This issue of inflation is not a small item and annoyance.
At a 5% bank CD you are losing approximately 20% buying power on each dollar you have. The wages and expenses tends to be "baked" into the economy. It inflation decreased to 2% you still have a destroyed buying power. How to get back the dollar strength? (here it comes) Deflation. Yep lower the price of goods and services, property, and WAGES.
Then there is the STOP government wage increases and tell civil servants the taxpayers demand a 2% roll back in wages. You know tell them we are not going to pay retirement and benefits the equivalent of millionaires of 20 years ago.
Watch Sacramento go nuts with the above. But then again they would face voter rebellion if the taxpayers voted with their wallets instead of ego and ideology.
Good article..... anyone notice the unnecessary and expensive curb work on outer State St.?????
If anyone chooses to work for a tax dollar supported entity like the government, it should be automatic when tax revenues go down so does their total compensation - in any way they choose to bargain.
This could be a very interesting topic to explore in fact and detail - how is city (staff backed) policy negatively affecting city revenues and in turn their own financial security.
I can think many major policy fails that are counter-productive: mindlessly supporting the unproven green agenda; anti-fossil feul campaigns; too many city properties taken off tax rolls; SBHA unceasing and rapacious empire building agenda; destruction of State Street; failure to control unsavory nature of street populations; district elections; uber-expensive bike paths and traffic calming fails; demands to turn commodities into rights - housing, food, minimum wages; too many "affordable" housing units in downtown rotting out its commercial vitality; draconian landlord tenant laws taking many mom and pop units out of the rental markets; over-staffing the city; city program redundancies; defined benefit pensions; blank checks written for city staff health care benefits; tax the rich class war attitudes; gangs and graffiti now unabated; failure to enforce sign and blight ordinances ..........
J., I’ll tell ya what’s needed - a loud, organized, outspoken group that attends every meeting, takes apart every proposal and bitches at every stupid scheme the City comes up with.
We are already participating on one. Options, opinions and alternatives that have never gotten a hearing by any recent city council are finally building voter support. Right here. They are immune until election time. "Labor peace" is their day job.
This will be a long slow slog. But at least there is now a solid alternate forum. Plus seeing what tactics and arguments any opposition also intends to put out in rebuttal. No other local media provides this full range of opinions. Breaking past the sense of isolation is but the first step.
Never forget the one brief shining four vote Dale Francisco - Frank Hotchkiss - Michael Self and (#$ ???) takeover that came out of no where, at the very height of Democrat "Blue Line" smugness.
Options, opinions, alternatives, hearings, forms, supporter support, blah, blah blah. All a waste of time! I’m talking banners, drum beating, a hot website with incentives to sign up, a ‘Citizen roll’ 100 feet long people can add their name to, articles in the newspaper & TV every day etc etc - anything (barely) legal! It’s working for the UCLA activists & it’s what it’s gonna take to get their attention and make them afraid to propose any stupid woke money grab that isn’t a completly needed City expenditure!
Remember our cause - CRAP - Citizen Review and Protest ! All we need now is the El Presidente! Any volunteers? :)
1. The “Tip” choice concept came about around post Pandemic. I believe it caught many us us (consumers) off guard! Even when picking up “food to go”, we are confronted with a tip? Now, comes the question regarding that tip! Does each business honor the tip given or does a portion of the tip become additional profit?
2. Every “Business”, if you consider Government Business, has a “Pie”. The Pie is divided up into categories of expense. Every example of Business varies depending upon the mandates placed on that business. In Retail, if Labor exceeds 20%, the retailer might fail!
Government has so many mandates that most believe that they need staffing to manage the overwhelming tasks of compliance. Even so, most often when any project is contemplated, a “Study” is ordered at great expense for determination.
Another vulnerability of Government is Suit. Anyone or group has the right to sue over what they consider controversial, expensive!
Lastly, even during Economic Downturns, Government Employees enjoy giving themselves either raises or benefits or both.
Automatic COLA means they don't even have to give themselves raises. Inflation automatically does this for them.
