Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "furlough"

Bankers to Replace Lawyers in Lab Experiments

2009-12-01T21:30:14Z

You have likely heard the old joke that lab rats are being replaced by lawyers because the lab workers do not get emotionally attached to lawyers. Or the one about a thousand lawyers being chained together at the bottom of the ocean being a “good start”. As these jokes (and the hundreds of others) show, lawyers have a bad reputation. Personally, I have never had the need for one and only know a few, and I have worked pretty hard at maintaining the status quo on both of those points. It seemed to me that lawyers are for people who live near secret toxic waste dumpsites.

Recently, my work helping small businesses with marketing led me to a local Law Firm and Real Estate company where I’ve learned several things (including the fact that there is such a thing as a combination Law Firm/Real Estate company, and that combining those services is a huge benefit to their clients- more on that later).

The people I met there are well aware of the reputation Lawyers have; working with them I quickly picked up on the company jargon that “nobody likes a lawyer until they need one”. With the recent happenings in the Real Estate market, there’s not a whole lot of popularity on that front, either. I have always advocated integrity and personal responsibility, which I feared would not mesh well in a Law Office. I kept these thoughts to myself and focused on my responsibilities, to build awareness of their services and to market a loan modification program.

Surprisingly, I discovered a deep seeded passion in the Attorney and his staff. Ted Greene, the owner and Attorney, is an affable but direct communicator. In one intense conversation with Ted four days into my work he stopped me and said, “You don’t talk to these people. You don’t understand the fear and hopelessness that these people feel. They want assurance, they want an advocate, to speak with an Attorney who knows the law.” I was taken aback and humbled at his perspective and his passion for the distressed home owners that his company had been serving. Integrity and responsibility in a Law office? The list of things I was learning continued to grow.

Every day that I work with the law office I encounter another story of distressed home owners in desperate need of help. These stories have forced me to re-examine another long-held belief. I consider myself to be a savvy consumer and I’ve long followed conventional consumer wisdom, which made me wonder: Why do these people think they need us? Everybody should know that they can do their own loan modification. Call your bank, fill out some paperwork, and get a loan mod. Anybody who has taken in an afternoon of Clark Howard could tell you that. Besides, the larger banks are receiving government money to help us all out of this mess and it only stands to reason that they’d rather agree to a lower house payment that can be paid every month than get nothing, right? Somehow this has proved not to be the case for many people. My conventional wisdom is not serving me well.

The clients at UpsideDownCA.com, the joint venture of Ted Greene Law Offices and JCL Realty, are not lazy people who can’t fill out forms. They have tried all of the options available to them and they have nowhere left to turn. Many are home owners who have already been denied their modifications. Some have come home to trustee sale notices posted on their front door after never hearing from their lenders. Others have had their paperwork lost by the bank or have received rejections despite overwhelming hardships. All of these customers received reprieve through the services of UpsideDownCA.

Working with this team has been an incredible experience- fulfilling, even, to earn a living while helping people who are saving their homes. They might not be doing the work that is typically thought of as community service, like feeding the hungry or giving toys to needy kids. No movies will be made featuring the team at UpsideDownCA.com. Still, I do think that this team is doing some pretty heroic work. There are dozens of families who will go to bed tonight in their house because UpsideDownCA went to bat for them. It feels good to be a part of that.

I’ve also been thinking about the lenders who are refusing service to the under-employed, the furloughed State workers, and the suddenly single-income households. I believe that they are doing our society an extreme disservice, and I’m not alone in noticing. People have a long memory for companies who turned a blind eye to the needs of their customers. Maybe it’ll be the bankers offered up for lab experiments in the coming days. Lest the employees of these companies wish to become the butt of longstanding jokes, I hope they take heed and change their tune.

And remember- you never know. Next time you meet a lawyer, they may turn out to be one of the good guys.

* Photo from above - “Furlough Friday” – 12:30pm – taken by Josh Bruno at the corner of 5th Street & Q Street just a few blocks from the Law Offices of Ted Greene.

Sacramento Small Business Celebrate the Holidays in a BIG Way!

