Vents about Public Employee Unions – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Kip Haggerty

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was published in the El Segundo Herald newspaper (HeraldPublications.com) on Thursday, May 3, 2012 in the Letters section on page 2. The El Segundo Herald has a strict 250-word limit, including the title.

Vents about Public Employee Unions

I would like to congratulate the citizens of El Segundo on their stinging electoral rebuke to the public employee unions. To vote Carl Jacobson back in with the most votes after the vicious attack perpetrated upon him and then for the Council to elect him mayor speaks volumes. The shellacking that Measure P took is indicative of the mood that many shared, that the lies the Fire Department pollsters told in their early push poll were irrelevant, only local control mattered.

I saw Marie Fellhauer’s first act was supporting Bill Fisher for Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. This reminded me of Don Brann’s support for Eric Busch because it was “his turn” to be Mayor. She’ll be a one termer too. While I appreciate that Marie and Don have given up their time to serve, the mindset a public employee brings to the Council is inconsistent with fiscal responsibility and their natural tendency is to represent public employee unions instead of the citizens.

I hope that the public employee unions have learned their lesson. You can’t shake down your neighbors for excessive pay and benefits in a down economy. The money simply isn’t there. I also hope they will listen to Dave Atkinson on pension reform ideas because the same sad fate may befall them as many private sector union members. When their companies went bankrupt, they got only a fraction of their pension from the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation.

Kip Haggerty

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption, Political Corruption, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Vents about Public Employee Unions – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Kip Haggerty

Progressives Don’t Like Facts – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mary Olinick

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was published in the El Segundo Herald newspaper (HeraldPublications.com) on Thursday, May 3, 2012 in the Letters section on page 2. The El Segundo Herald has a strict 250-word limit, including the title.

Progressives Don’t Like Facts

Meredith, an admitted progressive, made an attack against Robbins in your April 19 issue. It was typical progressive diatribe, in which he used personal attacks with no basis in facts. But then it’s difficult to argue against factual evidence showing progressives in YouTube videos demonstrating their true beliefs.

He goes too far in his suggestion that those he disagrees with indulge in cannibalism. Is he really saying that the majority of voters in El Segundo would “eat our young” here? Based on his letter, he’s the one who really needs professional help.

Fortunately, the voters were intelligent enough to have rejected Meredith’s beliefs. Since he doesn’t like El Segundo’s choices, I would invite him to leave and settle in a more “progressive” city such as San Francisco, West Hollywood, or Santa Monica, which would be more to his liking.

Mary Olinick

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Progressives Don’t Like Facts – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mary Olinick

The City Manager and Finance Director should NOT be negotiating employee contracts or agreements for salaries, benefits, or pensions

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Mike

Subject: Updated Written public communications for May 1, 2012, 5:00 P.M. City Council meeting
From: Mike Robbins
To: All Council And Clerks; Cathy Domann; Mona Shilling;
Cc: Mike Robbins;
Date: Friday, April 27, 2012 10:48 PM

April 27, 2012

Re: Updated Written Public Communications – The City Manager and Finance Director should NOT be negotiating employee contracts or agreements for salaries, benefits, or pensions.

To: El Segundo City Council, City Clerk, Deputy City Clerk, City Attorney, City Manager, and Finance Director.

From: Michael D. Robbins, long time El Segundo resident.

Here is my updated written public communications for the May 1, 2012, 5:00 P.M. El Segundo City Council meeting.

Please distribute it instead of my previous email to the entire City Council and the City Attorney, City Manager, and Finance Director, and post it instead of my previous email on the official City web site at ElSegundo.org on the City Council Agendas web page, http://www.elsegundo.org/depts/elected/agendas.asp, as is customary.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Michael D. Robbins
(Email address omitted.)

PublicSafetyProject.org
http://PublicSafetyProject.org/

YouTube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject
http://www.YouTube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject

The May 1, 2012 El Segundo City Council meeting, 5:00 P.M. session, has the following #1 under Special Orders of Business:

“1. Consideration and Possible Action to appoint Greg Carpenter, City Manager and Deborah Cullen, Finance Director to represent the City of El Segundo as labor negotiators with the Supervisory and Professional Employees Association (SPEA).”

The City Manager and Finance Director should NOT be negotiating employee contracts or agreements for salaries, benefits, or pensions, for the following SIX reasons:

1) There is an inherent and unavoidable conflict of interest, because their salaries, benefits, and pensions are based directly or indirectly on those of the employees with whom they are negotiating. City employee bargaining groups negotiate their salaries, benefits, and pensions, at least in part, based on the salaries, benefits, and pensions of the other bargaining groups. And the city manager, department heads, and all other managers are given pay raises based on the pay raises of employees below them to avoid “salary compaction”.

