A city official said Tuesday he was optimistic about current efforts to save Sacramento $5 million and 50 jobs through negotiations with the local firefighters’ union. Gus Vina, a Sacramento assistant city manager, said the city is currently in talks with the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522. The city government is trying to convince the firefighters’ union to give up pay increases scheduled for July. Vina said the city and the firefighters’ union are engaged in “very productive” disc... KathleenHaley Jeff McCrory comment-6916 2009-04-30T03:22:43Z 2009-04-30T03:22:43Z "If it wasn't for the unions controlling each of our city council members we would not be in this pickle." Hmm, I think the real estate bust might better explain the City's budget problems. I googled and found these two interactive maps that show foreclosure rates on the one hand and state budget gaps on the other: http://www.newyorkfed.org/mortgagemaps/ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/17/us/20081117_budget_graphic.html You can take a look and make up your own mind if there is a correlation. Jeff McCrory 2009-04-30T03:22:43Z Geoff Samek comment-6915 2009-04-30T03:05:54Z 2009-04-30T03:05:54Z That's great to hear. I look forward to reading it, and you are welcome to repost here if you'd like. We also are going to continue to scrutinize local government and hold them accountable, look for more of that sort of reporting in the near future on The Sacramento Press. Geoff Samek 2009-04-30T03:05:54Z The Parrhesiac comment-6913 2009-04-30T02:11:36Z 2009-04-30T02:11:36Z Actually Geoff I am working on a detailed and lengthy story on how the corruption in Sacramento works. I will post it on the Sacramentocitizen.com website once it is fully functional. The Parrhesiac 2009-04-30T02:11:36Z Geoff Samek comment-6902 2009-04-29T19:23:12Z 2009-04-29T19:23:12Z It may be more beneficial, and a really strong argument to link to the sites that show who gives to whom, rather than just saying it. If you put together a really comprehensive article showing which council members get contributions from which unions, that would be a powerful story. Geoff Samek 2009-04-29T19:23:12Z Jenn Walker comment-6898 2009-04-29T18:27:02Z 2009-04-29T18:27:02Z How likely is it that 10 firemen will retire? Is that standard? Jenn Walker 2009-04-29T18:27:02Z The Parrhesiac comment-6887 2009-04-29T15:00:05Z 2009-04-29T15:00:05Z Firefighters are prevented under law from striking...Since they cannot strike, there is no need for collective bargaining. If it wasn't for the unions controlling each of our city council members we would not be in this pickle. Local 522 and SPOA give huge sums of money to candidates, in return those candidates hike up the salaries of union workers in a campaign money laundering scheme. The taxpayers are forced at gunpoint to foot the bill to pay for Democrat candidates to run for local and state office. All municipal employees pay should be based on the economy, like the rest of us in the private sector. Why should government employees get a free ride through economic downturns? If our firefighters can't tighten their belts like the rest of our community, they should go look for work elsewhere. The Parrhesiac 2009-04-29T15:00:05Z