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Tag Archives: fire union
Worried About Repercussions – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Robert Clark
Worried About Repercussions
The ES Public Safety Unions compensation contracts are being discussed by the City Council. I’m not here to argue for or against what the Unions are asking for, but most Public Safety union members pay and benefits seem fairly generous.
Recently, I discovered many ES residents will not express their point of view about Public Safety employee’s compensation in public if they are not in support of raises.
Why? Many are concerned about possible repercussions. I understand those concerns.
Several years ago I spoke at a City Council meeting. I assumed the council was the right place to ask for some added enforcement for traffic safety. I was wrong.
Several days later, I received a call from an ESPD officer I knew on a personal level. I was told that I had embarrassed the department, and warned to look out for tickets for offences I don’t recall doing! Like parking near a fire hydrant or in a handicap spot – tickets that cost many $100’s of dollars in fines! I was shocked… and intimidated.
I never received a surprise ticket, but it changed me. What was communicated to me was clearly illegal. But it works. If someone speaks publically against Public Safety Union contracts or matters, will they get a parking or speeding ticket for something they did not do? It’s intimidating to know the union members have that power.
We live in a very small town, and there are many citizens of El Segundo who feel this way – Intimidated.
– Robert Clark
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Send In Fee Hike Protest Ballots ASAP! – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mike Robbins
Send In Fee Hike Protest Ballots ASAP!
We need every El Segundo resident, property owner, business, and water customer to act now to stop nine water fee rate hikes and five sewer fee rate hikes scheduled for 2015-2019. These hikes will also increase business water utility taxes. It makes no sense to raise fees and taxes when we are still paying millions of dollars yearly in excess City employee compensation and pensions that have no relation to reality – only to City union campaign support for City Council candidates.
Failure to send in Protest Ballots counts as “yes, raise our fees and taxes” votes. Businesses and landlords will pass the hikes on to customers and tenants.
Please complete, sign, date, and send in your new set of Protest Ballots (marked “new” on envelope) – one for Water and one for Sewer. The old ballots won’t be counted. A Water and Sewer Protest ballot for each real estate parcel should be mailed or hand-delivered to the City Clerk.
Every property owner, water customer, or authorized representative can vote the protest ballots. Whether or not you are eligible to vote, please call and email every person and business you know that resides or owns property in town and urge them to vote.
Ballots must be received before 6:00 PM Tuesday, January 20, 2015, or else at the 7:00 PM City Council meeting that night before the public hearing is closed.
For replacement ballots or information, visit or call the City Clerk immediately at 310-524-2305.
– Mike Robbins
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El Segundo Police and Firefighters Got Huge Raises During the Great Recession
by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org
May 20, 2014
The April 8, 2014 El Segundo General Municipal Election is over, and Mayor Bill Fisher has been defeated, in large part because of his tax-and-spend policies and his support for wildly excessive and unsustainable pay raises for the already over-compensated firefighter and police unions that helped launch his political career with lots of campaign support, and for their managers to prevent “salary compaction”.
However, Fisher, and also El Segundo Police Sergeant and former El Segundo Police Officers’ Association (union) President Mike Gill, have continued to campaign after the election is over. They continue to claim the El Segundo firefighter and police union salary increases I cited in my information flyers distributed before the election never happened, despite my overwhelming proof. Here is even more detailed proof for those who won’t click on the links to the official El Segundo City Council Agenda Packet PDF files on the City’s website to read the documents.
Sergeant Mike Gill’s multiple false statements at the May 6, 2014 El Segundo City Council meeting are troublesome, given that he is a sworn police sergeant in a position of authority and public trust, who must be trusted to testify honestly and accurately in court in the normal course of his police duties.
Mayor Fisher supported pay raises ranging from 11.25% to 23% for the firefighter and police unions, in three or four installments over three years, and single pay raises ranging from 14.9% to 32.3% for their managers, during the first three years of the Great Recession. All of the raises were approved well after the Great Recession started, and many included retroactive pay raises effective up to 6 and 9 months before the union contracts were approved. The firefighter and police union contracts included additional 5% annual “step raises”, and additional periodic “longevity raises”.
