METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT PROPOSAL UNLEASHES A FLOOD OF PROTEST
Printer-friendly version By Francine Phillips September 16, 2009 (San Diego)–The largest provider of water in Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), based in Los Angeles, has completed its final round of labor negotiations of a five-year contract that includes a hike in retirement benefits that has stakeholders in San Diego crying “foul.” Last week pension particulars were spelled out in preparation for a Sept. 15 vote by the District Board, including four San Diego region delegates. But at yesterday’s meeting, MWD issued a statement that the vote has been postponed "to make sure that all facts regarding this proposal are fully understood by the Board of Directors and the public prior to any vote." A public workshop is set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at MWD’s Board Room in Los Angeles. On Friday, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders sent a letter protesting the 25 percent pension increase that will cost an estimated $70 million in future payouts. “Any increase in costs at MWD translates into an increase in water rates for San Diegans,” wrote Sanders. Along with Sander’s letter, the Internet was awash in editorial outrage as taxpayer associations, elected officials, online pundits and experienced journalists questioned the proposed pension increases. Are they right? The San Diego County Water Authority, a collection of 24 local agencies which provides water to 3 million residents, approved a $1.65 billion two-year budget on June 25 that reflected the MWD’s approved 21 percent rate increase in treated water that went into effect Sept. 1. The correlation between the 21 percent rate increase for the District’s 19 million customers and the 25 percent pension hike for just under 2,000 employees has made the contract a bullseye target for criticism. In addition, the MWD retirement investment fund has reported a $400 million loss, bringing into question the proposed increased benefits that will raise retirement rates for long term employees from 50 percent of their salaries to 62.5 percent. Included among those speaking out against the proposed pension hikes are MWD delegate W.D. “Bud” Pocklington, president of the South Bay Irrigation District, who has been on the MWD board since 1997. Pocklington has gone on record that his is a “no” vote. Two other regional delegates, Jim Barrett, director of public utilities for the City of San Diego, and Fern Steiner, a City of San Diego appointee to the MWD board, have not gone public with their voting preference. The final delegate from our region, Keith Lewinger, general manager of the Fallbrook Public Utility District, has said that he has not made up his mind. Employees of MWD do not contribute to Social Security for retirement benefits, but accrue benefits from contributions to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CALPERS) which are paid by MWD, and from a matching 401(k) plan that vests after six months of employment. According to the MWD recruitment Web site, the following benefits are currently extended to employees • A choice of medical coverage from two different HMO’s and two PPO’s. The district pays for medical insurance for the employee and family members, including domestic partners, in all plans except one of the PPO’s. • Dental insurance is provided at no cost to employees and family members, including domestic partners. • Vision insurance is provided at no cost to the employee with an option to purchase family coverage. • Life insurance is offered in varied competitive amounts based on bargaining unit. • Deferred compensation in the form of a 401(k) plan and a 457 plan. Matching for the 401(k) plan begins upon enrollment, after six months of employment, with immediate vesting. • Retirement benefits under the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. • Tuition reimbursement up to 85% of costs for classes and programs or job-related courses. • Fourteen paid holidays and three paid personal days. • Access to an employer provided credit union. • Rideshare and vanpool options available. • A variety of flexible work schedules. Concessions reflected in the proposed contract include relinquishing one paid holiday and one personal day, no salary increases in 2009, a limit on accrued annual leave to 400 hours, a 2 percent contribution of current employees to a Retiree Medical Trust Fund, and an 8 percent contribution to said fund by employees hired after July 1, 2009. Proponents of the contract, including MWD’s general manager, Jeff Kightlinger, say that the new contract will cost the agency less than maintaining the status quo, based on the stimulus for early retirement from long-time workers. "I totally believe that we all have to pay for our water costs," Dexter Levy, a retired plumber and water activist, told East County Magazine. "But anything beyond the actual costs of obtaining water is inappropriate. I’ve been a friend of labor for many years and I believe that pensions are a part of the whole wage package, but we have to get pensions stable and that means that the Calpers pension package should extend to water districts so it is not on the negotiation table separately. The key to the whole thing is that as the public uses less water, the costs of sustaining the infrastructure is going to go up. The MWD needs to account for that, even if they have to go back to the drawing board and look at every expense again.." Levy concluded, "All districts have a major challenge and that is to find new sources of water. The districts need to look at the MWD peripheral canal, drill more wells, and pursue reinjection of reclaimed water into the aquifer. That’s the real challenge that water districts are going to have to be dragged forward to meet." Printer-friendly version
