejecting the
status quo. During the past year, Orange County,
Costa Mesa, Pacific Palisades, and Fullerton have en-
acted transparency ordinances— referred to as "Civic
Openness in Negotiations," or COIN, measures —that,
in various ways, seek to open a window to the deci-
sion- making process for employee compensation.
Decisions about workers' pay and benefits in these
Southern California jurisdictions should be much
more transparent under the COIN measures. For
one thing, there will be an opportunity for public
vetting of the assumptions (about tax receipts, re-
turns on pension investments, life expectancy of
retired workers, and the like) underlying the govern-
ment's pay and benefits proposals. If government
officials are counting on wildly opti-
mistic projections, they should be
called out by the press, by local
watchdogs, and by securities ana-
lysts (for banks that are potential A{
buyers of the government's bonds).
Most important, the transparency reforms will slow
down the last stage of decision - making: when an
agreement with public employee unions is referred to
the city council or county supervisors for ratification.
The reforms give the public a reasonable interval to
review and analyze the agreement and to pose hard
questions to elected officials -
before the final vote is taken.
In the case of Orange County, Public support for
the proposed agreement must government unions
be debated at two board has been
meetings and the agreement sinking... Recovery
text must be published on the depends on winning
internet at least seven days back the trust of
before the first of those meet- the voters... based
ings. on complete and
Not surprisingly, public em- accurate
ployee unions oppose these information, to the
people directly.
transparency ordinances. But
the unions would be making a
mistake to try to block them. Public support for gov-
ernment unions has been sinking. Regardless of why
that is happening or who is to blame, the unions'
chances for recovering their influence do not depend
on how much money they contribute in local elec-
tions. Recovery depends on winning back the trust of
voters, something that can only happen in a trans-
parent process in which unions make their best case,
based on complete and accurate information, to the
people directly. (to next page)
SECRECY (from page 3)
Holding public meetings for decisions on all
local issues, except the ones that truly matter,
is a fraudulent version of democracy. It's time
California cities, local districts, school boards
and counties got serious about open govern-
ment. Their elected officials should embrace
transparency in decisions on workers' compen-
sation and benefits. If they don't, voters will
replace them with new representatives who un-
derstand the concept of public accountability.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Peter Scheer, a lawyer and journalist, is the
Executive Director of First Amendment Coalition.
This article is reprinted with the permission of the author.
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Attention Landlords! Property managers! Real estate professionals! ALL concerned citizens!
TOWN HALL MEETING
""PRESERVE YOUR PROPERTY RIGHTS"
THE SLO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WANTS TO
FORCE YOU TO TAKE SEC. 8 RENTERS!
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2015, 6:30 PM
Location: Madonna Inn, Round Room
The discussion before the Board of Supervisors is to advocate with the State of California to force landlords
to accept Section 8 tenants. Is this the message you want to send? If not, you need to be here!
Residential rental property owners, real estate agents and brokers, property managers and concerned
citizens are strongly urged to attend this informational meeting to learn what Section 8 is all about:
• How will this proposed mandate impact your property, your cash flow, your control over your property?
• How will this exacerbate existing rents and rental shortages?
♦ Let's establish a channel of communication for residential rental property owners to be updated on this issue.
This event will be hosted by:
* Owners of residential rental property in San Luis Obispo County, California.
* Members of the San Luis Obispo Property & Business Owners' Association
* Other Property Owners and Property Managers
RSVP: rsvp @BattagliaRE.com, Steve Battaglia, (805) 688 -5333
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