2009-11-29T07:29:42Z

There is no doubt that businesses in general have suffered through our ever-changing economy. Businesses on multiple levels have had to make sacrifices; downsizing, cutting salaries, furloughing, laying off, and certainly cutting expenses.Small business, especially in Sacramento, is no exception. One expense that seems to be a commonality, is the Company Holiday Party.

Historically, no matter how large or small an office or business is, company's have celebrated the holidays and their accomplishments with their partners, employees, and sometimes, vendors and customers. It is a time when people put work aside, and come together over food, drinks, entertainment and memories that often survive the company itself.

This year, small and medium sized businesses, consultants, solopreneurs, coaches, recruiters, relators and attorney's are all invited to participate in Get Networking Now's inaugural "Sacramento Region Company Holiday Party"! On Thursday, December 17, business owners, their employees, their vendors and key clients will enjoy a "BIG" celebration on a small business budget! Part of the proceeds will also benefit a local childrens' arts organization, Chalk It Up!

Chef Simon Mandell, co-owner of Courtyard D'Oro a new restaurant and banquet faciliaty in Old Sacramento, is preparing a "feast" for these hardworking entrepreneurs consisting of four cuisines, followed by dessert, dancing, music, entertainment. and "swag bags" with special offers, samples and promotions from local businesses. The event is scheduled from 6-10 pm at Courtyard D'Oro, which is located at 1700 Front Street under G Williker's Toy Emporium.

Ticket prices are $40 at the door, $35 presale. Special Pricing is available for small businesses with profiles on www.sacgnn.com and is FREE with paid monthly membership to Get Networking Now. Tickets may be purchased at: http://sacareacompanyparty.eventbrite.com/

Get Networking Now (SacGNN) is a local networking resource assisting small and medium sized businesses to grow "small talk" into "BIG Business" through education, training and networking events. SacGNN offers a free online community for local business owners to exchange leads, information, and resources and assist one another in growing their businesses in Sacramento.

For more information on this event, or Get Networking Now, please contact Rebecca Johnson 916-868-7562 or rebecca@sacgnn.com

SEIU Rally Brings Thousands to Capitol

2009-07-02T06:06:58Z

On Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., approximately 2,000 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathered on the west steps of the Capitol in a powerful end to Tuesday's outcry rally over the state’s budget decisions, which would cut the salaries of state workers by 15 percent.

A giant screen was set up to project the image of the speakers. Tents were scattered providing first aid, food and information on how to contact the governor. Participants sat on the grass and milled around, but once Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker took the stage, most remained standing to listen intently to her words.

Walker addressed SEIU's grievances with the state legislature's handling of the budget. She spoke about the issues that have not been taken into consideration by the state, such as SEIU's proposed contract that would have saved $340 million, or their identification of the 34.7 million dollars allocated for private vendor contracts. She reminded the crowd that all departments have been cut by 10 percent, yet people continue to return to work and provide the same services. She also reminded the crowd, to loud cries of indignation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement of a third furlough day.

"The only thing I have to say is, 'Governor, you were elected to do a job, you have failed, you are not providing leadership to California and today Local 1000 is putting you on notice, and we're not going to take it anymore,'" Walker said.

Speeches finished, members of SEIU took to circling the west steps in a slow march, chanting various slogans of empowerment such as, "We've had enough, we won’t take it no more," "Union power" and the Bob Marley lyric, "Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights."

The sizable turnout featured SEIU members from all over California including Fresno, Redding, Rancho Cucamonga and Oakland.

Lesley Wong, a writer for Caltrans and Oakland resident, noted that the sheer number of bodies the event drew contributed to its success.

"I've been to past rallies, ridden the bus up from Oakland," Wong said. "This one, by far, has been the biggest one we've had that I've been to."

She also expressed that the governor's announcement of the implementation of a third furlough day was a deal-breaker for many state workers.

"It's the final 5 percent extra that pushed everyone over," Wong said. "It's an absolute breaking point. I've got people working with me who are making less money than they were 15 years ago."

In Walker's final address to the members of SEUI, she looked toward the future.

"The next time we come out, I hope to see 20,000 state workers," she said.

The response of the crowd could be heard a block away on L Street.

Balancing the budget topples hopes

2009-07-01T19:16:00Z

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) congregated at the steps of the Capitol to voice their frustrations with how the state legislature is handling the budget.