The pay raises were approved first in closed session City Council meetings, and then again in public as a formality at the open session City Council meetings referenced in the table below.
The total pay raises included the following (not counting compounding, which actually results in higher total raises):
JOB CLASSIFICATION | PAY RAISE | DATE APPROVED | CONSENT AGENDA ITEM |
Firefighters | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Fire Engineers | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Fire Captains | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Police Officers | 15.0% | April 7, 2009 | E12 |
Police Sergeants | 15.0% | April 7, 2009 | E12 |
Police Lieutenants | 18.0% | April 7, 2009 | E8 |
Police Captains | 23.0% | April 7, 2009 | E8 |
Fire Battalion Chiefs | 16.9% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Deputy Fire Chief | 14.9% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Police Chief | 23% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Fire Chief | 32.3% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
In addition to the above pay raises, the firefighter and police employees were (and still are) given 5% annual “step raises” in each of the first four or five years after the year they are promoted or assigned to a new position.
In addition to the above pay raises, the firefighter and police employees were (and still are) given periodic “longevity” raises every so many years.
The information below provides details about the big pay raises given to the El Segundo firefighters and police during the Great Recession.
A short list of police and firefifghter pay raises in 2009 and 2008 appear below, followed by more detailed lists of police and firefighter key contract provisions.
The firefighters union contract MOU No. 3928 was approved at the April 7, 2009 El Segundo City Council meeting (Consent Agenda item E11), well after the 2008 recession started. Look at the agenda item (E11) in the Agenda Packet to see the MOU. It covers the Firefighter, Fire Paramedic, Fire Engineer, and Fire Captain ranks (but not the Battalion Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and Fire Chief ranks, which are management ranks).
It provided an 11.25% raise during the Great Recession, in the form of three consecutive 3.75% raises.
It included the following (and other) terms:
- Three-year term, commencing on July 1, 2008, and ending on September 30, 2011.
- A 3.75% salary increase for Firefighters, Fire Engineers, and Fire Captains, retroactively effective October 14, 2008.
- A 3.75% salary increase for Firefighters, Fire Engineers, and Fire Captains, effective July 1, 2009.
- A 3.75% salary increase for Firefighters, Fire Engineers, and Fire Captains, effective July 1, 2010.
The police officers union contract MOU No. 3929 was approved at the April 7, 2009 El Segundo City Council meeting (Consent Agenda item E12), well after the 2008 recession started. Look at the agenda item (E12) in the Agenda Packet to see the MOU. It covers the Police Officer and Police Sergeant ranks (the two lowest ranks).
It provided a 15% raise during the Great Recession, in the form of three consecutive 5% raises.
It included the following (and other) terms:
- Three-year term, commencing on July 1, 2008, and ending on September 30, 2011.
- A 5% salary increase for Police Officers and Police Sergeants, retroactively effective October 14, 2008.
- A 5% salary increase for Police Officers and Police Sergeants, effective July 1, 2009.
- A 5% salary increase for Police Officers and Police Sergeants, effective July 1, 2010.
The Police Managers union contract MOU No. ____ was approved at the April 7, 2009 El Segundo City Council meeting (Consent Agenda item E8), well after the 2008 recession started. Look at the agenda item (E8) in the Agenda Packet to see the MOU. It covers the Police Lieutenant and Police Captain ranks.
