Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "gus vina"

2011: The year at City Hall

2011-12-30T06:20:29Z

Sacramento City Council members had their hands full this year – from balancing the budget to redrawing district lines to a citizen uprising that found its way to the doors of City Hall.

Here’s the city government year in review.

CITY MANAGER DRAMA
The year started off with interim city manager Gus Vina not being promoted to the open city manager spot. Vina replaced previous city manager Ray Kerrige when Kerrige resigned in February 2010.

Vina resigned two months later – just a few weeks before the budget was due to the City Council. He later became the city manager of Encinitas.

The City Council was criticized for making decisions about the city manager position in closed sessions before voting not to promote Vina and instead open a national search.

City Council members stalled the search for City Manager saying they wanted to define the qualities they were looking for in the next person to fill the job. Two weeks later, they announced the qualities and the search continued.

The door was open for a new city manager, and while the nationwide search was ongoing, what Sacramento ended up with was not one but two interim city managers: Bill Edgar and Betty Masuoka.

Edgar and Masuoka followed through with the budget plan and presented it to the City Council on time.

As the city got closer to finding its next city manager, Mayor Kevin Johnson expressed disappointment about the search process, saying he felt “the pool of candidates wasn’t as deep” as he would have liked.

By August, Sacramento had a new city manager – John Shirey, former head of the California Redevelopment Association.

Shirey’s three-year contract included a $258,000 base salary – a 16 percent increase in salary over the previous city manager – making him the highest-paid in city history and the first to receive a labor contract.

BUDGET BLOWUPS
The budget process was complete by the time Shirey took his seat at the dais alongside City Council members.

The 2011 budget brought more challenges to face, including a $39 million budget gap.

After months of discussions and negotiations with unions, advocacy groups, public comment and hours-long council meetings, a budget was finally passed.

The new budget included severe cuts to fire and police personnel and city employees – as well as the closure of community centers and public pools.

REDISTRICTING: MAPS AND MAYHEM
As if there wasn’t enough going on in City Hall with the annual budget process, 2011 brought redistricting – a redrawing of council districts that happens every 10 years.

This time, the mayor and City Council appointed a Citizens Advisory Redistricting Committee to do the heavy lifting of vetting a variety of proposed district maps.

After months of review and discussion, the committee presented a group of four maps for the council to consider. From there, the discussions and map revisions really took off.

One unexpected twist to the redistricting drama came when one map was revealed to have been anonymously submitted by advisory committee member Steve Hansen.

Discussions heated up further when two council members – Steve Cohn and Sandy Sheedy – submitted their own map for the council to consider.

A week later, Cohn submitted yet another map, a hybrid version of Cohn and Sheedy’s previous submissions, this time called “Neighborhoods 2.0.”

A boundary dispute between council districts 5 and 6 over which district would contain the UC Davis Medical Center and Sacramento High School created a huge outcry from residents.

In the end, after six months and a grand total of 45 map versions, a final map was selected and approved by City Council, and new district lines went into effect on Oct. 6.

REDEVELOPMENT
With the passing of the state budget in July came big changes for the way redevelopment agencies are allowed to work in California.

Cities throughout the state are given an option to “buy in” to a new redevelopment plan – which would require large annual payments to the state from local agencies. Sacramento decided to go along with the plan and keep the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency alive.

Other cities wouldn’t go down without a fight, and a lawsuit was filed against the state by the California Redevelopment Association. While the case was pending, the court issued a temporary reprieve so cities did not have to make the required “opt-in” payments until a decision was made.

Some redevelopment projects that were moved ahead in 2011 in Sacramento included a revamp of K Street, the La Valentina project and housing projects in the south area of the city.

OCCUPY SACRAMENTO: CITIZENS TAKE A STAND
What started on Wall Street in New York as a citizens’ uprising against corporate greed in America became a nationwide statement of discontent from coast to coast.

When the first Occupy Sacramento protesters stepped into Cesar Chavez Plaza on Oct. 6, it was unclear how long they would stay – or what their message was going to be.

Quickly, the calm protest of Sacramentans showing solidarity with other Occupy movements was stunted by a city park curfew ordinance that prevented protesters from remaining in the park overnight.

Protesters were arrested – more than 100 in October alone – and the uprising was strengthened by a common goal: get the city to make an exception to the rule.

Over the next 10 weeks, large numbers of Occupy protesters spoke at the public forum of City Council meetings to ask the city manager and City Council to allow the group to remain in the park to continue to exercise its First Amendment rights.

Protesters who had been arrested – including war veteran mom Cindy Sheehan – had their day in court, and charges were dropped against many.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the Occupy group filed suit in federal court against the city claiming First Amendment violations, and some Occupiers moved the protest to the lawns at City Hall.

As the year came to a close, the number of Occupiers dwindled at Cesar Chavez Plaza, but the movement was not disbanded completely. A lawsuit is still pending in federal court, according to attorney Mark Merin, one of the representing attorneys.

Despite the ups and downs at City Hall this year, more change and drama is expected in 2012. Between elections and yet another budget – and the ever-present discontent bubbling just under the surface from events in 2011 – the new year is bound to be worth watching.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

City manager search draws to a close – will it be Shirey?

2011-08-02T00:52:55Z

The search for a new city manager – which began nearly five months ago when Gus Vina resigned as interim city manager – may be coming to an end this week.

John Shirey, current executive director of the California Redevelopment Association, was recently named as a front-runner for the position, and now it appears that a finalized contract between Shirey and the city is in the works.

The City Council will be discussing the city manager position in a closed session Tuesday afternoon, however, city spokeswoman Amy Williams said that they do not anticipate any sort of announcement after that session.

“The city is currently negotiating with the preferred candidate,” Williams said. However, “no formal action has been taken by the council.”

Williams confirmed that those negotiations are with Shirey and said that the City Council will vote on the selection of a new city manager in a closed session, but the members are required by the Brown Act to report on that vote in an open session right after a decision is made.

If Shirey accepts the position, he will be the fifth person to hold the city manager spot (including interim city managers) since 2005 – a situation the mayor said is “nothing to brag about.”

In a recent blog post, Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke about his disappointment in the candidate pool for the position, saying “the water hasn’t run as deep” as he’d like.

Still, Johnson said that he will support the council’s final selection for city manager.

Councilman Jay Schenirer declined to comment on any of the city manager candidates Monday, saying that, “until we’re at the end and announcements are made,” it’s still a personnel matter.

“Our labor people are doing the negotiations,” Schenirer said, “and since it’s on (Tuesday’s closed session) agenda, I expect we’ll hear from them after that.”

Tom Hart, deputy director for the Calif. Redevelopment Association, said that when he heard that Shirey was the leading candidate for the city manager position, he was “sad for CRA but very happy for the city of Sacramento.”

Hart talked about some of the economic development programs that Shirey was a part of during his time in Cincinnati and Long Beach, calling the projects examples of “building better communities.”

Hart said Shirey has done some significant things that have improved each of the cities and counties that he’s worked for.

“He has an excellent feel for what’s going on in Sacramento and what direction to take it,” Hart said. “He’s a good person to have on board.”

Brian Holloway, president of Holloway Land Company, a land development and entitlement consulting firm, said that Shirey’s background with the Calif. Redevelopment Association will serve him well if he should be selected for the city manager position.

“Coming from the state RDA,” Holloway said, “he will have a natural inclination for economic development and the benefits of redevelopment and improving the downtown corridor.”

Holloway said that, despite the outcome of any policy issues being considered in the courts regarding redevelopment agencies, Shirey will still have an economic development focus.

“He’s had that focus for a long time, and that bodes well for the city,” Holloway said.

With the resignation of Interim City Manager Gus Vina in March, the city appointed a new interim city manager until a new permanent city manager could be found.

In April, Bill Edgar was brought in as interim city manager on a three-month contract for $46,800, and $15,600 per month thereafter.

Because Edgar’s contract was for only three days per week, Betty Masuoka was appointed to augment the interim city manager team for two to three days per week during the same period. Masuoka is paid through city payroll as a temporary, nonbenefit employee earning $100 per hour, according to city documents.

Both the contract with Edgar and the appointment of Masuoka will end when a new city manager is appointed. According to WIlliams, Edgar and Masuoka will complete their term for the city at the end of August.

According to Shirey, negotiations with the city are “still in the phase where we don’t yet know if we have a deal or not.”

“It’s not a matter of arm wrestling,” Shirey said. “It’s just a matter of working out details and getting everything done so all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed.”

Shirey said that, once everything is finalized, he would expect to take the position at the beginning of September.

According to Williams, the city has a total contract with a recruitment firm for $55,300, which is used for the recruitment of top city positions, including city manager.

The estimated cost for the recruitment of the city manager is $27,650, however, the total cost won’t be available until all of the outstanding invoices have been received, Williams said.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Gus Vina named city manager of Encinitas

2011-05-04T05:22:29Z

Former Sacramento interim city manager Gus Vina is headed for the coast.

Vina, who resigned from his post in Sacramento in March, will start a new job on July 1 as the city manager of Encinitas in San Diego County. The Encinitas City Council announced Monday that it chose Vina, 50, for the job.

The city of roughly 60,000 is known for its beaches, surfing and flower-growing operations.

“I’m excited to be able to continue at the city manager level,” Vina said Tuesday, adding that the Southern California city will be a “completely different environment.”

The Encinitas City Council is not facing any budget troubles, Vina said. By contrast, the Sacramento City Council is grappling with a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

“We are pleased and very fortunate to have Gus join the city of Encinitas and look forward to his leadership,” said Encinitas Mayor Jim Bond in a Monday news release.

Vina earned $225,000 as interim city manager in Sacramento. He said Tuesday that he was still negotiating his salary with officials in Encinitas.

Vina had a 12-year career at Sacramento City Hall, working in a variety of management positions.

When he gave notice to the Sacramento City Council in March, he told The Sacramento Press he did not “have the confidence of the entire council.” Sacramento’s City Council chose not to promote him to the permanent city manager position in a 5-4 vote on Jan. 25.

Vina said he looks forward to working on projects in Encinitas involving beachfront restoration and street beautification on Highway 101. His priorities include updating the city’s long-term development strategy, known as a “general plan,” and monitoring city finances, he said.

The answer to one question remains unclear: Will Vina learn to surf?

“At almost 51, I don’t know,” Vina said, promising that he would be “open-minded” about the possibility.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Proposed budget would cut 100 cops, 50 fire staff

2011-04-29T00:39:05Z

Layoffs of about 100 police officers and nearly 50 Fire Department staffers are listed as possible budget cuts in the city’s proposed 2011/2012 budget, scheduled to be released Friday.

The city released a summary of the budget recommendations from Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka late Thursday afternoon. The budget was largely put together by previous Interim City Manager Gus Vina, who resigned last month.

The city manager’s office recommends that police officer cuts should be made in the department’s special units. The summary said that 167 full-time employees would be cut in the police department. Of the 167 employees, 98 are sworn police officers, the summary says.

“This reduction will result in the loss of the special units in order to protect patrol (units) as much as possible,” the report said.

The proposed budget would also ramp up the number of Fire Department “brownouts” from two to six, and lay off 49 full-time Fire Department employees. However, the suggested cuts to the Fire Department were unclear at press time because the city has been selected to receive a federal $5.6 million grant earmarked for firefighters.

The city fire department has two rolling brownouts in effect, which means that certain fire trucks and engines are out of service at various times, according to former Fire Department spokesman Jim Doucette.

Parks and Recreation is slated for major cuts, as well. “All but three community centers will be closed, and all but three swimming pools will be closed starting the summer of 2012,” according to the budget summary. The budget recommendations also said that youth and senior programs will face “significant reductions.”

While the city manager’s office has released budget cut plans for the police, fire and parks departments, it’s unclear how many people will actually be laid off. The City Council is responsible for all final decisions on the budget, and the numbers of proposed layoffs often change during the city budget process. Union negotiations can change the numbers. When the city cuts positions, it uses a process of demoting employees that can also change the number of layoffs.

Read the summary of the proposed budget here.

The full proposed budget is expected to be released Friday. The Sacramento Press will cover the budget in depth on Friday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

One-on-one with Gus Vina

2011-04-08T02:05:57Z

Much has been written about Gus Vina in the press over the past 14 months. After becoming Sacramento’s interim city manager, Vina faced a multitude challenges on various fronts. Budgets shortfalls, permit controversies, and varying levels of support from the City Council were just some of the hurdles Vina had to bear.

In the end, Vina tendered his resignation, effective today. I met with him late Wednesday afternoon as he finished cleaning out his office to talk about his time as interim city manager, his plans going forward and the possible future of Sacramento. Here’s what we spoke about:

Isaac Gonzalez: You took the position of interim city manager after Ray Kerridge resigned in February 2010. Mr. Kerridge was quoted in The Sacramento Bee saying Sacramento "isn't a good environment to be working in, and I need to get out." Now that you've tendered your resignation, would you say you agree with your predecessor’s remarks?

Gus Vina: I don't agree. A lot of the things that transpired over the last year or so, not the council’s fault. The Prop. 218 issues that put us in the grand jury, the permits that were issued up north, we just have had a number of issues that put council on the hot seat. And so, I never viewed it that way and I'm not leaving on a bitter note.

For me it's pretty simple. For me the issue is that I was given sort of the test run as city manager. I was obviously hoping to be appointed. The process itself, and the decision, which is council's prerogative, to do the search, also meant that I couldn't put all my eggs in one basket. I can't rely on, oh you know, I love to be that confident and just say, "Well, I'm going to apply here. I know I'm going to get it." But I don't know if that's the case.

So from a very personal perspective I had to keep my options open. So I've been applying at other places. Yes, I will say that there are some dynamics politically right now, a division if you would, on the council, that does make it a little trickier of an environment. Those issues are actually known. So for me to interview successfully and kind of move on, resigning is the right decision for me.

IG: You've worked for the city for over a decade, and I've heard you say that you enjoy civil service and had even dreamed of having this position. Any regrets on taking on the role of city manager in an era of year-after-year budget deficits, which, while of course being out of your control, are less than an ideal economic situation for any city manager?

GV: No. When you decide that that's the career you want, then you have to be willing to face whatever the challenge is or that come your way. It is unfortunate that, as a nation and beyond, we're in this slump economically. I was hoping obviously to stay here long enough to help the city get through that, and then maybe enjoy a different kind of agenda in the future years.

IG: So much of what has been written about you in the press over the last 14 months focuses on controversies and council difficulties. However, you've worked for the city of Sacramento for 12 years. Tell me about something that most readers may not know about your career here, particularly, if you don't mind, something you're personally proud to have been involved with.

GV: I will tell you that, for me, at the very top of the list, as far as proud moments, is I created what I call "Direct Connect." Once a month — actually at the beginning when I was launching the program and kind of feeling it out to see how it was going to work, I did it more like three or four a month. I go out to work sites and it's my opportunity to spend an hour with employees. So they're invited, we post the location and the time. They get supervisor approval, but they could come. And I spend about a half-hour making sure they're current on city issues so they're up to speed, not just reading things in the paper, because they are a part of this organization.

Then I would give them a free-for-all Q&A. I told them from the very beginning: "Don't hold back." I'd rather hear the questions. It's given me great connection with employees, the Q&A especially. You get to manage rumors, and they feel like they're part of something. It really helped to build morale.

So I would say I was very successful at improving the morale in the city, in spite of the difficulties with the budgets and cuts and layoffs. I'm still trying to respond — I've got over 800 e-mails from the workforce saying, "Hey, best of luck, we're sad, we wish you would stay." That's huge. That's significant.

IG: You must have been disappointed when, after your one-year interim run as city manager was completed, not to have been immediately offered permanent placement. Was it difficult to continue to fulfill your duties knowing that you had less than the full support of council?

GV: I will say for any city manager, you want to know that the entire council has trust and confidence in your abilities. And, for a variety of reasons, I don't feel that way. It is a struggle to manage if you feel you don't have that confidence for all nine. Maybe it's well placed that they feel that way, I don't know. But it still makes it difficult to manage.