2) They are not negotiation experts. The city employee unions have professional labor union lawyers, negotiators, and negotiation resources to support their labor negotiations with the City, and historically, El Segundo city employees have received greatly excessive salary, benefits, and pension increases even during a recession. While this has been especially true for the firefighter and police unions, it is also true to a lesser extent for other city employee unions (“associations”).

3) The city manager and finance director must work with the employees with whom they are negotiating every day during the negotiations and after the negotiations are completed. If they drive a hard bargain for the taxpayers, there will be more employee resentment against them and less cooperation from the employees. Because of that potential resentment and lack of cooperation, there will be a disincentive for them to drive a hard bargain and negotiate in the best interests of the taxpayers.

4) The city manager and finance director are members of the city staff. They spend most of their time in City Hall in contact with other city staff members and little or no contact with the taxpayers. They have developed day-to-day working relationships and friendships with the city staff members but not with the taxpayers. Therefore, they tend to identify and sympathize more with city staff than with the taxpayers.

5) This approach has already been tried and was a total failure under City Manager Doug Willmore and Finance Director Deborah Cullen.

6) It is well worth the extra money for the City to use professional labor attorneys and negotiators directed by a majority of the City Council to best represent the interests of the taxpayers. Any offer made by the City Council negotiators must clearly state that the offer must be approved by a majority vote of the City Council in an open and public City Council meeting, and that if such vote fails, both sides will return to the bargaining process unless there is an impasse.

Furthermore, any new labor union or bargaining group contract(s) or agreement(s) MUST NOT give up the City’s management rights to determine staffing levels, including layoffs, and should not be longer than for one year given the uncertain economy and the City’s poor financial condition and excessive commitments in the existing city employee union contracts.

Any new labor union or bargaining group contract(s) or agreement(s) should incorporate a burden-sharing mechanism, with thresholds and triggers that implements automatic reductions in the total contract cost (e.g., salary/pay rate reductions) and/or re-opens the contract for negotiation if the sum of unbudgeted city revenue declines plus unbudgeted and uncontrollable city expense increases exceeds one or more specified thresholds.

There should be no Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) or other raises, given the state of the economy and the City’s financial condition and financial commitments. If City revenues increase, the extra money should be used to pay for deferred city infrastructure maintenance and to replenish reserve funds spent down during the recession, and not for employee raises.

The city employees have received three different types of pay raises during the recession while private sector employees received salary reductions and layoffs. The city employees received automatic annual general contract pay raises, automatic annual “step” pay raises, and periodic “longevity” pay raises at specified longevity milestones in the previous three-year contracts, and will receive automatic “step” pay raises, “longevity” pay raises, and conditional Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) pay raises based on City revenue increases in the new three-year contracts.

That concludes my public communications for the May 1, 2012, 5:00 P.M. El Segundo City Council meeting.

Note:

This post contains the second of three emails, and is the same as the third email except that this post makes the “http://www.YouTube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject” web link typo correction made in the third email.

References:

PDF file named “2012-05-01, CC Agenda PACKET, 5PM Session, ITEM #1, Communications.pdf” containing the “Council Meeting Agenda Packet 05-01-12 – 5pm Session – Item #1 – Communications” email from Michael D. Robbins, on the official City of El Segundo, California official web site:
http://www.ElSegundo.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=9677
(This PDF file contains the third of three emails, and is the same as the second email except that it makes the “http://www.YouTube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject” web link typo correction.)

City Council meeting agendas web page of the City of El Segundo, California official web site:
http://www.ElSegundo.org/depts/elected/agendas.asp
(Scroll down to the “Council Meeting Agenda Packet 05-01-12 – 5pm Session – Item #1 – Communications” item, and view or download the PDF file named “2012-05-01, CC Agenda PACKET, 5PM Session, ITEM #1, Communications.pdf”. Note the 4/30/2012 file revision date.)

Official City of El Segundo, California web site:
http://www.ElSegundo.org/

“Sour Grapes – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong” post on the Public Safety Project web site referencing Mike Robbins’ Public Communication email for the May 1, 2012 El Segundo City Council meeting:
http://publicsafetyproject.org/blog/2012/07/12/sour-grapes-letter-to-the-el-segundo-herald-by-marianne-fong/

Posted in El Segundo, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The City Manager and Finance Director should NOT be negotiating employee contracts or agreements for salaries, benefits, or pensions

Reelecting Jacobson – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Helen Armstrong

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was published in the Beach Reporter newspaper (TBRnews.com) on Thursday, April 26, 2012 in the Letters section. The Beach Reporter has a strict 250-word limit.