It provided an 18% raise for Police Lieutenants and a 23% raise for Police Captains during the Great Recession, in the form of four consecutive raises effective retroactively on July 1, 2008 and October 1, 2008, and also on October 1, 2009 and October 1, 2010. (ARTICLE 2 SALARY, Section 2.01 Base Salary, Agenda Packet page 75)
It included the following (and other) terms:
- A 4% salary increase for Police Lieutenants and Police Captains, retroactively effective July 1, 2008. (ARTICLE 2 SALARY, Section 2.01 Base Salary, Agenda Packet page 75, MOU page 3)
- A 9% salary increase for Police Captains and a 4% salary increase for Police Lieutenants, retroactively effective October 1, 2008. (ARTICLE 2 SALARY, Section 2.01 Base Salary, Agenda Packet page 75, MOU page 3)
- A 5% salary increase for Police Lieutenants and Police Captains, effective October 1, 2009. (ARTICLE 2 SALARY, Section 2.01 Base Salary, Agenda Packet page 75, MOU page 3)
- A 5% salary increase for Police Lieutenants and Police Captains, effective October 1, 2010. (ARTICLE 2 SALARY, Section 2.01 Base Salary, Agenda Packet page 75, MOU page 3)
December 2, 2008 El Segundo City Council Resolution-Management Raises (0.98 MB PDF file)
The City Council resolution providing Executive Management, Mid-Management/Confidential, and Public Safety Management city employee raises and benefits increases was approved at the December 2, 2008 El Segundo City Council meeting (Consent Agenda item E8), well after the 2008 Great Recession started. Look at the agenda item (E8) in the Agenda Packet to see the Resolution approving the raises. It covers the Battalion Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Chief, and Police Chief ranks, which are all management ranks).
It provided substantial raises to prevent salary compaction between management employees and their subordinate union member employees who received large pay increases. Thus, large union employee raises are used as justification for large management employee raises.
It included the following (and other) terms:
- Salary Compaction (Compression) in the Police and Fire Departments
In order to address salary compaction (compression) issues between management job classifications and (labor union) bargaining unit job classifications, the following salary increases establish 5% compensation differentials
between supervisors and subordinates, and result in the Police chief and Fire Chief being assigned to the same salary range. Salary Compaction Pay Adjustments, with the exception of the Fire Chief, effective July 1, 2008, will be effective October 1, 2008. The percentage increases listed below include the 4% salary increase provided to all Management/Confidential Employees.- An increase of 16.9% to the Salary Range for Battalion Chief (Salary Range 60f).
- An increase of 14.9% to the Salary Range for Deputy Fire Chief (Salary Range 69f).
- An increase of 32.3% to the Salary Range for Fire Chief (Salary Range 70f).
- An increase of 23% to the Salary Range for Police Chief (Salary Range 60p).
PAY – LEAVE PAYOUT – PENSION SPIKE:
Police Chief David Cummings received a 23% pay increase effective October 1, 2008, which spiked his pay, his vacation and sick leave payout (cash-out) value (for his vacation and sick leave hours which were accrued, accumulated, and rolled-over from year to year), and his pension. His total 2009 earnings was $425,775 – consisting of $225,627 Regular Earnings, $480 Special Compensation, and $199,668 Leave Payout. He retired in 2009 with a pension of $210,213.36 yearly ($17,517.78 monthly) according to CaliforniaPensionReform.com, plus medical insurance, for the rest of his life.
The reason given for his 23% pay increase that spiked his pay, leave payout, and pension was salary compaction, also known as salary compression, caused by (large) pay increases given to the police union members.
- A 4.0% salary increase for all Executive Management, Mid-Management/Confidential Employees, with the exception of the City Manager, effective 7/5/2008.
For reference purposes, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area averaged 3.52% for the twelve month period from July 2007 – June 2008. …
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April 15 Council Meeting – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mike Robbins
April 15 Council Meeting
The Council meeting after the election should have been a straightforward ceremonial passing of power from the old to the new Council. However, defeated Mayor Bill Fisher made the meeting all about himself, and then his ally, Marie Fellhauer, made it all about attacking newly elected Council Members Suzanne Fuentes and Mike Dugan.
Fisher used his bully pulpit for the last time. He gave a long-winded speech repeating his campaign material, taking credit for the work and accomplishments of others including Carl Jacobson and even myself. As usual, he stated numerous falsehoods, and without any proof or evidence, accused others of lying even though they backed up their statements with evidence.
Police Union member Marie Fellhauer put an item on the agenda designed to achieve a political end. It read, “Consideration and possible action to discuss the salary and benefits that the City Council members receive and whether such should be reduced or eliminated either voluntarily or through formal action.”
Eliminating Council pay and benefits will make it difficult to attract honest, competent, independent candidates. This will help the Police and Fire Unions elect their own candidates and pack the Council with Union Puppets. It will also help Fellhauer and Atkinson run for re-election with minimal or no competition.