IG: The Jan. 25 meeting in which the council voted 5-4 not to promote you to the permanent position was closed to the public. City Attorney Eileen Teichert says that "personnel discussions" can be held in closed session without public oversight. However, the city can open these meetings if they choose, as some have even gone as far as to say that the public has a right to know the reasons behind the decision to retain or remove the person who is the most influential individual in the city structure.

Do you believe that this meeting and other closed-doors meetings like it deserve more transparency, or do they require to be held in closed-door sessions to protect the privacy of the individuals involved?

GV: That's a great question, and it's really both. You do have to take into account the privacy of the discussion for the sake of the individual. That's why closed sessions are actually allowed under the laws, so that you can evaluate, without embarrassment, if you will, evaluate the candidate, or the employee. All four charter officers are afforded that opportunity when they are evaluated. They go into closed session.

Like any other personnel issue, when you're evaluating a employee, you don't put it on TV. Once you've decided to recruit, this is what I would offer, if then they decide as a group, "OK, we're going to do a national search," they do always have an opportunity to involve the public in what they would like to see in their next city manager.

So that's maybe a better way to talk about transparency in what the community would like to see in a manager. If you think about that for a minute, the timing of that's important. If council would have decided, as an example, to invite the public in, to ask, "How is this guy doing? Would you do a search or is this the right candidate?" That's a nice little step.

IG: City accountants have to stay creative to keep the coffers flush with cash for payroll and payments on debts. Much of this is due to the fact that the city gets most of its money only twice a year, when property taxes are collected. Do you think that the city has a handle on its cash flow difficulties, and do you foresee any problems going down the road?

GV: The first answer is yes. Our treasurer has a responsibility in managing cash flow. They have a handle on cash flow and have made it very clear that we need these interim loans in order to keep up with all of our obligations, which is new to this city. We used to have plenty of cash flow.

Is it a concern in the future? Absolutely. We still have a $43 million deficit next year, and we have to reduce our costs. I think that pressure on cash flow will stay here for a few more years.

IG: KOVR Channel 13 in Sacramento ran a piece last February where they criticized you for giving out raises to three high-ranking city employees to the tune of $38,000. You were quoted as saying that the raises were part of an attempt of "employee retention."

Councilmember Sandy Sheedy criticized the raises, saying that the budget problems in Sacramento weren't conducive to giving out the pay increases. However, just a few weeks before, Sheedy voted to conduct a nationwide search for potential city manager candidates, a search that would have cost the city an estimated $35,000.

Does it upset you, or make your job harder, when news outlets promote sensational stories like this and fail to place them in a broader context?

GV: Sure. That's extremely frustrating. The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say, is that I did a number of consolidations in the current year to save $4 million. Part of the consolidation meant that Max Fernandez, who was one of the people I gave the raise to, took on an additional 107 positions. He had a department of 90. He now has almost 200, with all kinds of issues related to the audit and the permits that were issues in Natomas, etc. Same thing with Gery Hamby ~~Jerry Handbe~~ . That was a consolidation.

I could have, in a very non-transparent way, combined the departments as part of the budget and put a raise in there for those two people. I chose to do two things. One, finish the consolidation, really make sure that the level of responsibility merited the increase, and then tell council about it.

IG: Did you tell that to the KOVR reporter?

GV: Yeah, they left a lot of stuff out. Even in the private sector, they've gone through difficulties no different than the public sector. I can give you plenty of examples, not from memory, but from having seen it, where they'll take their finance top person, because that's the focus right now, and give them a big bonus and a big raise, because those are the people you don't want to lose right now. Those are the people that have so much institutional knowledge. Our finance director was making $30,000 a year behind any other director. So now you're putting yourself at risk of losing somebody.

IG: And you didn't give any one person a $30,000 raise. So they're...

GV: ...still the lowest paid finance director. And you know what else I didn't talk about? There was a demotion that Ray Kerridge — he took one of our assistants of the city manager and sent him out as a director, and he never did what he should have done, which is to take the pay away. Now you're a director again. It was truly a demotion. That was part of my calculation, so that the net impact of all those raises versus the reduction was like $19,000 a year.

IG: And the overall hit to the budget then was kind of infinitesimal.

GV: Exactly. You can't even calculate it: $19,000 in a year on an $800 million budget.

IG: But it makes a nice blurb on a news promo.

GV: Exactly.

IG: Sacramento has faced a multitude of problems over the past few years: the housing-market crash, job losses due to the recession, state worker furloughs lowering the pay of the city's No. 1 employer, the Kings having one foot out the door, and an arguably dysfunctional city council.

What is it going to take for the capital of California to turn the tide of its current dilemmas, and does it take a "strong mayor" to get it done?

GV: (chuckles) Well, it takes leadership. Whether that's in the strong mayor form or the entire council, it includes the city manager. It really takes the absolute best leadership from all of us.

This is a serious problem. This is global. It's not unique to Sacramento. This state, unfortunately, is like one of five that's in the worst shape in the United States. And then Sacramento, as a region, is worse than the rest of California, with 13 percent unemployment.

This is a time for leadership to really stand up and stand out. Time for creative thinking. We can't wait for the feds or the state to offer some sort of solution. We're going to have to figure this out ourselves.

IG: Wow. OK, last two questions I have for you today are softballs.

GV: (laughs) Alright. Thank you!

IG: What does the future hold for Gus Vina?

GV: I am a finalist, like "final final," one of three, in two locations. I really can't give the locations out because I want to honor the fact that city council like to make those announcements themselves, but it is at the city manager level, which I hope to retire from that. I feel like I've got another eight or 10 years of it. I really enjoy the role and the job. So I have seven active applications, and of the seven, three have netted interviews, and two of three are "final final." So I'm hoping within a few weeks here, I'll have a choice.

IG: In between now and then, what are you going to do? What about for fun?

GV: For fun? I have some "honey-do's" at home to catch up on. I got a granddaughter to go visit. I've got to kind of reorganize and re-prioritize myself a little bit. Chances are the next move will be out of Sacramento, so logistically I have to think about that.

IG: Last, what advice do you want to share with you successor?

GV: Don't be afraid to lead. Be confident. It's hard work, but you've got to remember to keep your balance. It takes a lot of hours to do this job. People sometimes don't know or appreciate that. Whether you like to work out or play softball or what have you, do it. Don't leave family behind.

IG: Thanks a lot for your time.

GV: No problem.

Isaac Gonzalez is an independent writer who can be reached at sacramentoisaac@gmail.com

Council's closed meetings on Vina examined

2011-03-29T00:43:59Z

A number of recent City Council meetings relating to Interim City Manager Gus Vina, including the council’s January vote against his promotion, have been closed to the public. An attorney and open government advocate commented on the Brown Act Friday, saying he opposes “closed session” meetings on hiring and firing matters affecting the city manager.

Terry Francke, an attorney for the nonprofit open government group Californians Aware said city manager hiring and firing decisions should be made public.

Central to the issue of closed meetings is the way city officials interpret the Brown Act, a state law intended to make government meetings open to the public at the local level.

The City Council met in a closed session on Jan. 25, when it decided in a 5-4 vote not to promote Vina to the permanent city manager position. City Attorney Eileen Teichert said the closed session complied with the Brown Act.

“The closed session was duly noticed for the purpose of considering appointment or employment of the city manager, consistent with the Brown Act,” Teichert wrote in a Feb. 3 email. “The council’s decision in that closed session to proceed with a nationwide search was a byproduct of their discussions whether or not to appoint Mr. Vina as city manager.”

But Francke noted that the City Council made a choice to hold the meeting in closed session, saying that the Brown Act allows city councils to hold personnel discussions in closed sessions, but does not require it. In Francke’s view, the public should be welcome at discussions on city manager hiring and firing.

"People have a right to know about his or her qualifications and performance for two reasons,” he said.

“First of all, because they have a great interest in knowing the job is being done well, or, if not, what needs to be improved. Secondly, since this person is the most influential individual in the city structure, the council itself needs to be held accountable for choosing the right person and providing direction in a way that's appropriate to their responsibilities,” he added.

The council’s vote and decision to hold a national search for city manager was announced in the public City Council meeting held later in the evening on Jan. 25. But the discussion leading to the vote was held behind closed doors.

As a result, the public has no on-the-record information for why five of the members of the City Council voted against promoting Vina.

Vina told the City Council Friday that he was resigning with two weeks notice. His last day on the job will be April 8.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell were the five who voted against promoting Vina in January. They are not speaking publicly about why they voted for a national search and did not promote Vina.

They did not return phone calls from The Sacramento Press Friday.

In early February, McCarty said he declined to comment on his vote because it was a “personnel” and “closed session” matter.

Teichert said in her Feb. 3 email that the council members cannot talk about the closed session meeting.

“The Brown Act, the privacy rights of the candidate, and the City Council’s confidentiality policy preclude disclosure of any confidential discussions during closed session,” she wrote.

But Francke said closed sessions on city manager hiring and firing signal that city officials are hiding from the public.

“If their decision, on this person, is shrouded from public accountability, their single most important decision is also shrouded,” he said. “And, if that's the case, then they're ducking accountability and public scrutiny, as well.”

Read the full text of the Brown Act here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

What really happened with Gus Vina?

2011-03-28T03:45:57Z

And you thought Sacramento's governmental dysfunction couldn't get any worse.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina, who stepped in when the previous city manager got fed up with the City Council and quit just a year ago, announced his resignation Friday morning.

Vina quit without another job lined up – that’s how bad his work situation was. And you can hardly blame him: He got a vote of no confidence nearly two months ago, when a majority of the city council – Sheedy, McCarty, Pannell, Fong and Fong – said that they wanted to do a national search for a better candidate. Vina wasn’t good enough for them.

Apparently, even in tight times, they have no problem spending the roughly $30,000, and taking several months to launch a talent search. And they still haven't even gotten themselves together enough to tell the consultant conducting the search what they want in a city manager.

All this mess to replace a man who wants the job, knows the job and is a widely admired 12-year veteran of city politics with an expertise in finance and a deep knowledge of our bizarre city government, and challenging personalities. He didn’t deserve such treatment, especially with no explanation.

That lack of explanation itself is worth further exploration.

Not one of the Five Nays, three of them contacted by Sacramento Press reporter Kathleen Haley after the January vote, would tell the public then why they wanted to do a national search when they had just slapped the best candidate in the face. They still haven’t.

Instead, we’ve gotten legalese and obfuscation. Councilman Kevin McCarty, one of the Five Nays, told Haley at the time, it’s a “personnel” matter and thus not up for open discussion. Even City Attorney Eileen Teichert, who represents the interests of the city government, argued in an email to Haley that “The Brown Act, the privacy rights of the candidate, and the City Council’s Confidentiality Policy preclude disclosure of any confidential discussions during closed session."

But according to Terry Francke, an attorney with Californians Aware, a non-profit open government group, told Kathleen Haley in an unpublished interview that the Brown Act does not require that personnel discussions be held in closed session. Francke told Haley that the Brown Act allows City Council bodies to hold these discussions in closed sessions, but does not require it.

So the council members are choosing to keep their reasons secret and then pretending that they have to. Nice.

“Since this person is the most influential individual in the city structure," Francke told Haley, "the council itself needs to be held accountable for choosing the right person and providing direction in a way that's appropriate to their responsibilities.”

"If their decision on this person is shrouded from public accountability, their single-most important decision is also shrouded. And, if that's the case, then they're ducking accountability and public scrutiny."

Why the legalistic maneuvers to avoid public discussion of this important search? Why the secrecy? Who is hiding what? Is Vina unfit for some terrible reason?

We have a right to know.

Contacted again by Haley on Friday, there was still no response forthcoming from any of the Five Nays, even into Sunday evening.

So let's ask them again: Why, please, did you vote against Vina? It's a simple question, and surely public servants owe that much to the public.

But there’s a second, tougher question now that Vina has given his notice: Where do we go from here? How do we attract talented people to a city they don’t know and ask them to answer to a city council that got rid of the last guy but can't decide what they want in the new guy? Who would want to have to deal with such a dysfunctional group? Who would want to play referee between people who will throw the public under the bus just to thwart one another for personal reasons?

Do we really want a masochist running the city?

And there’s a third question now: Is it time to start talking about the "strong mayor" initiative again? The issue was poorly proposed the first time around, and it should be totally disconnected from Kevin Johnson's term, since he is such a polarizing figure.

But Friday's events make on thing clear: Without a strong leader to balance the egos on the council, Sacramento is going round and round, getting nowhere. We are circling the drain. Not only does our council not lead, but a majority of its members tell the man who's doing the job, "Thanks, but you're not right for the job."

And then they won’t even tell us why.

Gus Vina did more to solve our problems than most members of the council have. What a shame that we’ve lost him, but we're still stuck with them.

Vina transfers pressures with budget, unions to council

2011-03-28T02:09:57Z

The clock is ticking for the Sacramento City Council.

Sacramento Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s resignation on Friday morning means that the City Council must take immediate actions that will impact the city budget and labor negotiations with municipal unions.

Council members must find a new top city official one month before the city’s proposed budget is due. Vina’s resignation also means that the city’s labor unions will take up budget negotiations with a new city leader.

“We don’t have time to grieve,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said in an interview Friday.

Cohn was one of four council members who supported Vina’s earlier effort to become Sacramento’s next permanent city manager. In a split 5-4 vote on Jan. 25, the City Council decided not to promote Vina to the permanent city manager position. The five council members who voted to hold a national search for a new city manager were Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell.

Though the council did not promote him on Jan. 25, Vina said in February that he planned to compete in the national search.

But that plan came to a halt Friday, when Vina gave his resignation letter to the City Council and Mayor Kevin Johnson. He gave two weeks’ notice and will leave his post April 8.

“I need to move on and pursue other opportunities because I feel that for a city manager to be effective, you really have to have the confidence of the entire council,” Vina told The Sacramento Press on Friday. “I don’t feel that’s the case right now.”

Like Cohn, Councilwoman Angelique Ashby also commented on the need for the City Council to move rapidly.

“For me, he was the front-runner to be the next city manager for the city of Sacramento,” Ashby said. “Now, I think we have a pretty big challenge on our hands. We need to make some quick decisions. We need to come together as a council and really look at the future of our city.”

“And (we need to) find ways to be successful coming out of this situation,” she added.

Johnson’s office had not released a statement on Vina’s resignation by press time, even though spokesman Joaquin McPeek said a statement would be issued on Friday. Johnson supported Vina’s bid to become permanent city manager, saying in January that he hoped Vina would apply for the job in the national search.

The five council members who voted against promoting Vina in January did not return phone calls seeking comment on Friday. The Sacramento Press left phone messages with McCarty, Darrell Fong, Rob Fong, Sheedy’s office, Sheedy’s District Director Joann Cummins and Pannell’s office.

Turnover for the city manager position has been high lately. The City Council selected Vina for the interim post one year ago. Former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in February 2010.

New leader must grapple with city budget, union negotiations

The city’s government structure empowers the city manager to develop the city budget. While the City Council makes all final decisions on the budget, the city manager is responsible for preparing the proposed budget document.

Budget preparation at Sacramento City Hall is a weighty responsibility, especially in light of the city’s $35-40 million budget gap.

While the city is in the midst of a major budget shortfall, Cohn and Vina both expressed confidence that Vina’s departure would not delay the budget.

Cohn said Vina told him that the draft budget is on track and should be available to the public by the May 1 deadline. Cohn also said the city has experienced staffers working on the budget.

Vina said Friday that he is carrying out his budget responsibilities.

“We are very close to finishing the proposed budget,” Vina said. “It will be ready to meet the May 1 deadline.... I committed to council that I would get the budget done, and I will.”

But Councilman Jay Schenirer indicated that Vina’s departure will make the budget process more challenging.

“I think it’s a difficult time for the city right now,” Schenirer said. The budget process “was certainly a place where Gus was very strong,” he added.

While Cohn said he was confident that the budget work will get done on time, he expressed concern about labor negotiations, which are often a key part of balancing the budget.

The city manager’s responsibility as leader of labor negotiations for the city is critical, he said, especially when the city is asking the unions to make concessions.

“The bigger problem I see down the line is labor negotiations,” Cohn said.