Yvonne Walker, President of the SEIU, opened the rally with a fiery speech about how state workers “are on the tipping point,” with the continued proposals to cut state workers’ pay and adding a third furlough day.

Walker described the two-day furlough already in place for state workers as “the equivalent of one month’s pay.” She explained an additional day of unpaid leave would increase the financial burden on state workers, causing some to lose their homes.

Workers were well aware of this possibility as they walked circles around the Capitol lawn, some waving signs that read, “The future face of poverty.”

The impacts of pay-cuts have had severe effects on the lives of the workers.

“I have two children and I cannot afford a fifteen percent pay cut as a single mother,” said Kendra White, a tax technician. She added, “I already can’t pay my bills,” though the further proposed cuts have yet to be implemented.

Richard Wilcox Jr. is an employment program representative who processes employment insurance claims forms. He attended the protest in solidarity for his fellow workers.

“Some of them are at a point where they are actually filing for unemployment insurance claims forms,” seeking the exact help they provide as a part of their job, he said.

Some of the rally attendees held up signs that referenced the safety and well-being of their children. “I’m having to make choices about my kids being in daycare, and in a potentially dangerous situation” said Angela Ramirez, a DMV employee.

“I had to actually check with child services to see if it was okay to leave her home for a few hours out of the day until the lunch hour when I could come home,” Ramirez said.

She touched on current situations at her office that reflect the effects of the budget cuts on the community as a whole. “We’re backlogged, and customers are disappointed that the services are taking a lot longer.”

These services include filing paperwork dealing with DUI offenders. “Getting drunk drivers off the road is getting longer. The paperwork is taking longer,” she remarked.

“We’re doing a disservice to the community, not only the workers but the state of California,” Ramirez said.

Members of the SEIU have pin-pointed many ways to re-direct pressure off of state workers. “We’ve identified $34.7 billion in private outsourced contracts,” Walker said, hoping that the amount of money pouring into private contracts is reduced.

“One idea which I have,” said Wilcox, “is basically we start taxing oil companies for the oil that they drill out of ca public land.” The same is currently done in Alaska where they “actually make enough money where every year the Alaska state government sends its citizens checks.”

While he does not think the possibility of drilling an equivalent amount of oil in California is possible to generate that income, “it could at least offset the hurt.”

The SEIU planned to have a candle-light vigil and spend the night on the Capitol lawn, but some of the coordinators called it off because it looked like the legislature was not going to be in session that evening.

The protest at the Capitol Tuesday evening was a precursor to today’s rally. The SEIU expects over 2,000 workers to convene at the Capitol around noon to rally against the projected cuts.

Sacramento Bike Kitchen to open on Furlough Fridays

2009-02-23T21:09:14Z

The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen at 1915 I Street has decided to join the chorus of organizations offering free services to furloughed state workers.

According to a post on its web site, the SBK will open its doors from 10 AM to 3 PM on the first and third Fridays of the month, in addition to its normal midweek schedule. As a further incentive to pedal in for some bike maintenance, the normal $5 shop fee will be waived for furloughed state workers.

Free breakfast for furloughees!

2009-02-20T17:15:23Z

If you're a furloughed state worker - and today is the second in what looks to be a long string of Furlough Fridays - you can take some of the pain out of the reduced salary by heading for West Sacramento, where IKEA's massive store off I-80 is offering a free breakfast of eggs, bacon and potatoes, to anyone who can prove they're a furloughed state worker (with your state ID card).

The breakfast is available from 9:30 to 11 a.m., today only. Buon appetito.

And while you're at it, you can pick up that plastic end table you've been coveting.

Furloughs, stimulus and DNA -- Let's chat!

2009-02-07T03:39:44Z

Sacramento Regional Transit General Manager entered cyberspace for an hour Friday for his monthly web chat. The full text of the session can be found here. What follows is a personalized summary, along with a little regrouping to make the story a little easier to follow.

Being the state capital and the home to so many state workers, it wasn’t surprising that the topic of furloughs was on the minds of several participants in the chat.

Wiley offered that RT won’t be giving Regional Transit staff extra three-day weekends. “No,” he said, “Furloughs only save money for Regional Transit if they are in concert with service reductions. We want to avoid an additional service reduction. The transit system is seeing huge increases in ridership. Cutting service when we are having these great ridership gains, doesn't make sense. Our goal is to trim everything else in an attempt to avoid service reductions and layoffs.”

