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Paul Gilman
By PAUL GILMAN
Paul Gilman is president of the Peace Officers Association of Petaluma
For the fourth year in a row, the city of Petaluma finds itself without enough revenue to maintain services. In the past three years, the Police Department has shaved millions of dollars from its budget and cut 16 positions, including 10 police officers. We no longer have police officers at our local schools, we are working with rapidly deteriorating equipment that is beyond its useful life, and we have all but eliminated overtime costs by working short whenever an officer is out sick or otherwise absent from work.
When presented with the prospect of cutting another $4 million from the city budget Mayor David Glass stated, “Now it’s up to the bargaining units on how they want to see this play out.” After many years of being forced to watch as local politics degrade our ability to keep this community safe, we would like to take the mayor up on that offer. Having been given the responsibility for fixing this mess, here are our immediate suggestions:
– Do not raise taxes. We live and work here and believe the city should be able to provide services with the money it already receives.
– Immediately lower the building-impact fees to a level comparable to nearby cities. This will allow the city to compete for new businesses, small and large.
– Immediately rescind the public art fee charged to new businesses (as Rohnert Park did in January). Forcing a new business to pay tens of thousands of dollars for art at a time when we are laying off police officers and allowing our streets to decay into wagon trails is irresponsible.
– Streamline the process for business and building applications with the city. Make it easier for people to create businesses and new jobs.
– Immediately redesign the city website to facilitate permits and business licensing online.
– Assign city planners directly to new projects. Task them with actually helping new businesses get through the process quickly.
– Task the Planning Commission with doing its job. Immediately dismiss any commissioner who makes a statement similar to, “Let’s look to put this somewhere else,” or “This project is just asphalt to me …”
– Do not spend another dollar on a study. At a thousand dollars a page, we believe the $140,000 spent on the recent economic development study could have been better spent streamlining how new and existing businesses interact with the city.
We truly believe that Petaluma has managed itself into this mess and can manage itself out of this mess. It is very popular to bash city workers right now, but the truth of the matter is police officers did not create this mess. Our police officers are paid substantially less than those of nearby cities. Our police officers pay 9 percent of our salary toward our retirement. We do not have paid medical in retirement, we have taken salary concessions to help the city, and we haven’t had a raise of any kind since December of 2007.
Most importantly, we are not complaining. There is a lot of misinformation out there about salaries, pensions and benefits. I can’t express enough that the information is largely inaccurate, but it could not be easily explained in detail here. We want a healthy city. We care a great deal about this city. A cut, cut, cut strategy will not fix the larger problem. As a municipality, with options, we cannot continually be turning away revenue while cutting services. It is not a sustainable approach to creating a healthy city.
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Be careful what you ask for. For over a decade, I lived in a community that employed cops on the lower end of the pay spectrum.
With precious few exceptions, they were an unimpressive lot. People who simply couldn’t compete for law enforcement jobs elsewhere. In all fairness, there were some good people as well, but many of those hung around just long enough to find a better paying job.
We saw things happen within that community that would make your hair stand on end. Allegations of theft of property by law enforcement were too common to be ignored. Officers engaged in off duty drunken behavior, bullying, sexual assaults, and drunk driving. Discipline was rare. We saw an entire Sheriff’s substation engage in wife swapping and male domination so twisted it ended in the suicide of two deputies. (That station commander remains employed by the Sheriff’s Office to this day).
Obviously, a fair, equitable, competitive, and sustainable compensation package is needed. Just don’t forget that you get what you pay for.
Go to the State Control website for Petaluma Salary/Benefit:
http://lgcr.sco.ca.gov/CompensationDetail.aspx?entity=City&id=11984965000
The average police officer in Petaluma base salary is $79,872, but the actual salary with OVERTIME is $98,118, almost 20% higher. This does not include benefits like health insurance, holidays, vacation, sick leave, etc.
I find it hard to believe Officer Gilman that they have “we have all but eliminated overtime costs…” and “There is a lot of misinformation out there about salaries, pensions and benefits. I can’t express enough that the information is largely inaccurate, but it could not be easily explained in detail here.”