Reelecting Jacobson

I am delighted that El Segundo City Councilman Carl Jacobson has been re-elected to serve our community and has been selected by four of our five City Council members to be our mayor. Only Marie Fellhauer voted “No.”

Carl has selflessly served our community with integrity and distinction for many years, giving much time out of his life for altruistic reasons. He has the experience and motivation, and now enough support on the council with Suzanne Fuentes and David Atkinson, to help get our city back on the right track.

I am also delighted that 90 percent of the voters rejected Measure P, and instead voted to keep our local fire department and paramedic ambulances.

Mike Robbins led an informative and persistent campaign against Measure P since mid-2010. It took much of his time and effort to educate and motivate our community on this important issue, and our city’s future will be better as a result of his efforts.

I am grateful that our community has good citizens who give so much of themselves and expect so little in return. I am also grateful for those in our community who cared and supported them and their efforts.

Helen Armstrong
El Segundo

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Firefighter Union Corruption, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reelecting Jacobson – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Helen Armstrong

Election recap – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was published in the Beach Reporter newspaper (TBRnews.com) on Thursday, April 26, 2012 in the Letters section. The Beach Reporter has a strict 250-word limit.

Election recap

Thank you to the 90 percent of voters who voted against Measure P, the firefighter union’s initiative, and to those who campaigned against it. I campaigned against Measure P since at least August 2010, and the results are spectacular.

The firefighter union gave up campaigning when their professional polls determined it would lose by a wide margin, due to our early and sustained campaign against P. They did not give up as a favor to residents. We continuously campaigned against P to ensure success, because of the likely loss of life if it were to pass.

We defeated the two candidates endorsed and funded by the self-serving police union – progressive candidate Scott Houston, who falsely campaigned as a conservative, opposite his true record, and Cindy Mortesen. I wonder how the police officers and firefighters can be trusted on their jobs when they are blatantly dishonest in city election campaigns.

Carl Jacobson is vindicated and is mayor. Cindy Topar finished last. Topar and/or her campaign supporter, Peggy Boulgarides – wife of firefighter Jim Boulgarides – were responsible for the anonymous El Segundo Herald ad urging voters to watch the discredited KCET propaganda video attacking Chevron and Jacobson. Boulgarides called me on March 24 to take responsibility, but may have been covering for Topar.

I campaigned using facts, logical reasoning and proof including videos (at http://PublicSafetyProject.org/) for the best candidates, and against Measure P and the worst candidates. Bruce Meredith and other progressives may find that “dangerous,” but our community is safer as a result.

Michael D. Robbins
El Segundo

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Firefighter Union Corruption, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Election recap – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Kudos to El Segundo voters – Letter to the Daily Breeze by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was published in the Daily Breeze newspaper Letters section (DailyBreeze.com/letters/) and the Los Angeles Daily News newspaper Letters section on Monday, April 23, 2012. The Daily Breeze and Daily News have a strict 150-word limit. However, the Daily Breeze edited this letter down to only 116 words. Are they trying to model their Letters to the Editor section after Twitter?

http://www.dailybreeze.com/letters/ci_20455703/reasons-re-elect-obama-letters-editor-monday-april

http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_20455703/reasons-re-elect-obama-letters-editor-monday-april

Daily Breeze

dailybreeze.com

LAX TO L.A. HARBOR

Letters to the Editor for Monday, April 23, 2012

Posted: 04/22/2012 02:02:23 PM PDT
April 22, 2012 9:27 PM GMT
Updated: 04/22/2012 02:26:15 PM PDT

Kudos to El Segundo voters

Thank you to the 90 percent of El Segundo voters who rejected Measure P. We saved El Segundo City Fire Department from selfish firefighters only interested in maximizing their salaries and job security. Measure P would have disbanded our Fire Department, contracted with Los Angeles County for significantly reduced emergency services and endangered lives. The firefighter union quit campaigning when their professional polls determined it would lose by a wide margin because of our early and sustained campaign against P. They did not give up as a favor to residents. We defeated the two candidates endorsed and funded by the self-serving police union: Progressive candidate Scott Houston who falsely campaigned as a conservative and Cindy Mortesen.

— Michael D. Robbins, El Segundo

Note: This letter was edited down to only 116 words by the Daily Breeze from the original 150 word letter that was submitted. Here is the original letter as it was submitted:

El Segundo Election Victories

Thank you to the 90 percent of voters who voted against Measure P, the firefighter union’s initiative, and those who campaigned against it. We saved our city fire department from selfish firefighters only interested in maximizing their salaries and job security. Measure P would have disbanded our fire department, contracted with L.A. County for significantly reduced emergency services, and endangered lives.