SONIC WEAPONS USED IN IRAQ POSITIONED AT CONGRESSIONAL TOWNHALL MEETINGS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Printer-friendly version A Joint Investigative Report by East County Magazine and Liberty One Radio By Miriam Raftery September 11, 2009 (San Diego) – “Long-range acoustic devices [LRADs] for crowd control can be extremely dangerous. These are used in Iraq to control insurgents. They can cause serious and lasting harm to humans…We want to know WHY our Sheriff Dept has this weapon,” Sal Magallanez of San Diego-based Liberty One Radio said in an e-mail sent to East County Magazine, prompting a joint investigation. The device was stationed by San Diego County Sheriff deputies at a recent town hall forum hosted by Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in Spring Valley and at a subsequent town hall with Congressman Darrell Issa (R-San Diego). The Davis Rally drew an estimated 1,300-1,500 people, including vocal conservative and liberal protest groups. (photo credit: Mike Russell) A public records search conducted by East County Magazine has confirmed that the device is an LRAD 500-x manufactured by San Diego-based American Technology Corporation (ATC). Capable of use as an effective loudspeaker, the LRAD also has the ability to emit a deafening tone aimed at incapacitating and dispersing a crowd without use of lethal force. “It’s very concerning,” Kevin Keenan, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said. “ It is fine for the Sheriff’s Department to have new less-than-lethal weapons, but for their interactions with individuals these still-dangerous weapons need to be used only as substitutes for firearms. They can’t be used as just another tool on the tool belt. As we’ve seen with tasers and pepper spray, these types of weapons are being used to subdue people even though they pose the risk of serious physical harm.” He added, “Even more concerning is having these weapons for public order policing. I can imagine no situation, or am not aware of any situation that’s ever happened in San Diego County or is likely to happen that would justify using these weapons for public order policing to control a crowd. The main effect of having those weapons at public events is to chill people and chill free speech and free association.” LRADs were developed by ATC at the request of the U.S. Navy after the attack on the U.S.S. Cole as a means of dissuading hostile invaders. ATC founder Elwood "Woody" Norris is a pioneer in sound technology who has also been instrumental in development of ultra-sound and ground penetrating radar. Cruise ship Captain Michael Groves successfully repelled pirates off the Somali coast using non-lethal weapons including an LRAD. Groves has since filed suit against Carnival Cruise Line, claiming he suffered permanent hearing loss as a result, the BBC has reported. Navy News describes the LRAD as "louder than a jet engine" and helpfully explains that it overwhelms its targets with "sound so loud they hear it inside their heads." ATC initially sold LRADs primarily to the U.S. military, but has since sold products internationally and domestically. The company and its representatives have not limited sales to military, maritime and law enforcement personnel, however. Local lifeguards and even Liberty One Radio are among potential customers to whom ATC’s sales force has attempted to peddle LRADs. Liberty One Radio host Mike Copass, a former Democratic Congressional candidate who ran against Davis, tried to interview the Sheriff’s officer who appeared to be in charge of the device, which was mounted on a Rhino all-terrain vehicle. But Magallanez said the official “acted as if he didn’t know what it was.” East County Magazine contacted Lieutenant Anthony Ray at the Lemon Grove sheriff substation. “I was the incident commander,” said Ray, who confirmed that the device was an LRAD but was not sure of the model. “It’s a really loud speaker,” he said, adding that the device is used to assure that announcements can be heard over the din of a crowd. “We’ll often use a helicopter, but this is something portable,” he explained. The device has also been present at a sand-castle building competition in Imperial Beach and could be deployed at any large event locally, since the Sheriff’s office is sometimes subcontracted by other cities within San Diego County to provide security. Asked if he was aware that the device had a deterrent capability that includes a directed sound loud enough to cause hearing loss, he replied, “You mean like they use in Iraq? I can’t imagine we’d do that, because it would hurt our own people at the same time…I can’t believe that we would use the kind of thing on a crowd that the military does,” he said, adding that the deputy on the Rhino was not wearing protective earphones. “There were deputies right in front, too,” he observed, but added that he would have to “go home and look this up on Google” to learn more. In an interview last week with newly appointed Sheriff Bill Gore, formerly the Undersheriff, East County Magazine posed the following questions about LRADs. ECM: Crowd control has been in the news with the Francine Busby pepper spray incident. Now some have expressed concern after spotting long-range acoustical devices (LRADs) at Congressional members Susan Davis and Darrell Issa town hall forums on healthcare. We understand these devices can be used as loudspeakers, to avoid need for a helicopter to address large crowds— GORE: That’s not the primary purpose. ECM: They’re also called sonic cannons, capable of directing a deterrent sound. They’ve been used in IRAQ on insurgents and to repel pirates. GORE: That’s a precaution in case you need it. ECM: LRADs can cause permanent hearing loss and other health problems. What make and model LRAD do you have, what are the guidelines for when these may be used, what training is provided, and how can you assure that your deputies and innocent bystanders won’t be hurt? GORE: Our deputies have the required training. He indicated that he did not consider LRAD technology to be a non-lethal weapon, such as tasers