These pensions are a fairy tale become a nightmare with the extent of there unfunded nature. What is going to happen to the next generation of cops and fireman when their pension fund runs dry or they lose their jobs to fund the retirements of retiring boomers.
This is not bashing our public servants expecially those that risk their lives every day for Petaluma. The challenge ahead is how to create a sustainable system without major layoffs and cuts in services. Encouraging business is fine but the reality is 3% at 50 is totally unfunded and public safety have to reform or insolvency for Petaluma will do it for us.
I see it all comes down to the benjamins. He makes more than me, cut his pay. He has a new car, cut his pay. No comrad should have more than any other comrad good citizens. Unhappiness begins with comparison comrads. If I took a job for good money and 2 years later a group of jealous cop haters say I must give up my home and my property, I would tell them No Thank you…. I pay taxes and am fine with their wages. It is the going rate. If you pay taxes and want to cut or eliminate someone elses wages or benefits, who is on a power trip now. Everything started with going after pension reform. There’s your inch… Now some of you have the discussion started and want everything… Liberals are an interesting breed…. Datsvadanya…
No knocking the cops, but come on 100k a year. This is not a mandatory job, it is a position they chose because it is “fun” and “eliciting” – any cop that tells you differently is lying. That is why they took the job- it is also a job of POWER.
So don’t fool yourself and somehow justify that 100k a year to drive around in a comfortable car is not a tad over-paid. Even a taxi driver (driving same cars) face danger – could be robbed.
Pay the cops a decent salary (35-50k a year) and give them fair benefits (50% of health contribution) and a standard blue class retirement – and then we are talking.
This article demonstrates that the cops want to cut everything BUT their pay and get a raise to buy that new 4×4 or Boat- if you don’t believe me, go by Petaluma Police and look in the employee parking lot. Try to find a car that is not over a year old with shiny new rims.
I rest my case
Oh yes, if anyone really makes a lot more than those cops, they know that isn’t that much because they understand the responsibility and how far that money goes, or doesn’t go.
So the observer doesn’t like cops, doesn’t make much money or both. I am not a cop. I make a lot more that most cops or their sgts. In the bay area, they make the going wage. Most in Sonoma County, make less a little less than average.
I don’t begrudge them their pay in the most expensive area in the country with the highest taxes and the highest welfare and the highest energy costs. Wages are historically higher in all positions in CA. Even my 16 year old son gets $20 an hour pulling weeds, mowing and hauling it away.
I don’t think anyone in any position needs to consider a 50% pay reduction. To suggest it is bit spiteful… If you don’t like cops, don’t speed or get too drunk and you probably won’t have meet them too often.
First of all, the article was poorly written and could have been quite a bit shorter. Too much emotion.
Second of all, Mr. Gilman, your article mentions nothing about the fact that police and fire should be taking cuts, vs asking for more money.
The fact is cops and firefighters make far too much money- in most agencies they make over $100,000.00/k a year without a college education.
Yes they put themselves on the line, but so do Cal Trans workers on the side of highways, or PG&E Pole Climbers working with live high voltage lines and about a million other “high risk” occupations.
Moreover, we have troops in Iraq and Afganny who are are in active shooting situations – who are actually being shot at on a daily basis making 1000-2000/month. Yet, these local cops drive around in air conditioned cars, or sit behind detective desks, in a comfort, and get to go home at night with their families and loved ones and make 10x as much PER MONTH as a soldier in combat.
When was the last time a Petaluma Police Officer was shot at? I can’t remember a case in over 100 years.
Firemen, you are not exempt either, how many real structure fires do you actually respond to a year? Maybe a few? Most are out before you arrive or are simple single level house fires… so the danger at PFD is lower than a leaf blower job at the local shopping center. Most of your time is spent either sleeping at the fire house (getting paid 24 hour shifts) or washing fire trucks.
There are plenty of places that have VOLUNTEER fire departments that work just fine.
So save this “we put our lives on the line” garbage for someone else.
The fact is if you cut the cop and fire wages in half, you will save millions of dollars each year.
Don’t worry about filling the positions. This argument has been used for years- it is baseless. If you cut the pay, even if the dead wood leaves PPD, there will be plenty of new recruits to fill these positions. Getting cops is never a problem- they even fill every open position in Lake County- which pays NOTHING.
