Dear Friends,

I was looking at our last agenda the other day and I was reviewing the minutes from one of our previous council meetings. I was amazed at the length of the public comment section. Not at the 1 or 1-1/2 hours that the council and staff take to respond to questions from the audience, but at the submitted questions and correspondence. I also receive copies of e-mails that go between city staff and the citizens as it pertains to council agenda items.
The process goes something like this; questions get asked or are submitted to council. Staff does the research and responds to the questions via e-mail. Questions are then submitted via e-mail to staff on the answers provided. Staff does the research and responds via e-mail. Then the new sets of questions are submitted at the next council meeting. And the process starts all over again.
At some meetings I hear comments wondering what our staff do all day? Or why can’t we make further staffing reductions? Or why is city hall closed on Wednesdays? Can we cut their benefits? Can we furlough staff?
It’s not just the public either. Sometimes our council is just as bad. Mayor Delgado and Councilman Frank O’Connell have apparently decided not to meet regularly with the City Manager and staff prior to the council meeting, to go over questions they have on the agenda items. Which is too bad really. I believe this separates them from staff, and the city. And I believe that is why they have so many questions at the council meeting. They are being educated at the dais. And, at what expense one would ask? Since the new Mayor and Frank O’Connell have taken office I can only remember completing two council meetings. Most meetings end at 10:30 and the agenda items, which were not completed, are rolled into the next council meeting. I have seen items rolled over as many as three times before council finally completes the item. The City Council drove Airship Ventures out of Marina by over regulating them. If our city government continues to over tax and over regulate local businesses, then businesses will continue to leave Marina. That includes over regulating signs, or not allowing signs to be put up.
I have been on City Council for 7 years now and on the Rec. Commission for 9 years, and I do not remember hearing anything about items being continued to the next meeting as often and regularly as it is happening now. This is a new management style we have not seen before. I worry about our staff and employees. Being 30% to 35% understaffed puts a larger burden on everyone. Every department is effected and our employees have picked up the extra burden. But I am concerned on how much they can take. With the council meetings not being completed, and city business not completed, what message does that send to staff or, to the public. Council completed a special session on raising revenues for the city. Several ideas were discussed. But no action was taken. It appears that the Mayor and two council members would like to cut staff, cut benefits, cut retirements, and close the Strategic Development Department which handles new construction, before looking at raising the revenues. They also have good ideas such as closing the Marina Fire Department and contracting with Monterey Fire Department to service our area. Ideas like closing the Marina Police Department and contracting with Monterey to service our area.
Well, that was 2009.
What is in store for you in 2010?
These are the subjects we are facing this year.
The Mayor and a majority of Council have determined that residency is not a factor in consideration for commission appointments. It’s OK if a college student or renter who just moved into Marina yesterday, today he or she can be appointed to a commission and govern our community.
The Mayor has an idea to cut public announcements from the agenda in order to give him more time to complete his council meetings. The Mayor and his majority continually tie up staff time with dozens of questions and then accuse staff of not having the time to run the city efficiently.
In 2010, I predict the same number of council meetings being completed. I envision a battle to save our police and fire departments. I also think the council will stall the Cypress Knolls Development in order to slow growth. And I predict that the current city council under Bruce Delgado will continue pulling funds out of the city coffers without actually contributing one cent towards increased revenues. No individual checking account could operate this way, why would the city want to operate this way?

Councilman Dave McCall

www.SaveLocalServices.com



Despite the heavy rains across California

our signature gathering efforts are ahead of schedule!



But we need your help to reach our goals. If every member of the City family gathered just 100 signatures we would easily make our goal of collecting 300,000 signatures through our statewide volunteer efforts. Do you have petitions to turn in? Need materials to get started? Contact me today to make arrangements. We have aggressive weekly goals to meet so don’t wait to turn in your signatures until the last minute.



Thank you to this week’s Signature Star!







Stephany Aguilar

City of Scotts Valley

who turned in 94 signatures!





Help us build a Strong LOCAL Coalition!

Thank you to our newest coalition partners:

United Transportation Union 23 – Santa Cruz

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1225 – Monterey/ Salinas



And statewide over the past couple of weeks the California Police Chiefs Association and the California Fire Chiefs Association both joined the coalition as well.

And one strange opponent. We were very disappointed, however, that the California Professional Firefighters (CPF), whose membership includes a large number of state employees, has opposed the measure for almost inexplicable and irrational reasons. Attached please find our response to their blatantly false claims about the measure. As we indicate in the response, it is difficult to understand their opposition to a measure that protects billions of local funding for public safety. Nonetheless, for largely political reasons, they have.





Resolutions supporting the LOCAL TAXPAYERS, PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION PROTECTION ACT. Thank you to the cities of Salinas, Del Rey Oaks and Santa Cruz, TAMC, Monterey - Salinas Transit and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District who were among the first to pass resolutions. Make sure your city passes a resolution too!





Take Action Now to Protect Local Services Today!



There are a number of ways you can help qualify the Local Taxpayers, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act for the November 2010 ballot and support its passage.

We must give voters the chance to say no to state raids on local government, public safety and transportation funding.







The campaign is looking for “Wave Leaders” who would be willing to disseminate regular and coordinated campaign messages via their Facebook and/or Twitter pages.

Let us know if we can count on you to start the Wave and help spread the word.





ü Follow the campaign on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

ü Publish a Newsletter Article

ü Link to our Website www.SaveLocalServices.com

ü Encourage Others to Join the Coalition and Help Circulate Petitions!



PLEASE DO NOT distribute advocacy information from public (city hall) computers, on city time, or using public resources, even if it’s from your personal email account. If in doubt, check with your city attorney.



Deanna Sessums

Monterey Bay Regional Public Affairs Manager

League of California Cities

P.O. Box 7980

Santa Cruz, CA 95061

(831) 429-6605

(831) 915-8293 cell

dsessums@cacities.org

Working together to restore and protect local control for cities through education and advocacy to enhance the quality of life for all Californians.