Mark Tyndale, vice president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said his union was already talking to Vina about issues that would affect the city’s budget. Vina’s resignation interrupts that process, Tyndale said.

“These relationships are really important for us,” Tyndale said, noting that SPOA was able to communicate well with Vina, even when the union disagreed with him.

“With Gus departing ... it takes us back to square one,” Tyndale said.

However, another major city union may prefer Vina’s replacement over Vina.

Joan Bryant, director of public employees for Stationary Engineers Local 39, said on Friday that she strongly opposed Vina’s recent decision to award raises to Finance Director Leyne Milstein, Human Resources Director Geri Hamby, Community Development Director Max Fernandez and Police Chief Rick Braziel.

Local 39 represents city workers in the areas of solid waste, code enforcement and animal care, Bryant said. The union represented 1,600 full-time city employees, according to statistics provided by Bryant last September.

“I think he was rewarding his loyalists,” Bryant said.

The amount of money in raises that went to top officials could have paid the salary of a parks worker, she said.

Vina raised Hamby’s salary from $151,402 to $162,000. Fernandez’ salary jumped from $164,445 to $172,667. Milstein’s salary rose from $131,270 to $150,304.

Braziel received an 8 percent raise in June, four days before he told the public he would not leave the city of Sacramento for a potential police chief position in Seattle.

Maurice Chaney, acting city spokesman for the city, responded to questions about the raises on Vina’s behalf in February.

“Two of the three salary changes (Community Development director and the HR director) were envisioned as the next planned step of last fiscal year's consolidation process, which occurred last July and resulted in a cost savings of more than $4 million,” Chaney wrote in an e-mail to The Sacramento Press. “Salary adjustments specific to these positions were considered because of the associated increases in departmental duties that resulted with these mergers.”

Chaney also commented on the raise for Milstein.

“The finance director has played a crucial role during the last four years in assisting with a budget deficit that has affected all city employees,” he wrote.

On the topic of Braziel’s raise, city spokeswoman Amy Williams said in September that he deserved the money because he had voluntarily taken a pay cut in 2008 with the understanding that it would be restored later.

Is Sacramento an unstable city?

In the view of city employee Cindy Bates, Vina’s resignation will not destabilize the city government.

“He’s left competent leaders behind to take care of the ship,” said Bates, a program analyst in the transportation department.

But Sacramento Metro Chamber President Matt Mahood said Vina’s resignation is bad for business.

The business community must work with the city government, he said, giving the example of the requirement for businesses to receive city permits. An unstable city government discourages businesses within the region and those looking to bring business to the city, he said.

“There’s a lot of instability in the city of Sacramento, and that does not help foster a positive business environment,” he said Friday.

Mahood said the council members should change the way they interact if the city manager feels like he has to resign because he doesn’t have their support.

The council members need to align more with each other, he said, “and figure out a way to work together.”

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina resigns weeks before budget due date

2011-03-26T00:45:09Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s resignation comes just weeks before the city must propose a budget for the next fiscal year.

In Sacramento’s city government, the city manager prepares a proposed budget and the City Council makes final budget decisions. Vina told the Sacramento Press on Friday afternoon that the proposed budget will be on time even though he is leaving April 8.

“We are very close to finishing the proposed budget,” Vina said. “It will be ready to meet the May 1 deadline … I committed to council that I would get the budget done and I will.”

He said he was leaving because he was not supported by the full City Council. “I need to move on and pursue other opportunities because I feel that for a city manager to be effective, you really have to have the confidence of the entire council,” he said. “I don’t feel that’s the case right now.”

The City Council voted 5-4 on Jan. 25 against promoting Vina to the permanent city manager position.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell voted to conduct a national search for a new city manager.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said then that the council felt that Vina did a “great job” as interim city manager.

Vina said in February that he planned to compete in the national search.

It’s unclear at this point who will replace Vina as interim city manager, said city spokesoman Maurice Chaney. The City Council will decide the next steps, Chaney said.

“In terms of identifying who will fill that void, (that) has yet to be determined,” Chaney said.

The City Council selected Vina for the interim post one year ago. Former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in February 2010.

Read in-depth coverage of the impact of Vina’s resignation Sunday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Editorial Note: This is an updated version of an earlier story.

Editorial: Today I support a strong mayor

2011-03-26T00:43:57Z

During the debate on a “strong mayor” system of government, each side battled over which form of government allowed for the greatest accountability to the public, democratic ideals in decision making and open debate of policy.

After a fateful 5-4 vote not to promote Gus Vina to full-time city manager and his subsequent resignation, I know that the council system we currently have is seriously broken. Why? Not because of the vote itself or Vina’s decision. But because the debate and vote were conducted behind closed doors in a closed session.

I have no idea why the council decided not to promote Vina. Council members refuse to talk with our reporters about the decision. Wait, what? Yes, you and I and everyone else has no idea why we are without a city manager. We, the public, were not party to the decision, and we cannot easily hold the council accountable, because we do not know the reasoning.

The decision over who manages our entire city government may be the most fateful decision in a decade since that person is tough to both hire and fire under the current system. Yet the people were not a party to it. We were not allowed to speak one way or another in a pubic forum. Whatever the reason, we were not told what the council or individual council members were thinking. Here at The Sacramento Press, our reporters have no access to the real story. So the public will continue to go uninformed.

There are many theories about the value of representative democracy. My favorite is that it allows the people to be deeply involved in consensus-building, and that leads to policies more aligned with public opinion. Another is simply that the public has the ability to “throw the bum out” when we get fed up with a leader. As long as our council hides behind closed-door sessions and refuses to talk with the press about the most material of all decisions, we have neither form. We cannot easily throw them out, nor are we deeply involved in policy making.

Which brings me to the “strong mayor” structure of city government. It may be susceptible to corruption and place too much power in the hands of one official, but at least we could throw the bum out.

City manager search stalled

2011-03-23T04:50:25Z

The city’s search for a new city manager has been delayed for weeks, according to the consultant leading the search.

The exact reasons for the delay are unclear, but a discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting indicated that the delay involves miscommunication between the City Council, City Attorney Eileen Teichert, city Human Resources Manager Geri Hamby and the consultant, Stuart Satow, an executive recruiter for CPS Human Resource Services.

Council members had been scheduled to tell Satow their opinions on city manager characteristics Feb. 22, but decided then that they didn’t want to have that discussion at that meeting.

Satow said Tuesday that he has not yet received direction from the City Council members and mayor about the qualities they want in a city manager.

“We’re not too far behind the eight ball, yet,” Satow told the City Council. “But the longer we wait, the further back the recruitment’s going to go, and the later you’re going to have candidates for consideration.”

An issue related to the delay is how the City Council can discuss the qualifications for the next city manager in a way that follows the Brown Act, the public meetings law aimed at making local government meetings transparent to the public.

Teichert said Tuesday it would be legally appropriate for Satow to meet individually with council members to ask them about the qualifications they are seeking in a city manager.

At the Feb. 22 City Council meeting, Teichert discouraged the council from meeting in a closed session on the topic of the qualities they seek in city manager, saying the topic didn’t meet legal requirements for a closed meeting. She said that closed sessions are allowed to protect the privacy of particular employees. A closed meeting on qualifications for a city manager does not meet that standard, according to Teichert.

Councilman Steve Cohn said he disagreed with Teichert’s opinion on the matter, but he added that he would follow it. He said he had liked the idea of the City Council meeting to discuss the qualifications in a closed session and then making the input public.

Councilman Darrell Fong indicated it was not his fault that he has not yet provided information on the qualities he seeks in a city manager.

“I’ve never been contacted at all,” he said.

But Hamby responded that she had sent three communications to the mayor and City Council about how the consultant needed more information.

The council members decided to talk to Satow individually about the elements they’re seeking in a city manager.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s term ends in late June.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Police chief plans to reopen top positions

2011-03-09T06:06:54Z

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel received support from the City Council Tuesday on a plan to bring back three or four job openings that have been eliminated in the department as part of budget cuts.

Braziel told the council and Interim City Manager Gus Vina that he must reopen some key positions because nine of the department’s top 11 officials, ranked captain and higher, will be eligible to retire within three years.

The city is facing a $35 million - 40 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. Braziel said he would be able to open the positions without asking the city for additional money.

“It’s not the right time, but we have to do it,” Braziel said. “We don’t have a choice.”

Braziel said he would pay for the top positions by moving over money currently saved for refilling other positions in the department. By moving the funding in this manner, he would be able to open the positions within his existing budget and not lay off anyone, he said.

The department could promote from within if it opens up top management positions, he said. The newly promoted staffers would gain executive experience, which is necessary because many executives serving in the department could soon retire, he said.

“I am shocked that nine of the command staff are basically aging out in the next three years,” Councilman Rob Fong said in response to Braziel’s comments.

Braziel asked the council and Vina for the authority to revive three or four executive openings during a presentation on succession planning at the department. The City Council did not make a formal decision on Braziel’s request, but voiced support for his plan.

“On behalf of all of us, I think we are very excited about you being proactive so we are aware of what’s going on,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “We do not want to be caught flat-footed.”

Vina also indicated that he supported Braziel’s plan.

“We can certainly work with the chief on that,” Vina said.

The Police Department has sliced its executive positions in recent years in response to budget cuts. Braziel said that before he became police chief in 2008, the department had 19 executive positions. The number has since dropped to 11, he said.

Vina said Braziel's plan should be part of the city budget, indicating that the positions could be reopened before the next fiscal year begins on July 1.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City eyes employee pay cuts

2011-03-02T06:39:06Z

The City Council is allowing the city manager’s office to explore new ways of closing the city’s $35 million - 40 million budget gap, including employee pay cuts and benefit rate hikes.

The strategies include a 5-10 percent pay cut for all city employees.

The City Council unanimously decided on Tuesday to allow city staff to consider a range of ideas for closing the budget shortfall.

Councilman Steve Cohn said that examining several options for budget cuts does not mean that he supports them.

“I’m fine with looking at a whole potpourri of different ideas,” Cohn said. “I don’t want that to be mistook for supporting any particular strategy at this point.”

The city would need to reach an agreement with its unions on pay cuts, according to a March 1 report prepared by Assistant City Manager Patti Bisharat.

City unions would also need to sign off on other possible strategies, which include hiking employees’ costs to maintain their health and retirement benefits, according to Bisharat’s report.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina said that the ability to assess numerous ideas for budget cuts would help the budget process. Under the city’s charter, the city manager crafts the city’s proposed budget.

“These items before you today give us maximum flexibility as we build a proposed budget for you that’s coming before you May 1,” Vina said. “This is not a proposed budget. There are no layoffs associated with our report tonight.”

A new effort to organize about 700 city employees who are not members of unions could add a wrinkle to some of the budget-cutting strategies.

Bisharat’s report assumes that there will be non-unionized employees. If some of the strategies are adopted, those employees could face pay cuts and see their contributions for benefits rise without negotiating with city officials.

However, if the unrepresented employees decide to unionize, the city would have to negotiate with the new union, according to Dee Contreras, who is organizing the effort to form the union.

Many of the city’s managers and supervisors would be represented by the union, the Sacramento City Exempt Employees Association, if it is formed.

In an interview before the City Council meeting, Bisharat said that her report was written with non-union employees in mind because no new union has been formed.

“I think the process to get a contract with the unrepresented (non-union employees) would be a pretty lengthy process,” Bisharat said.

If the unrepresented employees unionize, the city would work with the new union at that time, Bisharat added.

Read the city staff report on budget strategies here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Green waste debate to resume

2011-02-26T02:04:51Z

A city staff proposal to eventually stop loose-in-the-street green waste pickup and move to container pickup will not work for all city residents, Interim City Manager Gus Vina said in an interview Thursday.

In tree-laden areas such as Midtown, a container is not adequate to hold all of the fallen leaves, Vina said, explaining why he pulled the green waste issue from the City Council’s agenda on Tuesday.

“I want to make sure I’ve challenged staff enough on creativity and the solutions that are possible,” Vina said.

The plan that Vina delayed would have encouraged moving away from loose-in-the street pickup and raised rates for residents who continue that method of pickup. Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said the green waste issue will be on the City Council agenda again within a couple weeks.

The city uses two systems for green waste pickup because of a law that was passed in 1977. Measure A states that the city cannot compel residents to put their green waste in containers. Therefore, the city must continue to provide loose-in-the-street pickup.

The proposal that was pulled from the council agenda Tuesday asked the City Council to take steps to eventually overturn Measure A. This would allow the city to enforce containerized pickup as the sole method.

Voters would have to approve a counter-measure that would abolish Measure A.

City staff had planned to ask the council on Tuesday to consider draft language for a counter-measure “for use if the City Council determines at a subsequent time to call such a measure to the ballot,” the Feb. 22 staff report said.

But Vina said Thursday that changing the measure doesn’t solve the green waste problem for people living “in heavy areas where a container doesn’t do it.”

“Land Park and Midtown are good examples,” he said Friday. “Basically, we have lots of trees, and in older areas, the trees are big.”

The proposal also included major rate increases for people who choose loose-in-the-street pickup over containers as long as Measure A is still in effect. A resident who chooses loose-in-the-street pickup now pays a fee of $13.71 per month. One of the ideas suggested in the proposal would raise the rate to about $40 per month.

City staff explained in the proposal that the number of loose-in-the-street customers has declined over time – the 103,787 container customers far surpass the 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers. The number of loose-in-the-street customers no longer pay enough in fees to pay for the cost of the service, the report said.

“The current loose-in-the-street rate of $13.71 was sufficient to recover the full cost when 57,000 customers were putting their green waste in the street,” according to the report. “With only 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers remaining paying the same rate, there is now insufficient funding to cover the cost of the service.”

Because there are no longer enough customers to keep the rate at $13.71 per month, city staff say the rate should be raised.

Green waste pickup is a recurring point of contention between the Utilities Department, which favors containers, and some residents, who want to keep their loose-in-the-street pickup.

The department’s position, which is included in the staff report, is that the containers are cheaper and better for the environment than loose-in-the-street pickup. It takes two vehicles to do loose-in-the-street pickup, while only one is needed for containers, according to the department. Reducing the number of vehicles helps prevent pollution, the department points out.

Read the Feb. 22 green waste proposal that Vina withdrew from the council’s agenda here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

New union courts nearly 700 city workers

2011-02-18T02:21:49Z

The leader of a new effort to unionize city employees took issue with Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s recent decision to raise three managers’ salaries and lower the salary of a fourth manager.

Dee Contreras, the former labor relations director for the city, is spearheading a campaign to unionize 677 city workers, including top managers and administrative staff. She retired in December but is once again involved in local labor issues – this time on the other side.

Contreras said in an interview with The Sacramento Press on Wednesday that she will serve as the staffer for the emerging group, which is known as the Sacramento City Exempt Employees Association.

“I will be working for them and representing them in their struggle,” Contreras said. “I don’t know whether the city will fight this or not.”

Contreras, who used to work for city management, criticized Vina’s decisions during the public comment section of Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

City spokesman Maurice Chaney confirmed in a Thursday e-mail to The Sacramento Press that Vina recently made salary changes for four top managers – three raises and one decrease in pay.

Contreras claimed at the council meeting that Vina’s salary changes “raise the spectre of an unfair labor practice charge.”

She said that changes to employees’ salaries should not be made while a union organizing effort is in process.

“In general, an employee cannot give or take away from the employees while you’re in an organizing mode,” she said Wednesday.

But Vina disagrees. In response to Contreras’ claims about unfairness with the salary changes, Chaney, speaking on behalf of Vina, wrote, “Those comments are unfounded.”

The city is facing an estimated $35 million - $40 million budget gap for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Chaney commented on Vina’s raises for Finance Director Leyne Milstein, Human Resources Director Geri Hamby, Community Development Director Max Fernandez and a salary decrease for Utilities Director Marty Hanneman.

Hamby’s salary was raised from $151,402 to $162,000. Fernandez’ salary jumped from $164,445 to $172,667.

“Two of the three salary changes (Community Development director and the HR director) were envisioned as the next planned step of last fiscal year's consolidation process, which occurred last July and resulted in a cost savings of more than $4 million,” Chaney wrote. “Salary adjustments specific to these positions were considered because of the associated increases in departmental duties that resulted with these mergers.”

