Posts Tagged ‘pension’
Friday, January 18th, 2013
I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen a DPT meter maid ticket a US Postal Service vehicle.
First Lance Armstrong and now this:

Click to expand
Oh, wait a second, the SFGov meter maid what issued this ticket also has a pension and health care funding issue?
Oh no!
Tags: bay area, california, care, citation, DPT, gov, health, lance armstrong, mta, parking, pension, postal, postal service, San Francisco, sf gov, sfgov, SFMTA, ticket, truck, u. s., usps, van
Posted in paranormal | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 31st, 2011
[UPDATE: Larry Bush of CitiReport has more on this topic. And Rachel Gordon has more on this "neck-in-neck" race]
Well, look what just turned up at the City Family Dead Letter Office - it’s a missive from San Francisco Police Officers Association President Gary Delganes to Officers for Justice President Julian Hill.
It’s all about:
Loyalty;
The endorsement of Captain Paul Miyamoto by Officers for Justice;
Betrayal against “one of our own”;
Solidarity with African American officers;
The pension of one of the highest-paid police lieutenants in the United States;
How Chris Cunnie made Julian Hill one of the highest-paid police lieutenants in the United States;
Betrayal, again; and
An invitation to the next POA meeting on November 16, 2011
See?

Click to expand

Is this good?
Is this meant for public release?
I know not.
Tags: 2011, African American, aisan, American, bay area, california, Chris Cunnie, citireport, city family, cops unions, election, Gary Delganes, Julian Hill, larry bush, letter, october 25, Paul Miyamoto, pension, police, Police Officers Association, president, San Francisco, sherrif, sherrif's dept, union
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Monday, October 17th, 2011
[UPDATE: Luke Thomas of Fog City Journal offers a listing of reactions from many mayoral campaigns.]
[UPDATE II: Feisty TBC Editor-in-Chief Steve Fainaru promises there's more to come:
"We are analyzing and pumping out this information as fast as we can. The package you see today — including San Francisco’s most sophisticated ranked-choice voting simulator, masterminded by news applications developer Shane Shifflett and lead software engineer Aurelio Tinio — was completed around 2 a.m. Monday; it was up on our website at 4 a.m. Next we will bring you information about the controversial pension reform initiatives and the races for district attorney and sheriff. Finally, we will put up the full data set, so people can take their own look and draw their own conclusions."]
Well, here they are, the results of the big The Bay Citizen / University of San Francisco poll on who will be Mayor of San Francisco for the next four years.
See?

