Comments on: InlandPolitics: S.B. County budget plan currently rests on employees, unions

By: Unwilling...

Unwilling... — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:55:57 +0000

More significant is the increase in numbers of BOS staff (ostensibly to increase services to constituents) that were never needed 10 years ago. Hmmmm.

By: Jeffspicoli

Jeffspicoli — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:24:41 +0000

Zook lives in Utah???? Not our problem. He needs to find a job in Utah.
Mark, are you posting from your neighbors computer again because this line sounds eerily like something you would say…”Until then, shut up and let the county leadership do their jobs. They have done nothing wrong.” I hope your smart enough this time to use an untraceable email from an untraceable computer.

By: Little Stevie Wonder

Little Stevie Wonder — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:55:49 +0000

Adam, are you the canary? I think so, no wonder you want all the bloggers to “shut up”. Are you inferring that the fifth floor elected determine the union leadership instead of the represented membership? That sounds like about the same mentality as someone that destroys public property. Have a nice time visiting with your roommate Bubba at CIM.

By: In the Trenches

In the Trenches — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:39:19 +0000

Since Ramos neutered Grover he has been useless. He should step down as our president and let someone with some guts take over. I am tired of all the scandal in the office and the fact that Ramos gives the investigators everything and they don’t do any work while the lawyers are ignored. Grover is like Abernathie, a useless pawn of the management. Both need to go.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:45:22 +0000

Zook lives in Utah, that is why he gets the four day work week. Can’t we cut him some slack? He is only trying to take care of his family there while he pays off his house in the high desert. Mary O’Toole, his deputy, recieved a hefty pay raise to make up for the shortfall. She is talented and has done a good job in recent years.

If you don’t like the way the fifth floor or union leadership runs things, then maybe you should run for office and then you can make the changes you feel are necessary. Until then, shut up and let the county leadership do their jobs. They have done nothing wrong.

By: ten.fifteen

ten.fifteen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:23:05 +0000

Also have we all forgot the Judges extra pay that Our County pays them? i hope Supervisor Derry brings that issue back for discussion as surrounding Counties have already stopped that extra benefit.

Come on fellow bargaining group/unions we need to send a message to the BOS, VOTE NO. TO DEFER OUR PAY.

By: Unwilling...

Unwilling... — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:30:07 +0000

God, where was this article when I beseeched the rank and file not to give in to Uffer and his strong arm tactics last year? We should have never given up that raise with furloughs not being discussed. Why should we, year after year, take it in the shorts when the 5th floor (those oh so valuable assets that would be stolen away by some private sector firm if we didn’t anoint them with our bounty) hasn’t suffered a thing?

Why should we rank and file suffer loses when SBPEA hasn’t had to alter it’s budget in the slightest?

No more take aways. Time to cut and run. Time to make the hard decisions and reduce programs with losses in revenues. If there is no work for you to do, why should you get a salary care of the taxpayers? But then again, if the BOS really wanted to make a difference in employee morale, they could offer some golden handshakes. Any talk of those?

By: Reality Check

Reality Check — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:22:00 +0000

Blough wants to be accepted by county management.

He values being in the county circles over serving his members.

Serving his members up instead of serving them is more like it.

Abernathie at SEBA and Merritt at the Attorneys Association are really no different.

Make no waves.

By: Jeffspicoli

Jeffspicoli — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:05:20 +0000

Disgusting. I am hearing the same rumors. Mr. Blough had better hope that this is NOT true because this is not what he publicly stated at the last general rep meeting. Although, he’s lied before and very few are willing to call him out on it. I think that the employees are very sick of being lied to and having their purse strings pulled right out from under them. If he even considers putting up another “vote” for derferment of that raise it will be his head on a platter.

By: AntiCorruptionUnit

AntiCorruptionUnit — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:58:36 +0000

Zook and his pals on the 5th floor can take a healthy pay cut and be thankful they have a job like the other rank and file members.PERIOD!!!

By: No more gimmicks

No more gimmicks — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:30:36 +0000

I hope the union members fight this. Two of Supervisor Mitzelfelt’s senior staffers recieved hefty pay raises in the past year. Zook works only four days a week, with a pay package of close to $250,000 year and his “deputy” chief had a 10-15% pay raise to cover the gap Zook left with his day off.

I hope the rank and file employees that work a full schedule and actually produce results will not allow their union leadership to let this go unnoticed. There should have been no payraises or cuts in worktime for people who make over $200K a year, especially with the lack of positive results we are seeing from the current elected leadership.

Only in our current entitlement politics attitude within the county can a supervisor give his employees a 10% raise and reduced work schedule (with full pay), then vote to sock the employees with cuts, freezes and layoffs.

By: OMG

OMG — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:15:39 +0000

Good luck. I can tell you I will not vote to forego any more salary increases. That little pipe smoker Uffer and now the incoming CAO get a substantial raise…I’m getting mine while I can.

By: gi2148744

gi2148744 — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:44:26 +0000

If you look back at the problem with Land Use Services in last years budget ($6 million hole) you will see that the management of that department was on top of the problem and exposed the need to reduce employees or costs at that time. Nothing was hidden! The BOS and CAO just did not want to hear it. It was not the politically correct thing to do. It seems like they would have rather played like an Ostrich. Now the problem has surfaced in all departments and is in the $90 million range. The BOS and Cao must quit blaming everyone eles for their inability to manage the county. Most deparment heads and managers know their business as did the Land Use department.