The election might be canceled due to lack of candidates, as in 2006, when Fisher was appointed after potential candidates were intimidated by the unprecedented 2004 campaign spending. It would’ve happened this time, if not for Dugan.
– Mike Robbins
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Post-election Council meeting – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
Post-election Council meeting
The El Segundo Council meeting after the election should have been a straightforward ceremonial passing of power from the old to the new Council. However, defeated Mayor Bill Fisher made the meeting all about himself, and then his ally, Marie Fellhauer, made it all about attacking newly elected Council members, Suzanne Fuentes and Mike Dugan.
Fisher used his bully pulpit for the last time. He gave a long-winded speech repeating his campaign material, taking credit for the work and accomplishments of others including Carl Jacobson and even myself. As usual, he stated numerous falsehoods and, without any proof, accused others of lying even though they backed up their statements with evidence.
Police union member Marie Fellhauer put an item on the agenda designed to achieve a political end. It read, “Consideration and possible action to discuss the salary and benefits that the City Council members receive and whether such should be reduced or eliminated either voluntarily or through formal action.”
Eliminating Council pay and benefits will make it difficult to attract honest, competent, independent candidates. This will help the police and fire unions elect their own candidates and pack the Council with union puppets. It will also help Fellhauer and Atkinson run for re-election with minimal or no competition.
The election might be canceled due to a lack of candidates, as in 2006, when Fisher was appointed after potential candidates were intimidated by the unprecedented 2004 union and special interest campaign spending. It would have happened this time, if not for Dugan.
Michael Robbins
El Segundo Continue reading
Can We Save Mayberry? – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marc Rener
Can We Save Mayberry?
First council meeting after an election “traditionally” has consisted of well wishes and thanking the people for their vote, turned into 30 minutes of half-truths, lies, condescending remarks and placing blame on others that did not vote their way. We have lost our “Mayberry” traditions by self-serving politicians who prefer a “Santa Monica” version of El Segundo.
Ex-mayor Fisher “claims” he had to “jump in” before “the economic time frame door closed”. No time for “traditional” change of Council leadership. It’s my opinion, in 2012, when Mayor Busch decided not to run, Bill Fisher assumed he was the “heir” to the Mayoral throne. But he wasn’t elected Mayor or re-elected Mayor Pro-tem. He became just an ordinary councilman. Thus started the “plot” to obtain his desired title, which he executed 5/21/13.
As for his frequent misstatement of facts, let’s just take Fisher’s repeated claim that the firefighters union took a 9% cut in salary and a 17.5% cut in compensation in 2010. He repeated this claim in council meetings on 3/4/14, 3/18/14, 4/1/14 and 4/15/14. Fisher has never shown any documentation to verify these claims. He’s just talk.
For years Fisher has refused to examine my documents to disprove me. On 4/15/14 during Public Communications, I again produced these documents. Neither Fisher nor his loyal supporters Fellhauer and Atkinson asked to see these documents during or after any of these meetings. Apparently they think repeating falsehoods often makes them true.
– Marc Rener Continue reading
Recapping the Election – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
Recapping the Election
Thank you to the 57 percent of voters who voted No on Measure A and to those who voted for Suzanne Fuentes and Mike Dugan. That puts our city on a better footing for negotiating with the city unions and instituting necessary compensation and pension reforms to ensure the viability of El Segundo as a city.
According to FPPC filings, four city employee unions contributed a total of $17,500 to the Yes on A campaign to raise our taxes and their pay: the El Segundo Firefighters PAC donated $5,000 on Feb. 11; the El Segundo Police Officers Association PAC donated $5,000 on Feb. 25; the El Segundo City Employees Association donated $5,000 on Feb. 28; and the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council donated $2,500 on March 11.
There’s an inherent conflict of interest when government employee unions campaign for candidates and ballot measures that will increase their salaries and pensions – and raise our taxes to pay for it. We don’t want people who live outside our city running the city for their own economic benefit.
The biggest spenders were the biggest losers. The Yes on A campaign spent $33,130 for 1,402 votes (43 percent) at a cost of $23.63 per vote. The grassroots No on A campaign received 1,841 votes (57 percent). Bill Fisher spent $19,671 for 1,545 votes (28 percent) at a cost of $12.73 per vote. One winner, Suzanne Fuentes, spent $7,927 for 2,047 votes (38 percent) at a cost of $3.87 per vote. And the other winner, Mike Dugan, spent $2,833 for 1,859 votes (34 percent) at a cost of $1.52 per vote.
