Chico Taxpayers Association

The city heads are having an emergency meeting right about now 

http://chico-ca.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=699

to discuss barring the public from next Tuesday’s council meeting, citing Gavin Newsome’s recent public health order restricting large public gatherings in the wake of coronavirus. 

But this morning I attended the city’s budget workshop, and I think it was worth the risk. I knew it would be the kick-off for the city’s tax increase campaign, and I wanted to see what, if any, game they got. 

It was comical. First of all, we had almost $500,000 in salaries in that room, chairs and tables all set up for about 50 more people, and well, nobody showed up. Okay, I won’t say NOBODY – I’ll say me, and two other non-staffers. Everybody else in that room was either a city of Chico staffer – 4 –  or a representative of some other agency – 2. And then a guy from Univision, who interviewed Dowell and then taped the meeting. 

The low attendance is hardly surprising. I’m sure Administrative Service Director Scott Dowell would like to think people don’t care, they don’t understand the gravity of the situation – no Scott, most of them are at work from 10 – 11:30 on a weekday.  The timing of this meeting is the epitome of  insincere gesture. 

And even curious-er – no video? 

So, you can stow your claims of wanting “transparency” Mr. Dowell, right where you stow your integrity.  

First Dowell opened the conversation telling us he felt a need to “educate the community” about government accounting – “it’s different than your household accounting…” Of course he kept telling us the CalPERS liability was just like our home mortgage! No Scott, our home mortgage gets paid down, and then it’s done, and then we have a house. The CalPERS liability just keeps getting bigger and bigger as the city doles out crazy salaries and the benefits packages that go along with that.

Here’s how that happens, as explained by a member of Dowell’s staff. I asked how the pensions shares penciled out for a salary of $220,000/year (like our city manager!) Staff responded, 

“A Miscellaneous Classic Employee earning a base salary of $220,000 has a PERS contribution of:

Employer:           $22,517 (10.235%)

Employee:          $24,200 (11.000%)

Total:                     $46,717 (21.235%)

So there you have it folks – for a pension of $154,000/year (70% of $220,000), the employee pays only $24,200/year. The city pays another $22,517, amounting to a grand total of $45,717. For a pension of over $140,000 a year, plus Cost of Living Increase. Leaving the other $107,283/year on the taxpayers. 

Dowell went on a bender about CalPERS, and how “some people” want to get out of CalPERS, but that’s just IMPOSSIBLE! He said he would never go along with such a plan, that it would mean old people going without their pensions. But, then he admitted that CalPERS pensions are “64% funded,” meaning retirees would get at least 64% of their pensions. Then Dowell tried to claim the average pensioner receives between $40 – 50,000/year – that’s bullshit. As he also pointed out, half our budget goes to the cops, the biggest department in the city. They will receive 90% of salaries in excess of $100,000. That hardly points to an average of $40 – 50,000. 

Here’s another mention I had to make.  Mark Orme and some other management staffers also get a special retirement package called a “Fund 457”,  an “employer-sponsored, tax-favored retirement savings account. This type of plan is offered to state and local government employees, including police officers, firefighters, and other civil servants.into which they make contributions that are then matched by the city.“

According to Orme’s contract, “ City agrees to contribute nine thousand dollars ($9,000), to Employee’s IRC 457 plan. Additionally, effective
October 15,2017, the City agrees to contribute four and fifty- two hundredths percent (4.52%) of base salary to Employee’s IRC 457 plan. 

When I asked about this the staffer became very uncomfortable, tried to deny it, then explained, “Mark Orme gets one because he wasn’t able to get a raise...” The look on her face said she was crapping her pants as we spoke. 

So there it is – they traded him a 457 for salary increases. He’s been frozen at $212,000/year base pay since 2014, and a few years ago he agreed to pay part of the “employer share”  for his pension, but at the same time, council agreed to give him an additional retirement fund – $9,000 a year flat and then a percentage of his salary? And they’ve tried to keep it under the table, all the while Orme claiming he’s been making such a big sacrifice for our financial well-being.  What a dirt bag. 

Well, I’ll pick this up again, stay tuned. Next time I’ll have to tell you about the $3 million plus they found in the couch cushions recently. 

Wow, here’s some real investigative reporting! (sarcasm alert)  This story sounds more like a push piece for local fire agencies than NEWS. 

I wish those of you who hold boxes at that annex would contact Ch 12 ( news@actionnewsnow.com) and Chico police chief Mike OBrien (send it through the city clerk dani.rogers@chicoca.gov )  and ask when we will know more about the cause of this  fire. Was it arson? Was anyone arrested or questioned?

https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/Early-morning-fire-forces-a-Chico-Post-Office-building-to-close-568529841.html

Chico Firefighters contained a fire that broke out Thursday morning at the U.S. Post Office on Vallombrosa Avenue.