So Mr. Gilman rather than asking the questions, like most cops do, how about you get out of the police car and ANSWER some of MY questions.
…. still waiting…. still waiting….
exactly what I thought- he took the “5th” as cops always do when they are caught with their pants down.
Redevelopment sucks up so much of the property tax that public safety is almost the only thing they have any money left for. Cities like Petaluma that have declared much of their city blighted are feeling the economic downturn the most. Vallejo went bankrupt because of redevelopment. In redevelopment areas, nearly all new property taxes go into the redevelopment coffers instead of into the city’s and county’s general funds. These projects divert property taxes for 40 years or more.
So don’t blame the police and firefighters for any shortfalls in the general funds. Our politicians who decided to create all these redevelopment areas are to blame. They knew they were creating structural deficits but thought they could just raise taxes by various means to make up for it. We need public safety workers more than we need fancy downtowns that have to be paid off with property taxes for decades. Close out redevelopment and we can crawl back out of that hole the politicians have dug for us.
Hey fed up….You mean to tell me you would take one of these lower level incomers that probably doesn’t have much of a sense in common sense or an education, come to you’re house and make a decision if you or a family member is going to go to jail tonight. Come on..you have got to be kidding me. Not to mention the fact that the police officer’s job is at risk everyday. All it takes is a bad decision or a honest to goodness mistake and that officer could be without a job, prosecuted for a crime and sued. Pretty hard to get sued when you’re flipping burgers. You are so off base. The level of police officer wage and retirement is important so the city can retain good employees and atract future employees. All I can say is be careful what you wish for…change is on the way and you will not be happy with the service you are going to get (If you’re even a citizen of Petaluma).
Public safety for Petaluma is going to suck for a long time…Get you’re lawyers on retainers and watch what happens to this crumbling city.
Wait I know….lets make Petaluma the marijuana capitol of California. Petaluma can make millions on marijuana and for the first time in its history be fiscally sound…ha
*)
I never thought I’d see the day when the folks that put their lives on the line for the rest of us get treated like second-class citizens. Very sad.
I guess it goes to show just how far down the scale we have gone with this anti-government rhetoric.
Folks, Officer Gilman and his fellow officers as well as all the firefighters and paramedics provide the most basic function of our society — protecting us.
I find it amusing that those who bemoan and criticize the pay and pensions of these public servants have ever spent a day “on the beat.”
In my opinion, cops and firefighters can’t get paid too much for all they do for us. There’s a reason for 3% at 50.
Try walking in their shoes for a few months and you’ll understand.
Well said Gilman.
Your turn City Manager and Council. Are you going to address any of these suggestions?
@ David Oliver
The “squeeze” is part of the California political process. The public employees unions put the “squeeze” on the politicians and elected officials. The public officials give in to the public unions lest the unions come after them.
It’s called the “My Way or The Highway” approach. It’s quite powerful and successful.
This poorly written article offers nothing new. Where is there any proof that regulations are keeping business out of Petaluma? And if Rohnert Park is supposed the be the perfect example of how to bring business, then how come they are in worse straits than Petaluma (and their town looks like a strip mall as well!)
The poster who states that is is a nationwide phenomenon (hello, remember the economic collapse?) and that the reason there is no business is because the banks are sitting on all the money we bailed them out with (when they are not giving themselves bonuses)is dead on. All the rest of this two bit empty rhetoric on behalf of the business owners is a waste of space as well as a little unseemly for a police officer. Mr Gilman should make up his mind whether he wishes to be a public servant or a public shill for developers and the Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Gilman would get my vote. This is a thoughtful, constructive list that Mr. Gilman has set forth. Of course, his opinions make entirely too much sense to get any traction. Alas, at least Mayor Glass got just what he asked for as to seeing how “this will play out”. I guess Mayor Glass has had his challenge returned—now what?
This guest commentary sounds like the broken record from the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce that has done little to nothing to help make Petaluma appealing for businesses to locate here, and continues to play the same old tune.
The fact that public safety salaries and pensions comprise such a huge part of the City’s General Fund budget can no longer be denied or overlooked.
The building and development recommendations in the guest commentary are something from back in the 1960s.