No wonder Biden refused to heed the warning massively printing more money would cause inflation. He was already on to this game for his biggest campaign supporters - the 22 million government employees in this country who felt no sting from inflation, due to their automatic COLA buffers.
I appreciate the flag etiquette portion of your article very much. It speaks to my childhood where being taught to fold and properly dispose of a tattered flag was part of growing up. Of course, I love our flag...and may hold the honor of flying the largest one in Santa Barbara.
You ain't seen anything yet....the hyper inflation is just getting started. It's going to get much much worse in the coming year. We're looking at the dollar being DETHRONED as the world's reserve currency by 2026, or at least the process will be well on its way by then, hence the hyper inflation! Enjoy your freedoms while you can.
Apropos of reducing taxes I like the idea of not taxing tips. It would benefit the middle-class and working class directly and might in some respects, reduce the cost of eating out, which is becoming prohibitive these days.
Damn! You’re correct! First time I’ve ever been wrong! :)
“The notion that "tip" stands for "To Insure Promptness" is a retroactive acronym. Acronyms as word origins are relatively rare in English and usually do not date back as far as the 17th century. This explanation is more of a mnemonic than a true etymology.”
Before agreeing to another city tax increase, get to know where your money is already going before listening to the canned arguments from government employee union lawyers, which have become both tiresome and predictable.
Notice how the arguments always hostage city infrastructure maintenance, while always failing to mention the ever-increasing and union bargained city employee expenses. Learn to smell out when the city unions are talking and what their shake-down arguments always sound like.
The real message is you will be in peril if you don't pass these tax increases, but city employee will not because they already get the guaranteed lion's share of the current revenues.
Transparent California public record of city of Santa Barbara employee full compensation payouts:
City tax increase: should city residents take cut to their own revenues in order to prevent the city from taking cuts to their always expanding union contract demanded expenses?
Why do all city tax increases sound like taxpayer extortion, instead of admission they failed yet again to show any fiscal discipline when dealing with the unions who supported their election campaigns?
Please be more honest city council when demanding more of our money, instead of bloviating more platitudes. There are city departments and program and duplicate services that deserve a hair cut. Just do it and stop dumping your own self-serving "labor peace" mandates on the rest of us.
Well stated. As a matter of fact, my family now avoids going to Santa Barbara for anything to purchase. We now go north to Santa Maria or SLO. Besides the filth of SB now, the added taxes are icing on the cake. Avoid SB at all costs.
What a shame that this once beautiful city has been ruined by woke politics of the Left and Repukes in such a short time period.
During the Biden administration I have watched the Producer Price Index (PPI) increase more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) meaning the producers were "eating" part of their cost since the price of fuel and a line of credit hits us all. At some point producers have to pass on all their expense increases from those two items plus taxed and labor. It is nice to learn that Salud is still alive.
Wasn't the point of the recent "living wage" hike for restaurant employees to eliminate the need for tip income? Tell them, you already gave their tip to Sacramento.
The recent living wage hike was for fast food businesses that don't receive tips. YET when I wrote about that subway etc all had tip jars next to the registers.
The City says they’re $8,000,000 in the hole but they are really closer to $12,000,000 in the hole.
They were warned years ago that if they kept up their spending spree they’d be in debt.
They knew they were creating a big problem and kept going.
They voted to increase your taxes because they are incompetent when it comes to finances.
For example, they’re spending $7,000,000 which means more like $10,000,000 on the State Street underpass knowing they are far in debt.
And will the underpass “improvement” help local businesses and tourism? It won’t. The spending will not ad any revenue to the City.
Good job City Council!
Per SB Grand Jury City spends $10,000,000/yr on homeless.
$750,000 in first responder budget is for homeless
A large part of Parks & Rec budget goes towards homeless
Homeless services are not reducing the number of unhoused and are not helping the City economy.
Homeless is a big business which might explain why they spend millions every year without making any progress in the humanitarian crisis.
Homeless get about $115,000/year tax free and still do not have a home or three square meals a day.
