That is a good idea...re-elect the same people who have bankrupted the city and want to raise your taxes...and stuff more of the taxpayers money in the pockets of ventura city employees who already are all exempt from paying any social security taxes, get free health care, and free pensions....

Levinson you know nothing about Ventura. The city has a balanced budget. Health care is not free. Pensions are not free. Health care is not offered to retirees. The city's credit rating was just raised. Go back in your hole.

Andy,

Who would you vote for?

RE: Levinson you know nothing about Ventura. The city has a balanced budget. Health care is not free. Pensions are not free.

If it's balanced why do they want to jack up the sales' tax.

The city website says pensions and health care are free...and city employees get a free ride on social security taxes....they pay none...which is very un-patriotic...considering the social security tax support america's eldery retired, as well as disabled.

See the city of ventura website:

http://www.cityofventura.net/human_resources/benefits/

They also get free college tuition, free books up to $1500, free dental, low cost dependent insurance, and an optional pile of cash they can take as salary or apply to benefits.....

It's all in there.....read it at the ventura city website.

RE:

Andy,Who would you vote for?

General rule of thumb: vote against all incumbents and vote against all bond issues

Two terms was good enough for george washington,we have people in county and city government who just refuse to go away....nobody is that important

RE: The city's(ventura's) credit rating was just raised.

woopdee doo! Why do thet need credit if they are doing so well?

Maybe the people would like their sales taxes, and property taxes reduced as well as bloated city employee taxes....heck, ventura's fire and police can retire as early as age 41(if they hire on at 21) with 60% pensions for life, which can be a pension of 50 years for 20 years work.....

The city government doesn't own the city....or does it?

Cutting through the rhetoric to the facts on Police pay and pensions

There are 10 cities in Ventura County, but only one is having an election. So guess which one is routinely battered with criticism about city finances and public employee salaries?

Then on Sunday, the Star ran a story about the Simi Valley Police officers hammering the City Council with public protests, ads and complaints. Finally, a reality check on the constant barrage of criticism about the pay and benefits for Ventura city employees.

So why are the Simi Police protesting? Because they refused to take a 2% cut in their pay despite Simi's deep drop in sales tax and other city revenues due to the recession. They now say the City is retaliating against them on other issues.

Most revealing is the side-by-side comparisons of Simi, Oxnard and Ventura police compensation. They all have the same pension formula. Ventura's patrol officers are paid 14% less than Simi officers and 19% less than Oxnard officers at the top step. Ventura's sergeants are paid 9% less than Simi sergeants and 2% less than Oxnard sergeants at the top step. Simi's monthly medical benefits are more than twice Ventura's (Oxnard's are about 20% less.)

Here's the biggest kicker: "Simi Valley police have long enjoyed some of the best salaries and benefits in the county, including lifetime medical and other benefits for officers and their families once they work in the department for 25 years."

Oxnard Police also receive lifetime medical benefits, partly paid by the City. Ventura does not. Like pensions, these lifetime benefits go on long after the employee retires. But unlike pensions, cities are not required to put away contributions now to ensure the money is there later.

Again, Simi and Oxnard have lifetime medical benefit programs for their police, Ventura does not.

Yet when the recession hit all three cities, only Ventura police officers took a 5% reduction in compensation.

A similar comparison for Fire, by the way, would show even greater disparities on pay -- and Ventura has a significantly lower pension formula than the firefighters on duty in Oxnard and Simi.

Will the facts change campaign season rhetoric? No. There is an agenda in those singling out Ventura for criticism. They'd prefer not to talk about how we compare to other public agencies.

I understand and sympathize those who think public safety pay has gotten out of hand generally -- although I personally think that corporate executives, football players and members of the rock band U2 get paid way too much, compared to people who risk their lives to keep our communities safe. But we are all going to have to reset our expectations as we cope with a drastically different economic landscape, whether we work for government, private industry, non-profits or run our own business. The world has changed and Americans are all going to have to work harder and longer with reduced rewards. Sorting that out is fair game for debate.