Click to expand
The Bay Citizen political writer Gerry Shih* has the deets.
Writing history as it happens:
“When the Board of Supervisors named Lee interim mayor in January, after former Mayor Gavin Newsom was elected lieutenant governor, Lee promised not to run for a full term. But after two of his biggest political supporters — Rose Pak, the powerful Chinatown lobbyist, and former Mayor Willie Brown — led an effort to draft him into the race, Lee changed his mind.”
[I should note that infamous Rose Pak, for some reason, operates as an unregistered lobbyist, apparently, AFAIK.]
Are you surprised by any of these results? I’m not.
But what’s nice about this independent exercise is that it shows you how RCV “works.”
Oh, and don’t miss the breakdown for gay and Chinese-American voters.
Anyway:
“Exclusive Bay Citizen/USF Poll: Ed Lee Dominating San Francisco Mayor’s Race
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 2011 – An exclusive poll conducted by The Bay Citizen and the University of San Francisco (USF) Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good shows interim mayor Ed Lee poised to win the November 8 mayor’s race handily. The poll shows Lee with broad support across the city, particularly among Chinese voters.
Lee won 31.2 percent of first-place votes, surpassing his closest challenger, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who won 8.1 percent. Supervisor John Avalos finished third, with 7.4 percent of first-place votes.
At baycitizen.org, the poll results power a computer simulation that shows how the election may unfold under “ranked-choice voting.” This is the first competitive San Francisco mayor’s race to use the system that asks voters to select their top three candidates in order of preference.
The Bay Citizen simulation allows readers to view how votes are redistributed after candidates are eliminated. It projects Lee the winner if the election were held today.
On Tuesday, October 18 The Bay Citizen and the University of San Francisco will release poll results on the San Francisco District Attorney’s race, the Sheriff’s race, and Propositions C and D, the two pension reform measures on the ballot.
For more information and deeper analysis of the Bay Citizen/USF poll please visit: www.baycitizen.org/data/polls/sf-2011-elections/
The poll results are based on telephone interviews of a random sample of 551 likely San Francisco voters between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, 2011. The survey was conducted by MAXimum Research, an independent research firm, in English and Cantonese; Spanish was not used because only 1 percent of San Francisco voters request ballot materials in Spanish. Of the respondents, 115 were contacted by cell phone and 436 by landline. After the interviews, the data were weighted to match the demographics of the known likely voting population. The sampling error for findings based on the overall pool of likely voters is +/- 4.2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. The margin of error for population subgroups is larger.
About The Bay Citizen
The Bay Citizen is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member-supported news organization that provides in-depth original reporting on Bay Area issues including public policy, education, the arts and cultural affairs, health and science, the environment, and more. The Bay Citizen’s news can be found online at www.baycitizen.org as well as in print in The New York Times Bay Area report on Fridays and Sundays. For more information, please visit www.baycitizen.org.
About the University of San Francisco (USF)
The University of San Francisco is in the heart of one of the most innovative and diverse cities and features a vibrant community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields while building a more humane and just world. University of San Francisco students, faculty, and alumni are involved in the entrepreneurial city of San Francisco and work in all industries, from technology to nonprofits. With dedicated professors and exceptional academic programs to choose from, the university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the knowledge and skills needed to develop into ethical leaders who are sought after in their professions. USF’s diverse student body benefits from direct access to faculty, small class sizes, and a broad array of programs and co-curricular opportunities. Informed by the university’s 156-year-old Jesuit Catholic mission, the USF community ignites students’ passion for social justice and the pursuit of the common good. For more information about the University of San Francisco, please visit www.usfca.edu.
About USF Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good
The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good is dedicated to inspiring and equipping students at USF to pursue lives and careers of ethical public service and service to others. The Center provides a non-partisan forum for education, service and research in public programs and policy-making. The McCarthy Center values civic engagement and seeks to promote public interest research that encourages civil discourse and constructive interaction among the great diversity of residents and officials in the Bay Area. The Center strives to accomplish its goals by being transparent, nonpartisan and rigorous in designing its work and products. For more information please visit www.usfca.edu/centers/mccarthy
Contacts: The Bay Citizen, Keith Meyer, VP Marketing, media@baycitizen.org
SOURCE The Bay Citizen
CONTACT: Keith Meyer, VP Marketing of The Bay Citizen, +1-415-852-5100, media@baycitizen.org
Web Site: http://www.baycitizen.org”
*The uncredited instigator of this recent bit here in the San Francisco Chronicle…
Tags: American, bay citizen, bevan, c, cantonese, cell phone, Center for Public Service, chinatown, chinese, city attorney, Common Good, computer, D., David Chiu, dennis herrera, District Attorney, ed lee, edwin lee, Gay, Gerry Shih, Independent, jeff adachi, Joanna Rees, john avalos, Keith Meyer, leland yee, Leo McCarthy, Leo T. McCarthy, Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service, Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, LGBT, lobbyist, marketing, MAXimum Research, Mayor, Mayor's, mayora, michela, michela alioto, Michela Alioto Pier, new york times, november 8, pension, Phil Ting, pier, poll, polling, polls, preference, propositions, queer, Ranked Choice Voting, rcv, Reform, Rose Pak, sheriff, sheriff's, simulation, sufty, Supervisor, Supervisor John Avalos, the bay citizen, tony hall, university of san francisco, unregistered, vice president, VP, VP Marketing, willie brown
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Saturday, September 24th, 2011
Public Defender Jeff Adachi was nowhere to be seen this AM during the big Yes on C, No on D campaign kickoff in the Western A today.
Warren Hellman (who used to be on the other side) and the Wronglers provided music. (Believe it or not, this is Warren’s most understated Star of David getup.)

Via Steve Rhodes
Supervisor Carmen Chu, seen just behind Mayor Ed Lee, could hardly contain her enthusiasm – there was no place in the world she would have preferred to have been than right here, obviously:

Also via Steve Rhodes
A few deets:
“SAN FRANCISCO, September 23, 2011“Yes on C, No On D” pension-reform campaign will hold its campaign kickoff. Warren Hellman’s “old time” band, the Wronglers, will provide entertainment.
WHAT: Yes on C, No on D Campaign Kickoff
WHO: Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor John Avalos, business and labor leaders
ENTERTAINMENT: The Wronglers
WHEN: Saturday, September 24, 10:30 AM
WHERE: African American Art and Cultural Complex, 762 Fulton St. (@Webster), San Francisco”
Tags: 2011, 762 fulton, African American Art and Cultural Complex, bay area, board, business, california, campaign, carmen chu, city family, David Chiu, district, ed lee, jeff adachi, john avalos, labor, leaders, Mayor, Mayor Ed Lee, nate ballard, No on D, pension, Proposition, public defender, Reform, San Francisco, scott, Scott Wiener, Sean Elsbernd, Steve Rhodes, Supervisor, warren hellman, western addition, Wronglers, Yes on C
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
Well here’s the news of the day – it’s the launch of YesOnCNoOnD.com
And look who’s the headliner of this Fellowship, it’s “Civic Leader” Warren Hellman, who used to play for the other team, so to speak.
Anyway, all the deets, below.
That Warren sure loves his banjo:

Click to expand
“PAULSON, FALK TO CO-CHAIR YES ON PROPOSITION C PENSION REFORM CAMPAIGN - Top Labor Leader, Top Business Leader Tapped To Lead Consensus Coalition
SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2011 – San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform today selected Tim Paulson and Steve Falk to serve as co-chairs of the campaign supporting Proposition C and opposing Proposition D on the November ballot.
Paulson is executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, comprised of 150 local unions and representing 100,000 workers, and Falk is president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a 1,500-member organization representing the business community.
“We are pleased that San Francisco’s top labor leader and top business leader are working together to lead this coalition’s campaign for pension and health reform,” said Thomas P. O’Connor, president of Fire Fighters Local 798. “Unions and the business community don’t agree on everything, but on Proposition C, San Francisco is united.”
Falk praised Proposition C, which was developed with input from the community, introduced by Mayor Ed Lee, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.
“Proposition C saves taxpayers at least $1.3 billion over the next decade,” said Falk. “This measure is fiscally responsible and it will help keep us solvent.”
Paulson emphasized the measure’s fairness.
“Proposition C provides a safety net for hardworking city employees who earn lower wages,” said Paulson. “It keeps pension contributions stable for those making less than $50,000 a year. Those who make more pay more.”
O’Connor drew a contrast between Proposition C and Proposition D, a rival pension measure.
“Proposition C has widespread support because it was conceived in the light of day, with a public process that encouraged input and ideas from everyone,” said O’Connor. “On the other hand, the backers of Proposition D bought their way onto the ballot with signature gatherers who were paid five dollars a signature and repeatedly got caught on tape lying about what the measure would do.”
Today, San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform also announced the other members of its campaign committee. In addition to Paulson, Falk, and O’Connor, the committee includes other business and labor leaders, along with the measure’s sponsor at the Board of Supervisors:
Warren Hellman, Civic Leader
Gary Delagnes, President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association
Sean Elsbernd, Member of the Board of Supervisors
Steve Fields, Co-Chair of the Human Services Network
Larry Mazzola, Business Manager and Financial Secretary Treasurer of UA Local 38
Rebecca Rhine, Executive Director of the Municipal Executives Association
Bob Muscat, Executive Director of IFTPE Local 21
Sean Connolly, President of the Municipal Attorneys Association
Please visit www.yesoncnoond.com for more information.”
Tags: 2010, anti, assemblywoman, B., bad medicine, badmedicine, ballot, baord, bay area, bay citizen, bevan dufty, board, Bob Muscat, c, california, care, carmen chu, chamber of commerce, city family, Civic Leader, copy, D., David Chiu, ed lee, election, eric mar, f warren hellman, fiona ma, Gary Delagnes, health, horse, Human Services Network, IFTPE, irving, jeff adachi, Labor Council, laguna Honda, Larry Mazzola, leland yee, Local 21, Local 38, mark leno, Mayor, Municipal Attorneys Association, Municipal Executives Association, nate ballard, nathan ballard, no, pension, premiums, president, pro, prop, prop b, Proposition, Proposition c, Proposition D, public defender, rally, Rebecca Rhine, Reform, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Officers Association, Sean Connolly, Sean Elsbernd, Senator, sheep's clothing, State Senator, Steve Falk, Steve Fields, Supervisor, tim paulson, trojan, union, unions, warren hellman, wolf, workers, yes
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, August 26th, 2011
The Atlantic – that’s one for scrapbook, huh BART?
“Director Lynnette Sweet’s line of inquiry to BART police Chief Kenton Rainey seemed to indicate the board is out of the loop. The process of the decision to cut phone service had never been explained to them. While Rainey and interim General Manager Sherwood Wakeman continued to take personal responsibility, they spoke elliptically about the process of making and executing on the decision. That is to say, they dodged. The conversation between Sweet, Rainey, and Wakeman was strained, with both men speaking with halting, defensive voices, after clear and easy speeches earlier in the session.”