Posted: Mar 5, 2020 12:31 PM

Updated: Mar 5, 2020 3:09 PM

Posted By: Deb Anderaos

CHICO, Calif. – Chico Firefighters contained a fire that broke out Thursday morning at the U.S. Post Office on Vallombrosa Avenue.

Crews said they were able to quickly knock down the fire and kept it confined to the origin of where the fire broke out at 554 Vallombrosa Avenue.

Chico fire was assisted by Cal Fire-Butte County Fire, and Butte EMS. There were no injuries during the fire.

Chico Fire said the building will be closed due to damage. The U.S. Postal Service will move all the mail from that location over to the main Vallombrosa post office for pickup.

The Chico Police Department is assisting with the investigation and the cause has not yet been determined.

I sent the following note to Enterprise Record Editor Mike Wolcott this morning. I know it’s Sunday, I really didn’t expect a response until tomorrow.

Hi, I wonder if you are aware – the post office annex on Vallombrosa – known as the A H Barber Unit – was torched some time last week and I find nothing about it at any media source. A woman I spoke to at Ch 12 was aware of it and said they’d run a story but she could not find it for me on their website.

The details are sketchy, but the one detail I’ve heard repeated is that the fire was started in the garbage can that’s usually full of junk mail discarded by box holders.

So now we have to claim our mail at the main office next door – when my husband and I approached the building on Friday afternoon the line was into the parking lot. 

FYI – we got a box there because the mail delivery at our house is sketchy at best, and the box is on the street, out of sight of the house. So we took the advice of local law enforcement and pay about $100/year for the box at the post office. 

I’ve already heard from people I know all over town who have boxes at that annex and are affected by this incident. Why no story in the paper? 

I would write a letter about it, but I plan to cover the “budget workshop” Downtown this week, and you know that editor, he only allows me so much ink.  😊

Within minutes I received the following response:

I will be on vacation until Monday, March 16, and will have sporadic access to my emails.
In my absence:
For news items, please contact City Editor Dan Reidel at dreidel@chicoer.com
For matters concerning the NorCal Design Center, please contact Deputy Director Samantha O’Reilly at soreilly@norcaldesigncenter.com or News Team Leader Jovanna Garcia at jgarcia@norcaldesigncenter.com

When I had donuts and coffee with Wolcott as a condition of my free newspaper subscription, he said he’s “editing” like 9 papers all told. He promised that he spends the lion’s share of his time on the ER. I call BULLSHIT on you Mike. I wondered why there are suddenly no new letters to the editor, and I was looking at week old stories. There’s nobody at the wheel!

This is why the ER is such a piece of shit.  We need a real journalist in that position, Wolcott admitted he was an ad salesman before he took the job. That’s exactly what’s wrong with the paper. 

A local wag said the N&R is “the Progressive rag of a paper that has to be given away to be read.” Well, what would you call Wolcott’s inviting a different group of letter writers to his office about once a month to offer them a  free subscription? 

UPDATE: Editor responded:

Hi Juanita, first, you’re welcome to write letter about both. I personally wasn’t aware of that fire but it does sound like something we should look into it, and I’m sure Dan will follow up Monday. Thanks for the heads-up.

Thanks for the heads up? I responded:

Frankly, I would have expected a front page story the day after the fire. A federal building, a post office full of people’s mail, arson, and the fact that transients regularly break into that building after hours – that’s news, especially to those of us whose important mail was in that building. And, at this point, we have no idea what the post office intends to do about it. 

Maybe we should call Underdog? 

I understand you’re on vacation Mike, let Dan handle it.

I had read Wolcott’s completely insulting editorial, “IF you don’t like Chico, you don’t know Jack…” See, I like Chico, it’s what’s happening to Chico that is causing my concern. Wolcott insinuates that if you complain about what’s going on, you don’t like Chico.

Wolcott is from Flournoy, where men are men, and sheep are afraid… What would he know about Chico? Nothing, is what. 

Join us for our
March 19, 2020
General Membership
Meeting & Luncheon
11:30am – 1:30pm
Chico Elks’ Lodge
1705 Manzanita Ave, Chico
RSVP REQUIRED TO:
bpdudman@pacbell.net

Our March Speaker:
TAMIKA HAMILTON

Done and done! I think we can check Measure A off our To-Do list, for now. Which will be weird, cause as you  see, Measure A has taken a lot of my attention lately.  But, like one of my friends said yesterday – we can’t let our guard down, CARD will undoubtedly bring another measure to a near-future ballot. 

This 2020 ballot was loaded full of tax measures. But it looks like we maybe had a little taxpayer revolution. 

I wish I’d spent more time discussing Prop 13, I was glad the voters didn’t need any help with that one. But, this effort is not going away, almost every ballot has an attack on the original Proposition 13. And the legislature is working to undermine the original law as well. We’ll have to watch that.