Countywide the PIT counts are:
2011 - 1,536 homeless
2013 - 1,466
2015 - 1,455
2017 - 1,860
2019 - 1,803
2020 - 1,897
2022 - 1,962
2023 - 1,887
But like most governments they don’t listen & they don’t spend your money wisely. And now they want to increase taxes to make up for being fiscally irresponsible. In the real world they’d be fired.
That penny raise last time that they all voted for, how’s that treating you all?
The State Street Underpass started with the original 11 MILLION yet they came back for and additional 456,000. ++++ so it's 11.5 million.
I have done PRAR for the past 15 years and watch every city meeting. I recall the lowest per year on homeless as being 12 Million. With SBACT and CityNet here claiming they would get it under control for the past 10?? years and it has only gotten worse and higher cost above the 12 Million. REMEMBER Citynet and SBACT were going to take the burden away from the Police, Fire, Ambulance and Cottage Hospital BUT IT HASN'T. Stop the importing of homeless so we can take care of Our Homeless!!!!
I'm all for helping them but gimme a break! The answer - build a city out in the desert made esp. for the homeless - dining facility, dorm rooms, medical etc.
This article is a somewhat redundant conclusory compendium of Republican talking points, which need rebuttal. First, inflation is easing. The City does need revenue. I have seen plenty of work being done on the streets, am sure much city work is by its nature not visible, and have no doubt the city’s workforce is diligent and dedicated, maintaining and improving a hearty infrastructure and parks, libraries, beaches and other facilities. Which brings me to my second point: outsourcing is no answer. It often is not cheaper, and certainly not if the subcontracted work has to be redone. Just ask Boeing, not to mention other aircraft maintenance companies, for starters. There is a benefit to the City in having its own workforce, who care about the City and its residents and visitors.
About tipping: technology has made it easier, but I was surprised to learn in a recent NYT article that even at restaurants only 75% of customers tip their wait staff. So 1 in 4 diners stiffs their server. And no, I don’t remember tips ever being acceptable at 10% (and I remember JFK and Sandy Koufax in his prime). The math may be easy at that %, but that’s a hostile message to a hardworking underpaid employee trying to eke out a living. In other tipping situations (cabs, delivery people, installers, hairdressers), the stiffers weigh in at higher percentages.
This is still a beautiful city blessed with a rare combination of advantages. One of them is the level of services; they cost a pretty penny, however. We should be willing to pay for those benefits, as should the people who visit our town.
The City's "talking points" are public safety and health, as always when justifying asking for more money. I'll wager that most goes to salaries, benefits and pensions. We are not to have discussions regarding how efficient our politicians and bureaucrats are with taxpayer money? Who amongst us think there is not bloat in the taxpayer funded administration(s)?
"Inflation is easing" obscures the reality that each dollar only buys 80% of what it would buy 4 years ago and that purchasing power continues to decline. Government is supposed to serve the people and in doing so, not squeeze them like a lemon.
Gerald, you are spot on!! I was a firefighter for many years. The politicians ALWAYS use the firefighter/police sob stories to BS voters. The money never reaches emergency service except to fend off their unions. From my experience, government administration misappropriates 70% of the money for emergency services on themselves and other feel good programs. This should be illegal! Since administration and politicians can not be trusted to implement exactly what voters decide on, then all taxes should be earmarked for what they were approved for.
Admin and Politicians truly believe that we voters don't really know what we want. We are just stupid slaves in their eyes.
There are automatic escalators clauses built into most city union-bargained compensation packages on top of guaranteed COLA. Ever increasing costs for city employee benefits (health and pension) get in paid in full by union contract, which means city infrastructure always gets short-changed.
This always sets up the city resident extortion scenario with each and every demand for another tax increase. Just review the exact same arguments made last time we were asked for the last city tax increase.
The city does not need revenue. It needs renegotiated and pragmatic contracts with every city union bargaining group. It needs to eliminate program redundancies and honor all prior management consultant conclusions that the city remains way over-staffed for its size and mission.