Chaney also provided Vina’s rationale for raising Milstein’s salary from $131,270 to $150,304.

“The finance director has played a crucial role during the last four years in assisting with a budget deficit that has affected all city employees,” Chaney said. “As we enter another year in dealing with yet another deficit, Leyne Milstein's expertise, institutional knowledge of our city budget and fiscal experience was critical to retain as we navigate through this budget process. Therefore, a pay adjustment was made.”

Chaney further commented on Vina’s reasoning for lowering Hanneman’s salary from $186,101 to $167,491.

“The Utilities director, who transitioned from an assistant city manager to a department head, retained his previous position salary,” Chaney said. “After an across-the-board examination of city director’s compensation, a salary adjustment was made to parity salaries of other department heads.”

But Contreras, who aims to represent a group that includes managers, disputes Vina’s view of Hanneman’s salary decrease. Vina is reducing Hanneman’s salary to a rate that is below the salaries of other department heads, Contreras claimed.

Contreras sent a Feb. 4 letter to Vina about her organizing a campaign, which can be read here.

The number of people Contreras is attempting to organize represents a large slice of the city’s 5,001 employees, according to statistics provided by Chaney.

If the organizing effort runs quickly, the union may be formed in three or four months, Contreras said.

“The city has not taken care of its unrepresented (non-union) employees,” Contreras said.

Contreras retired from a special projects position with the city’s Labor Relations division in December. The Labor Relations Department became a division of the Human Resources Department when the city consolidated departments last year to save money. Before the consolidation, Contreras was the director of the Labor Relations Department.

While she represented the city as Labor Relations director, Contreras noted that she has worked for unions in the past, including the Service Employees International Union.

The people Contreras wants to organize include high-profile managers, such as assistant city managers and the city attorney. Other job descriptions for people being recruited include the titles of investigator, administrative analyst and staff aide. Read a list of the jobs that Contreras wants to include in the union here.

Contreras said she is now working to organize the campaign because city employees approached her to help them unionize.

“After numerous discussions and approaches, I agreed to assist them,” Contreras said.

City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy commented on Contreras’ new role as a city labor organizer. “Dee is very effective,” Sheedy said. “She no longer works for the city, but she understands the city.”

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina still wants city manager job

2011-02-09T07:00:20Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina received mixed signals from the City Council Tuesday night as it unanimously voted to extend his interim status until the end of June and to hire a recruiting firm in a national search for the permanent position.

City Council members agreed to pay up to $27,650 to the recruiting firm.

Meanwhile, Interim City Manager Gus Vina confirmed in a text message to The Sacramento Press on Tuesday night that he will compete for the permanent city manager position in the national search. The council decided in a split vote not to promote him last month.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the city’s elected officials chose to hire Sacramento-based CPS Human Resource Services to manage the nationwide city manager search. The company will charge fees up to $27,650, according to a city staff report. The total fees may turn out to be a little less than that amount – a representative from CPS told the council the fees would be about $25,000.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City manager search could cost $35,000

2011-02-05T00:45:53Z

The city will conduct a national search for a new city manager in response to the City Council’s Jan. 25 decision against promoting Interim City Manager Gus Vina.

Recruiting fees could cost the city as much as $35,400, according to Sacramento’s Human Resources Department. An executive recruiting firm will be hired to conduct the search. The range in fees is estimated between $27,650 and $35,400.

One of two recruiting firms may be chosen by the City Council on Tuesday night. The two Sacramento-based recruiting firms are Wilcox Miller Nelson and CPS Human Resource Services.

The Human Resources Department’s report on the city manager search, which will be presented at the Feb. 8 City Council meeting, is now available online.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Jan. 25 that he hopes Vina will apply for the city manager job during the national search. Asked earlier this week if he would apply for the job, Vina said, “I don’t know. I’m keeping all my options open.”

City Councilman Steve Cohn said Friday that the national search is likely to take a few months. He said a new city manager will likely not start work before July 1.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina details financial recovery plans

2011-01-26T03:18:49Z

Addressing an estimated $35 million-$40 million budget gap for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, Interim City Manager Gus Vina hosted a special workshop on economic recovery for the City Council.

He presented a variety of plans to bring in more revenue, including enhancing the city’s parks with tourist attractions, providing incentives to businesses and creating a mix of opportunities in the city’s job market.

Vina urged City Council members to move quickly on the economic recovery plan so the city can begin to see results.

“I don’t expect the benefits in 2012 and 2013 to be huge, but it will be a good beginning,” he said.

He told council members that unemployment in 2011 is expected to remain between 11.5 and 13.5 percent. Vina said he wants to apply incentives toward small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 96 percent of the employers in the Sacramento region.

“We need to focus on small, medium businesses (and) what we can do for them,” Vina said. These businesses have 500 or fewer employees, he added.

Vina also said the city needs to broaden its employment market, a point that Mayor Kevin Johnson often makes at his press conferences. The city can’t rely overly on its government workers to keep the local economy working, Vina said.

He said he wants to focus on the sectors of green and clean technology, heath and medicine, higher education and agriculture.

“You need to diversify to avoid risk,” Vina said.

Another idea discussed at the workshop is to upgrade regional parks so they draw more visitors. To beckon tourists, the city could explore adding attractions such as museums, aquariums and centers for competitive sports, said Jim Combs, the city’s Parks and Recreation director.

Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell said the city could create skate tournaments as an attraction.

Combs also presented the idea of hiring youth part-time and paying them minimum wage to help maintain city parks.

Combs acknowledged that the department will likely face layoffs as part of budget cuts. “We probably will lose some of our workforce,” he said.

Public hearings on the city budget will begin on Feb. 1.

Vina has taken the lead on the economic recovery plan. The City Council voted Tuesday night in a private meeting not to promote Vina to the permanent city manager position. In a 5-4 vote, council members decided to hold a national search for a new city manager. The council members who voted to conduct the search and not promote Vina were Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Bonnie Pannell, Darrell Fong and Kevin McCarty.

It’s unclear at this point how the City Council’s decision not to promote Vina will affect the economic recovery plan.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Council does not promote Vina

2011-01-26T02:40:50Z

The City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday night against promoting Interim City Manager Gus Vina to the permanent city manager position.

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell voted to conduct a national search for a new city manager.

Mayor Kevin Johnson briefed reporters after he and the members of the City Council held a private meeting about Vina’s job status.

Johnson said the council feels that Vina did a “great job” as interim city manager. However, he said the City Council voted to conduct a national search for a city manager candidate.

Johnson said he hopes that Vina will apply for the job as part of the national search.

Vina was not immediately available for comment.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City economic workshop, public welcome

2011-01-25T01:29:19Z

The Sacramento City Council will gather Tuesday afternoon to brainstorm ways City Hall can help the city’s financial recovery.

Joann Cummins, district director for City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, said Interim City Manager Gus Vina has worked on the economic recovery plan that will be outlined at Tuesday’s workshop.

“It’s basically a blueprint for getting Sacramento on the road to recovery,” Cummins said.

Council members will gather for the economic recovery workshop at 2 p.m. at the Sacramento Library Galleria, located at 828 I St. The meeting is open to the public.

City spokeswoman Linda Tucker said Vina’s economic recovery plan includes goals for economic recovery and prosperity; handling the city’s assets; livability in the city; public safety; and attaining a sound budget and keeping it that way.

Vina said earlier this month that he aimed to connect the City Council’s priorities with the economic recovery workshop.

Council members discussed their priorities at a meeting earlier this month. Some of the priorities that council members expressed were jobs, city services and the city’s budget.

The City Council will hold its regular Tuesday night City Council meeting starting at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 915 I St.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City Council talks priorities, budget

2011-01-07T03:03:11Z

As part of a Thursday workshop led by Mayor Kevin Johnson, the Sacramento City Council discussed its current priorities as well as ideas for the upcoming “State of the City” address.

Johnson described the workshop as a “mini-retreat” for the City Council. The city leaders kept the budget in mind when discussing their priorities, but exact budget numbers were not discussed.

City Finance Director Leyne Milstein said after the meeting that she was still working on the budget figures and would present concrete budget information at a Jan. 25 public meeting.

Johnson will speak at the State of the City event, which will be held Jan. 20 at the Sacramento Convention Center. His City Council colleagues gave him advice on points to include in the speech.

Councilman Rob Fong suggested that Johnson mention some of the positive developments in the city, such as the city’s work on streetscape improvements.

“I think there are lots of little things that are happening that we don’t necessarily focus on that make a big difference to a lot of people.”

Councilman Jay Schenirer said that gangs and public safety should be addressed in the speech.

The council members also discussed their priorities. Councilman Kevin McCarty said he wanted the council to consider city services. “How do we maintain a full-service city?” he asked.

Council members Steve Cohn and Bonnie Pannell mentioned the importance of jobs. “To me, everything has to be focused right now on jobs, jobs, jobs and our budget,” Cohn said.

The soundness of the city’s budget should be a priority, said Councilman Rob Fong. “I think we have to start focusing on sustainable budgets.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson responded to Rob Fong’s comment. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” he said.

Councilman Darrell Fong mentioned water rights and flooding as key issues. Meanwhile, both Johnson and Schenirer talked about focusing on youth. Johnson also said education is a priority.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy noted that the city’s budget should be presented in a transparent way “so that people out there understand it.”

Councilwoman Angelique Ashby urged the council members to tour each other’s districts to learn about the districts’ various issues.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina said after the meeting that he would revisit the council’s ideas during a discussion of economic recovery in the city. “My goal is to tie this conversation with the Jan. 25 date, where we’re going to do a workshop on our recovery plan,” he said.

File photo of a Sacramento City Council meeting held last July. Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City officials here today, gone tomorrow

2010-12-23T22:18:39Z

The past year was a big one for resignations, promotions and elections of Sacramento city officials. Twelve personnel changes took place at City Hall involving elected and appointed leaders and city staffers in 2010.

A major change was in the city manager position, which was replete with drama and press conferences.

When former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in March, the city was wrestling with a host of issues. The Sacramento County Grand Jury had released a report in January saying the city may have broken state law Proposition 218. Utilities fees from ratepayers must correspond to the costs of delivering the utilities services, the law states.

At the same time, the city was dealing with a sticky situation over building permits that a staffer in the Community Development Department gave to a housing developer. The feds had barred the city from giving out permits in that area.

On top of that headache, more concerns with the development department had cropped up, such as claims that the department didn’t collect developer fees and even accusations of “potential quid pro quo,” according to a Jan. 26 report from the offices of the city manager and city attorney.

There were controversies surrounding Kerridge’s decision to resign. Mayor Kevin Johnson said a negative attitude among other council members in part caused Kerridge to pack his bags. Johnson held a press conference in which he described Kerridge as a “great talent.” Councilman Robbie Waters voiced support for Kerridge at Johnson’s press conference. Kerridge was also popular among businesspeople, who said he created a customer-service environment at the development department.

When Kerridge left Sacramento City Hall, he said he intended to take a job in the private sector. But he was picked up by Roseville in May to be its next city manager.

Shortly before Kerridge resigned, former development department director Bill Thomas resigned. Thomas and Kerridge had worked together in both the cities of Portland and Sacramento.

Responding to Kerridge’s resignation, the City Council promoted Gus Vina, who was an assistant city manager, to be interim city manager in March.

Max Fernandez, the former head of code enforcement for the city, was promoted to be the director of the development department in early July. With Vina and Fernandez in charge, the development department is undergoing a remodel to tighten its procedures.

The city auditor’s office faced a year of changes, as well. The City Council hired Jorge Oseguera to be the new city auditor in March, after that spot had been vacant for almost one year.

Oseguera hired deputy auditor Gerald Silva in March, but Silva resigned in July. Silva resigned after The Sacramento Press asked him to comment on a sexual harassment dispute that involved him when he served as the city auditor of San Jose.

It wasn’t just the city manager and development director positions that were in upheaval in 2010 – a big shake-up also occurred on the City Council.

Council incumbents Ray Tretheway and Robbie Waters both lost to newcomers in June, while Councilwoman Lauren Hammond didn’t run for reelection.

New councilwoman Angelique Ashby took Ray Tretheway’s District 1 seat in June, but two runoffs were required for the District 5 and District 7 seats. The runoffs featured newbies in both cases – the incumbents had already lost in June.

Darrell Fong won his District 7 runoff battle against candidate Ryan Chin, while Jay Schenirer beat opponent Patrick Kennedy in the November runoff for District 5.

Photos of Tretheway, Vina and Fernandez by Kathleen Haley. Photo of Kerridge by Anthony Bento. Photo of Ashby by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina wants permanent city manager job

2010-12-15T06:29:27Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina said Tuesday that he would like to serve as Sacramento’s next permanent city manager.

The City Council held a private meeting on Tuesday to discuss the council’s plans for hiring a city manager. The council did not discuss the details of the private meeting at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. It’s unclear at this point if the council will search for a city manager outside of City Hall. The timeline for the council’s hiring process also remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Vina is expressing his interest in the permanent job.

“When I took the position, I understood it was interim and that they can discuss the interim status and appointment at any time up to March of next year,” Vina said in an e-mailed statement. “Should mayor and council decide to launch a recruitment effort, there’s no question I’ll apply.”

If selected for the permanent job, Vina said he would like to focus on recovery in the city. “That means focusing on three things: achieving long-term budget sustainability, pursuing economic recovery and keeping the community safe,” he said.

Former City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned in February, and the City Council selected Vina for the interim post in March.

Photo by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Park maintenance debate on hold

2010-12-14T00:46:17Z

The debate on whether property owners should pay the costs of maintaining parks has been put on hold. City spokeswoman Linda Tucker said Interim City Manager Gus Vina is stopping work on the issue until city leaders hold budget workshops early next year.

“That way all the budget needs and available tools to generate revenue can be viewed as a whole,” Tucker wrote in an e-mail. “(Vina’s) belief is that a more strategic discussion can be held with this approach.”

The City Council was expected to decide on Tuesday, Dec. 14, whether to hire an engineer to examine the issue. The council will not make that decision this week.

Learn more about the assessment proposal here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Fong: Clean out development department

2010-11-19T03:03:50Z

Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong said in an interview Thursday that further actions should be taken against city employees, including code division employee Dan Waters, who were involved in the recent scandals at the city’s Community Development Department.

Waters approved 35 building permits in a Natomas flood zone last year. Officials with the city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency say that Waters’ action to give the permits to K. Hovnanian Homes broke federal regulations. The City Council agreed earlier this week to pay up to $350,000 to correct its violations and comply with FEMA. The violations related to 38 permits – Waters approved 35 of them, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams.

Waters, the son of outgoing City Councilman Robbie Waters, is still employed by the city. He is a customer service supervisor at the city’s code division with a base salary of roughly $62,278, according to Williams. Specifically, he works in the neighborhood code compliance section, she said.

In an interview, Fong commented on the FEMA violations and the department’s other major scandal: an audit that says the department failed to collect more than $2.3 million in fees from developers.

“If I were running that department, they wouldn’t be working for the city of Sacramento anymore,” Fong said.

He noted the City Council cannot fire city employees. Under the city’s charter, firing is conducted by the city manager’s office.

Fong said the department’s troubles need further investigation beyond the audit. The audit calculated the fee problems, but it did not name names.

Fong also said he thinks there are other people responsible for the department’s messes in addition to Waters.

“My strong suspicion is there was some other folks involved in the chain of command,” Fong said. “And I think we need to figure out how far that went.”

He declined to name any names himself, saying that the city does not have evidence to show who was responsible and how they were involved in the department’s problems. He said he recently directed city officials and the city attorney’s office to provide a framework for how the City Council can investigate the people who were involved in the incidents at the department.

In response to questions about Waters, city spokeswoman Williams said: “We cannot share details about personnel matters. The City Manager’s Office is aggressively reviewing the audit report with the Community Development Department and Labor Relations, and we are investigating to determine if disciplinary action or further investigation of any employee is warranted.

“All disciplinary action necessary will be taken when appropriate,” she said. “Disciplinary actions are the responsibility of the city manager.”