Michael Robbins
El Segundo Continue reading
El Segundo Flyer #3 – Vote “NO” on Measure A, and Against BILL FISHER!
by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org
April 7, 2014
Three flyers containing verifiable factual information about Measure A were distributed to residents and small businesses on the weekend of April 5, 2014.
Click on each of the links below to view, download, and print them. Please share them with your friends and neighbors in case they did not get all of them.
Flyer #1: Vote “NO” on Measure A – Eleven Tax Hikes in One Measure! – Distributed on Saturday, April 5, 2014. (119 KB PDF file)
Flyer #2: 36 MORE REASONS TO VOTE NO ON MEASURE A – Distributed on Saturday, April 5, 2014. (206 KB PDF file)
Flyer #3: Vote “NO” on Measure A, and Against BILL FISHER! – Distributed on Sunday, April 6, 2014. (168 KB PDF file)
Below is the content of Flyer #3, with added photos, links, and information documenting the facts contained in the flyer.
Vote “NO” on Measure A, and
Against BILL FISHER!
Measure A is ELEVEN Permanent Tax Hikes in a Single Ballot Measure
Have the Measure A Supporters Earned Our Trust?
The “Yes on A” campaign has lost the debate. Their arguments have been refuted, and many have been shown to be outright deceptive and dishonest. So they switched to using the campaign slogan, Measure A is “supported by people you know and trust”. But if you really knew most of them, you probably would not trust them.
“Measure A – Supported by People You Know and Trust” slogan on a “Yes on Measure A” campaign mailer delivered on 3/29/2014.
See PublicSafetyProject.org for more information, details, and proof.
Sandra Jacobs, one of two “Yes on A” campaign co-chairs, was one of a slate of three Fire and Police Union sponsored City Council candidates.
See the details on the below, including the $46,204 in campaign money.
Joe Harding, one of two “Yes on A” campaign co-chairs, was AGAINST the tax hikes when he was a Hacienda Hotel employee. NOW, this ex-employee is FOR the tax hikes that will be devastating to his former employer.
Harding spoke out strongly against smaller Utility Users Tax (UUT) and Hotel Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) hikes at the 8/3/10 City Council meeting. Anyone can verify this by watching the City Council meeting video at PublicSafetyProject.org or ElSegundo.org. Here are his quotes from that meeting:
“Joe Harding, representing the Hacienda Hotel and also a resident of El Segundo.” “Most of you have seen first-hand what our industry has endured over the past 27 years.” “Our industry just can’t handle any increase.” “You must say ‘No’ to the hotel killer tax!” “A TOT and a UUT would hit us twice. That’d be like kicking us when we’re down, and then running us over for good measure.” “The City must make unpopular and difficult adjustments to their payroll and expenses.” “Leave the TOT where it is.”
Click HERE to see the video of Joe Harding making this speech at the 8/3/10 El Segundo City Council meeting, and to read a transcript of his speech.
Looking down the “Yes on A” campaign’s list of supporters (“People You Know and Trust”), we find:
(Click HERE for more details and documentation on these “People You Know and Trust”.)
- Four were City Council candidates sponsored by the Fire and Police Unions, who get huge pay raises and pension increases in return for their campaign support
- One tried to steer a City contract to a friend for nearly twice the price – for $120,000 when the more qualified bid was $65,000 for the same job
- One was a no-show El Segundo City Clerk who worked full-time for another city, but collected TWO government paychecks
- One is an ESUSD school teacher union member who misused school district facilities, public resources, and students to campaign for a City Council candidate
- One resigned his elected City Treasurer office due to his extra-marital affair with a current school board member who is also on the list
- One is a police captain who made the news for bullying and harassing a city resident at his workplace for posting the public record Police and Fire Union salaries on his website
- And missing from the list are the following employee union Measure A supporters who donated a total of $17,500 to the “Yes on A” campaign as of 3/23/14 (from FPPC filings):
- El Segundo Firefighters PAC donated $5,000 on 2/11/14
- El Segundo Police Officers Association PAC donated $5,000 on 2/25/14
- El Segundo City Employees Association donated $5,000 on 2/28/14
- California Teamsters Public Affairs Council donated $2,500 on 3/11/14
- Do you trust all the City employee union members who donated $17,500 (thus far) through their unions – to get a whopping $6.6 Million per year in return to pay for their past and future excessive pay raises and resulting pension increases?