The firefighter union quit campaigning when their professional polls determined it would lose by a wide margin, due to our early and sustained campaign against P. They did not give up as a favor to residents.

We defeated the two candidates endorsed and funded by the self-serving police union – Progressive candidate Scott Houston, who falsely campaigned as a Conservative, opposite his true record, and Cindy Mortesen.

I wonder how the police officers and firefighters can be trusted on their jobs when they are blatantly dishonest in city election campaigns.

Michael D. Robbins
El Segundo

Posted in Daily Breeze Letters, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Firefighter Union Corruption, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Kudos to El Segundo voters – Letter to the Daily Breeze by Michael D. Robbins

Carl Jacobson selected as new El Segundo mayor, Suzanne Fuentes as Mayor Pro Tem – Marie Fellhauer and Bill Fisher lose first two key votes

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
April 18, 2012

The newly elected El Segundo City Council members, City Clerk, and City Treasurer were sworn in at the April 17, 2012 City Council meeting, one week after the April 10 El Segundo General Municipal Election.

Councilman Carl Jacobson, Councilman Elect David Atkinson, and Councilwoman Elect Marie Fellhauer were all sworn in for four-year terms on the City Council.

City Clerk Elect Tracy Sherrill Weaver, who was elected with the campaign help of her mother, a former school board member, and City Treasurer Elect Christopher Powell who ran unopposed, were also sworn in.

Councilman Carl Jacobson was selected to be mayor for the next two years by a majority vote of the new City Council, and Suzanne Fuentes as mayor pro tem, despite strong opposition from newly elected LAPD police union member and Busch-Fisher ally Marie Fellhauer.

And Council members Marie Fellhauer and Bill Fisher lost their first two key votes of the new City Council in the process.

Jacobson Vindicated, KCET Propaganda Video and Karen Foshay Repudiated

Jacobson’s successful re-election campaign, with by far the highest vote count of all eight City Council candidates, and his selection as mayor by a majority of the new City Council, serves well to vindicate him and repudiate the KCET SoCal Connected hatchet-job propaganda video, “Small Town, Big Oil”, produced by KCET propaganda journalist Karen Foshay.

Foshay’s KCET propaganda video attacked Chevron and Jacobson with false accusations made by fired El Segundo city manager Doug Willmore. Willmore has been described as a habitual and pathological liar, and was fired for many good cause reasons including persistent dishonesty, although no reason was needed nor specified because Willmore was an at-will employee.

Karen Foshay interviewed Mike Robbins because he was on the El Segundo City Council during the legal settlement to the MRC-Chevron-El Segundo tax dispute. However, she ignored all of the facts and information he provided verbally and by email, because they contradicted her anti-business bias and political agenda.

The police union and campaign supporters of Robbins’ worst four bottom-ranked candidates – Marie Fellhauer, Cindee Topar, Cindy Mortesen, and Scott Houston – urged voters to watch the propaganda video to dishonestly attack Jacobson’s character and undermine his re-election campaign.

City Council candidate Cindee Topar and/or her campaign supporter Peggy Boulgarides, wife of Jim Boulgarides – a firefighter union member in another city – placed an anonymous ad in the local El Segundo Herald newspaper for four weeks urging voters to watch the propaganda video. Jim Boulgarides may also have been behind that ad.

The police union put a message on their web site urging voters to watch the propaganda video, and sent two mailings to El Segundo voters attacking Chevron directly and Carl Jacobson indirectly, and urging voters to visit their web site so they would see the link to the propaganda video.

And anonymous mass-distribution emails were sent by supporters of the four bottom-ranked candidates to El Segundo residents attacking Chevron and Carl Jacobson, and urging them to watch the propaganda video.

The KCET propaganda video was clearly designed and intended to undermine Carl Jacobson’s re-election campaign, and that is how it was used.

Nominations for Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem

As soon as the newly elected city clerk opened nominations for mayor, Marie Fellhauer quickly spoke up, nominating Bill Fisher, her political ally and supporter, and a political ally of the local police and firefighter unions, for mayor.

After a pause during which there was no second for that nomination, Fisher seconded the nomination to nominate himself, although it was obvious there was not a needed third vote for the nomination to succeed.

The nomination failed by a 2 to 3 split vote, with Fisher and Fellhauer voting “yes”, and Jacobson, Fuentes, and Atkinson voting “no”.

Fuentes nominated Councilman and former mayor Carl Jacobson for mayor, Atkinson seconded the nomination, and the nomination passed on a 4 to 1 vote with Fellhauer alone voting “no”.

Some local residents observed that Fellhauer did not even have the class to vote for Jacobson for mayor even when it was obvious he would be the next mayor, and even though he clearly had the most experience, dedication, and integrity based on his previous years of service as mayor.

