Tag Archives: Measure P

“NO” on P – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Mike

“NO” on P

The firefighters’ union has financed a propaganda poll with many false claims to deceive voters into voting for Measure P. The pollsters falsely claimed firefighters are paid $100,000 annually.

The firefighters had average total annual compensation of $211,000 (maximum was $342,000), and average annual pension contributions paid by the taxpayers of $42,000 (maximum was $80,000). These figures don’t include Fire Chief Kevin Smith, who had total annual compensation of $358,000 including total annual pension contributions paid by the taxpayers of $84,000.

If Measure P passes, El Segundo will no longer have a Fire Department. L.A. County will provide our fire and paramedic services at a reduced level, without ambulances. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “NO” on P – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Marianne Fong

Save Our City – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Mike

SAVE OUR CITY

The El Segundo firefighter and police unions are putting our city at risk for their Royal Family sized paychecks and pensions. At the Feb. 7 City Council meeting, City Manager Doug Willmore explained how City Hall will be sold and leased back for twenty years, as collateral for a $10.3 million loan to pay for street resurfacing, other routine infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements.

El Segundo used to be a pay-as-you-go city, paying for infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements with General Fund revenues. But that was before the safety unions became very active in City Council campaigns, hired their own bosses, and ratcheted up their salaries, benefits, and pensions to ridiculous and unsustainable levels. … Continue reading →

Posted in Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, 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 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Save Our City – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Measure P Costs More For Less – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Mike

Measure P Costs More For Less

Voters must reject Measure P this April, or we will lose our local fire department, including firefighters, apparatus, and equipment; and we’ll pay more for less emergency services.

Measure P is not a merger of City and County fire departments, but a liquidation of the City fire department and a complete takeover by L.A. County. If Measure P passes, fire and paramedic services will be greatly reduced. El Segundo will permanently lose its three paramedic ambulances, because L.A. County does not operate paramedic ambulances, and El Segundo will lose its legal grandfathered status to operate them.

Residents will be forced to use and pay out-of-town ambulance companies, significantly increasing hospital transport times and costs in money and lives. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Measure P Costs More For Less – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

A Holiday Prayer – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Mike

A Holiday Prayer

For more than a year, I have written letters to inform residents about the wildly excessive and unsustainable city employee union compensation and pensions that threaten our city’s future. My facts and information come from official sources, mostly City Hall public records, and are independently verifiable.

One positive result has been the voters’ rejection of millions of dollars in new and unnecessary business taxes and residential trash fees. Another has been some, although greatly inadequate, city employee union concessions. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Holiday Prayer – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Just the Facts – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Mike

As Ronald Reagan said, “facts are stubborn things.” Unlike the extremist rants against me, which now include calls for censorship and threats of death by withholding emergency services, I just deal with the facts in order to prevent my city’s bankruptcy and loss of vital services. The people attacking me resort to these sorts of threats because they have no facts on their side. My information comes from official sources as documented at PublicSafetyProject.org.

If Measure P succeeds in liquidating the El Segundo Fire Department, then all other South Bay Cities will suffer reduced mutual aid emergency services. Even worse, if the voters are deceived into passing Measure P, it’s likely to start a trend of union takeovers of other South Bay cities. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, California, El Segundo, Firefighter Union Corruption, Letters to the Editor, Police Union Corruption, Political Corruption, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Just the Facts – Letter to The Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Firefighters Broke Their Promises – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Illeen Joscha

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mike

Firefighters Broke Their Promises

The firefighters convinced voters to sign their initiative petition by promising that signing it would not make it law, but would only get it on the ballot so the people could vote on it. The firefighters also promised their initiative would save tax money and preserve our fire department.