Bill Fisher’s Forgotten History
Let’s go down the memory hole and recover Bill Fisher’s forgotten history. Fisher’s political career was launched by the Fire and Police Unions when they ran a three-candidate slate including Fisher and Sandra Jacobs (“Yes on A” campaign co-chair).
Fisher claims he knew nothing about the union support. However, Fire Union president Kevin Rehm’s cell phone number was on the campaign signs for each of the slate candidates as the contact number for campaign sign management.
Firefighters union president Kevin A. Rehm managed the delivery, installation, and maintenance of the campaign yard signs for all three candidates – Sandra Jacobs, Bill Fisher, and Eric Busch. A sticker appeared on every sign with his cellular phone number. It read:
“This sign has been placed with the permission of the owner. If you have any problems with this sign please call: (310) 422-9411 We will fix the problem ASAP. Thank you!”
I called that number during the election campaign and Kevin Rehm answered. I spoke with him and asked him questions about the firefighter union’s candidate endorsements. You can do an Internet search for the following keywords to see that this is Kevin Rehm’s phone number: (310) 422-9411 Kevin Rehm.
See the photos of the three candidate’s campaign signs with firefighters union president Kevin Rehm’s cellular phone number on them below. The first two photos show the entire signs at a distance to make it clear the close-up photos of the sticker on the corner each sign are of the same campaign signs.
The El Segundo firefighters union installed triple the campaign signs for City Council candidates Sandra Jacobs, Bill Fisher, and Eric Busch at a house on the east side of town.
The El Segundo firefighters union installed double the campaign yard signs for City Council candidates Sandra Jacobs, Bill Fisher, and Eric Busch at a house on the east side of town.
See the photos below of the campaign signs with firefighter union president Kevin Rehm’s cellular phone number (310-422-9411) on them as the sign placement and maintenance coordinator. His phone number sticker was on all the campaign signs for Bill Fisher, Sandra Jacobs (one of the two Measure A co-chairs), and Eric Busch.
Bill Fisher’s City Council campaign sign with El Segundo firefighter union president Kevin Rehm’s cellular phone number on it.
Sandra Jacobs’ City Council campaign sign with El Segundo firefighter union president Kevin Rehm’s cellular phone number on it.
Eric Busch’s City Council campaign sign with El Segundo firefighter union president Kevin Rehm’s cellular phone number on it.
The unions sent out slate campaign mailers featuring studio portrait photos of all three candidates, with color-coordinated backgrounds.
See the scanned images below of the campaign slate mailer postcard sent to El Segundo voters by the two unions.
The front side of the campaign mailer shows photos of a firefighter standing next to a fire engine and a police officer standing next to a police car. It reads:
“What do El Segundo Firefighters and Police Officers Have in Common?”
The back side has the photos and names of El Segundo City Council candidates Eric Busch, Sandra Jacobs, and Bill Fisher. It reads:
“Firefighters – Police Officers – Paramedics
Support
BUSH – JACOBS – FISHER
The Best Choice For Public Safety
On April 13th Support
Eric BUSCH – Sandra JACOBS – Bill FISHER
Paid For By The El Segundo Firefighters Association – PO Box 55 El Segundo, CA ID #1231824″
The firefighters and police unions claimed that they endorsed “The Best Choice For Public Safety”. That was a lie. They endorsed the candidates who would give them the biggest pay raises and pension increases, and then raise taxes and fees on the residents and businesses to pay for it all.
Click on each picture for a larger view (will open in a new browser window or tab).
When then Councilman Bill Fisher was confronted at a City Council meeting about the conflict of interest created from his firefighter and police union campaign support, given that he votes on their pay raises and benefits increases, he claimed he did not know the unions were supporting his campaign!