Here Ventura is the leader. We are not the leader in high pay, pensions or benefits. But Ventura is the leader in tackling the challenge of reforming compensation. All eight of our unions accepted fifteen month compensation concessions of at least 5%. All are participating in the Council and community-led Compensation Policy Task Force which is looking at how to be both sustainable and competitive in the years ahead.

I am proud to serve Ventura. The City is fiscally sound because our staff have not demanded top pay and have often worked for less than average. They recognize that public service comes with public responsibilities. They (and I) bristle when uninformed or reckless critics single us out for attacks. But we know that serving this community is an honor and a privilege. Our City staff will continue to work with and for the City Council and our citizens to find common sense solutions because they care deeply about the community they serve and protect, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I have an idea for Rick Cole. Invest city resources in Washington Mutual and Lehman Brothers.... Good thinking. You should have known these banks were unsound, but then again, you got your Dodd-like mortgage as part of your city compensation package.

It's funny that Democrats are accusing the media of bias. If I were y'all, I'd keep riding that bias train for as long as you can, it's served you well (NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, LA Times, NY Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, etc.). Oh yeah, conservatives have FNC and talk radio. That's fair.

Mr. Cole:

An informative and interesting disquisition regarding the comparative pay and benefit statistics for police officers employed by the cities of Ventura, Oxnard and Simi Valley..

Perhaps you could enlighten us further and provide similar comparative statistics regarding the City Manager and City Attorney salaries, benefits and pension packages in those same three cities. Or even better, for all ten cities here in Ventura County...

In the absence of that comparative information, inquiring Ventura city-taxpaying minds wonder whether or not the assertion that you made above that Ventura "is not the leader in high pay, pensions and benefits," applies equally at the City's senior management level.(See URL above regarding Ventura City Attorney's lucrative compensation package)

This question is especially apt given that this is the last weekend before the upcoming Municipal Elections in Ventura. I’m sure that undecided voters would greatly appreciate both the accuracy and the alacrity of your response to this request, as they consider casting their votes for members of the City Council. After all, Mr. Cole, inquiring Ventura voters and taxpayers need and want to know.

You do support informed voting, do you not, Mr. Cole??? Hopefully, you will remember two critical factors as you consider both the timeliness and content of your response for this comparative information. One, “Tempis fugit,” and two, "Veritas est fatum."

Ciao Commendatori

NostraDemus

NostraDemus,

I have been posting for years how much a council member, a firefighter, a police officer, and a teacher gets paid in an easy to find spot on the relevant websites.

It would be a decent reform if they did post this information.

Rick Cole should have been fired long ago. This guy has way too much power vested in him by an ignorant, go-along-to-get-along City Council. Every poor decision that was ever approved by the City Council like the 911 fee and $10 million in bad investments was engineered and proposed to them by Rick Cole and Ariel Calonne (a guy who had a criminal case pending against him in the City of Boulder, Colorado when these 6 dummies voted to hire him).

But, the City Council approved them anyway and the buck should stop there. Unbelievable we keep electing these morons!

Can,

If your city is so poorly managed and the incumbents make many mistakes why isn't there a groundswell of support for new leaders?

The opposition candidates must not be compelling if things are as bad as you say they are in your town.

How do you know their isn't? We should wait until Tuesday to make the final call on that.

Ventura County Star Dec. 2007

Resident Mike Gibson applauded city leaders for being creative and following through on a pledge to provide greater safety resources. Officials estimated the revenue would allow the city hire six police officers and three firefighters and buy necessary equipment.

"The fee is the most palpable and acceptable approach," said Gibson, who ran unsuccessfully for a city council seat last month. He said the roughly $20 annual cost per phone line "is a small price to pay to add six officers and three firefighters on the street."

Can,

I don't know who will win but I feel confident all of the incumbents won't be swept out of office together.

RE:I(rick cole) am proud to serve Ventura. The City is fiscally sound because our staff have not demanded top pay and have often worked for less than average

They aren't your staff, they work for the people.

It is the height of arrogance and greed, that the city of ventura would put a tax increase on the ballot during a national depression, while millions of people have lost jobs in the private sector...and homes....

