DeMaio Demands Fletcher “Return the Money”

Rhetoric:

“It’s time to turn the page on the politics of the past.”

–Nathan Fletcher, 3/28/2012

Reality:

“I'm the guy who invented San Diego's pension crisis.”

–Jack McGrory, Fletcher Max Donor

Former City Manager Jack McGrory and Former Mayor Dick Murphy symbolize the dysfunction and mismanagement of past city leaders. The effects of their failed leadership still ripple through San Diego, in the form of decaying roads, decimated services and billions of dollars in debt.

What else do they have in common besides the City’s fiscal crisis? They both support Nathan Fletcher for Mayor.

Jack McGrory was the City Manager who negotiated salary and benefit increases that led to the 1997 underfunding of the Pension System. Last year, McGrory spoke to students at UCSD. He summarized his career by saying, “I’m the guy who invented San Diego’s pension crisis.” (source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/11/you-may-not-know-jack-jack-mc...)

Former Mayor Dick Murphy requires no introduction. He won reelection on a technicality, then resigned amid financial scandal after Time Magazine named him one of the three worst big city mayors in the nation.

“Every candidate in this race says they want to put the dysfunction of the past behind us,” said Carl DeMaio. “The question is whether your actions match your words. I’ve laid out my vision in 240 pages of comprehensive plans, with details. Two of my key proposals, Propositions A & B will be voted on this June, because I’m not waiting to be mayor.”

“Assemblyman Fletcher’s vision consists of sweeping rhetoric and broad platitudes. This raises the question: What do Jack McGrory and Dick Murphy see in Assemblyman Fletcher that caused them to step out from the shadows and donate to his campaign?”

“I don’t expect Assemblyman Fletcher to speak for those two individuals, but I do expect him to return the money. If you want to base your campaign on ‘leaving behind a system that is completely dysfunctional,’ then you should back your words up with actions. Return the money.”

The condition of San Diego’s neighborhood streets is unacceptable. San Diego was recently ranked 8th in a “Worst Roads” survey conducted by a national transportation research group. On top of that, neighborhood services such as libraries and rec centers have been cut from previous levels.

City Hall has failed our neighborhoods. As mayor, I will restore the neighborhood services we have seen cut and end the neglect of our roads and streets. I am committed to changing the culture at City Hall to refocus on the needs of our neighborhoods.

The public wants concrete results and I strongly agree. I have outlined specific and detailed action items in a comprehensive 230-page “Roadmap to Recovery” plan to transform city government.

Page after page of my plan details hundreds of cost-saving ideas that have been successfully implemented in the business world and other cities and counties. The plan and all the ideas are online at carldemaio.com.

To ensure continual transformation and savings, every city department in my administration will undergo an annual performance audit to improve key services. In addition, we will use managed competition bidding on each city service to compare the city’s costs with the private sector and contract out when appropriate.

In the wake of the loss of redevelopment funding, my plan also calls for creating neighborhood infrastructure collaboratives to get the maximum level of public input and participation when we use public-private partnerships to fund important neighborhood revitalization projects.

investments and development projects to reflect the character and unique qualities of each neighborhood. Therefore, my plan calls for updating our neighborhood community plans – many of which have not been updated in over a decade.

Every single dime of savings achieved through these reforms will be invested back into our neighborhoods.

Our first priority will be to repair our streets, followed by important service restorations for library hours, recreation programs, clean water management and police and fire coverage.

Most importantly, I haven’t waited to be mayor to get these reforms done.

By harnessing public pressure and building coalitions inside city government, we have been able to save over $100 million in taxpayer dollars by using cost-saving ideas like these over the last three years.

Two major elements of my Roadmap to Recovery have been rolled into two June ballot initiatives.

To achieve efficiencies and quality in road repairs, “Proposition A” requires fair and open competition on all city construction contracts. Tough transparency requirements will ensure all city contracts will be posted online with full disclosure on the number of bids received.

To resolve our pension crisis and save taxpayers a billion dollars (literally), “Proposition B” ends pension spiking, caps the amount that the city contributes to pensions, and ensures that those employees are paying a fair share into their retirements. This reform package also caps pension calculations for existing city employees and also enrolls them in 401(k) retirement accounts benchmarked against local employers.

With voter approval of these two ballot measures, my administration will start on day one with much of my comprehensive reform plan already in place through a public mandate.

Even so, my leadership team and I will approach every decision by asking a simple question: “Will this enhance the quality of life in every neighborhood?"

A great city is measured by the strength and quality of its neighborhoods. In my administration, we will meet that measure head on.

As a proud military town with a large population of service members and veterans, San Diego must be a city committed to ensuring our veterans are successfully employed upon leaving the military and entering the civilian workforce.

There were roughly 200,000 more veterans in the labor force this June than there were a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Los Angeles Times. (“Veterans Face High Unemployment After Military Service.” Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2011)

Unfortunately, a higher percentage of veterans end up without employment than the average population. In fact, recent veterans face unemployment rates twice as high as the rest of the population, according to news reports. (“Unemployment Rate Twice As High for Young War Veterans.” KPBS San Diego, November 23, 2010.)

We can honor the service of our veterans by helping them transition to new jobs once they return,” DeMaio commented.

“City leaders should not stand idly by as returning veterans face unemployment rates twice as high as the rest of the population,” said DeMaio.
“Employment challenges faced by our veterans will only increase as tens of thousands of soldiers return home from Iraq over the coming year.”

There are currently many organizations and volunteers out there already working hard to help veterans with job training. However, many involved with veterans’ job training programs explained at Carl DeMaio’s recent Pathway to Prosperity Town Hall Forums that there is a need for more coordination and cooperation between the various agencies, non‐profits, and employers looking to hire veterans.

The proposals included in the Welcome Home Plan aim to address those concerns and provide a better framework for San Diego’s veterans to access the resources available to them.

Proposal 1 – Launch “Veterans Helping Veterans” Volunteer Initiative to Assist with Career Training

Proposal 2 – Partner with regional governments to provide a liaison to military “TAP” classes & encourage veteran employment within the City of San Diego

Proposal 3 – Partner with San Diego 211 to improve “one-stop” access to veterans’ resources

Proposal 4 – Work to streamline licensing and certification processes so that skills learned in the military can be more easily translated into a civilian job

Proposal 5 – Ensure that the USO has a permanent facility in San Diego so that military members can integrate into San Diego life even before leaving active duty

Proposal 6 – Creation of a Military and Veterans Advisory Board for the City of San Diego

Proposal 7 – Expanding city contracting opportunities to companies hiring veterans
Councilmember DeMaio is proposing that companies which will complete a project with at least 50% of the work done by veterans receive a 2.5% bid preference, and companies which employ at least 75% veterans on a project receive a 5% bid preference.