Williams noted that the city transferred Waters to a different position last year. “Under the previous administration, Dan Waters was reassigned to Code Enforcement last calendar year,” she said. “As part of the consolidation efforts to save money, Code and Community Development Departments merged, and code became a division where he now resides.”

The local media has reported that Waters was temporarily suspended last year.

Meanwhile, Waters’ work at the development department is also being investigated by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, according to reports in The Sacramento Bee.

Vina said at an Oct. 12 City Council meeting that the FPPC had concerns about the city’s development department, although he did not mention Waters’ name.

FPPC Executive Director Roman Porter was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Waters did not return three phone messages left by The Sacramento Press Thursday afternoon.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Development department investigations continue

2010-10-13T05:53:37Z

The Sacramento City Council’s Tuesday-night discussion made it clear that the investigations of the city’s development department are not over.

Seven council members spoke at length about the Oct. 6 audit, which found that the Community Development Department broke city and state laws. Council members also indicated that they want to claim the money that the department failed to charge developers – a sum of more than $2.3 million, according to the audit.

Councilman Steve Cohn was absent from the meeting, and Councilman Robbie Waters recused himself from the discussion of the audit’s findings. Waters’ son, Dan, is a former employee of the department who was involved in an earlier investigation of the department.

The subject of the audit was the department’s work from fiscal years 2007 through 2010. Sacramento firm Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Inc. conducted the audit.

“I’m most concerned with making sure this won’t happen again,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said.

The City Council’s auditor, Jorge Oseguera, told the council members that the city attorney’s office will explore whether some of the $2.3 million can be collected. He said he would follow up with the council on that issue.

Councilman Rob Fong said collecting the money is “my No. 1 priority.”

Councilwoman Lauren Hammond said city rules need to apply to all developers equally. The department should not have a culture that allows a “good ol’ boy network,” she also said.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina indicated that disciplinary measures for department employees may be on the table. “As I look at the audit in great detail, I will take whatever disciplinary actions are necessary,” he told the council.

The City Council and city staff also discussed investigations of the department that are still under way.

Sandra Talbott, an attorney with City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office, said the investigation into allegations of quid pro quo in the department is ongoing. The quid pro quo investigation is distinct from the audit, Talbott said. “It has not been concluded at this point.”

In response to a question from Councilman Ray Tretheway about continuing investigations, Vina said that the California Fair Political Practices Commission has concerns about the department.

In addition, Fong said the City Council should lead its own investigation into the department. He said he considered the audit to be “an important piece” of a City Council investigation.

Fong also said he wanted to explore the role of top managers in the past problems at the department. He did not specify names of current or former city officials in his comment.

“I’d certainly like to know what recourse we have against them, if any,” he said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Development department audit raises questions

2010-10-07T00:26:55Z

An audit report stating that the city’s development department failed to collect more than $2.3 million in fees from developers raises a host of questions. The audit’s finding that city employees broke state and city laws makes the situation even more complex.

The audit, prepared by Sacramento firm Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, Inc., investigated the department’s work from fiscal years 2007 through 2010.

“In summary, the weak system of internal controls allowed employees to disregard state and city building laws, codes, and regulations aimed at protecting the public’s health, safety, and general welfare,” the audit states.

Read the full audit report here.

The City Council is expected to discuss the audit’s findings on Oct. 12.

City Councilman Rob Fong said Wednesday that he will focus on obtaining the lost revenue to the city. The report’s findings are “outrageous and shocking and incredibly disappointing,” he said. “My priority is getting the money back.”

Interim City Manager Gus Vina on Wednesday answered a series of questions from reporters on issues relating to the $2.3 million in uncollected funds, violations of laws, the culture of the department and possible disciplinary actions.

Journalists from The Sacramento Press, Fox 40, KCRA, News 10, CBS 13 and Capital Public Radio posed the following questions to Vina at the Wednesday press conference.

Q: Do you find that these lapses were well-intentioned? Or, is there indication that there’s perhaps corruption involved?

Gus Vina: It’s difficult to answer that. Part of my job now is to look at some of the specific issues that the audit report has highlighted. I will need to dig a little further into that very question. We know at a minimum that because of the lack of rules and policies and the fact that the decision-making was being made at an extremely low level in the organization, we need to explore that very question.

Q: What is the likelihood that you’re going to get any of this $2.3 million back?

GV: We’re working with the city attorney’s office to answer that question. This is as fresh to us, really, as it is to you. So we need a little time to dissect it. But we are going to work with the attorney’s office on what can we do to go after some of the revenue that was not collected.

Q: As city manager, is it your hope that we might get some revenue as the result of this investigation?

GV: We will be as aggressive on that as the law allows.

Q: If the city had this $2 million, could any layoffs have been prevented in Fiscal year 09 or in FY 10/11?

GV: I suspect that we could have probably minimized some of the layoffs with the revenue having been collected. I think that what’s important to note is that when we look at staffing in Community Development, it’s not just the revenue that you look at ... it’s workload. The report spent some considerable amount of time looking at that workload. We’ve had over 70 percent decrease in some of our workload in Community Development. Obviously, this recession has had a profound impact on our business. And, so, we would have been in a declining mode in terms of our workforce two, three, four years, anyway.

Q: These lower level (employees) — why were they allowed to make these big decisions?

GV: Let’s talk about culture change for a minute. If you go back, say, three (or) four years, we brought in folks to Community Development to in fact look at the bureaucracy, and how difficult was it to work with the city on development projects. There was a lot of excitement created around a “Get the Customer to Success” theme, and looking at how we might streamline some of the processes. What this report is now pointing to, is that that probably went a little too far. The technology that was put in place ended up being too open to decision-making without policy in place. That’s the bridge now. We still want to provide good service to our developers. And we don’t need unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy. It needs to be streamlined. But the bridge to success here now is policy, training, and decisions that are consistent.

Q: Does this at all, in your mind, tarnish the legacy of Ray Kerridge? His big thing was “bring the customer to success” and make it easier to build and develop here.

GV: I respectfully am not going to comment on that. I’m not going to speculate on Ray Kerridge’s legacy, and I wish him well in Roseville.

Q: Will there be any disciplinary actions taken? And, if so, when...will the public learn about that?

GV: If, as I review the report, there’s a need to go down the disciplinary road, then I will certainly do that.

Q: Will that information be made public?

GV: Most of the time, personnel matters are not.

Q: The report though says flat-out that laws were broken.

GV: What you need to look at, is why were laws broken? And what I’ve read so far in the report is that it speaks to lack of policy that led to decisions that were inconsistent with the law. So, motivation is important. And that’s what we need to find out next — what was the motivation?

Q: Is it your opinion that the city attorney should look at these findings to see if any criminal charges should be brought?

GV: I will be working closely with the city attorney’s office and Labor Relations office as necessary.

Q: What does that mean?

GV: That means I don’t know enough to tell you whether there’s criminal charges or not. I would be speculating and I’m not going to speculate.

Q: When a low-level employee doesn’t comply with the law, how do you figure out if it’s their fault, or it’s the culture of the department and the fault of someone higher up? Or both?

GV: That’s exactly my next step: What was violated, what were the reasons and at what level? And the report has been pretty clear that decisions were being made at a low level due to lack of policy and procedures in place.

Photo: Vina and Councilwoman Lauren Hammond at the July 13 City Council meeting.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City Council passes Local 39 contract

2010-09-08T02:54:57Z

The Sacramento City Council approved a two-year labor contract with city union Stationary Engineers Local 39 that saved about 80 positions. Since the city came up about $1.2 million short in its negotiations with Local 39, council members decided Tuesday night to move that amount from a parking fund to the general fund.

The city’s transportation department spokeswoman, Linda Tucker, explained in an e-mail last week that the city’s parking fund is designed to pay for new parking garages.

“Given the downturn in development and no urgent need to build new garages, we are using about $1.2 million one-time dollars from the fund to cover the gap between what the city expected to receive in wage concessions to balance the budget and what was ultimately agreed to by Local 39,” Tucker wrote.

The two-year contract deal with Local 39 saves the city about $7.6 million in general fund dollars, according to a Sept. 7 report that Human Resources Director Geri Hamby addressed to the City Council.

Local 39 has 1,600 full-time city employee members who work in a range of fields including the solid waste division, code enforcement and animal care, according to Joan Bryant, director of public employees for the union.

Employees represented by the union can only be laid off in fiscal year 2010/2011 if the City Council determines that a fiscal emergency is taking place in the Utilities Department, Bryant said.

As part of the contract, Local 39 employees will take furlough days in fiscal year 2011 that amount to 88 hours per employee. In the 2012 fiscal year, the employees must be furloughed for 96 hours.

The contract also blocks employee raises for two years, according to Interim City Manager Gus Vina.

Photo by Brandon Darnell

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Union members pass contract to save at least 80 jobs

2010-08-31T01:10:13Z

At least 80 city employee jobs were saved after the members of the city union Stationary Engineers Local 39 approved a contract with city officials.

City employees passed the contract earlier this month, according to an Aug. 23 e-mail that Interim City Manager Gus Vina sent to city staff and the City Council. Local 39 leaders and city officials negotiated a deal Aug. 6, but the union’s members had not voted on the contract at that time.

The union represents 1,600 full-time city workers, according to Joan Bryant, director of public employees for Local 39. These city employees hold jobs in several areas that include code enforcement, animal care and the solid waste division.

The contract includes a monthly furlough day throughout the two-year period, according to Transportation Department spokeswoman Linda Tucker.

Every employee covered by the contract will have 40 hours of personal leave each year for two years, according to Bryant.

Local 39 employees can only be laid off in fiscal year 2011 if the City Council finds that the Utilities Department is facing a fiscal emergency, Bryant said.

Vina said the contract also puts employees’ salaries on hold for two years.

The City Council is expected to formally approve the contract’s terms on Sept. 7.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Eleven city workers laid off Friday, 80 jobs saved

2010-08-07T00:43:08Z

While the city and Stationary Engineers Local 39 saved 80 jobs with an agreement Friday, the city laid off 11 workers represented by the local plumbers’ union.

The city did not find common ground with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 by Friday, the city’s deadline for layoffs.

Harry Rotz, business manager for Local 447, did not return phone messages earlier this week. No one answered the phone at 4:45 p.m. Friday at the union’s office.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina said the city would continue to negotiate with Local 447.

“There’s 80 people in the city of Sacramento that were packing up and were planning on going home to tell their son or daughter — their family members — that they’re no longer going to be working,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at a Friday press conference. “And that is not the case. They’ll be coming back to work on Monday.”

Council members Sandy Sheedy, Kevin McCarty and Lauren Hammond also made remarks praising the agreement with Local 39. The union includes 1,600 full-time city employees.

Joan Bryant, director of public employees for Stationary Engineers Local 39, also spoke at the press conference.

“We are pleased that we were able to avert the layoffs that were scheduled for today,” Bryant said. “And we are looking forward to ratification with our members.”

Local 39 and the city worked out a tentative two-year agreement, according to Vina and Bryant. The agreement would include no pay cuts, Bryant said. The contract also includes 11 furlough days for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, she said. In the 2011/2012 fiscal year, there would be 12 furlough days.

Local 39 is guaranteed no layoffs for 2010/2011, she said, with one exception. If the City Council determines there is a fiscal emergency in the Utilities Department, the guarantee is off.

The tentative contract also would give each employee 40 hours of personal leave time each year of the two-year period, Bryant said.

Under the tentative contract, the city would freeze employees’ salaries for two years, Vina said.

The union’s members will need to vote on the tentative agreement before it can go into effect.

Photo: City Manager Gus Vina.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

DWB from downtown: Auditing the auditors

2010-07-26T22:55:39Z

As we in the tiny Sacramento Press newsroom digested the news that a newly hired deputy city auditor was resigning - as a result of one lunchtime phone call to auditor Gerald Silva from our city hall reporter, Kathleen Haley - I marveled at several things.

First, that on a summer Monday, the Sacramento Press' inquiries had caused a city official to resign. Despite what people might think, that's not the most rewarding thing a journalist can do. But when the official and his boss have hidden damaging information from city staff and the public - in this case that Silva was fired for his role in a sexual harassment lawsuit while working for San Jose's city government - well…that's good stuff.

But there's more to marvel at. I'm still dumbfounded that anyone in the Internet age, when the "paper trail" of a life is searchable by anyone with curiosity and a computer, where old stories never, ever die, bespeaks either a disconnect from reality or an arrogance that borders on delusional.

Did Silva and his boss, City Auditor Jorge Oseguera, really think that someone would not point this out? Did they not know that when one Googles the name Gerald Silva, the FIRST item to come up regards his firing?

One can make the argument that Silva paid for his mistakes, and that everyone deserves a fresh start. Fair enough. And perhaps the fact that the new city auditor staff consists of four males means that there was no chance of a female staffer suffering sexual harrasment. But that seems small consolation.

Where this leaves new City Auditor Oseguera is up in the air. His judgement and even his honesty are in question now. If I were (Interim City Manager) Gus Vina, I would feel betrayed on a pretty fundamental level. (Update: According to an email from city spokeswoman Amy Williams, "the Auditor Office is autonomous....The Interim City Manager was not aware of Mr. Silva’s reasons for leaving his former employment.")

And then there's the marvelous irony of these guys working in a government office the whole POINT of which is to shine a light on city operations and budgets, to find out what's working and what isn't. To find the truth.

Which brings us to the source of this truth: John Q. Public. That is, of course, a screen name of one of The Sacramento Press' readers, who gave Kathleen the tip about Silva's history. We don't know who he is. But he was right, as was San Jose resident and SacPress reader Clay Reigel, who also commented regarding Silva on a SacPress story about Oseguera's hiring.

But perhaps most marvelous of all is how well this process fits with what The Sacramento Press is all about: Giving a voice to people to impact our local government and community. While I for one would much rather be writing about how the new auditor and his assistant were combing through city expenses looking for and finding ways to end waste and fraud in the government, I am happy that we have been able to expose what is, by any measure, a fraud.

Because at the end of the day, despite politicians' use of the words "transparency" and "accountability," and despite the well-meaning work of a city auditor's office, the only real sure defense against dishonesty in local government is a free, open press. And The Sacramento Press is about as free and open as it gets these days.

New deputy city auditor resigns amid questioning

2010-07-26T22:23:01Z

The city of Sacramento’s new deputy city auditor, Gerald Silva, resigned from his position Monday afternoon after The Sacramento Press asked him to comment on a lawsuit that affected his previous work in the city of San Jose.

Silva was fired from his previous job as city auditor of San Jose in 2007 in the aftermath of a sexual harassment case.

Silva worked with Sacramento City Auditor Jorge Oseguera in San Jose. Oseguera hired Silva as a deputy city auditor for Sacramento in March.

The San Jose Mercury News wrote multiple stories in 2007 about a sexual harassment lawsuit that had been filed by Jennifer Callaway, an auditor in Silva’s department. The June 2007 sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against Deputy City Auditor David Moreno and the city of San Jose, according to the Mercury News.

Silva was directly embroiled in an investigation conducted by the city of San Jose. “An outside investigator hired by the city to evaluate the complaints cited a 'locker-room’ atmosphere and found evidence Silva and others had acted inappropriately in the workplace,” the Mercury News reported in a Jan. 30, 2008 story.

In August 2007, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted to fire Silva, according to the Mercury News.

The Mercury News also said Silva had worked for the city of San Jose for 22 years.

Oseguera said Silva decided to resign Monday after talking to The Sacramento Press.

“I spoke with Jerry and he obviously went through something very traumatic, and he is not willing to go through it again himself, nor is he willing to expose this office to it either,” Oseguera said.

“Despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise, he has decided to resign today.”

Oseguera praised Silva’s work as an auditor, saying that he had received numerous awards.

The San Jose Business Journal reported in a Sept. 17, 2007, story that San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said Silva’s work for the city resulted in $300 million in savings from “wasteful or unnecessary spending.”

Asked on Monday about the past allegations involving his office in San Jose, Silva responded: “I think I’m just going to resign.”

The San Jose investigation “was very unfair,” and “the whole thing was bogus,” Silva said.