Thanks for your rebuttal, but I think it is somewhat redundant conclusory compendium of Democrats/Repukes talking points. But each to their own opinion. Thanks again for being involved. God Bless
Inflation is very well alive in California and none more than Santa Barbara, and it’s specifically onerous for seniors and those on the lower rung of the middle class. Since you mentioned ‘Republican talking points’, implying those who have commented are Republicans-an erroneous assumption on your part-aren’t you a labor attorney coming from a very specific agenda? It’s your right to but suggestion-put that out there first. If you are not the Mr Gottlieb whom I’m thinking of, apologies in advance.
Yes, I’m probably the labor attorney you’re thinking of. I’m also a resident of this city, and my views and “agenda” are aligned. I am not writing as a lawyer for any particular union or client, but do rely on my experiences and values to shape my opinions. My apologies if you are or were offended by the past battles with the News-Press, but I’m proud of being on the right side of that fight.
This issue of inflation is not a small item and annoyance.
At a 5% bank CD you are losing approximately 20% buying power on each dollar you have. The wages and expenses tends to be "baked" into the economy. It inflation decreased to 2% you still have a destroyed buying power. How to get back the dollar strength? (here it comes) Deflation. Yep lower the price of goods and services, property, and WAGES.
Then there is the STOP government wage increases and tell civil servants the taxpayers demand a 2% roll back in wages. You know tell them we are not going to pay retirement and benefits the equivalent of millionaires of 20 years ago.
Watch Sacramento go nuts with the above. But then again they would face voter rebellion if the taxpayers voted with their wallets instead of ego and ideology.
Good article..... anyone notice the unnecessary and expensive curb work on outer State St.?????
If anyone chooses to work for a tax dollar supported entity like the government, it should be automatic when tax revenues go down so does their total compensation - in any way they choose to bargain.
That's pretty tough - workers being negatively affected by the City's mismanagement.
This could be a very interesting topic to explore in fact and detail - how is city (staff backed) policy negatively affecting city revenues and in turn their own financial security.
I can think many major policy fails that are counter-productive: mindlessly supporting the unproven green agenda; anti-fossil feul campaigns; too many city properties taken off tax rolls; SBHA unceasing and rapacious empire building agenda; destruction of State Street; failure to control unsavory nature of street populations; district elections; uber-expensive bike paths and traffic calming fails; demands to turn commodities into rights - housing, food, minimum wages; too many "affordable" housing units in downtown rotting out its commercial vitality; draconian landlord tenant laws taking many mom and pop units out of the rental markets; over-staffing the city; city program redundancies; defined benefit pensions; blank checks written for city staff health care benefits; tax the rich class war attitudes; gangs and graffiti now unabated; failure to enforce sign and blight ordinances ..........
J., I’ll tell ya what’s needed - a loud, organized, outspoken group that attends every meeting, takes apart every proposal and bitches at every stupid scheme the City comes up with.
PS: common wisdom says: you do not change the minds of a Democrat city councils; you change the city council.
We are already participating on one. Options, opinions and alternatives that have never gotten a hearing by any recent city council are finally building voter support. Right here. They are immune until election time. "Labor peace" is their day job.
This will be a long slow slog. But at least there is now a solid alternate forum. Plus seeing what tactics and arguments any opposition also intends to put out in rebuttal. No other local media provides this full range of opinions. Breaking past the sense of isolation is but the first step.
Never forget the one brief shining four vote Dale Francisco - Frank Hotchkiss - Michael Self and (#$ ???) takeover that came out of no where, at the very height of Democrat "Blue Line" smugness.
What’s all this:
Options, opinions, alternatives, hearings, forms, supporter support, blah, blah blah. All a waste of time! I’m talking banners, drum beating, a hot website with incentives to sign up, a ‘Citizen roll’ 100 feet long people can add their name to, articles in the newspaper & TV every day etc etc - anything (barely) legal! It’s working for the UCLA activists & it’s what it’s gonna take to get their attention and make them afraid to propose any stupid woke money grab that isn’t a completly needed City expenditure!