The new city clerk then tried to open nominations for mayor pro tem, but Mayor Jacobson politely informed her that as mayor, he now chairs the City Council meeting. Had the new city clerk read the very short City Council meeting agenda before the meeting, she would have known this fact.

Mayor Jacobson then opened nominations for mayor pro tem.

Again, Marie Fellhauer quickly spoke up, nominating her liberal political ally, Bill Fisher, as mayor pro tem. Again seeing there was no second for that nomination, Fisher seconded the nomination to nominate himself even though there would not be a needed third vote for the nomination to prevail.

As with Fellhauer’s nomination for mayor, the nomination failed by a 2 to 3 split vote with Fellhauer and Fisher voting “yes”, and Jacobson, Fuentes, and Atkinson voting “no”.

David Atkinson then nominated Suzanne Fuentes for mayor pro tem, and Jacobson seconded the nomination. The nomination passed by a 3 to 2 split vote with Jacobson, Fuentes, and Atkinson voting “yes”, and Fellhauer and Fisher voting “no”.

Local residents observed that both Fellhauer and Fisher lacked class on this vote. Fisher has already held the mayor pro tem position for two years.

Fellhauer Allied with Eric Busch and Bill Fisher who had Costly Sweetheart Deal with Police and Fire Unions

Bill Fisher has been a close personal friend and a proxy vote on the City Council for outgoing Mayor Eric Busch. Fisher almost always voted in lock-step with Busch as though he had no idea how to vote without direction from Busch.

Busch and Fisher were supported with thousands of dollars worth of campaign cash, campaign mailers, and other campaign support from the biggest campaign contributors in El Segundo city elections – the local police officer and firefighter labor unions (“associations”), and a Los Angeles-based extremist environmental political action committee (PAC) – the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters PAC (LALCV.org).

Fellhauer was selected by Mayor Busch to be his replacement on the City Council. Bush endorsed Fellhauer, appeared prominently in her campaign literature, and did much behind the scenes to help get her elected.

Eric Busch was given $10,900 in campaign cash and other campaign support by the El Segundo police officer and firefighter labor unions in a sweetheart deal in 2008, and Busch and Fisher gave them millions of extra tax dollars per year in return in excessive salaries, benefits, and pensions.

Fellhauer’s Dubious Values and Politics

Felhauer and the police union endorsed Scott Houston when he ran for El Segundo City Council in 2010, even though he had previously run as a self-described Progressive (ultra-liberal, big tax-and-spender) for Democratic Party County Central Committee in the June 3, 2008 election, and even though for many years, Houston has been director of the South Bay Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Center which operates a “youth group” advertised as youth “18 and UNDER Welcome!!!” to Drag Shows and more.

Fellhauer scheduled her campaign fundraisers at a major drinking establishment in town frequented and used by Eric Busch.

Fellhauer had an absenteeism problem on Planning Commission, yet cited her appointment to the Planning Commission as her primary example of “Marie’s Proven Commitment to Community” in her campaign literature, despite her 32 percent absentee rate for the meetings she was obligated to attend.

Fellhauer failed to resign from her Planning Commission appointment even after it was clear that she could not or would not meet her obligations. It appears that she planned on using the appointment as a “credential” and stepping stone to City Council for at least the last four years.

Some local residents have commented that if Fellhauer has a similar absenteeism rate for City Council, she will have less opportunity to vote for special interests instead of what is best for the voters and taxpayers.

Other residents are hoping she will mature while serving on the City Council, break her allegiance to Eric Busch, Bill Fisher, and campaign supporter and large contributor Ron Swanson, and instead uphold her obligation to represent the voters and taxpayers.

Bush Cited His Budget Disaster Legacy as an “Accomplishment”

Outgoing Mayor Eric Busch had a professional photographer present to photograph the presentations, speeches, and festivities at his last City Council meeting after serving for two years as mayor.

Busch read a list of his “accomplishments”, and again falsely claimed that the City budget was “structurally balanced”.

Either the City budget is not “structurally balanced”, or it is meaningless to say that it is.

If the budget was truly “structurally balanced”, then Busch, Fisher, and fired city manager Doug Willmore would not have planned to borrow more than $10 million for twenty years to pay for routine city infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements that traditionally have been paid for using ordinary General Fund revenues.

And they would not have planned to effectively sell and lease back City Hall to use it as collateral for the loan.

However, for many years, Busch and Fisher used the General Fund revenues that used to pay for infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements in a sweetheart deal to pay an extra $8 million per year for greatly excessive and unsustainable police and firefighter union salaries, benefits, and pensions.

