Our Readers Write: Slash and cap

Dear Editor:

Denise-DAnne-by-Robert-B.-Livingston, Our Readers Write: Slash and cap, Culture Currents Vote No on both measures C and D, pension reform, and consider a more sustainable revenue source.

Look at the $1.4 billion city management salaries. Two stand out: One is the $516,000 a year salary for the deputy police chief. The other salary is $425,558, given to the second deputy police chief (‘09 figures).

There was a time when we had volunteer firefighters. There was a time when working for government was an unpaid or low paid privilege, thought of as a community service. There was a time when candidates for the Board of Supervisor competed for a salary of $28,000 a year. So how did we get to point of paying one deputy police chief more money than the president of the United States and even the mayor of San Francisco?

To save money, the city needs to cap salaries and pensions. One hundred thousand dollars is a nice round number for any city manager. Pensions should be a small percentage of the $100,000.

Let’s get back to working for the city as a civic duty, not a cash cow. And quit blaming the ordinary city worker for the financial woes they did not cause.

Denise D’Anne, http://dadanne.blogspot.com/

No-on-C-11111, Our Readers Write: Slash and cap, Culture Currents