Tag Archives: Marianne Fong

No New Taxes – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Mike

Please vote “yes” on Proposition 32 and “no” on all tax and bond measures, including 30 ($6 billion/year income and sales tax hike), 38 ($10 billion/year income tax hike), 39 ($1 billion/year tax hike); L.A. County Measure J (another 30 year sales tax hike), and El Camino Community College District Measure E ($350 million in new bond debt, probably costing about $700 million with interest).

Taxes are too high, and we also pay business taxes which are passed on to us as consumers. Bond measures create additional debt and require taxes to pay principle and interest. Bonds often cost double the amount borrowed with interest. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, California, Elections, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on No New Taxes – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong

Sour Grapes – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Mike

The following letter to the editor was submitted to the El Segundo Herald newspaper on Thursday, July 12, 2012 well before their 12:00 noon Thursday deadline, and it meets their 250-word limit including the title.

However, El Segundo Herald CEO and President Heidi Maerker arbitrarily rejected this letter without explanation. Maerker has arbitrarily rejected other letters without explanation since the April 10, 2012 city election, including letters that had nothing to do with the election.

There are a number of very interesting possible explanations for this strange behavior, which will be discussed in a future post.

Visit the Public Safety Project web site frequently for important information updates you will not get from the El Segundo Herald or other news sources.

Sour Grapes

Scott Houston’s letter (7/5/12, “Foxes Guarding Henhouse?”) was full of falsehoods, just like his city council campaign.

Houston wrote, “Since when is the Mayor executing agreements on behalf of our City? I thought that was the job of the City Manager.” As a two-time city council candidate (and loser), Houston should know the city council votes to approve ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and agreements, and the mayor signs them.

Houston wrote, “Where is the outrage that was expressed when our previous City Manager was acting as chief negotiator with the employee labor groups last year? … no one paying attention to what’s going on at City Hall. I guess the foxes are guarding the henhouse.”

Had Houston been paying attention, he would know Mike Robbins submitted a written Public Communication for the 5/1/12 council meeting citing SIX reasons why the city manager should not be negotiating city employee union contracts. It has been posted on the city web site (elsegundo.org) since 4/30/12, under agendas. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sour Grapes – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong

Out of touch – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Mike

Last week’s letter from Neil Snow demonstrates how much government union members and their political supporters are out of touch with the real world where the rest of us work, produce things and pay taxes.

Snow presented ludicrous objections to, and gross misrepresentations of, Michael Robbins’ well-reasoned recommendations to reform El Segundo’s city employee union contracts to keep the city from having a financial catastrophe.

He objected to Mr. Robbins’ recommendation that city employees pay all of their pension “employee contribution,” and at least half the total contribution, which is common in private industry, instead of the city paying the entire “employee contribution” and “employer contribution.” Snow misrepresented that recommendation, claiming that Mr. Robbins wanted to make “employees pay their entire pension.”

Snow is out of touch to expect taxpayers to continue paying all of the government union members’ pension contributions, and to expect that union members should never have to contribute a single dollar into their own pensions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, California, El Segundo, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Police Union Corruption, Political Corruption, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Out of touch – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Marianne Fong