Notice how the firefighter and police union campaign slate mailer has professional studio photos with color-coordinated matching backgrounds of Bill Fisher and the other two union-endorsed candidates. Clearly, Fisher posed for his professional photo and a copy of it was sent to the unions for use in their campaign mailer. Also, Fisher wants us to believe he did not know who was distributing, installing, and maintaining his campaign signs around the city throughout the his campaign.
Rehm sent a deceitful campaign mailer on official Fire Union letterhead, threatening seniors with “the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them” if the three union-approved candidates were not elected!
The El Segundo firefighters union even sent out a campaign letter on their official union letterhead, signed by union President Kevin Rehm, 1st Vice President Breck Slover, and 2nd Vice President John Bilbee, threatening senior citizen voters with “the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them” if the three candidates approved by the union were not elected!
See the scanned image of this letter and the envelope it was sent in below.
Click on the letter below to see a larger image of it (will open in a new browser window or tab).
Click HERE for an analysis and the text of the Senior Scare Letter on our old web site. Then click the BACK button in your browser to return to this web page.
The mysterious “Committee To Continue The Progress Of El Segundo” spent $46,204 including union and out-of-town donations campaigning for the slate. Fisher narrowly lost that election, but was APPOINTED to the Council two years later. That election was CANCELLED due to lack of candidates. The unprecedented campaign spending intimidated potential challengers.
Fisher rewarded the unions well with 11.25% to 23% in pay raises during the Great Recession, including retroactive pay raises effective nine months before the date of approval, plus additional 5% annual “step-raises”, jacking up compensation and pensions. Fisher also supported single pay raises of 14.9% to 32.3% for the non-union managers (Deputy Fire Chief, Fire Battalion Chiefs, Police Chief, and the Fire Chief) to avoid “salary compaction”.
The pay raises were approved in secret in one or more closed session City Council meetings, and were made public and given a public vote of approval as a mere formality in the April 7, 2009 and December 2, 2008 open session City Council meetings, after they were already a done deal.
These pay raises included the following:
JOB CLASSIFICATION | PAY RAISE | DATE APPROVED | CONSENT AGENDA ITEM |
Firefighters | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Fire Engineers | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Fire Captains | 11.25% | April 7, 2009 | E11 |
Police Officers | 15.0% | April 7, 2009 | E12 |
Police Sergeants | 15.0% | April 7, 2009 | E12 |
Police Lieutenants | 18.0% | April 7, 2009 | E8 |
Police Captains | 23.0% | April 7, 2009 | E8 |
Fire Battalion Chiefs | 16.9% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Deputy Fire Chief | 14.9% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Police Chief | 23% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
Fire Chief | 32.3% | December 2, 2008 | E8 |
In addition to the above pay raises, the firefighter and police employees were (and still are) given 5% annual “step raises” in each of the first four or five years after the year they are promoted or assigned to a new position.
In addition to the above pay raises, the firefighter and police employees were (and still are) given periodic “longevity” raises every so many years.
Rehm’s pension pays him $172,516 per year. Measure A will only pay for more union rewards!
Kevin Rehm’s annual CalPERS pension from working as an El Segundo firefighter is $172,516.08 per year according to the CalPERS Database on the FixPensionsFirst.com website at:
http://www.fixpensionsfirst.com/calpers-database/?first_name=&last_name=&employer=EL+SEGUNDO
Fisher hoped to get appointed to City Council again without an election, but a third candidate emerged the last day of the filing period. Please Vote NO on Measure A and AGAINST Bill Fisher on April 8th. For voting information, see ElSegundo.org or contact the City Clerk.
This flyer is a response to late campaign mailers and late campaign contribution reports.
Check the PublicSafetyProject.org web site for documentation, proof, and 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. 4/4/2014 Rev. 1
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April 8, 2014 El Segundo General Municipal Election News and Information
Last updated: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 01:45 AM PT.
This page will be updated regularly with links to informative articles about the upcoming April 8, 2014 El Segundo General Municipal Election.
Bookmark this page and review it often for breaking news and information.
(Posts are in priority order, not chronological order; newer posts appear in bold text.)