In Tehama County, the vigilant voters not only overturned a one cent sales tax, Measure G, they whopped the tar out of it, with 84% saying NO!  And that measure had a 10 year sunset date, but, according to Ch 7 news,  “people felt uncomfortable not knowing exactly how funds will be used.”  Like the city of Chico, Tehama County was attempting a simple majority measure (51% voter approval) because that would mean the fund would have been unrestricted. The measure was horribly written to allow the board of supervisors to spend the money however they wanted. No wonder the voters rejected it. 

Click to access countymeasureG.pdf

 But in Shasta County, voters similarly rejected another one cent sales tax measure, despite assurances that the measure would be dedicated to public safety and required a 2/3’s vote. 52% voted NO.  I wondered if there were weird provisions in the text of the measure – like in CARD Measure A, where they included the words “intend” and “unless”. So I read it. 

Click to access executed.CoCo_.Sales_.Tax_.Res_.030320.Ballot.Ord_.2019-05.100119.pdf

First of all, the legal language in this measure is very onerous – that’s why they put a very simplified and usually insufficient “ballot statement” on the actual ballot. ALERT: You should ALWAYS  read an entire measure before you vote on it. Read the “full text of the measure”, because that is what you are agreeing to, voting yes is like signing a contract.  And don’t skip the Arguments For and Against, because you will hear things about the measure that the proponents didn’t want to tell you.

I’m going to guess Shasta County residents are very scrupulous voters and they read stuff like the following:

“Provide an exemption from this tax with respect to certain sales, storage, use, or other consumption, of tangible goods which would not otherwise be exempt, from this tax while such sales, storage, use or consumption remain subject to tax by the state under the provisions of Part 1 Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code; or…

“Impose this tax with respect to certain sales, storage, use or other consumption, of tangible personal property, which would not be subject to tax by the state under the said provision of that code.”

What I’m seeing is, Shasta County wants to be able to pick and choose what is taxable under their measure. If I were a Shasta County voter, I would have asked them to explain that. I’m guessing some people did, and they didn’t like the answer. 

So, kudos to those groups in Tehama County and Shasta County who worked hard to overturn those bad measures. The Tehama County folks worked hard, there’s my friend Liz Merry over to the left, and long-time Tehama County activist Rob Halpin at right. This is the kind of determination it will take to tell people about the upcoming Chico sales  tax increase measure. 

Tehama County residents protest Measure G

I am really disappointed with reports that voters are lagging in turning in their ballots. Clerk Candace Grubbs reported the other day that only about 30,000 of over 100,000 ballots distributed in Butte County had been returned. Today I read in Cal Matters that less than a quarter of ballots distributed statewide have been returned.

https://calmatters.org/blogs/california-election-2020/2020/03/voting-california-dropped-out-candidates-super-tuesday/

But some voters may have been wise to hold on to their ballots and see how the Democratic primaries went. As of yesterday, two more major candidates, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, have dropped out.  Steyer already hit the door days earlier. Analysts believe that votes already made for these people on early ballots may actually screw up the California primaries – “zombie” candidates suck up votes and prevent other candidates from reaching the necessary thresholds to secure delegates.  

I couldn’t care less about the Democrats – I already made a bold move and voted for Trump. No, I am not crazy about Trump, he’s an ass. If I could speak to him personally I’d tell him to  grow the fuck up. But, let’s face it, he’s done okay at the President job so far. I like seeing tariffs on foreign trade, I like to see the healthcare mandate dropped, and I like the fact that the economy – right up until the Democrats drummed up a total hysteria over coronavirus – had been doing well. In fact, after a drop last week, the market seems to be recovering pretty fast. Think it’s those GM masks flying off the shelves? 

No, I’m not belittling coronavirus, but, according to the CDC, over 80,000 people died of the flu in 2018, and that hardly made a blip on the media radar. Wash your hands. 

 I know this late election will be a mess for Grubbs and her staff (shake that money-maker Candy!). And, we won’t get the usual instant gratification of knowing on Election Night who/what won/lost. But, what remains to be seen is whether or not mailed ballots will bring up the total number of votes cast. 

Of course, some will say it messed up the primaries. I don’t know about that. I think those people wanted to vote for Steyer, Buttigieg and Klobuchar, and in past, plenty of people have voted knowingly for candidates who have dropped out. In Nevada a dead guy won an assembly seat, people are that stubborn. 

Also, I think it’s weird that Buttigieg and Klobuchar decided to drop out at this time. I want to know why they dropped out. At this point, I’d say they’d made a commitment to the voters, and owe us all a big explanation. And I should think the Democrats would want an explanation too – by dropping out at this point, they’ve undermined both Biden and Sanders, who may not be able to make the threshold to get any delegates.

So, The Donald seems to be the big winner here.

Regardless of problems with this election, I hope we should try at least two more mailed ballot elections before we decide that this mess was the ballots’ fault.