He also expressed concern about the possibility of harming Oseguera’s reputation.

“I’m not going to do that to Jorge, not going to do that to him,” Silva said. “I’m not going to cause him any embarrassment, or anything like that.”

It was unclear Monday afternoon if Interim City Manager Gus Vina was aware of Silva’s past troubles in San Jose. Oseguera said he hired Silva on his own.

Addendum: City spokeswoman Amy Williams wrote in a Monday afternoon e-mail to The Sacramento Press that Interim City Manager Gus Vina did not know about the city of San Jose's decision to fire Silva in 2007. "The Auditor Office is autonomous from City Operations," Williams said. "The City Auditor made this selection. The Interim City Manager was not aware of Mr. Silva’s reasons for leaving his former employment."

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Max Fernandez promoted to lead Community Development Department

2010-07-10T04:14:49Z

Max Fernandez, former director of the city’s Code Enforcement Department, has been promoted to lead the Community Development Department.

In one of several recent consolidations of city departments, Code Enforcement became a division of Community Development.

Fernandez started his new post July 6.

A third-party firm is auditing the department. Auditors from Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting Inc. of Sacramento are analyzing numerous issues at the department, including claims that it broke the city's planning rules and did not gather fees from developers.

“Obviously, there have been issues” at the department, Fernandez said Friday.

The department is working on a plan to retrain its employees, he said. The plan also will cover “the cultural change” process, Fernandez said, and the logistics of moving Code into Community Development.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina has said the department needs to change its culture. The city’s slogan, “Get the Customer to Success,” was “somewhat misunderstood” by the development department, he said at a May 17 Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting.

Fernandez said the results of the audit, which may be completed in September, will be a key part of reshaping the department.

The audit will “give us some ideas on where we need to fix up things that were not going as well as we hoped,” he said.

Bill Thomas, previous director of Community Development, resigned from his post in March and had been on paid leave for months before that. During his watch, a staffer approved building permits in a Natomas flood zone last year. The city said the staffer broke federal rules.

David Kwong, who recently served as acting director of the Community Development Department, will stay with the department. He manages the department’s planning division.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City budget, strong mayor debate at Tuesday meetings

2010-06-22T04:50:09Z

With the city budget and Mayor Kevin Johnson’s updated strong mayor proposal on the City Council’s agenda, the public is likely to see political fireworks at two meetings Tuesday.

During the first meeting, at 915 I St. at 2 p.m. the City Council will discuss key issues related to the city’s budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The city must settle a $43 million budget gap.

Council members will consider whether to scale back proposed cuts to the city’s fire, parks and police departments. Read the report on some of the planned budget cuts here.

Another issue on the council’s afternoon agenda is the Utilities Department budget. Find information on that budget here.

The City Council will also decide whether to extend city management’s negotiations with three unions for 30 days. The unions are Stationary Engineers, Local 39; Auto, Marine & Specialty Painters, Local 1176; and Plumbers & Pipefitters, Local 447. A document from the interim city manager’s office on the issue can be readhere.

In addition, council members will discuss their views on a possible ballot measure which would tax local medical marijuana dispensaries. Learn more about that discussion here.

At the evening meeting, to be held at 915 I St. at 6 p.m., the City Council will make a final decision on the budget and then discuss Johnson’s new strong mayor plan.

The City Council is discussing, but not voting on, Johnson’s plan. Johnson aims to ask council members to vote in mid-July to put the plan on the November ballot. Read a report on the issue from Johnson’s office here.

City Council meetings are open to the public.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City to shrink Neighborhood Services, other departments

2010-06-02T05:03:34Z

The city’s $43 million budget gap means that the city’s Neighborhood Services Department won’t be a distinct department much longer.

Neighborhood Services, which works with citizens on their concerns with the city government, will be moved into the Parks and Recreation Department to save money, according to a report from Interim Assistant City Manager Patti Bisharat.

The Office of Youth Development will also join Parks and Recreation.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina has scheduled the changes to be made in July, according to Bisharat’s report.

But Neighborhood Services Director Vincene Jones isn’t leaving the city government. Jones will be the manager of Neighborhood Services under the Parks and Recreation Department.

“I’m still going to be here,” Jones said after Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

She said Neighborhood Services could possibly lose two positions as part of the consolidation with the Parks Department.

The level of service from Jones’ department “will have to slow down,” she said. When the department becomes a unit of Parks and Recreation, staffers may have to lower the number of neighborhood functions they attend, Jones said.

The city manager’s office is making major changes with several other departments, too. Bisharat’s report said the Human Resources Department will envelop the Labor Relations Department.

The Code Enforcement and Community Development Departments will be joined, and communications staffers at various departments will work together in a new Office of Communications.

Read Bisharat’s report here.

Photo of Vincene Jones by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina: Development department employees to be re-trained

2010-05-18T06:10:09Z

The city’s development department will face a culture change, according to Sacramento Interim City Manager Gus Vina.

Employees at the Community Development Department will go through a re-training process, Vina told residents Monday at a Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting in Midtown.

The development department has been immersed in controversies in recent months. Employees will be informed about the results of a third-party audit when it is complete, Vina said.

An outside firm is examining claims that the department let developers sidestep fee payments to the city.

“All the employees need to be very aware of the audit findings” and the culture for the department that the city wants, Vina said.

The city’s slogan, “Get the Customer to Success,” was “somewhat misunderstood” by the development department, Vina told neighborhood activists.

That slogan was promoted by former City Manager Ray Kerridge, who is transitioning to a new job as Roseville’s new city manager.

Outside the meeting, Vina added: "Customer service needs to be consistent with good policy."

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Jobs, city deficit highlight Community Partnership Meeting

2010-05-14T03:07:37Z

"Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs," said Kunal Merchant, Mayor Kevin Johnson's chief of staff. "One issue everyone is focused on is jobs."

Merchant, speaking to the group of 20 at the new Valley Hi - North Laguna Library Wednesday night, gave an update on the mayor's top four priorities, which included central city revitalization, specifically on K Street; the city's new green initiative; a new sports arena and charter reform of City Hall.

Each priority comes with the intention of creating jobs and creating a stronger city, Merchant said. He spoke of the need to make the downtown mall stronger to attract and retain business and help local businesses on K Street thrive. He also explained the holdup on a new stadium venue.

"If this is done wrong," he said, "then it's a huge waste of taxpayer money." He likened the process to a basketball game, saying, "We're in the second quarter of a four-quarter game." The mayor hopes a new stadium will create a multitude of jobs and push the city further into green opportunities, he added. The stadium, housed near the railyards, ideally will be a transit-oriented venue.

As for charter reform, Merchant explained the mayor's push for a strong mayor initiative is due to a lack of accountability and efficiency in City Hall. The initiative is set to be on the November ballot, but will first be reviewed by the City Council in June.

Also speaking at the Community Partnership Meeting was Interim City Manager Gus Vina, on hand to discuss the current city budget. Vina told the group about the process by which the city has looked to reduce expenses and battle the rising unemployment rate.

"We're looking at services in every department, getting a sense of priority," Vina said. After the department-specific reductions, Vina said, "then we can plan to fix the $43 million deficit and get to a budget we know we can afford."

Vina gave a few examples of unforeseen impacts on the current deficit, noting real estate and the state of California's deficit as major sources. In times of mass foreclosures, the city sees no property tax, he said. The city took a second hit when homes sold at lesser values, further impacting the city through lower property tax. On Monday, the city began making payments on the $20 million the state will be collecting.

"As we reduce staff, the service impact will be there," Vina warned. "It's going to take a while to get out of this mess, especially without a state budget." The majority of the money going to the state comes from redevelopment.

For the city of Sacramento, this means no new development and no borrowing. Vina said projects under way are still scheduled to be completed.

The panel of Vina, Merchant, Khaalid Muttaqi of the Neighborhood Services Department, and Susan McKee, district director for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg fielded questions from attendees throughout the meeting. Residents asked about currently untaxed oil drilling off the coast of California, property tax redistribution and early prisoner release.

McKee, answering the majority of questions, had no answer for why California does not tax oil drilling, but speculated California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will likely re-consider after the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill. McKee also said the talk of privatization of prisons has not gained traction, and pointed out the money saved on prisoners released only a few months in advance remains in the Department of Corrections' control, shifting from use inside the prison system to outside.

The next Community Partnership Meeting is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. May 19 at the Coloma Community Center located at 4623 T Street.

Mark your calendars: May, June city budget meetings

2010-05-08T05:17:40Z

The Sacramento City Council will grapple with a $43 million budget gap at several meetings this month and next. Budget meetings are open to the public. Here’s a list of key dates for the city’s budget process:

Tuesday, May 11: Interim City Manager Gus Vina is expected to make a presentation to the City Council on the draft budget for fiscal year 2010/11.

Tuesday, May 18: Budget ideas from consulting group Management Partners and fees and charges are expected to be discussed at the City Council meeting.

Tuesday, May 25: Budget hearing

Tuesday, June 1: Budget hearing

Thursday, June 10: Budget hearing

Tuesday, June 15: Budget hearing

Tuesday, June 22: Budget adoption

The meetings start at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 915 I St.

The City Council may approve the 2010/2011 budget on June 24 if it does not pass it on June 22. A budget hearing may also be held June 17.

Source: Sacramento Finance Director Leyne Milstein’s report for the May 11 City Council meeting.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City budget to be released Friday, $40-$43 million gap

2010-04-30T03:01:07Z

Sacramento city officials hope to release the draft city budget before 4 p.m. on Friday, said city spokeswoman Amy Williams.

The city is facing a $40-$43 million budget gap, according to an estimate provided earlier this month from Interim City Manager Gus Vina.

Williams said the city releases the draft budget on May 1 each year. This year the city will release it the day before May 1. She said the city’s charter dictates the timeline for the budget release. The charter calls for the city manager to issue budget recommendations at least 60 days ahead of July 1.

City Councilman Steve Cohn said last month at a Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting that he expects major cuts to city parks.

The Parks and Recreation Department received $8.3 million in cuts as part of the 2009/2010 budget.

The Sacramento Bee published information from confidential budget documents Wednesday. The documents suggested cuts may be made in several departments, including police, fire, development, general services and code enforcement.

The Sacramento Press will report additional information about the draft budget after it is released Friday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Part 2: Interim city manager answers neighbors' questions

2010-04-14T04:11:23Z

Interim City Manager Gus Vina responded to questions from six neighborhood activists in an April 9 interview with The Sacramento Press. The following are Vina’s responses to questions from three neighborhood activists. Read Vina’s responses to questions from three other involved citizens in an April 12 story at The Sacramento Press.

Question from Sacramento resident Dale Kooyman:
(Ray Kerridge) felt residents did not know what was best for their quality of life when it came to communicating with city staff, historic preservation, streets, sidewalks, traffic, transportation, planning projects and related early notification, neighborhood-serving businesses, fiscal matters, entertainment and alcohol venues ... A prior city manager (Bill Edgar) stated as his management philosophy that a city is a collection of many residential and business neighborhoods, and a city is as healthy and strong as its unhealthiest and weakest residential or business neighborhood. Therefore he promoted engaging both when making decisions that affect these neighborhoods ...

Which of those two philosophies most closely reflect your management philosophy? If the former, what good has come of such a divisive philosophy?

If the latter, what role(s) do you see neighborhoods (business and residential) playing in your management approach, and how would you engage them, including staff working cooperatively with both?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina:
I would like to talk about Gus’ philosophy, rather than Ray's or Bill’s. And I think it’s probably a combination of both.

Who’s our community? (That is) the question. Our community is our residents, our visitors and our businesses. And, I do absolutely believe that we all have to work together.

And, the city (staff’s) role is to facilitate the vision that council sets out for us. And a lot of that vision is in the general plan ... And part of that facilitation is to make sure we understand who the stakeholders are and engage them.

Rarely will you get everybody to agree to everything. You’ve already failed if that’s the goal. So, the goal is good communication, great outreach, get people to participate and then decisions need to be made ... But I think we can do really well for our businesses and our neighborhoods when you have that kind of engagement, good communication and early communication — so they’re not finding out about it when the shovel goes in the ground and we’re already building something.

Question from Sacramento resident Michael Boyd:
The city could be working with neighborhood groups to facilitate discussions of the types of businesses needed in each neighborhood. Block by block. We should have a clear vision of what our areas should look like.

Another very easy tool to implement is a system of early notification. I know we have some semblance of one, but it is not nearly as effective as it should be. Residents should know what is being proposed as soon as it is proposed. Neighborhood associations should be the first stop for developers for true consultations, not presentations.

Do you agree, and if so, what, specifically, will you (do to) engage residents, businesses and developers to a truly consultative process?

GV:
I do believe that working with our neighborhoods is important. I believe we do a pretty good job of that. We have a Neighborhood Services Department (that) is very active in our neighborhoods. And we try our best to bring issues, concerns (and) the things that are being proposed in the city out to the neighborhoods as quickly as we can.

So, I’ll do my best to look for opportunities where we work with neighborhoods to understand better ... the business development that they think would be beneficial to that area.

I have several goals that I have committed to as interim city manager ... and the first one is to get a balanced budget in place. And so right now, that’s my most immediate focus, and it has a lot of priority. When I’m done with that, which should be in July, I plan to dive into our economic development strategies and make sure that I understand and can help lead the economic development process. Because that’s going to be the key to fixing our budget -- more so than just, "Where are we going to cut programs?" So, I’ll keep these thoughts in mind. And we should keep our neighborhoods in mind as we look at land-use opportunities and try to develop the city.

Neighborhoods and residents/citizens need to know that their involvement — their participation in any of these development projects — can occur in a number of ways. We have the Development Oversight Commission that looks at these plans as they’re being submitted. And those (plans) are public. We (also) have (opportunities for public comment) when the projects start coming to council ... So, certainly, what citizens can do is stay involved and come to council meetings and engage the council when those projects are being discussed.

Additionally, of course, we can make sure we’re getting out to neighborhoods — and I know the (city staff) do (that) now. The idea that we engage affected neighborhoods when we’re talking about a major project in an area: That happens today. So, it’s really nothing new for us.

Question from Sacramento resident Bill Burgua:
During the current budget crisis, Kerridge had experienced code enforcement officers laid off. Do you see the wisdom in the citizens' desire to bring in revenue while improving neighborhoods and bringing properties up to code? Will you boost code enforcement by reinstating experienced code enforcement officers that have been laid off?

GV:
Well, obviously, the challenge for us right now is our revenue. It’s at historic low levels. And we’ve been losing revenue for three years in a row now ... I don’t know that anytime soon we’re going to be able to increase code enforcement officers.

A little bit of clarity in that: The layoffs started with (the Community Development Department), not Code Enforcement ... So, (CDD employees) were laid off from CDD (and then) replaced people at Code. And then Code had to lay people off. There wasn’t a net reduction of code officers because of those layoffs. If not for CDD issues, we wouldn’t have been laying anybody off (at) Code Enforcement. That’s ... the technical piece of it.

I think the real question there is: How much do we care about blight in our neighborhoods and quality of life? I would say that it is a huge objective for us — to work with our neighborhoods to eliminate blight. Those kinds of things introduce crime, and the whole quality of life in the neighborhood goes downhill. I think code enforcement is a very important part of what we do in the city. So, besides developing the city where we have opportunities, we can’t ignore the fact that we have 500,000 people (who) already live here in some neighborhood and need to be taken care of, as well.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Part 1: Neighborhood questions for Interim City Manager Gus Vina

2010-04-13T06:10:15Z

The Sacramento Press has gathered questions from neighborhood activists for Interim City Manager Gus Vina. In an April 9 interview, The Sacramento Press asked Vina to respond to questions from six neighborhood activists.

Here are Vina’s responses to questions from three citizens involved in neighborhood issues. Check The Sacramento Press Wednesday for more of Vina’s responses to neighborhood-related questions.

Question from Sacramento resident Karen Jacques:
What can (Vina) tell us about the ongoing investigation of the Community Development Department? Does he know when that investigation will be complete and how much of it will be made public? (Are there) any other comments he can make about it?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina:
It’s really an audit now, not an investigation. And that audit is being managed by our new city auditor. (City Auditor Jorge Oseguera) [is] in the process of making a final selection on an audit firm. And how long it takes — I don’t know yet ... Whatever comes out of (the audit), obviously we’re going to get right on top of implementing any recommendations that make sense for the city.