Resounding Defeat of the Firefighter Union’s Measure P

Former El Segundo Councilman Mike Robbins spoke briefly during public communications, congratulating Mayor Carl Jacobson, Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Fuentes, and new City Council members David Atkinson and Marie Fellhauer.

Robbins also thanked those who campaigned early on and later against Measure P, and the 90.1 percent of voters who voted against it.

Measure P, the firefighter union initiative, would have disbanded the local City fire department and forced the City to contract with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for a significantly reduced level of fire and paramedic emergency services for at least ten years under state law.

Measure P would have permanently eliminated the three city-operated paramedic ambulances, forcing residents to use out-of-town private ambulance companies with significantly increased hospital transport times and ambulance fees.

The El Segundo Firefighters’ Association, which is the firefighters’ labor union, put Measure P on the ballot to maximize their salaries and job security at the residents’ expense in lives and money.

The firefighters would have become L.A. County Fire Department employees, with their higher El Segundo salaries intact without reduction. Their salaries would no longer be controlled and subject to reduction by the El Segundo City Council, even though city taxpayers would be forced to pay for them.

Robbins stated that El Segundo residents want to maintain local control of their fire department, police department, and schools, and that local control makes the city special.

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Firefighter Union Corruption, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Carl Jacobson selected as new El Segundo mayor, Suzanne Fuentes as Mayor Pro Tem – Marie Fellhauer and Bill Fisher lose first two key votes

Video – April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Mike

Watch the April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters video here.

Click on the center of the image below.


Get Microsoft Silverlight

April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum
hosted by the League of Women Voters (01h 45m)

Click on the rectangle in the lower right corner for full-screen mode.
Press the Escape (“Esc”) key near the upper left corner of your keyboard
to return to small size viewing, especially if the video appears slow or
jerky.

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video – April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters

Marie Fellhauer’s ethics lapses pile up as El Segundo election approaches

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Mike

Police Union member Marie Fellhauer is running for El Segundo City Council.
Police Union member Marie Fellhauer is running for El Segundo City Council
Photo copyright © 2012 by Michael D. Robbins.

Marie Fellhauer is a Police Union member, and her multitude of ethics lapses make it more likely that she will represent the Police and Fire Unions rather than the Voters and Taxpayers if elected to City Council.

Marie Fellhauer has made at least four known ethics lapses:

  1. Fellhauer’s 32 percent absenteeism rate for Planning Commission meetings she was obligated to attend, and her misrepresentation of her Planning Commission record in her campaign literature.
  2. Much of Fellhauer’s campaign assistance is coming from Mayor Eric Busch, who took $10,900 in campaign cash and other support from the Police and Fire Unions in 2008, and paid them back with millions of extra tax dollars per year in a back-room sweetheart deal, and more than 11 to 23 percent pay raises during a recession when they were already grossly overpaid.
  3. Fellhauer knowingly accepted a $700 contribution from a local businessman who tried to cheat the City out of $55,000, and who was bounced off the Planning Commission by the City Council before his first Planning Commission meeting because a majority of the City Council did not trust him. He tried to steer the Golf Course Construction Management contract to a friend who bid $120,000, when the lowest and more qualified bidder bid only $65,000 for the same job.
  4. Fellhauer got caught in a lie where she tried to cover up her Police Union campaign contribution money at the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum.

Planning Commission Ethics Lapse

Marie Fellhauer’s known ethics lapses start with her Planning Commission appointment.

Fellhauer claims in her campaign literature that her appointment to the El Segundo Planning Commission is an example of Marie's Proven Commitment to Community.
Excerpt from Marie Fellhauer’s Campaign Literature.

Fellhauer claims in her campaign literature that her appointment to the El Segundo Planning Commission is an example of “Marie’s Proven Commitment to Community.”

However, Fellhauer has been absent for a third (32%) of all the Planning Commission meetings she was obligated to attend over the last two years, and absent for a fourth (25%) of all her obligated meetings over the last four years.

There are several problems here.

First, Fellhauer failed to meet her commitments for a very important city function for at least four years.

Second, once she realized she could not or would not meet her commitments, she should have resigned but failed to do so. It appears that Fellhauer retained her seat on the Planning Commission solely to use it as a stepping stone to higher office, i.e., City Council.

And third, Fellhauer misrepresented her record in writing in her own campaign literature to gain trust and confidence from voters.

I personally reviewed all of the Planning Commission meeting minutes available at the city of El Segundo official web site and calculated the attendance records for all of the Planning Commissioners. The results of that study, together with all of the source data, are available for anyone who wishes to verify them.

Fellhauer had the worst meeting attendance record of all the Planning commissioners who were responsible for attending more than seven meetings during the periods under study.

