Willie Brown: Employee Costs at Heart of Golden State’s Woes
The incoming Speaker of the California Assembly could learn something from one of his most illustrious predecessors. Willie Brown, the former longtime Speaker (1980-1995), contends that politicians helped create the state’s current problems by increasing employee costs.
The deal used to be that civil servants were paid less than private sector workers in exchange for an understanding that they had job security for life.
But we politicians, pushed by our friends in labor, gradually expanded pay and benefits to private-sector levels while keeping the job protections and layering on incredibly generous retirement packages that pay ex-workers almost as much as current workers.
Talking about this is politically unpopular and potentially even career suicide for most officeholders. But at some point, someone is going to have to get honest about the fact that 80 percent of the state, county and city budget deficits are due to employee costs.
Sounds like someone needs to stand up to the public employee unions.
Somehow, I don’t think this will stop California Democrats and their cheerleaders in the MSM from blaming the state’s budget woes on Prop 13.
(H/t Instapundit.)
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In the mid ’60s I was stationed at Travis AFB about 40 miles outside of San Francisco. One of San Frans tv stations did a report on a prison release program focusing on one guy who was soon to get out on parole. The guy was working for a local sign painting company. The prison packed a lunch for him, gave him a ride to and from work in a prison van and the guy was bringing home almost 200 bucks a week. While I know the state wasn’t paying his salary, it did pay for everything else. He was making more per month than I was as a NCO in the AF.
Comment by Joseph Brown — January 4, 2010 @ 10:32 am - January 4, 2010
Willie Brown said that CA civil servants make too much! Unbelievable! And all the more reason why it must be true.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — January 4, 2010 @ 10:49 am - January 4, 2010
“Sounds like someone needs to stand up to the public employee unions.”
Sadly, this is never, EVER, gonna happen.
Comment by DoorHold — January 4, 2010 @ 12:03 pm - January 4, 2010
Jaw, meet floor. He’s absolutely right.
Would have been nice if Willie had done something while serving as Mayor.
http://louminatti.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-bad-are-things-in-san-francisco.html
SF is a favorite punching bag for my fellow Republicans. The City seems bogged down in silly “summer of love” nostalgia. That was 1 unremarkable year in the 200 year history of the place. There’s a ton of potential in the Bay Area: a crossroads of civilizations with wealth, beautiful weather & world class universities. This makes it a high-tech mecca. Put aside the predictable left-wing bias, SF has a wonderful sense of republican virtue that sets it apart from LA or SD. No wonder the rest of the state is following their lead.
Like LouMinatti, I have a lot of affection for that place. And like Lou, I just wish Californians would turn their republican virtue against their local governments. CA is increasingly populated by people content to be left-wing, whatever that means at the moment.
1980s New Yorkers took a lot of pride in being tough guys. That was their way of rationalizing the cesspool of crime that surrounded them.
Today’s Californian rationalizes the obvious political corruption by claiming that they’re more “hippie” than us “bitter clingers” in flyover country.
Ugh. No one cares! The state is a mess. Quit purging conservatives and clean it up.
Comment by Steve-O — January 4, 2010 @ 12:49 pm - January 4, 2010
The same thing happened here in Canada when Pierre Trudeau was elected way back in 68. Trudeau was a great believer in big government intervention and as a result he wanted what he thought was the best and brightest in the government. His Liberal government massively hiked up the compensation for just about all government employees (except Defense) and went on a recruiting spree. The government departments were filled with the true believers who then toddled out to spread government influence throughout the country. A few years later (80′s) the government employees found that they were actually paid more than the private sector as well as having unheard of job security. Some efforts have been made to trim the public service but they have been of limited success due to the strength of the unions.
Comment by scr_north — January 4, 2010 @ 1:18 pm - January 4, 2010
Eventually the California pols will have no choice but to deal with this problem or they won’t be able to stop the people from taking care of it through an initiative. Obviously California needs to undergo more pain before either happens. Pity really, but such is their choice.
Comment by John — January 4, 2010 @ 1:28 pm - January 4, 2010
Well, kudos to Willie
cue Democrat smear campaign in 3…2…1…
Comment by American Elephant — January 5, 2010 @ 3:22 am - January 5, 2010
[...] deficit.” Even a former Democratic Speaker of the California Assembly finds that “80 percent” of the state’s budget deficits is “due to employee costs.“ And, as [...]
Pingback by GayPatriot » Time to Cut Pay of CA State Employees (& Pensioners) — January 10, 2010 @ 6:08 pm - January 10, 2010