He also explained that RT has been there, done that with service cuts: “Due to previous state budget cuts, RT cut 5 percent of unproductive bus service in January 2008. The $18.3 million loss of state funds for this fiscal year resulted in a fare increase effective January 1, 2009.”

Actually, Wiley said RT considered the furlough option: “The vast majority of employees at Regional Transit are drivers and mechanics. We have just enough people to provide the service we operate. If we furloughed employees, we are indirectly cutting service for those trips that would not operate. In the case of our mechanics, buses and trains not safely maintained are not operated. This would result in sporadic service cuts throughout the system. We don't think service cuts are the answer to our budget problems.”

Which is not to say RT isn’t trying furlough-like options. Said Wiley, “We are looking for budget savings everywhere they might be found. This included a detailed analysis of potential furloughs. Those that pencil out are being brought forward to our board for their consideration. Some, like a hiring freeze for most positions, have been in place for nearly two years. We are totally focused on keeping our costs under control and finding savings where we can. We will avoid service cuts as long as possible. “

As a transit enthusiast myself, I want to underline and clip and save this part of Wiley’s chat: “With the ridership numbers we are seeing, service expansion is what's needed for the underserved communities in the region.”

Wiley also explained that the state furloughs won’t be used as a justification for service cuts. “No,” Wiley said, “we've looked at running holiday service on the State Furlough days, but since they only reduce the number of bus runs during the day, and only 26 additional days in a year, the cost savings are minimal. On light rail especially, many more people than state workers would be inconvenienced if we reduced light rail service. We may be reducing the length of the trains on those days as demand could be some what less.”

Speaking of the length of trains, Wiley was asked, “Do you think RT can operate three-car Light Rail trains in the middle of the day? It seems the current two-car non-peak operation between rush hours results in overcrowding, especially around lunch time.”

Wiley replied: “We monitor the conditions on the light rail and buses, and have noticed that there has been an increase in crowding during the midday. We have to plan well in advance to change the number of cars. … If crowding persists, we will consider increasing the number of midday cars. This is limited, however, by the maintenance requirements on the fleet. … There is a cost to increase the number of cars. With the State of California still considering an additional $3.9 million raid on our budget we may not have the funding to add service.”

Before we get too far from the furlough question, I must include this question from a Citrus Heights resident: “Given that the State has now mandated Furloughs to its employees, has RT considered giving a further break in cost to its State employee riders to help out?”

Disclosure moment: I’m married to a state government manager. I’m not a disinterested party to the consequences of what is, in effect, a 10 percent pay cut state workers will swallow if furloughs continue. Still, I think Wiley was right:

“The state subsidizes the cost of state employees' tickets,” he said. “Since the subsidy is set at a maximum amount the state contributes, employees will be receiving a full monthly subsidy spread over fewer days. From RT's perspective we are loosing a large number of riders each day the state furloughs employees on top of the transit dollars the State is raiding to help balance the State budget. It's important to remember that the fare revenue we collect covers about 25% of our operating cost.”

While the state has been taking money away from RT, it looks Congress may soon throw some cash RT’s way: “RT will receive an as yet undetermined amount of funding under the stimulus package. We have worked closely with our regional partners to identify ‘ready to go’ projects that can help us improve service to the public without drastically increasing our operating costs. As you may have read, the stimulus package does not provide any new resources for operating costs. However, we have requested funding for projects that allow us to implement limited stop services, continue to work on a second bus maintenance facility, rehabilitate some of our stations, refurbish 21 light rail vehicles, upgrade our work trucks and equipment, and implement an electronic information system for our riders (automatic vehicle location, next stop announcements, electronic signs). We will know more about how much money we might receive when President Obama signs the stimulus package into law. The current projection is that he will do so before February 15.”

Specific “ready-to-go” projects identified by Wiley include accelerating the South Line light rail extension and other key capital projects. “These projects would have a positive economic and environmental impact on the Sacramento region, and could add new service and improve RT's infrastructure,” he said. “All of the funding we expect to receive will be utilized for our capital program. At this point we do not expect to receive any financial support to cover our operating cost. Consequently, we will not be able to restore bus service reductions implemented in January 2008.”