Remember our cause - CRAP - Citizen Review and Protest ! All we need now is the El Presidente! Any volunteers? :)
It's gotta be blunt and memorable - we’ll call it CRAP - Citizen Review and Protest
Thanks Bonnie for this stimulating article!
1. The “Tip” choice concept came about around post Pandemic. I believe it caught many us us (consumers) off guard! Even when picking up “food to go”, we are confronted with a tip? Now, comes the question regarding that tip! Does each business honor the tip given or does a portion of the tip become additional profit?
2. Every “Business”, if you consider Government Business, has a “Pie”. The Pie is divided up into categories of expense. Every example of Business varies depending upon the mandates placed on that business. In Retail, if Labor exceeds 20%, the retailer might fail!
Government has so many mandates that most believe that they need staffing to manage the overwhelming tasks of compliance. Even so, most often when any project is contemplated, a “Study” is ordered at great expense for determination.
Another vulnerability of Government is Suit. Anyone or group has the right to sue over what they consider controversial, expensive!
Lastly, even during Economic Downturns, Government Employees enjoy giving themselves either raises or benefits or both.
Automatic COLA means they don't even have to give themselves raises. Inflation automatically does this for them.
No wonder Biden refused to heed the warning massively printing more money would cause inflation. He was already on to this game for his biggest campaign supporters - the 22 million government employees in this country who felt no sting from inflation, due to their automatic COLA buffers.
It would be illegal for the business to skim the tip. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t happen.
I appreciate the flag etiquette portion of your article very much. It speaks to my childhood where being taught to fold and properly dispose of a tattered flag was part of growing up. Of course, I love our flag...and may hold the honor of flying the largest one in Santa Barbara.
'The largest one in Santa Barbara' Good for you Steve!
I also liked that reference in Bonnie's article, but which business was she referring to?
I didn't list it, didn't want them attacked by people that don't support our flag
Good thinking Bonn - Lord knows there are enough knuckleheads around!
You ain't seen anything yet....the hyper inflation is just getting started. It's going to get much much worse in the coming year. We're looking at the dollar being DETHRONED as the world's reserve currency by 2026, or at least the process will be well on its way by then, hence the hyper inflation! Enjoy your freedoms while you can.
Nah - Trumpy's gonna fix all that! :)
Apropos of reducing taxes I like the idea of not taxing tips. It would benefit the middle-class and working class directly and might in some respects, reduce the cost of eating out, which is becoming prohibitive these days.
Leave it to Trumpy to eliminate taxing tips. Straight thinking . . . again!
A little incentive to hustle on the customers behalf is always a good thing. Tips for service earned; and for no other reason.
Right. Remember what the word 'Tip' originally meant: "To Insure Promptness" -
To Insure Proper Service!!! tips
Damn! You’re correct! First time I’ve ever been wrong! :)
“The notion that "tip" stands for "To Insure Promptness" is a retroactive acronym. Acronyms as word origins are relatively rare in English and usually do not date back as far as the 17th century. This explanation is more of a mnemonic than a true etymology.”
Before agreeing to another city tax increase, get to know where your money is already going before listening to the canned arguments from government employee union lawyers, which have become both tiresome and predictable.
Notice how the arguments always hostage city infrastructure maintenance, while always failing to mention the ever-increasing and union bargained city employee expenses. Learn to smell out when the city unions are talking and what their shake-down arguments always sound like.
The real message is you will be in peril if you don't pass these tax increases, but city employee will not because they already get the guaranteed lion's share of the current revenues.
Transparent California public record of city of Santa Barbara employee full compensation payouts:
https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2023/santa-barbara/
City tax increase: should city residents take cut to their own revenues in order to prevent the city from taking cuts to their always expanding union contract demanded expenses?
Why do all city tax increases sound like taxpayer extortion, instead of admission they failed yet again to show any fiscal discipline when dealing with the unions who supported their election campaigns?
