The City Council Has Lost Its Way

Posted  January 23, 2012

Recently residents of Sunnyvale have raised concerns about graffiti clean up.  A councilmember responded that graffiti cleanup can be provided, if:

1. residents are willing to have other services cut such as library, streets, parks, etc., or  b.  if residents are willing to pay more taxes.

As you ponder these choices, please keep in mind the following facts.

1.the city manager’s current annual compensation is $360,000

2.the city attorney’s current annual compensation is $320,000, (I’ve been practicing law in Santa Clara County for 21 years. The city attorney’s compensation is 2.5 times higher than what the average local lawyer makes.)

3. the assistant city manager’s current annual compensation is $300,000.

The wage rate continues similarly for the other 800+ city employees including

4. a city water Meter Reader, whose current annual compensation is $73,627 per year.

5. a city council member in Sunnyvale, receives the highest annual compensation for a councilmember for any city in Santa Clara County for a part time job – $25,064 salary per year, plus health insurance costing the city $8,533 per year.

6. the recently retired city manager (age 61) receives an annual pension of $216,000.

A full list of city salaries can be found at:

http://lgcr.sco.ca.gov/CompensationDetail.aspx?entity=City&id=119843905\00&year=2009&GetCsu=False

The City of Sunnyvale was created 100 years ago on December 24, 1912. If you read the historical literature, the ONLY reason residents of this area voted to establish a municipal corporation was to better themselves. They would each pay a small amount of taxes, which would be combined into a general fund. Residents would then get many services that they could not individually afford. Examples are police protection, water, parks, streets, sewers, library and other services. The newly hired city employees and council members were to be public servants. Residents/Taxpayers were to be the Masters.

During the last 8 years the city council has turned this plan on its head. The council has taken a 48 % pay raise for itself and voted itself lifetime health insurance benefits.  City employee compensation has doubled.  The average city employee now makes twice the amount the average Sunnyvale resident makes.

Services to residents have been repeatedly cut. Street paving has been cut 50%.  10 police officer positions have been left vacant. The library has been closed 2 nights per week. The job match program a the Senior Center, to help residents over 50 find employment during the worst recession in 80 years, has been eliminated.

At the January 10, 2012, council meeting, I asked that the council place on the agenda for the next council meeting, the following 3 proposals.

1. Cut by 50 % the compensation for the 10 people who control city government: the city manager, assistant city manager, city attorney and the 7 council members (including myself).2. Immediately cancel the lifetime health insurance benefits for former councilmembers.3. File a lawsuit against the most recent downtown developer (who made thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Sunnyvale councilmembers) to collect the $5 million penalty, the developer owes for failing to complete the project.

Placement on the agenda does not obligate a councilmember to vote in favor of the proposal. It simply allows the council to receive public comment on the specified issue, discuss the options and then vote as they see fit on the issue. None of the other 6 councilmembers would support even putting any of the 3 proposals on the agenda.

If you’re not content with this situation, you’re going to have to take action.

This year the city’s annual budget spends $265 million of your tax money. There IS enough money to pay for graffiti removal if council and employee compensation is reduced to a usual rate paid by ordinary employers. Our predecessors in Sunnyvale designated you, the residents, as the Masters, councilmembers as the servants. It’s time the Masters gave clear, unequivocal orders for the servants to follow.