Not only can the stimulus not be used for operating expenses, but it won’t be useful for buying buses or light rail cars.

“The stimulus money is intended to support capital projects that are "ready to go" within 90 days from the date of enactment of the law. Unfortunately, it takes about 18 months to order buses, and about 2-1/2 years to order trains, unless we can tack-on to an existing bus or rail car order,” Wiley explained. “So, RT went through its capital program and specifically identified projects that we could both commit the funds to (get our Board approval for) and expend the funds on within two years, as required in the stimulus package. We are requesting funds to rehabilitate the 21 rail cars that we bought from Valley Transit a few years ago. These will provide us with the ability to improve our service with limited stop (express) operations on the Blue Line from Downtown Sacramento to the Watt/I-80 Station.

On the subject of the Folsom express light rail service, a Carmichael resident asked it if would be possible to do that with the existing tracks.

“We are making changes to the signaling system to enable the limited stop service,” Wiley said. “Limited stop service is a service where we stop at only the major the stations. This saves time for the riders.”

Help for this effort, Wiley explained in response to another question, will arrive from the settlement of the Highway 50 HOV lane lawsuit settlement.”

“RT should receive the money from the Highway 50 compromise this summer, which will allow us to begin procurement of parts and equipment,” Wiley said. “There is no track construction as such, because we are talking about having limited stop (express) service from the Historic Folsom Station and 15 minute frequency service from the Hazel Station to downtown. The funding from Caltrans will actually fund signaling, safety, and grade crossing improvements to make the limited stop service operational.”

An “Elk Grove, CA, CA” resident (we have to use euphemisms for those things) asked: “Many aspects of the stimulus bill seem to be under attack. Is there anything we as citizens can do to make sure transit gets a good share of the stimulus funding?”

“Recent amendments to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) include funding for transportation infrastructure projects that suggest significant increases in transit spending including funding for "ready-to-go" projects. … These amendments are up for debate in the Senate. Contact your senators today and urge them to support amendments to increase transit spending.”

And Folsom improvements and the South line extension aren’t the only places where things may be moving soon.

Someone from Portland , OR, asked, “Any long term plans about getting LR service to the airport?”

“Yes,” Wiley replied. “Only they are not so long-term. The RT Board of Directors directed staff to accelerate completion of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) project as much as possible. We have therefore sped up planning for the project, with an anticipated completion date in 2017 for the connection to the Airport. This would coincide with the completion of the Airport's Terminal B expansion. As a "down payment" on this commitment, RT just this week released a Request for Qualifications for the design and construction of the first phase of the DNA, from 7th Street to Richards Boulevard. The projected revenue operation date of that segment is October 31, 2010.”

And to another question on the same topic, he added: “RT has made significant progress with the DNA line over the last several months. We are completing a project level Environmental Impact Report for the first segment from 7th and H to Richards Boulevard, and are planning to start the Federal environmental process on the rest of the line within the next year. This week, we published a request for qualifications for firms to bid on a design/build contract to design and build the first phase of the DNA. We are actively working with the City of Sacramento, the Railyards and Township 9 developments, and others, to clear issues along the right of way. Our goal is to complete the first phase, which we are calling "The Green Line", by October 31, 2010. We hope that we will have the funding to purchase and operate the Green Line using low-floor, universal access light rail cars, as a downtown circulator from our 13th Street Station all the way to Richards Boulevard.”

There’s more to read at the RT web site, but I want to end with this particularly useful exchange:

From Sacramento, CA: “Light Rail Door Alarms: The current buzzers that sound when doors open and close are really annoying. Can't we get a chime or tone that's a little less harsh on the ears?”

Wiley’s reply: “Actually, the buzzers are intended to be somewhat irritating.”

And you thought it was unintentional.

OK. That’s the Fox News version of what Wiley had to say. Here’s the SacramentoPress version:

“Actually, the buzzers are intended to be somewhat irritating so that people do not ignore them. They are a safety requirement, and they have to be audible even to persons with certain hearing impairments, so they know when the doors are preparing to close. It is actually a small irritation if it prevents someone from being injured by a closing door.”