But once voters trusted the firefighters and signed their petition, the firefighters broke their promises. They tried to have their initiative become law without letting people vote on it. At the Feb. 15 City Council meeting, Bryan Partlow, a firefighters’ union member and representative, and Scott Houston, a former and likely future City Council candidate, read similar prepared statements. They demanded the City Council enact Measure P, the firefighters’ union initiative, as an ordinance without letting the people vote on it, citing the signatures as justification. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Firefighters Broke Their Promises – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Illeen Joscha

Council Votes Save Money and Lives – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mike

Council Votes Save Money and Lives

I want to thank City Council members Bill Fisher, Suzanne Fuentes, and Carl Jacobson for voting on February 15 to put the firefighter union’s Punitive Initiative, Measure P, on the latest possible ballot – in April 2012. Their votes will save taxpayer money by avoiding an unnecessary special election, and much more tax money indirectly. But more importantly, their votes may save lives – especially the lives of our seniors.

The latest election date postpones the time residents will permanently lose their City-operated paramedic transport service, and be forced to use out-of-town ambulance companies with increased hospital transport times and fees, if enough voters are misled into approving the Punitive Initiative.

The union’s Punitive Initiative cuts emergency services to lock-in and pay for their wildly excessive and unsustainable employee salaries, benefits, and pensions. The latest election date can save $90 million over ten years in excess “special compensation” and pension contributions by giving the City Council more time to implement real and superior alternatives that save twice as much money without cutting our emergency services.

I was disheartened when, after I explained these facts, the firefighter union and Council candidate Scott Houston urged the Council to enact the initiative without any election … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Council Votes Save Money and Lives – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Proposal for City Fire Dept to County – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Art Lavalle

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Mike

Proposal for City Fire Dept to County

The county fire department transfer proposal requires that the city of El Segundo pay off all accrued vacation and sick leave of the city fire personnel before they are transferred to the county.

According to the “Daily Breeze” there were two El Segundo city officials that were paid a combined total of $321,000 in accrued vacation and sick leave during 2009. How much do you think it will cost the city to pay off the accrued time for all members of the fire department?

Last week I stated that in ten years the city would get back run down equipment from the county. I was incorrect: In ten years the city will not get any equipment returned. All city fire vehicles and equipment become the property of the county. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proposal for City Fire Dept to County – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Art Lavalle

Everyone in El Segundo must defeat the greatest threat facing our city – the firefighters union initiative

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Mike

All El Segundo residents and business owners must work even harder to defeat the greatest threat facing our city and our safety – the firefighters union initiative. If their union initiative passes, we will permanently lose our Paramedic Transport Service, and depend on out-of-town ambulances with increased hospital transport times and fees. This is dangerous for everybody who lives, works, or does business in El Segundo, but it is especially dangerous for the elderly in our city. Almost all of the fire department calls are paramedic calls. El Segundo has few fire, and zero, one, or two major structure fires (with $100,000 in damage or more) per year.

The El Segundo City Council will decide at its February 15, 2011 meeting which election date the very dangerous firefighters union initiative will appear on the ballot for El Segundo voters. Continue reading →

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 Everyone in El Segundo must defeat the greatest threat facing our city – the firefighters union initiative

CALL TO ACTION: The citizens of El Segundo need your help

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Mike

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

January 2, 2011

This is an urgent Call to Action. The citizens of El Segundo need your help. They are about to lose their city fire department and paramedic transport service as a result of excessive and unsustainable labor union contracts – especially the fire and police union contracts.

Here is what you can do to help:

First, email this web page URL to everyone you know who may be interested and may want to help:

http://PublicSafetyProject.org/elsegundo/elsegundo_payroll.html

Second, if you want to help in other ways, send an email to the Public Safety Project using the following email address, and provide your name, contact information, and your offer to help. Put “WANT TO HELP” in the subject line. Thank you very much.

Third, if you live or work in El Segundo, and you want to save our fire department from a takeover by Los Angeles County, and loss of our Paramedic Transport service, then please send an email to the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and each of the other City Council members.

Their email address appear below, followed by a sample email message. … Continue reading →

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CALL TO ACTION: The citizens of El Segundo need your help