April 8, 2014 El Segundo General Municipal Election
Ballot Argument and Rebuttal Against El Segundo Measure A Tax Hikes
City of El Segundo 2014 Measure A Tax Hikes – City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis
Recapping the Election – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
El Segundo Flyer #1: Vote “NO” on Measure A – Eleven Tax Hikes in One Measure!
El Segundo Flyer #3 – Vote “NO” on Measure A, and Against BILL FISHER!
El Segundo City Employee Unions Contributed $17,500 to Measure A Tax Hikes Thus Far
Have the Measure A Supporters Earned Our Trust?
City of El Segundo Can Save $3.3 Million Per Year in Employee Pension Costs
Welcome to the City of El Segundo $100K+ CalPERS Pension Club!
El Segundo Herald Misreports City’s $6.3 Million Property Tax Revenue as $1 Million
El Segundo Firefighters’ Union is Bankrolling the Measure A Campaign to Hike Taxes
El Segundo Measure A Co-Chair Joe Harding was Against the Tax Hikes Before He was For Them
Wrong Time to Raise Taxes and Fees in El Segundo
Which El Segundo City Employee was Paid Nearly $600,000 in His Last Year?
2009-2010 City of El Segundo Separations due to Budgetary Reasons Mostly Early Retirements
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
April 15 Council Meeting – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mike Robbins
Post-election Council meeting – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
Council pay procedures – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong
Fellhauer is a Union Puppet – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong
Can We Save Mayberry? – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marc Rener
Recapping the Election – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
Fire Union Bankrolling “Yes on A” Campaign – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong
No on Measure A – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael Robbins
Not happy with Measure A – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong
No on Measure A – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mike Robbins
Something Fishy About Measure A – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong
NO ON “A” – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Art Lavalle
A Correction is In Order – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Mike Robbins
No on Measure A – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Helen Armstrong
Frustration – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Richard J. Switz
Measure ‘A’ – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Richard J. Switz
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Which El Segundo City Employee was Paid Nearly $600,000 in His Last Year?
by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org
March 3, 2014
Firefighter and Police Unions are Breaking the City’s Budget
Generally, El Segundo sworn firefighters and police officers are by far the highest paid City employees. Their “associations” (unions) endorse, contribute money to, and campaign for the City Council candidates who will give them the biggest pay raises and increases in benefits and pensions, and then raise taxes and fees on residents and businesses to pay for it all. Their total compensation, including salary, benefits, and pension contributions paid by the City’s taxpayers, has been about $150,000 to more than $330,000 per individual per year.
The managers’ salaries, benefits, and pensions are increased along with those of their subordinates, to prevent “salary compaction”, and to maintain a minimum 5% higher level of compensation than their subordinates.
Existing sworn police and firefighter employees, including managers, can retire as early as age 50 (police) or 55 (firefighters) with a guaranteed annual pension income of up to 90% of their single highest year salary, including all the “Special Compensation” add-ons in their union contracts for things that are already a requirement of the job or are unrelated to the job.
Thus, Mayor Bill Fisher increased the employee pension income and the pension cost to the taxpayers for the police and firefighter employees (and for all City employees) every year of the Great Recession, because he gave them all excessive and unsustainable raises every one of those years!
City of El Segundo $100K Pension Club
Here is a list of retired El Segundo City employees in the “$100K Pension Club”, i.e., with CalPERS pensions paying them in excess of $100,000 per year guaranteed by the taxpayers regardless of pension fund investment performance:
http://www.FixPensionsFirst.com/calpers-database/?first_name=&last_name=&employer=EL+SEGUNDO
Highest Paid El Segundo City Employee in Calendar Year 2009
Former El Segundo Police Chief David Cummings was the highest paid City employee in calendar year 2009. He retired in 2009 with about eleven weeks left in the year, and had total 2009 compensation of about $596,657. This included his City contract income and his CalPERS pension income while he continued working as the El Segundo Police Chief after his retirement. Cummings’ post-retirement City employment contract acknowledged that he would be receiving his $210,000 per year CalPERS pension income while he continued working as the City’s police chief after his retirement. …
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