JULIAN APPLE DAYS FESTIVAL CAPS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OCT. 3-4; ADDITIONAL EVENTS HIGHLIGHT HISTORIC TOWN’S SAVORY PAST
Printer-friendly version September 14, 2009 (Julian) –Wyatt Earp, the frontier lawman best known for his role in the O.K. corral shootout, judged apple products at San Diego's first County District Fair back in 1889–where Julian's produce won 88 first and second place awards. In 1909, the town hosted its first Apple Days celebration–and ever since, the historic gold rush town had staked its claim on its real motherlode–juicy home-grown apples and delicious apple pies. This year marks the 100th anniversary–and a two-day festival will cap off a full two months of celebrating. As part of Julian’s Apple Days Centennial Celebration, an Apple Days Festival will be held October 3rd and 4th at Menghini Winery. The Festival features apple displays, music and dancing, an antique tractor display, children’s games and activities gold panning demonstrations, a beer and wine garden, food and merchandise vendors, contests, and, of course, apple pie. The event runs from 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, free for children 12 and under. There will also be a variety of other events throughout the town and surrounding areas during the weekend, including an Oktoberfest at the Rabobank Parking lot on Main Street, the 13th Annual Laguna Mountain Rendezvous in Santa Ysabel, the OId Time Melodrama & Olio performance at Town Hall, wine tours, a Country Market at Wynola Junction Antiques, and entertainment by Julian’s Doves & Desperadoes. Julian apples took first place at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893, the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 and the San Francisco World’s Fair in 1915. Then in 1907, Julian apples won the prestigious Wilder Medal, the highest award given by the American Pomological Society. Hard-working ranchers wanted to celebrate, town leaders wanted to interest outsiders in Julian’s future so preparations got underway for a great event, a harvest home, a fall festival—and they called it Apple Day. On October 9, 1909, colorful displays of various varieties of apples were set up in Town Hall, there was an all-night dance, free food, some speeches and a baseball game with Ramona. Early events also included foot racing, rooster-pulling on horseback, and fancy riding tricks by individual horsemen. Newspaper accounts estimated the crowd from 200 to 2,000. Subsequent annual celebrations would attract upwards of 45,000 people. “Today, Julian Apple Days is no longer a single day event but a full two month celebration with a variety of daily activities,” according to Tracy Turner, president of Julian’s Merchants Association. “The Festival gives you a special weekend of fun.” There will be a big raffle on Saturday for the beautiful pen and ink artwork of an old-fashioned apple picking depicted on the Julian Apple Days poster. Tickets for the artwork drawing cost four for $10.00 or ten for $20.00. The coronation for Mr. and Mrs. Apple Days will be also held on Sunday. Free parking for the Apple Days Festival is available at Menghini Winery, located at the end of Farmer Road, about 2 miles out of downtown Julian. Last year’s festival attracted over 3,000 visitors. For a full two-month schedule of events and more information, please visit http://www.julianappledays.com. The Apple Days celebration is planned by The Julian Merchants Association, a community group representing more than 90 merchants in the greater Julian area — Julian, Wynola and Santa Ysabel in San Diego County's eastern mountains. Printer-friendly version
SEMPRA LOBBYIST SEX SCANDAL SPARKS CALL FOR LOBBYING REFORMS
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery September 13, 2009 (Sacramento) –Last week, Assemblyman Mike Duvall (R-Orange County) resigned after bragging on videotape about sexual romps with lobbyists— including a lobbyist representing SDG&E and its parent company, Sempra Energy, according to an Orange County newspaper. Now Common Cause and the Courage Campaign have launched an online petition drive calling for lobbying reform legislation. In an e-mail sent to Californians, Courage Campaign asks provocatively, “Are you tired of getting screwed by hypocritical lawmakers?" Duvall oversaw the utility industry as Vice Chair of the Assembly Utility Committee. But Courage Campaign asks cheekily, “Were Duvall and Sempra’s lobbyist screwing each other to screw California consumers?” The e-mail includes a photo of Duvall with a caption reading “Sex sells—who’s buying? Don’t let Duvall get away with it.” Common Cause, a consumer advocacy group dedicated to reforming the political process, and Courage Campaign, a netroots (Internet-based) activist organization, have teamed up to call on the state Legislature to pass lobbying reform that would “require lobbyists to report every contact they have with a lawmaker.” California residents are urged to sign a petition calling for political reforms to get legislators “out of bed” with lobbyists. A petition for Californians to sign is available on line at http://www.couragecampaign.org/GetOutOfBed. Courage Campaign has also called on Attorney General Jerry Brown to investigation allegations of votes sold for sexual favors. Duvall made his confessions to a colleague in a committee hearing room, not realizing a microphone was live. He later claimed the affairs never happened, but resigned rather than face an ethics committee investigation. SDG&E has launched an internal investigation and in a prepared statement said its lobbyist, Heidi DeJong Barsuglia has denied the charges which, if true, could result in her disbarment. Printer-friendly version