Via Steve Rhodes
California Watch:
“BART Director James Fang accepted $7,000 in campaign contributions this year from a contractor with business pending before the transit agency, in apparent violation of BART’s conflict of interest regulations.”
And what happened to BARTtv? No updates lately? Kell domage. ‘Cause, you know, I Love Big Brother. I want my BARTtv.
And what’s this, starting salary for the BART Police is (or was) just $40k-something a year? That’s not too much, is it? How does that compare with the SFPD, which has an $85,000 per year minimum? Could that explain a few differences? And you have train drivers making six figures? Maybe drivers make too much and your cops not enough. Just asking. Maybe you should pay your police more up front and then you wouldn’t have to do the pension spiking?
BART, are you the worst public agency in California?
Tags: #OpBART, (BART), 2011, anonymous, Atlantic, BART Director, barttv, bay area, california, director, donation, James Fang, Kenton Rainey, Linton Johnson, Lynnette Sweet, pension, pension spiking, San Francisco, Sherwood Wakeman, spiking
Posted in crime, transit | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Now this isn’t the whole poll that was sent out to potential voters a little while back, but it’s a part.
(At the time, I wasn’t sure who it was for, but now I know.)
It’s interesting to see how the candidates are described (but parts of this poll have become obsolete already).
Sadly, there was no Anyone But Ed checkbox:

Via Steve Rhodes
All right, enjoy:
|
| There is an upcoming San Francisco election on November 8, 2011. How likely it is that you will vote in this election? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Thinking about San Francisco, do you feel that it is moving in the right or wrong direction overall? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| This November, there will be an election for Mayor in San Francisco. Even though the election is several months away, if you were voting today, please tell us your first, second, and third choices among the declared candidates below. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The current Interim mayor, Ed Lee, may soon decide to run for a full mayoral term this November. With Ed Lee as an option, please tell us your first, second, and third choices among the declared candidates below. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Pension Reform Charter AmendmentsThere are two pension reform measures: the ‘City’ plan and the ‘Adachi’ plan.The ‘City Plan’ is a compromise between the mayor, the Supervisors, and most Labor groups in San Francisco. Among other things, it adjusts contribution rates for current and future employees to the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System, increases retirement age for new hires, caps salary that can be pensioned, and makes other changes. The ‘City’ plan is estimated to save $50 million in 2012-13 and between $90-$150 million per year after that.
The other pension reform plan is Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s pension reform initiative. It calls for an increase of all City employees’ contributions to the City pension plan, including police and fire. The ‘Adachi’ plan is estimated to save the city around $100 million per year.
The measure that receives the most votes is the one that will become law. |
|
|
|
|
| How do you intend to vote on the ‘City‘ pension reform plan? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| How do you intend to vote on the ‘Adachi‘ pension reform plan? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Initiative – Repeal approval for Board’s Parkmerced decision The Board of Supervisors recently approved a $1.2 billion dollar plan to build 9,000 housing units over the next twenty years. About 1,500 rent-controlled units need to be demolished to do this, though the agreement with the developer is that they will be replaced. This initiative seeks to overturn the Board’s approval.How do you intend to vote on this initiative? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| More information on Repeal approval for Board’s Parkmerced decision Supporters (people against the Parkmerced project) say that the destruction of 1,500 rent-controlled units is unacceptable. Although the developer has agreed to replace the units, this may not be enforceable in court.Opponents (people who support the Parkmerced project) say this project will bring thousands of jobs, an additional 1,700 rent-controlled units (on top of the replaced units), and improved transit to the area.
How do you intend to vote on this initiative? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| More information on Changing rules of leasing San Francisco Park and Rec facilities Supporters of the ordinance say that public parks should not be leased for profit, and nearly all park amenities should be free, as they’re already covered by tax dollars. This prevents privatization of public spaces.Opponents say that it isn’t clear what facilities fall under this, and it’s possible that all park space becomes subject to these restrictions, including weddings and picnics. Also, Park and Rec needs all the revenue it can get for its programs.
Now how do you intend to vote on this ordinance? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tags: 2011, adachi, anyone but ed, Assessor-Recorder, bay area, bevan dufty, Board of Supervisors David Chiu, california, City, city attorney, dennis herrera, ed lee, edwin, former, interim, jeff adachi, Johanna Rees, john avalos, leland yee, Mayor, Michela Alioto Pier, november 8, parkmerced, pension, Phil Ting, plan, poll, polling, president, San Francisco, State Senator, Supervisor, tony hall, Venture Capitalist
Posted in politics | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Tags: 2011, bay area, california, City Hall, civic center, civic center blog, civic center mike, election, Family, jeff adachi, mike, pension, Reform, San Francisco, signatures
Posted in politics | No Comments »
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
First up, the Venn Diagram, as promised:

As stated, this diagram only works for our Public Defender.
Next up, oh, Jeff Adachi, what are the three telltale signs of true pension reform?
First, will the board increase the annual cost savings?
Second, will the board reject the practice of “pension spiking”?
Third, will the Board of Supervisors make the plan fair?
Thanks, Jeff Adachi!
Tags: 2011, bay area, board of supervisors, california, city family, defender, diagram, ed lee, edwin, jeff adachi, Lee, Mayor, pension, public, Reform, refreshing, San Francisco, spiking, venn
Posted in art, politics | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
[UPDATE: Writer Joe Eskenazi has the deets on the prospects for F. Warren for getting a $50K refund from the Prop B people. The chances don't look good at this point. And further explication comes from Heather Knight. That will have to do for now...]
The Question of the Day is this:
How do you get a strong-willed (and is there any other kind?) billionaire to change his or her mind?
No matter, San Francisco’s #1 banjo playerwants out of the pro-Proposition B campaign. Get all the deets, plus reaction from San Francisco Labor Council President Tim Paulson, below.
(This is seismic, baby.)
(This is unprecedented, baby.)

Click to expand. His head’s not really blue – it’s just the way the lighting was.
(Hello, MSM, are you there? It’s me, Margaret. Can we get a little follow-up, please? Show us what you can do with this one. Starting…now!)
Statement from F. Warren Hellman:
“I’m leaving the Yes on Proposition B campaign for the same reason I got involved in the campaign in the first place – we need a meaningful dialogue in San Francisco between business and labor to solve long-term problems threatening the city’s future without name-calling and fingerpointing.
“We must address the issue of spiraling public pension and health benefits costs. They’re like an iceberg floating beneath the surface that threatens to sink cities like ours. At the same time, I’m not willing scapegoat police officers, firefighters and other public workers to do it.
“We got into this situation together and we must work together to solve it in the interest of a city we all love.
“I was reminded of this spirit at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this past weekend. We pulled off a massive free concert in Golden Gate Park without one major injury, disruption or arrest, which is a testament to the professionalism of San Francisco’s public workers and our City’s spirit of cooperation.
“I believe that organized labor appreciates that it is in San Francisco’s interest – and the interest of its members — to head off a looming pension and benefits crisis before it cripples public services and leaves police officers, firefighters and other public workers without retirement security.
“And I also believe that San Francisco business must understand its responsibility to pay its fair share to fund quality public services. And that begins with workers who are properly trained, fairly paid and able to retire with dignity.
“We have a history of working together in this city and settling issues without expensive and divisive political fights at the ballot box. I’m going to focus my attention and resources on restarting those discussions.”
Statement from Tim Paulson, San Francisco Labor Council
“On behalf of the Labor community, we are very pleased that Warren Hellman has withdrawn his support from the Yes on B campaign. Many of us in organized labor have worked closely with Mr. Hellman in recent years to rebuild San Francisco’s schools and fund public education and we were disappointed to be at odds on this measure.
“We share Mr. Hellman’s legitimate concerns about rising pension and health care costs and commit to work with him and other likeminded leaders in the business community to address them. We want to find sustainable and affordable ways to attract and retain the best public employees, compensate them fairly and allow them to retire with dignity. In short, we acknowledge and respect Mr. Hellman’s goals, even if Prop B is not the vehicle to achieve them.”
Ever more deets, from the Anti-Prop B people, after the jump
(more…)
Tags: 2010, anti, assemblywoman, B., bad medicine, badmedicine, ballot, bay area, bevan dufty, board, california, care, carmen chu, copy, David Chiu, election, eric mar, f warren hellman, fiona ma, health, horse, irving, jeff adachi, laguna Honda, leland yee, mark leno, nate ballard, pension, premiums, president, pro, prop, prop b, Proposition, public defender, rally, Reform, San Francisco, Senator, sheep's clothing, State Senator, Supervisor, tim paulson, trojan, union, warren hellman, wolf, workers
Posted in labor, politics | No Comments »