She was absent for 9 of the 28 meetings she was responsible for attending from 01/14/2010 to 10/27/2011, the first period under study. She was absent for 13 of the 53 meetings she was responsible for attending from 01/24/2008 to 10/27/2011, which included all available meeting minutes.

PROOF:

CLICK HERE to view or download the full Planning Commission Attendance Study report (PDF file).

CLICK HERE to download the full Planning Commission Attendance Study Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet File (XLSX file format).

CLICK HERE to download the full Planning Commission Attendance Study Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet File (XLS file format).

CLICK HERE to download a ZIP archive file containing all of the Planning Commission meeting minutes PDF files used for the study (976 KB).

The Planning Commission meeting minutes can be downloaded as individual PDF files from the City web site at:

http://www.elsegundo.org/depts/planningsafety/minutes.asp

Mayor Busch Support Ethics Lapse

Much of Fellhauer’s behind-the-scenes campaign assistance is coming from Mayor Eric Busch and his connections. Busch’s photo and endorsement are featured prominently in most of Fellhauer’s campaign literature.

Busch took $10,900 in campaign cash and other campaign support from the Police and Fire Unions in 2008, enough to determine the election outcome in our small city.

Visit ElSegundoPOA.com for more information.

Busch paid them back with millions of extra tax dollars per year in a back-room sweetheart deal, and more than 11 to 23 percent pay raises during a recession, even though they were already grossly overpaid.

Campaign Finance Ethics Lapse

Fellhauer’s second known ethics lapse occurred when she knowingly accepted a large campaign contribution from a known dubious source. She knowingly accepted a $700 campaign contribution from a local business owner who tried to cheat the City out of $55,000, and who was bounced off the Planning Commission by the City Council before his first meeting because a majority of the City Council members did not trust him.

I and others have personal knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the attempt to cheat the City out of $55,000, and I have personal knowledge that Fellhauer was aware of those circumstances before she accepted the $700 campaign contribution.

Candidates Forum Ethics Lapse

Fellhauer claimed her campaign support came from family and friends at the League of Women Voters Candidates Forum, even though she received a large Police Union campaign contribution, and also a large campaign contribution from Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca who would probably love to build his empire and have El Segundo outsource its police department to his County Sheriff department.

Fellhauer only admitted to her special interest campaign money after Dave Burns made an interesting suggestion to the audience.

Watch the video at about elapsed time 1:17:26 through 1:18:01:

Question:

“In terms of campaign funding, who is funding your campaign, and what endorsements have you received that come with money, either direct, or in-kind money?”

Marie Fellhauer:

“My campaign is funded by friends, neighbors, um, people that I’ve met during this campaign process. I too have not accepted any money from endorsements of um any unions, organizations, or foundations here in El Segundo. The only endorsement I have received is from the Daily Breeze. It did not come with any money. And I will not be beholden to anyone.”

Fellhauer actually did receive Police Union money – a large campaign contribution from the LAPD Command Officers Association, which is a Police Union. But she did not accurately answer the question.

It is standard operating procedure for the Police and Fire Unions from different cities and agencies to scratch each other’s backs. That is why they often endorse each other’s candidates.

Only after Dave Burns suggested that voters check all of the candidate’s campaign finance disclosure forms did Fellhauer admit that she had accepted Police Union Money.

Watch the video at about elapsed time 1:36:11 through 1:36:32:

Fellhauer made her admission in her closing statement:

Marie Fellhauer:

“First things first. I want to make sure that I make it clear that I forgot that I did receive a donation from the Los Angeles City Command Officers Association from LAPD.”

CLICK HERE to watch the League of Women Voters El Segundo Candidates Forum, or watch it below.


Get Microsoft Silverlight

April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidate’s Forum
hosted by the League of Women Voters (01h 45m)

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Marie Fellhauer’s ethics lapses pile up as El Segundo election approaches

Vote “NO” on Measure P, the Fire Union’s Initiative

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

Below is the content from the front side of an information flyer distributed to residents city-wide in El Segundo, California, on April 8, 2014, the Sunday before the April 10, 2012 General Municipal Election. However, the actual flyer was titled: Vote “NO” on Measure P, and Against SCOTT HOUSTON !

The back side of the flyer provided information on Scott Houston’s true ideology, politics, and track record.

A list of information sources for this flyer and a summary of the election results and lack of union electoral success follow the flyer content below.