Please be more honest city council when demanding more of our money, instead of bloviating more platitudes. There are city departments and program and duplicate services that deserve a hair cut. Just do it and stop dumping your own self-serving "labor peace" mandates on the rest of us.
Great article!
Well stated. As a matter of fact, my family now avoids going to Santa Barbara for anything to purchase. We now go north to Santa Maria or SLO. Besides the filth of SB now, the added taxes are icing on the cake. Avoid SB at all costs.
What a shame that this once beautiful city has been ruined by woke politics of the Left and Repukes in such a short time period.
Keeping city "labor peace" with city employee unions requires a revenue escalator that always goes up, even when the city only stands in place.
During the Biden administration I have watched the Producer Price Index (PPI) increase more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) meaning the producers were "eating" part of their cost since the price of fuel and a line of credit hits us all. At some point producers have to pass on all their expense increases from those two items plus taxed and labor. It is nice to learn that Salud is still alive.
We know who the city union-beholden representatives are on the city council, by virtue of their endorsements and highly organized campaign support.
Which city council members independently represent the city residents and the city tax payers? Anyone taking names.
always enjoy your articles Bonnie…Thank You…
PS…Our Flag represents more than most know in this Global game of risk…
Right on!
Wasn't the point of the recent "living wage" hike for restaurant employees to eliminate the need for tip income? Tell them, you already gave their tip to Sacramento.
The recent living wage hike was for fast food businesses that don't receive tips. YET when I wrote about that subway etc all had tip jars next to the registers.
The recent living wage wage hike to $20/hr is just for some fast food workers right? I don't think anyone is leaving 30% tips at Carls Jr.
There is also a state-mandated increase for all "health care" workers, including those working in the hospital gift shop.
The "state" being master nanny-state, micro-mangers Senator Monque Limon and Assemblyman Gregg Hart.
The City says they’re $8,000,000 in the hole but they are really closer to $12,000,000 in the hole.
They were warned years ago that if they kept up their spending spree they’d be in debt.
They knew they were creating a big problem and kept going.
They voted to increase your taxes because they are incompetent when it comes to finances.
For example, they’re spending $7,000,000 which means more like $10,000,000 on the State Street underpass knowing they are far in debt.
And will the underpass “improvement” help local businesses and tourism? It won’t. The spending will not ad any revenue to the City.
Good job City Council!
Per SB Grand Jury City spends $10,000,000/yr on homeless.
$750,000 in first responder budget is for homeless
A large part of Parks & Rec budget goes towards homeless
Homeless services are not reducing the number of unhoused and are not helping the City economy.
Homeless is a big business which might explain why they spend millions every year without making any progress in the humanitarian crisis.
Homeless get about $115,000/year tax free and still do not have a home or three square meals a day.
Countywide the PIT counts are:
2011 - 1,536 homeless
2013 - 1,466
2015 - 1,455
2017 - 1,860
2019 - 1,803
2020 - 1,897
2022 - 1,962
2023 - 1,887
But like most governments they don’t listen & they don’t spend your money wisely. And now they want to increase taxes to make up for being fiscally irresponsible. In the real world they’d be fired.
That penny raise last time that they all voted for, how’s that treating you all?
The State Street Underpass started with the original 11 MILLION yet they came back for and additional 456,000. ++++ so it's 11.5 million.
I have done PRAR for the past 15 years and watch every city meeting. I recall the lowest per year on homeless as being 12 Million. With SBACT and CityNet here claiming they would get it under control for the past 10?? years and it has only gotten worse and higher cost above the 12 Million. REMEMBER Citynet and SBACT were going to take the burden away from the Police, Fire, Ambulance and Cottage Hospital BUT IT HASN'T. Stop the importing of homeless so we can take care of Our Homeless!!!!
Plus we need everyone to demand they stop allowing the homeless and prison/jail releases from other counties and States being sent to Santa Barbara
$10M / year on homeless! $115,000 ea! Riduculous.
I'm all for helping them but gimme a break! The answer - build a city out in the desert made esp. for the homeless - dining facility, dorm rooms, medical etc.
