When paramount posted his CalWatchdog video to begin this thread, I have to admit I was not paying attention to Prop B or the 2012 SD mayoral campaigns when they were going on as I don’t live in SD and don’t watch TV. Originally, I wanted to know the outcome of the litigation leading up to and following the “successful” placement of Prop B on the SD ballot. When I actually looked into the timeline as to how this thing actually found its way to the ballot, I was incredulous but when I then looked into the 2012 mayoral campaigns (after the primary) of both Bob Filner and Carl DeMaio, I was even MORE incredulous to learn that DeMaio actually received over 48% of the vote!
DeMaio could very well have actually been voted in as SD’s mayor, which would have been disastrous for the City, IMO. He is/was delusional with a capital “D.” I have to wonder where his legal counsel was during his campaign or if he even had any!
Not only was DeMaio in the pocket of Doug Manchester, one of the biggest commercial developers SD has ever seen and the biggest contributor to his mayoral campaign, he ran on the platform of “pension reform” and “pay freezes for all City workers,” neither of which he could actually deliver on in any way, shape or form.
In a news video with he and running-mate Bob Filner, linked below, taken during his campaign, DeMaio made the “prophetic” statement:
“The ballot measure has to comply with state labor law.”
Duh! . . . . B-but … it didn’t.
“(If I become mayor), I will require the maximum legal allowable pension contribution from City employees.” When Filner chimed in (by telephone), that “we already do that,” DeMaio just kept babbling on about “pension spiking.”
Filner then brought up the fact that City workers hadn’t been putting anything towards Social Security for decades (and so would have to rely on solely on their pensions).
The commentator than asked Filner if he thought voters knew what this ballot measure meant? He stated, “No, because Mr. DeMaio and (other) supporters of the referendum aren’t telling the truth.” He then gave examples of “pension spiking” (which occurred primarily in the City mgmt ranks) and clarified that (Joe Q rank-and-file worker) doesn’t have this opportunity and has an average pension of $27K annually. He further stated if he became mayor he would immediately cap all pensions at $100K.
By the time DeMaio stated, “Now, as we move forward, we’ve figured out how to actually reform pensions (and) move to 401K’s,” it became clear to me that DeMaio had absolutely NO IDEA what he was talking about. He was STILL delusional after everything was repeatedly pointed out to him by the commentator and Filner.
The commentator then asks Filner to have the last (brief) word where he states that the proposed prop will do nothing for city finances and does not even affect current workers, only (yet unhired) new hires and is a fraud.
Folks, this is precisely how the sheeple (in this case, SD voters) got led down that particular garden path. They listened to “credible-sounding” DeMaio, who talked out his a$$ but obviously never gave any consideration as to if the “implementation part” of his lofty agenda was actually “doable.”
The same can be said of some Piggs on this forum. The same handful of posters continually form new threads on the same tired topic (public pensions, for example) and throw in a link or two of a piece from the MSM (from somewhere . . . anywhere) done by ill-informed “reporters” who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. It’s done specifically to incite joe6p and Piggs to the trough and give them a platform to moan collectively and endlessly about how unfair life has been for them. Nothing constructive ever gets discussed because no one has been willing to state that they will step up to the plate in attempt to get to the root of the issue . . . that is … in CA, to work on reforming the current laws or induce their representatives to do so.
It’s really neither CAR’s nor my responsibility to continually “police” these threads and attempt to explain and re-explain why things are as they are wtr past or present collective bargaining agreements in place for state and local government workers. I do on occasion because I find it disheartening to read the repeated ignorance of the general public on this topic who in turn gets all their info from the ignorant MSM who is only telling half (or less) of the story.
The VOSD covered DeMaio extensively before, during and after his mayoral campaign. I haven’t read all of their articles but the ones I did read seemed to be fair and accurate depictions of his campaign and of him as a person, IMHO.
Why don’t some disenchanted SD resident-Piggs here complain in writing to their councilperson that if City has (presumably qualified) legislative analysts on staff and attorneys versed in same who could waste copious amounts of City time and resources to author the ill-fated “Prop B,” why don’t they deploy them to more productive tasks? Why are all these gubment “professionals” wasting your tax dollars putting together long, drawn-out go-nowhere propositions, all the while KNOWING they won’t go anywhere? Why not have their legislative staff work with your representatives in attempt to reform some of the labor law on CA’s books as it applies to municipal collective bargaining?
THAT is the only solution to the problem. This is not even my opinion. It is a fact.
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I think that, in the end, SD voters came to their senses and went with 26+ year “career politician” Filner. At least we can all agree that, unlike DeMaio, he actually DOES understand the “lay of the land” as he’s had PLENTY of practice. In the City of SD, there’s something to be said for not throwing more good money after bad … especially now. Filner is SD’s first Democratic Mayor in 30 years. That’s HUGE and speaks volumes about the electorate, even if it IS a “nonpartisan” office!
And no, I’m not currently a registered Democrat.
Inasmuch as I thought inappropriate a couple of stances Filner took on private citizens’ issues during his 20-year representation of SD South County residents of the 50th and, later, the 51st Congressional District, he was an INFINITELY better candidate for SD mayor than DeMaio.
The same is true of Gov. Brown. He WELL KNOWS the “lay of the land” and actually helped form state legislation back in the day. There was no one more qualified than him to be governor of CA during his campaign.
Sometimes, the election of “charismatic idiots” (ex: Carl DeMaio) can prove to be extremely dangerous to the wellbeing of their constituencies, ESPECIALLY if they sound “semi-credible” to the masses who are told they need CHANGE for change’s sake and they are just the person who can make it all happen! Again, I think SD voters figured it all out in the end.