The police union best wake up. If you want to keep smelling your coffee in the morning, you need to make more concessions or face large layoffs of City staff, which the City Council has worked diligently with City Management to avoid – up to this point.
With this kind of thinking and in-bed with the development and building community – clearly – who probably helped write this commentary, this demonstrates no useful solutions.
After this type of commentary, I support City Management and elected officials in laying off and doing whatever is needed. Hire people for public safety who have more of a modern mentality and will work together with the City to make it a great place to live.
VERY well-written article. If Gilman wasn’t a cop, I’d swear he was a business person.
The fact is that they were doing things in Petaluma in the mid-90s that they aren’t doing now. The Planning Department, the Building Department, the Finance Department, City Engineering, etc were not ‘streamlined’ for mock, revenue-generating efficiency. They were entities which worked independently and collectively to assure that their goals and standards were met. You knew who worked on your project. You met with Pam at Planning, walked it over to the City Manager’s office, talked with Craig in Engineering, brought it back to Pam (or Jane), talked to George (RIP) in Building, and LEARNED THE STEPS TO MAKE SURE THEY ALL WORKED TOGETHER. It poised the city to take full advantage of the soon-to-come business explosion which we all enjoyed at the turn of the century.
Now we have no idea who we’re going to deal with, the fees are exorbitant and cost-prohibitive, the studies are daunting and unnecessary, and the two or three crackpot business owners who pretend they are protecting Petaluma’s small town character by rallying against competing retail businesses (I’m looking at you, Wayne) form vocal and politically charged alliances to combat the Chamber of Commerce and general business development.
After a while, the reputation for being a business-adverse community spreads. All one has to do is go to Rohnert Park to have the red carpet rolled out, meet with the right people, and get the job done.
While there are some good points here, and it may improve the budget situation 10 to 20 years down the road, there is very little here that will help the immediate issues. If the city followed this plan how much extra development fees and sales tax would really come in? In any year the amount that is built is very minimal compared to what has been built in all the preceding years. As has been noted there is very little building going on anywhere, and there is excess retail space in Petaluma now. Building more retail space isn’t going to bring in much more sales tax.
Sorry in the immediate term the only choice is pay cuts or tax hikes, and I’m not sure tax hikes are a real possibility.
The information I’ve garnered says the median pay for Police in the US is around $50,000, about the same as the median Household income in the US. So Police across the country seem well compensated compared to the average household.
http://www.davemanuel.com/median-household-income.php
http://www1.salary.com/Police-Officer-salary.html
The median household income in Petaluma is around $62,000 while the median pay for Police in Petaluma appears to be right around $95,000.
Yeah, things are just a wee bit out of whack around here it would seem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaluma,_California
http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/sonoma-county-salaries/?appSession=701211718102854&RecordID=&PageID=2&PrevPageID=1&cpipage=2&CPISortType=&CPIorderBy=
Excellent article Officer Gilman! I will be bringing your points to the next Cloverdale City Council meeting. I am also glad that the pessimism expressed by Mr. David Oliver & “fed up” is the exception rather than the rule. The vocal cynics comprising the outliers on both sides of this argumentative bell curve have controlled the political discourse for far too long. It’s time to allow reason and intelligence to take a crack at our problems. Congratulations to Officer Gilman for having the courage to provide us with good dose of both.
I must confess that I wrongly thought that the unions and their employees really did not understand how or who revenue comes from.
Boy was I wrong! This is the best written plan yet. The Mayor, and the council members should be fired and let the PD run things for a while.
Outstanding!
Excellent thought provoking solutions to a major part of the problem with city hall processes. Not just for Petaluma, but for virtually all City Governments. Taken seriously, these recommendations could make Petaluma the fiscally responsible poster child for the rest.
Well written Officer Gilman, but the script has already been written and can only be changed when the economy turns around. Public Employees are bad and everyone else is good. In these articles I always read how Public Employees “squeese” their employers but never an example of how. I know in S.R. they have binding arbitration so a third party settles the dispute. Where’s the squeeze? In other cities that don’t have it they come to an agreement. When Police and Fire Fighter Unions sit across the table and negotiate they lack one thing other city and county employees have as a bargaining chip, the ability to strike. It is illegal for them to do so. So they never truly negotiate, they get what the city/ county is willing to give or they can legally have a contract imposed on them. That’s right all you public employees squeeze there employees people. When the city and it’s employees come to empasse, The city/ county can legally impose a contract on them. Again where’s the “squeeze” ? There is none but you have been told Public Employees are the enemy you read it in the paper, you hear it in the news you hear bits and pieces of a conversation and now you are a labor expert.