Trona !
Why should homeless people have to live a desert? How compassionate, dumping them off in a sweltering wasteland.
This article is a somewhat redundant conclusory compendium of Republican talking points, which need rebuttal. First, inflation is easing. The City does need revenue. I have seen plenty of work being done on the streets, am sure much city work is by its nature not visible, and have no doubt the city’s workforce is diligent and dedicated, maintaining and improving a hearty infrastructure and parks, libraries, beaches and other facilities. Which brings me to my second point: outsourcing is no answer. It often is not cheaper, and certainly not if the subcontracted work has to be redone. Just ask Boeing, not to mention other aircraft maintenance companies, for starters. There is a benefit to the City in having its own workforce, who care about the City and its residents and visitors.
About tipping: technology has made it easier, but I was surprised to learn in a recent NYT article that even at restaurants only 75% of customers tip their wait staff. So 1 in 4 diners stiffs their server. And no, I don’t remember tips ever being acceptable at 10% (and I remember JFK and Sandy Koufax in his prime). The math may be easy at that %, but that’s a hostile message to a hardworking underpaid employee trying to eke out a living. In other tipping situations (cabs, delivery people, installers, hairdressers), the stiffers weigh in at higher percentages.
This is still a beautiful city blessed with a rare combination of advantages. One of them is the level of services; they cost a pretty penny, however. We should be willing to pay for those benefits, as should the people who visit our town.
The City's "talking points" are public safety and health, as always when justifying asking for more money. I'll wager that most goes to salaries, benefits and pensions. We are not to have discussions regarding how efficient our politicians and bureaucrats are with taxpayer money? Who amongst us think there is not bloat in the taxpayer funded administration(s)?
"Inflation is easing" obscures the reality that each dollar only buys 80% of what it would buy 4 years ago and that purchasing power continues to decline. Government is supposed to serve the people and in doing so, not squeeze them like a lemon.
Gerald, you are spot on!! I was a firefighter for many years. The politicians ALWAYS use the firefighter/police sob stories to BS voters. The money never reaches emergency service except to fend off their unions. From my experience, government administration misappropriates 70% of the money for emergency services on themselves and other feel good programs. This should be illegal! Since administration and politicians can not be trusted to implement exactly what voters decide on, then all taxes should be earmarked for what they were approved for.
Admin and Politicians truly believe that we voters don't really know what we want. We are just stupid slaves in their eyes.
There are automatic escalators clauses built into most city union-bargained compensation packages on top of guaranteed COLA. Ever increasing costs for city employee benefits (health and pension) get in paid in full by union contract, which means city infrastructure always gets short-changed.
This always sets up the city resident extortion scenario with each and every demand for another tax increase. Just review the exact same arguments made last time we were asked for the last city tax increase.
The city does not need revenue. It needs renegotiated and pragmatic contracts with every city union bargaining group. It needs to eliminate program redundancies and honor all prior management consultant conclusions that the city remains way over-staffed for its size and mission.
Right, J. It also needs to outsource every possible service to private providers, maintaining _strict_ oversight.
Thanks for your rebuttal, but I think it is somewhat redundant conclusory compendium of Democrats/Repukes talking points. But each to their own opinion. Thanks again for being involved. God Bless
Inflation is very well alive in California and none more than Santa Barbara, and it’s specifically onerous for seniors and those on the lower rung of the middle class. Since you mentioned ‘Republican talking points’, implying those who have commented are Republicans-an erroneous assumption on your part-aren’t you a labor attorney coming from a very specific agenda? It’s your right to but suggestion-put that out there first. If you are not the Mr Gottlieb whom I’m thinking of, apologies in advance.
Yes, I’m probably the labor attorney you’re thinking of. I’m also a resident of this city, and my views and “agenda” are aligned. I am not writing as a lawyer for any particular union or client, but do rely on my experiences and values to shape my opinions. My apologies if you are or were offended by the past battles with the News-Press, but I’m proud of being on the right side of that fight.