Vote “NO” on Measure P, the Fire Union’s Initiative

Background

  • Measure P is the Fire Union’s Initiative – They put it on the ballot to maximize their salaries and job security at our expense in lives and money
  • Disbands our Local City Fire Department for at least ten years under state law
  • Forces our City to contract with L.A. County for significantly reduced fire & paramedic services in a One-Sided Contract that gives L.A. County ALL of the Bargaining Power
  • L.A. County will Unilaterally set the Contract Price, Terms, and Service Level

Service Cuts

  • Cuts number of on-duty Firefighters by 31%, from 16 to 11 – a staffing level even Fire Union President Christopher Thomason admitted was unsafe (on 1/18/11)
  • Eliminates TWO of our THREE Paramedic Rescue Squads
  • Permanently eliminates ALL three of our City-operated Paramedic Ambulances – The L.A. County Fire Dept. DOES NOT operate Paramedic Ambulances
  • Forces residents to use Out-of-Town Private Ambulance Companies – with Significantly Increased Hospital Transport Times and Patient Fees
  • We Need Our Paramedic Ambulances Most – Each year there are 0 or 1 major structure fires, but an average of 758 Paramedic Ambulance Hospital Transports
  • Delays Emergency Response – Routes 911 calls through TWO Dispatch Centers
  • Firefighters serving El Segundo will routinely be sent Out of Town to other L.A. County cities, far more often than out-of-town firefighters will come to El Segundo

Other Issues

  • We already have 70 plus Firefighters Available under Existing Mutual Aid Agreements with L.A. County and South Bay cities
  • 70 Firefighters Responded to the 3/13/11 helicopter crash at Raytheon Bldg. E1
  • No Accountability – Insulates Firefighters and Paramedics from Accountability to any City Official – they will Report to a Remote L.A. County Fire Chief in Gardena
  • Lose Ability to Control Costs – Prevents reduction of Fire Union Excessive and Unsustainable Salaries and Benefits costing $150,000 to $335,000 per employee
  • All El Segundo Fire Dept. Vehicles and Equipment become L.A. County Property
  • Any Cost Savings from Measure P will be Temporary, will result from Drastic Emergency Service Cuts, and will go to Pay for More Big Police Union Pay Raises

This flyer is a response to late campaign mailers and late campaign contribution reports.
Check the PublicSafetyProject.org web site for documentation & responses to any last-minute hit pieces.
Authored by Michael D. Robbins. Not authorized or endorsed by any candidate or committee.
Paid for by Michael D. Robbins, P.O. Box 2193, El Segundo, CA 90245. 4/6/2012 Rev. 4

Information sources for this flyer include:

  • Results from Public Records Act requests by Michael D. Robbins;
  • Text of the Measure P voter initiative petition circulated by the El Segundo Firefighters’ Association (union) members;
  • City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis of Measure P written for the Sample Ballot/Voter Information Guide;
  • The Feasibility Study for the Provision of Fire Protection, Paramedic and Incidental Services for the City of El Segundo by the Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County, approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 8-17-2010;
  • A press conference held by El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith on March 13, 2011, across the street from the helicopter crash site at Raytheon Company (legacy Hughes Aircraft Company) Building E1 on El Segundo Blvd., attended by Michael D. Robbins;
  • Answers to questions asked by Michael D. Robbins of El Segundo City officials including City Council Members Carl Jacobson and Suzanne Fuentes;
  • Direct observation and photographic and video documentation of Los Angeles County paramedic service operations by Michael D. Robbins; and
  • Analysis by Michael D. Robbins and David Burns.

Election Results:

Measure P, the Fire Union’s Initiative, was defeated with 90.1% voting “NO”. Also, the two City Council candidates endorsed and funded by the El Segundo Police Officers’ Association (the police union) – Scott Houston and former City Clerk Cindy Mortesen – were defeated.

The El Segundo Fire Union probably spent more than $100,000 on their Measure P campaign. The union membership voted on December 6, 2011 to provide their professional campaign consultant Frank Caterinicchio with a $75,000 campaign budget. The union hired an attorney to draft the Measure P initiative and petition, and to file a lawsuit against the City and appear in court in an attempt to change wording in the City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis. The union spent money sending out Measure P campaign mailers. And the union hired a professional polling company to do an initial telephone push-poll and two tracking push-polls of El Segundo voters, with numerous questions related to Measure P and public perception of the fire union and the various City Council candidates. The cost of polling increases as the number and complexity of the poll questions increase.

The union even offered to pay for the cost of an early Special Election within a few months in May or June of 2011, that would have given the union a significant unfair electoral advantage, but after much public pressure was applied, the City Council voted 3-2 to put Measure P on the ballot for the regularly scheduled April 10, 2012 General Municipal Election, allowing sufficient time to run an effective low-cost grassroots campaign against Measure P. The cost of the grassroots campaign against Measure P was insignificant.

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Political Corruption, Politics, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Vote “NO” on Measure P, the Fire Union’s Initiative