Question from an Alkali Flat resident:
I would like to know if (Vina) supports and will help to implement a downtown exclusive franchise for commercial garbage hauling. Supporting such a bid for one hauler downtown will likely result in reduced commercial garbage service rates and provide more efficient service — such as one or two days a week service rather than the current pattern of heavy trucks on our roads five days a week.

GV:
First of all, I’m not going to get ahead of the mayor and council — and it’s really their policy call at the end of the day .... And, the issues we’re trying to solve are not hauling all the way to Nevada ... and all of the green issues that are related to that.

It’s still a little early in the process, and we’ll be going to the council with a recommendation on how can we save money — which translates into better rates for our customers — and it will include a very good discussion on the commercial side of the hauling.

Question from Sacramento resident LaTisha Lawson:
(The) elimination of so many programs and resources (is causing) stress and strain on my Sacramento families. How is the city working with other agencies or encouraging departments to partner to continue to provide needed services?

GV:
Obviously, the entire world is in a huge economic slump. I would say we really need to focus and understand that this is an issue not unique to just Sacramento — this is a global issue. The Sacramento region is suffering considerably — when you look at a 13 percent unemployment rate. So, we’ve got a lot of people out of work. We had one of the worst foreclosure rates in the nation. We’re one of five states that have the biggest budget problems at the state level.

So, we have plenty of challenges here that are going to have an impact on services. And, we will do our best to continue to provide (the) services that we can. But I can guarantee you, it won’t be everything that we’re doing today. We have a budget to balance as well.

In terms of working with other agencies, we are actively working with the county on any consolidations or efficiencies that we can develop by working together. Of course, the focus is to continue to provide services at the best level that we possibly can. But it is important for the community to understand that there will be service-level impacts.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Gus Vina to earn $215,000 as interim city manager

2010-03-25T01:36:38Z

Gus Vina will earn a salary of $215,000 for his duties as Sacramento’s interim city manager.

The City Council approved Vina’s salary Tuesday night. Vina’s salary is the same amount that former City Manager Ray Kerridge earned, said Geri Hamby, the city’s human resources director.

Vina will serve as interim city manager for nine to 12 months before the City Council hires a permanent city manager. He recently told The Sacramento Press that he plans to apply for the permanent city manager position.

The salary range for the Sacramento city manager position is $187, 357-to-$281,035, according to a March 23 report that Hamby sent to the City Council.

The city manager's salary is determined by the City Council, which consists of the eight council members and the mayor. Salaries for the city attorney, city clerk and city treasurer are also determined by the City Council, Hamby notes in her report.

The City Council chose to hire Vina for a nine- to 12-month term so that he could work on the current budget cycle, Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek said. In addition, the elected city officials were mindful of the June City Council election. They wanted to give any new council members the ability to help choose the permanent city manager, McPeek said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

We want your questions for new interim city manager

2010-03-18T04:23:20Z

The Sacramento Press wants your neighborhood-related questions for Interim City Manager Gus Vina, the city’s highest-ranking official.

What issues or concerns do you have about your neighborhood? What do you think the city government should do to improve your neighborhood?

Write your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this article. Questions for Vina can also be e-mailed to kathleen@sacramentopress.com.

The Sacramento Press will choose several questions from community members for Vina to answer.

Vina was chosen as interim city manager by Mayor Kevin Johnson and the eight City Council members and will serve for nine to 12 months. He replaced Ray Kerridge, who resigned from the city manager position Friday. Vina told The Sacramento Press last week that he plans to apply for the permanent city manager position.

Vina leads a city government with about 4,300 employees. He will draft the city’s budget, which faces a gap of $35 million-$40 million for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. The City Council is in charge of reviewing and approving Vina’s draft budget.

Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek said Vina was asked to serve for a nine- to 12-month period so he could work continuously on the city's budget. In addition, the nine- to 12-month timeline allows any new City Council members to have a voice on the selection of a new city manager, McPeek said. Depending on the results of the June 8 City Council election, new members could replace current members.

One incumbent is not running for re-election. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is not returning to the City Council — her District 5 seat will be filled by a new member.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Post-Kerridge: Will development department change?

2010-03-14T22:11:39Z

Sacramento’s business community has said repeatedly that former City Manager Ray Kerridge established a customer-service culture in the city’s development department. At the same time, the department is wracked with investigations into possible breaches of laws. Now that Kerridge has left the city — March 11 12 was his last day of work — how will the culture of the Community Development Department change?

New leadership and the findings from an audit are two upcoming developments that may change the department. The recent resignations of Kerridge and department director Bill Thomas have created job openings.

At this point, both positions are being held by interim officials. Gus Vina is interim city manager; David Kwong is acting director of the Community Development Department.

A third-party audit of the department is on the horizon. An outside auditor will follow up on issues from an earlier joint investigation by City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office and the law firm Renee Sloan Holtzman Sakai.

The auditor will analyze several issues identified by the Teichert/Renee investigation. They include possible violations of the city’s planning rules and possible decisions to bypass, delay or lower fees.

A Jan. 21 report from the offices of the city attorney and the city manager on the Teichert/Renee investigation also listed “potential quid quo” in the department as an issue that should be studied in more depth.

The Teichert/Renee investigation centered on another highly controversial issue: the 35 permits that the department approved last year for construction in a Natomas flood zone. The Jan. 21 report said a department employee broke federal rules by distributing the permits.

The city placed former department director Thomas on paid leave in October. He resigned March 1.

A Customer-Friendly Culture

The department had a poor reputation among developers before Kerridge’s arrival in 2005, according to a March 28, 2008 Sacramento Business Journal article. In 2003, members of the local building industry said in a Business Journal survey Sacramento's building department was the most problematic of all similar city and county departments in the area. Five years later, the industry said in the survey that Sacramento's building department was the area's best.

Kerridge served as assistant city manager for development before being promoted in 2006 to city manager.

Despite the department’s crises, Sacramento developers have praised Kerridge for his work to establish a customer-focused culture.

Developer Mark Friedman was one of the members of the business community who invited Kerridge to leave his job with the city of Portland and come to work for Sacramento.

“I think (Kerridge) did a great job,” said Friedman, whose company, Fulcrum Property, owns Arden Fair Mall. “He streamlined the building department processes and made the organization more customer-friendly than it had been.”

Richard Rich, development director for Thomas Enterprises, Inc., expressed a similar sentiment in a Jan. 25 comment on The Sacramento Press. Thomas Enterprises is developing the downtown Railyards.

“This department isn’t perfect but its people, including Bill Thomas, deserve credit for creating a culture of public service,” Rich said.

Elected Leaders Praise Customer-Service Attitude Toward Development

Mayor Kevin Johnson and several City Council members also applauded Kerridge for his customer-service framework at a March 9 council meeting. Their comments indicate that there is political support to maintain the customer-service environment at the Community Development Department.

“And this whole notion of ‘getting the customer to success’ is something I think we’re all proud of,” Johnson told Kerridge at the March 9 meeting. “And that’s going to be with us, Ray, for many years to come.”

Some council members, though, are running for re-election. Depending on the results of their races, they may not have much time to make decisions affecting the department. The City Council incumbents running for re-election are Ray Tretheway, Steve Cohn and Robbie Waters.

Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones’ seat against fellow council member Kevin McCarty. Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson also is running for the seat. Hammond will leave the City Council.

McCarty’s seat is not up for re-election.

Hammond and Waters praised Kerridge for his work revamping the culture of the department. Waters said Kerridge “turned (the department) around” in a short period of time.

Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell commented that developers were Kerridge fans. “It’s obvious by the developers — who really want to keep you here — that you changed the way Sacramento does business.”

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy spoke of Kerridge’s view of city growth. “You taught us how to look at this city as something that could grow and be something bigger,” she said. “And it can be, and it will be.”

Cohn said Kerridge led the customer-service culture change in city government, which is a forward-looking approach.

The errors that people may point out in Sacramento’s government “have been errors of trying to be proactive,” he added.

In his speech to the City Council, Kerridge said the business community has been “a great source of strength” for him.

Like Johnson, Kerridge thinks greatness is in store for Sacramento.

“Sacramento has a destiny,” Kerridge said. “Its destiny is to become a great American city.”

How Do Top City Staffers View the Department?

Interim City Manager Gus Vina will run the department for nine months to a year, at which time a city manager will be named.

Vina told The Sacramento Press last week that he is interested in the permanent city manager position.

He said his priority will be on “best practices and a culture that gets the job done.”

Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said in a March 12 interview that the department can simultaneously help builders and abide by laws.

“Our level of customer service for people who want to invest in our city is of paramount importance,” Dangberg said.

The city wants to ensure that it’s adhering to laws and that buildings are safe, he said.

Meanwhile, Vina said in a March 9 interview that the upcoming audit of the department will be key to the next steps for the department. “We definitely need to regroup,” he said. “We don’t want to go to a bureaucracy that ... doesn’t deliver for the customer. But if the audit says, by the way, you got a little too loose on policy ... we’ve got to bring that back to the middle.”

He said the city needs to examine the audit’s findings, then ask: “Do we need to change rules? Are they too loose? Are they too tight?"

Photo of Mayor Kevin Johnson and city council members by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Vina to be interim city manager for 9-to-12 months

2010-03-10T23:40:43Z

Gus Vina, already serving as acting city manager, has been selected to be the interim city manager for the following nine-to-12 months.

City Manager Ray Kerridge resigned last month and will leave his post Friday. Kerridge has said he’s taking a private sector position, but has not yet announced where that position will be.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and several council members held a press conference Wednesday to announce Vina’s new position.

“And I think it’s very clear to all of us that (Kerridge) has very big shoes that we need to fill,” Johnson said. “And we feel that we found the right person to fill his shoes in a very short timeframe.”

Johnson and the council members unanimously chose Vina. They also interviewed Assistant City Managers John Dangberg and Cassandra Jennings.

Johnson explained that the City Council will hold a private meeting Tuesday to formally complete Vina’s new contract. The City Council wanted Vina to serve as interim city manager for nine to 12 months, Johnson said.

Vina previously held one of three assistant city manager positions. He supervised the police, fire, finance, human resources and labor relations departments, among others. He is also a former budget manager for the city.

Vina earned his master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Sacramento.

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said Vina “is motivated for the city.” She added that he works well with neighborhoods, business and labor.

“We have challenges,” Vina said at the press conference, “but those challenges are opportunities.”

Johnson said that he and the council members were looking for many attributes in an interim city manager including expertise in local government issues, budget matters and labor relations.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Gus Vina tapped to be acting city manager

2010-02-24T05:42:37Z

Assistant City Manager Gus Vina has been named the acting city manager of the city of Sacramento.

Departing City Manager Ray Kerridge is leaving March 12.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and the other members of the City Council made the announcement after Tuesday night’s council meeting. The City Council unanimously decided to choose Vina for the assignment.

Vina will be the acting city manager for 30 days, Mayor Kevin Johnson said. He assumes the role at noon on Friday.

Johnson said Vina “stepped up.”

After Vina serves his term as acting city manager, the City Council will appoint an interim city manager.

This means there will be two phases before the City Council appoints a permanent replacement for departing City Manager Ray Kerridge — an acting city manager phase and an interim city manager phase.

Johnson said that the City Council has asked Vina to consider applying for the interim city manager position.

However, Johnson also said that the City Council would evaluate internal as well as external candidates for the interim city manager position.

Once an interim city manager is selected, he or she will likely serve the city for several months, Johnson said.

The City Council predicts that the interim city manager will be at the city until the end of the year, according to Johnson.

Kerridge participated in the decision to select Vina as acting city manager, Johnson said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Plan to combine some city/county services advances

2009-12-09T05:41:38Z

The Sacramento City Council is open to the idea of consolidating some of the services offered by the city and county governments.

Councilmembers unanimously decided Tuesday that city staff should analyze the issue over the next 90 days, and then bring their findings to the City Council. The discussion about consolidating services is moving forward as both the city and county struggle with severe budget problems.

Councilman Rob Fong strongly supported the idea. If the city and county can have “virtually identical” regulatory processes for businesses, then organizations like the Sacramento Area Commerce & Trade Organization and the city and county’s economic development departments could market Sacramento as a “dynamic region,” he said.

Uniform processes at the city and county governments could also lead to better land-use planning decisions, Fong said. He acknowledged that his ideas may be too expansive for the 90-day period, but said he hoped staff’s analysis would move beyond everyday issues such as “who picks up the leaves.”

“We would do ourselves a disservice if we didn’t start to have those kinds of conversations,” Fong said.

Staffers will now select services that could potentially be combined, according to Assistant City Manager Gus Vina’s report to councilmembers.

Vina said Monday that combining services could save money in the long term for local governments. In addition, joining services could eliminate redundancies, Vina said. The city and county provide several similar services, he said, such as animal control and code enforcement.

City Finance Director Leyne Milstein said her office is not ready yet to provide an estimate for the city’s budget situation next year. Staffers still need to analyze third quarter sales tax information, she said. However, she estimated in May that the city would face a $30-million deficit in the 2010/11 fiscal year.

She acknowledged Monday that the city’s budget for next year could be troubling, saying that “nothing has changed” since her May estimate of a $30-million deficit.

The county’s budget crisis is severe: Its $180-million gap last spring was followed by a $76-million shortfall in the summer.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City, County to consider consolidating some services

2009-12-08T05:34:22Z

Sacramento’s city and county governments are considering consolidating some of their services to save money as they wrestle with tough budgets. The City Council and Board of Supervisors will discuss the idea at their public meetings Tuesday.

Combining services could help local governments save money in the long term, said Gus Vina, assistant city manager. It also could cut redundancies, Vina said, noting that the city and county offer several similar services. For example, the county and city both provide animal control and code enforcement services, he said.

The city and county have not yet selected which services to combine. At this point, city and county officials are asking elected representatives if there is a “thumbs-up” for staff to pursue the idea, Vina said.

If the City Council supports it, city staff would choose services that could be combined, according to a report Vina is presenting to the City Council on Tuesday. Staffers would analyze the issue over the next 90 days, and then bring their findings to the City Council, the report notes.

“We’ll evaluate services on both sides: what’s the benefit, what’s the downside,” Vina said. “We’re looking for things that are not that difficult to do.”

City Finance Director Leyne Milstein said that city staffers are not ready to provide numbers for next year’s financial picture. They still need to analyze third-quarter sales tax information. Milstein estimated in May that the city would face a $30 million deficit in the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

While she did not release specific figures Monday, she acknowledged that the picture could continue to be grim.

“Nothing has changed for the better since that estimate was out there,” Milstein said.

The county has faced a wrenching budget crisis over the past several months. Its $180 million gap last spring was followed by a $76 million shortfall in the summer.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Firefighters' jobs likely to be saved

2009-07-02T03:28:31Z

The Sacramento City Council is about 99 percent sure that no firefighters will be laid off this week.

The local firefighters’ union and city officials reached a breakthrough in negotiations Wednesday and have made a tentative agreement to not lay off 68 firefighters. The last step will be for Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 members to vote on the agreement this week. It is likely that Local 522 members will vote in favor of the agreement because they proposed it to city officials.

While dozens of firefighter jobs are likely to be saved, about 180 city workers in other departments still face layoffs on Thursday, according to Assistant City Manager Gus Vina.

Several councilmembers returned from vacation Wednesday afternoon to approve the firefighters’ deal in a private meeting at City Hall. Mayor Kevin Johnson and six councilmembers talked to reporters after the private meeting.

“It is a very good day in the city of Sacramento,” Johnson said.

City officials wanted to balance the budget and protect public safety, and it’s likely that those goals will be met, Johnson said.

David Dolson, a firefighter and representative of Local 522, said union members are very happy that they’ve been able to both provide high quality public safety and save firefighters’ jobs. Ensuring that the community has the best fire protection has been “our main goal the whole time,” Dolson said.

The union will recommend to its members that they vote in favor of the contract, he said.