Let's not forget the city of ventura has a stash of $168 million in investments stashed away on wall street for city employee retirement, for employees who don't contribute a nickel to their own retirement fund, and pay no social security....and the city doesn't pay the employer side of social security.....now if a private sector business didn't pay social security, everyone would end up in jail....

Comparing salaries and benefits among cities is an old trick
used by slick politicians......how about giving us the names, salaries, and benefits of all city of ventura employees

Hopefully Rick Cole will put his complete contract and benefit package on display in his next blog.....

Mr. Levinson you pay for employee salaries and benefits in every service and product you buy in the private sector. You pay for outrageous executive perks and bonuses, too.

Ventura city employees have big co-pays so health insurance is not that great a deal. Fire, police contribute to pensions. No retiree health benefits unlike other cities.

Citizen's commission voted to put the tax on the ballot. Let the people decide.

Venturan, I agree. The people should and will decide. I predict Measure A goes down in a landslide.

RE:Ventura city employees have big co-pays so health insurance is not that great a deal. Fire, police contribute to pensions. No retiree health benefits unlike other cities.

That is what I said...I said they get the insurance free...which they do...they don't pay copays if they don't use it...

The Ventura city website says only fire management contribute to pensions....retirees in other cities shouldn't get health benefits either, or any government retirement other than social security.....

RE:Citizen's commission voted to put the tax on the ballot. Let the people decide.

They are ALL obviously total idiots...only an idiot would raise his own taxes....I sure wouldn't want any of these idiots on my ctizens commission...that is like asking the Red Coats to vote on the Declaration of Independence, which by the way was the violent overthrow of the legal oppressive government

RE:Venturan, I agree. The people should and will decide. I predict Measure A goes down in a landslide.

Now let the people vote on the salaries of their hired and elected public employeess.....maybe they would prefer to pay them minimum wage

We actually have state employees, and some local government who make over $1000 per day 365/24/7 with unlimited free benefits....these people are so important...they go thru life without ever paying for anything

Rick Cole says:
"I am proud to serve Ventura. The City is fiscally sound because our staff have not demanded top pay and have often worked for less than average."

If the "City is fiscally sound", then why do you want more money from residents?

City workers "worked for less than average"
Average of what? The trouble with public sector pay 'averaging' is that once one city decides that their dog catcher needs a raise, then every other dog catcher in the world gets a raise, whether they deserve it or not. And trying to compare public sector jobs to private sector jobs is impossible because how many private sector dog catchers (or police/fire fighters) are there?

Time for CHANGE!!!!
Vote them ALL out!!!!!!

Rick Cole's idea for putting Measure A on the ballot is going to come back and bite him in the rear too. This thing is going down in flames and it will make the City Council look like a bunch of idiots.

Rick, where the the city's stash of $168 million in investments come from...and where is it going?

It's not over yet! They are checking the ballots for dangling shamrocks..

Nobody:

Actually, to be both accurate and precise, after last Tuesday's election, there are now three Shamrocks and one Thistle on the Council..

With the re-election of Andrews, Brennan and Monahan, and the election of Tracy, the "Insular Celtic Caucus," now represents the dominant ethnic majority on the Ventura City Council..

You can bet that both Brian Boru and William Wallace smiled down from heaven when they heard the results of the Ventura City election last Tuesday night.

Ciao Celtae..

NostraDemus

It's only a matter of time before they build a giant statue of Bono in the center of the city.

Buon Giorno Nobody (aka Nessuno):

Perhaps, but if the Insular Celts do, then I would pose three questions to them:

1. Will it be funded by taxpayer dollars?

2. Will it be sculpted from Italian marble?

3. And who will be in charge of performing Quality Assurance/Quality Control work on the project to ensure that it meets Vitruvius' three-fold timeless test of: "..FIRMITAS, UTILITAS, and VENUSTAS?"

After all, inquiring Ventura taxpaying AND cognitively artistic minds want to know...

Ciao Nessuno

NostraDemus

1.) Is féidir rud éigin a cheannach gan airgead cáiníocóirí. Gach duine a íocann cáin.

2.) Beidh sé a dhéanamh as an gallúnach is fearr sa domhan ... Gaeilge Earraigh.

3.) Alessandro Gailiei ar ndóigh