So Mr. Gilman you will change no minds and people will think you are the problem. That is until the media tells them otherwise.
Good luck and nice try, but people who are uninformed always yell the loudest.
Petaluma can learn a lesson from the city that outsourced everything:
http://reason.com/blog/2011/04/12/reasontv-sandy-springs-georgia
Why is it that the Petaluma police officers have offered up ideas and we have hear nothing coming from the Mayor and city council except more of the same? Is it because the Mayor and Council are empty vessels?
It sounds like police officers have offered some ideas that need followup.
Yeah if you don’t want to raise taxes then cut your benefits. Pensions to 401 Ks now. Plus cops are over rated.
There is nothing but hot air in Officer Gilman’s writing.
It is the same, tired refrain. There is nothing new here. I think we can all agree with these, thought I would argue about the 1% for art fee.
The problem is simple. The economy is taking a huge hit. That’s it. Sure this work can be done but it is also time for the unions to look at their part of the overall scheme.
It sounds nice. But if all of these went into effect on Thursday, it would still be years before you saw any benefit and then it would only come as the economy picks up.
Obviously there are some posters who want to take your money away officers. Personally I would fight for more and more until you take it all. There is no 2nd place. If you lose, they will stomp you and take everything they can. The won’t compromis, they don’t want to negotiate, they want to take everything from you. Fight them hard and take more. Just like a business war. The can only be one winner. You better hope it is you and your officers. i will be rooting for you.
As a life-long Petaluman that appreciates our police department, I am glad Mr. Gilman had the courage to write this. I am so tired of watching petty politics and bad management tear this city apart. Bravo for your comments however I think it will fall upon the deaf ears of our City Manager and Mayor.
For years we have seen public employee unions, including police and fire, squeeze more and more out of the taxpayer. It seems the pay and benefits were never quite satisfactory. More was always needed. And they seemed shameless in their voracious quest.
For years small business owners have been subjected to more and more fees and taxes. Obviously Mr. Gilman recognizes that there is a point at which businesses can no longer stay viable. Viable businesses bring in a lot of money to the government coffers. So his suggestions are worthy, and appreciated by this business owner. But, it’s too late for many businesses that have already gone belly up or left the area.
So, while these are good suggestions and hopefully will be acted upon, that doesn’t change the fact that the public employee unions have gone too far, the current wages and benefits are unsustainable, and roll backs are unavoidable if our communities are going to survive.
I agree with all this and you are brilliant- please do not retire.
Three cheers for the Petaluma POA injecting more common sense into the discussion.
Making easier to do business in Petaluma???? Eliminate or reduce BS fees and streamline the permitting process???? Novel concepts that the council, planning commission and city staff would do very well to heed.
Dear Mr. Gilman. In case you haven’t noticed, out whole country is in an economic turmoil. Petaluma is not unique with its money problems. So please tell me, with all of our vacant storefronts, office buildings, commercial structures and houses, why would building more of what we don’t need solve anything? Answer me that. Your statement is nothing but the same rhetoric touting the build build build mentality that helped get us in this mess in the first place.
Now, if you want to help Petaluma solve its financial problems, why don’t you talk about the exorbitant contracts that the police and fire departments have that require unrealistic and excessive staffing levels. And while you’re at it, how about talking about how many firemen and police officers make two to four times the annual income of the average Petaluma resident. Easing that insane burden will actually help the city.
Bravo, well written, concise and full of common sense.
Let us hope it does not fall on deaf ears…
Gilman if the police union would give back some of those lucrative benefits the city would not be in such a bind. You pay 9% a year in retirement. How much does the city contribute. And at 3 % at 50 you collect 75% of that salary after 25 years. Pretty lucrative and who pays? Us. So stop whining and start cutting those benefits. Gilman you are part of the problem.