The council’s unanimous approval of the deal marks the end of this year’s highly controversial negotiations between Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and city managers. The Wednesday agreement came back from the dead: The city and Local 522 had ended negotiations last week.

City officials said last week that up to 68 firefighters were scheduled to be laid off. The union had also threatened to file a lawsuit against the city, claiming that city officials had engaged in “unfair bargaining practices.”

The deal means that firefighters would give up salary increases over the next 30 months, according to Local 522 and city officials. The agreement also states that the city would promise to not lay off firefighters for one year, union representatives and city officials said. Firefighters will give up the 5 percent increase scheduled for this month.

The city will save about $10.8 million as a result of the deal, according to Vina.

The Sacramento Press was not able to obtain a copy of the agreement, and cannot independently verify the details of the agreement until it is public.

Councilmembers Bonnie Pannell and Steve Cohn did not attend the closed session. The members who attended formed the required quorum.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

The guide to local government budget madness

2009-06-30T02:49:02Z

I’ve learned a few lessons recently about how and why local government budgets don’t make sense. Over the past month, I’ve reported on the city budget and asked government officials and union representatives many questions about financial figures and numbers of layoffs. While the officials answered my questions, some budget figures remained nonsensical. I would like to share with The Sacramento Press' readers the following Guide to Local Government Budget Madness.

Rule #1: The number of “positions” being removed is not the number of “people” being laid off.

Back in May, city officials wrote that that they would cut 387 positions. The budget document said that cuts included the “unfunding of 387 FTE.” (FTE stands for full-time equivalent position.) You might think that means 387 layoffs, but don’t be fooled! The “387 FTE” figure included vacant positions. So, in May, the city estimated it would need to lay off 189 people because 198 positions were vacant, according to acting city spokeswoman Wendy Klock-Johnson. So, 387 positions=189 layoffs.

Here are my two cents for people who write budget documents: Include the number of positions to be deleted along with the numbers of actual layoffs. That way people won’t read 387 FTE and think it means 387 layoffs.

I’m using the 387=189 example to illustrate the logic of budget documents, but those numbers don’t even exist anymore. Sacramento approved its budget earlier this month, and the number of layoffs is now 168.

Rule #2: Budget numbers change all the time, and different groups disagree on the numbers.

To be fair, it makes sense that budget numbers change constantly. The government agencies working with the numbers are trying to find ways to close budget gaps and lower the number of layoffs. The day-to-day number crunching is part of the budget process.

What doesn’t make sense, though, is how clashing groups interpret numbers for budget cuts. Let’s take the example of the failed negotiations between city officials and Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522. Layoffs of firefighters are part of the city’s budget cuts.

Klock-Johnson said earlier this month that the city sent 68 layoff notices to firefighters. But Local 522 said in a June 17 press release that “at least 70” pink slips were sent to firefighters. The number of layoff notices was a point of contention between the two groups earlier this month.

Rule #3: You can always count on local governments to bash the state government.

Before the city balanced its budget earlier this month, it faced a $50 million deficit. Sacramento County confronted an even larger budget gap of $180 million before the Board of Supervisors adopted a proposed budget June 17.

But in terms of deficits, the state’s $24.3 billion budget gap takes the cake.

The locals have reason to be upset with the state. It’s the state, after all, that’s saying it wants to borrow $2 billion from local governments to help balance its budget.

Disputes between local governments and the state government prompt local officials to unleash their anger through cliche-laden statements. An aggrieved Mayor Kevin Johnson showed off his way with words in an e-mail to The Sacramento Press in May.

“The very last option should be robbing our city of its fair share of state aid, because that’s just robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he said.

But the state’s problems are so huge they cannot fully be addressed in The Guide to Local Government Budget Madness--the state’s budget nonsense deserves its own guide.

Rule #4: There is no such thing as objective reality when dealing with budgets, layoffs and negotiations between managers and unions.

Language in contracts is always open for interpretation. Assistant City Manager Gus Vina and Local 522 spokeswoman Robin Swanson took wildly opposite views of a recent firefighters’ contract proposal.

Here’s the controversial sentence from the proposal: “Effective June 19, 2010, salary ranges in terms of bi-weekly rates shall be adjusted by five (5%), and are set forth in Exhibit A-2.”

To Vina, the sentence means that firefighters were trying to clinch a 5 percent salary increase that would begin June 19, 2010.

But to Swanson, the proposed contract’s language means that firefighters want to start negotiating for a 5 percent raise in 2010. The union had also been willing to give up a scheduled 5 percent increase for July 2009.

Vina viewed the contract as setting the 2010 raise in stone, while the union viewed it as a starting point for future negotiations. The City Council voted down the proposal.

So, you ask, is there anything in this example that makes sense? Yes, what makes sense are these facts of civic life: Managers and unions live on different planets. Everything is up for debate. And budget numbers -- especially those that refer to people losing jobs -- are not objective. Not now, not ever.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Now public: Details on failed deal between city, firefighters

2009-06-27T02:57:58Z

City managers and the local firefighters’ union have widely different views of the most recent failed proposal for the firefighters’ contract. The Sacramento Press readers can join the debate by reading official memos from the recent contract proposal here.

Contract negotiations between Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and city officials failed earlier this week. After the most recent deal flopped, the City Council decided to move ahead with its budget cut to fire 68 firefighters. The last day of the work for the 68 firefighters is July 2, and they will be paid through July 3, according to acting city spokeswoman Wendy Klock-Johnson. The union points out that the firefighters will be laid off prior to the Fourth of July holiday, which means there are higher public safety risks.

The two sides disagreed over the meaning of the language in the latest contract proposal. The proposal includes language referring to a 5 percent pay cut in the 2009/2010 fiscal year, a 5 percent pay raise in the 2010/2011 fiscal year and paid time off.

City officials and union representatives both agree that firefighters were willing to give up the 5 percent salary increase scheduled for next month. However, the groups are divided on how they view the language referring to a pay increase in the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

The paragraphs in the proposal that referred to the 5 percent pay raise in June 2010 were not mentioned in Local 522’s June 23 statement that was sent to media outlets. The statement sent out by Local 522 is available here.

“Effective June 19, 2010, salary ranges in terms of bi-weekly rates shall be adjusted by five (5%), and are set forth in Exhibit A-2, ” according to the proposal for the agreement.

Assistant City Manager Gus Vina contends that the proposal’s language means that firefighters were asking for a 5 percent raise that would kick in on June 19, 2010. He also raised objections to another sentence in the proposal, which states: “This agreement shall remain in full force and effect from June 20, 2009 to, and include June 19, 2010.”

By using the word “include” in the sentence, Local 522 is again saying that the raise would start on June 19, 2010, Vina says.

Local 522 spokeswoman Robin Swanson strongly disagreed with Vina’s arguments about the proposed contract language. "It’s very disappointing that they would put that out there,” Swanson said. “It’s very clear that the firefighters have been willing to give up their raise.”

Swanson also commented on the language that refers to the 5 percent salary increase in 2010. She said the language means that firefighters want to come back to the negotiating table in one year, and negotiate from the same starting point, which was a 5 percent increase.

Swanson raised concerns about public safety. “Sixty-eight firefighters laid off the day before the Fourth of July: That’s crazy,” she said.

Vina responded that the city and Local 522 have been involved in complicated negotiations for months. He said he had “absolutely no level of comfort or confidence” that there could be a successful deal to eliminate the 5 percent raise in 2010 if it was put into the contract.

Vina said the agreement would have meant the city would have to pay firefighters a 5 percent raise in 2010 while other unions receive less.

He said he had a challenge for the union: If Local 522 is honestly saying that the 5 percent raise in 2010 is “up for grabs,” why did the union put the language for the raise in the proposal?

The proposal also had language relating to time off for firefighters: “Employees will receive forty (40) hours, or fifty-six (56) hours in suppression, of paid time off on June 20, 2009.”

The Sacramento Press was able to view the proposal documents after negotiations ended between the union and city managers.

Klock-Johnson noted that materials and conversations about labor relations are confidential during the course of negotiations.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Firefighters scrap labor deal with city, talks may resume

2009-06-06T02:28:42Z

The local firefighters’ union Friday scrapped a deal with city management that would have cut firefighters' salary increases and maintained jobs.

Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 is attributing the failure of the deal to the city’s decision to send layoff notices to firefighters earlier this week. Meanwhile, the city is saying that it was straightforward in its negotiations with the union.

The city, which is facing a deficit of more than $43 million, plans to lay off 68 people in the Sacramento Fire Department if the union does not make concessions.

Both sides said Friday that they are ready to start negotiations again. Local 522 spokesperson Robin Swanson said firefighters are willing to go back to the negotiating table and “figure this out.”

“The city needs to operate in good faith,” she said.

The city is asking for concessions from the union to help balance its budget and avoid fire department layoffs, said Gus Vina, assistant city manager. “This issue is too important for us to give up on."

Under the terms of the deal that was voted down, firefighters would have skipped their 5 percent cost-of-living increase scheduled for July. The agreement guaranteed firefighters a 1 percent pay increase in July 2010, to be followed by a 2 percent raise in 2011. Two-thirds of union members voted down the agreement Friday, Swanson said, and the deal failed with 66 percent opposed and 34 percent in support.

The union expressed anger that the city sent pink slips to firefighters after the groups forged a preliminary deal.

The union sent out a press release to media outlets Friday morning saying that more than 70 firefighters received layoff letters on Tuesday, after the union had already made the early agreement with the city and before union members started voting on it.

The city’s move "is creating all kinds of mistrust among firefighters who thought they had a deal with the city,” Swanson said before the results of the vote were announced.

The city’s decision to send the layoff notices was either meant to intimidate the firefighters or the result of “gross incompetence,” Swanson said.

But Vina said the city was clear in its negotiations with the union. The union knew layoff letters were coming, he said.

From the beginning of negotiations, “Local 522 [and] city staff knew that we were looking at a reduction of 50 firefighter positions, as part of the necessary reductions for next year if we don’t get the labor concessions,” Vina said. “They knew the letters for the layoffs were going to go out on June 1.”

City spokesperson Wendy Klock-Johnson provided numbers that differed from Swanson’s. On Monday, the city sent 68 layoff notices to firefighters and 100 layoff notices to other city staffers, according to Klock-Johnson.

Vina explained that the 68 layoffs figure includes 50 firefighters, nine engineers and nine captains. The engineers and captains have the ability to move down to firefighter positions, which would displace people in those positions.

Firefighters say a deal with city is near

2009-05-29T01:56:14Z

The local firefighters’ union may complete its contract negotiations with the city next week, according to Chris Harvey, spokesman for Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522.

The union is still confident it will be able to reach an agreement with the city “that’s beneficial to the citizens of Sacramento, as well as the firefighters,” Harvey said.

Gus Vina, the Sacramento assistant city manager negotiating with the union, was not available to immediately return a phone call Thursday.

The city’s $50 million deficit would be resolved through cuts in the proposed budget. The fire department would face cuts of 50 positions and $5 million, the budget document states. Vina has said that the planned cuts to the fire department would not take place if the firefighters decide to give up scheduled pay increases.

Firefighters dispute city's argument on layoffs; others fear planned cuts

2009-05-05T03:17:51Z

The local firefighters’ union is objecting to city management’s comments about Sacramento's budget crunch and possible layoffs for fire department staff.

At the same time, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Sacramento’s neighborhood services department both expressed concerns Monday about the potential budget cuts being considered by the city.

The proposed 2009/2010 city budget, released Friday, seeks to address a $50 million deficit. The City Council will address the proposed budget at its May 19 meeting.

Among other cuts, the budget proposes to lay off 189 city employees. The budget calls for 387 positions to be slashed. Because 198 of those positions are vacant, the city would need to lay off 189 staffers, according to a city spokeswoman.

Chris Harvey, spokesman for the Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, said he disagreed with the way the city is framing its argument that firefighters need to give up scheduled pay increases.

The city is arguing that there must be concessions from the union or there will be layoffs.

“That argument is disingenuous,” Harvey said, adding that the city can choose how it spends its general fund monies.

Still, Harvey said that the union’s current negotiations with the city are going well.

Wendy Klock-Johnson, city records manager and acting spokeswoman, responded to Harvey’s criticism. She said Harvey is correct, in the sense that the city does not have a set plan that says it must reduce staff when it is in a difficult financial situation.

The city works very hard to minimize reduction of staff whenever possible, Klock-Johnson said.

Sacramento’s budget document states that the fire department would lose 50 positions and $5 million. Gus Vina, a Sacramento assistant city manager, said last week that if the firefighters’ union gives up scheduled pay increases for firefighters, the city would not need to make the cuts.

Meanwhile, Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, is concerned that the proposed budget cuts could damage the quality of life downtown.

He raised concerns about possible impacts to downtown parks.

“We need to be careful that we’re not reducing to the extent that we lose the ability to maintain the environment down here,” he said.

The budget proposal is also worrisome to the city’s Neighborhood Services Department. Vincene Jones, the department’s director, said every department is going to have to make hard decisions about its budget.

She said she’s afraid that if her department loses one or two people, it will affect the department’s “personal touch” in its work. Jones noted that the department works with many groups outside of city government, including SMUD, Home Depot, PG&E, and Loaves and Fishes. Neighborhood Services also supports every city department, she said.

Jones said she hopes the community will work with the department, understand the city’s tough financial situation and adjust to the “missing pieces.”

Vina said last week that the city wants all of its unions to make concessions. The sole union at this time that has made concessions is the Sacramento Police Officers Association. The union ceded July salary increases for its members so police department positions would not be cut.

At this point, several other unions have not made concessions.

City Budget: City in talks with firefighters

2009-04-29T05:20:30Z

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” discussions.

If the firefighters’ union does not give up its pay increases, Vina said the city will need to lay off 50 department employees. The positions could come from any of the following types of firefighting jobs: firefighters, captains or the operators who drive the fire trucks.

But if the union makes concessions, Vina said, the city will save $5 million and won’t need to make the cuts.

Meanwhile, Chris Harvey, spokesman for the firefighters’ union, said the union disagrees with the city’s assessment that it will need to lay off 50 firefighters. Harvey called the figure of 50 layoffs “arbitrary.” He said that if 10 people from the department retire, the city wouldn’t have to lay off 50 people.

In addition to the discussion of whether the firefighters will give up scheduled pay increases, Harvey said the union is also discussing other issues with the city.

It does not necessarily mean that if Vina is happy, then the “union is prepared to give back the raises,” Harvey said.

But Harvey also said the union is happy that the attitude from both parties in the negotiations has been positive.

The city and Local 522 have not always had the best relationship, Harvey noted. If nothing else, the tone of the current negotiations is much better than past negotiations, he said.

Sacramento’s deficit is about $50 million. The city will release its proposed 2009/2010 budget Friday. It must approve a final budget by June 30.

Vina estimated that the city still needs to cut about 300 positions in city government in order to address its budget problems.

He said he hopes to complete negotiations with all city unions by the end of May.

If management convinces all eight of the city’s labor unions to make concessions, the city may only need to cut 150 positions, Vina said.
He pointed out that the city currently has a volunteer separation program in which employees accept buyouts.

The employee buyouts are part of the city’s strategy to further reduce the number of layoffs it may make, according to Vina.

So, Vina said, the number may be even lower than 150.

The city is asking the non-emergency services unions to give up pay increases, as well as for employees to take one furlough day per month, according to Vina.

City Manager Ray Kerridge wrote in an April 3 letter to employees that layoff notifications will take place in early June.

Joan Bryant, director of public employees for the Stationary Engineers, which includes a local union chapter for Sacramento workers, said the union has been talking with city management about the magnitude of the city’s budget deficit and management’s expectations for workers.

She said the union needs to gather more information to make sure it will act in the best interests of its members and the city.

Asked if the union’s members might be willing to give up pay increases and start a once-per-month furlough, Bryant said the union will look at all of those options.

She said the union was waiting to receive information from the city. Once the union gets the information it needs, it will have a better idea of what it will decide, she added.

At this point, one union has made concessions to the city. The police department’s union, the Sacramento Police Officers Association, chose to give up its July salary increases, Vina said. As a result, the city will not cut police officers, he noted.