Part #1- Hope and Faith in Leadership In Pinole Council Possible!

I was in attendance at the December 4, 2018 Pinole Council Meeting which included the Council Reorganization and swearing in of elected positions. Attendance was good and without any Closed Session scheduled, and no Proclamations or presentations the meeting quickly progressed to the "Citizens to be Heard" item 4 on this Agenda, this was a nice change from practice. There were surprisingly few speakers and the main message from almost all of them was of appreciation and a call for unity and cooperation to make Pinole a better and more successful place. Hopeful messages, this was nice as well. A few small items of contention during the speaker session though, Sal Spataro who expressed objection to a previous comparison of the Library funding issue to the Senior Center funding situation. Irma Ruport who brought up poor Council/resident communication. And although Mr. Rubin seemed primarily concerned about raising money for his museum pursuit, he did bring up issues with the city's lack of ability in disseminating information to the Public. He even said that most Pinole residents don't have any idea what's going on in this city, Deja vu, that's exactly what I told the council when I first began speaking to them way back in 2010. Unfortunately the City Council, as well as Mr. Rubin and his group didn't seem to hear me and the community, nor want to hear us, back then either. A sign of change now? We'll see..... https://youtu.be/goT2ULTnezE

December 4, 2018 Pinole Council Meeting.

The Residents knew about this issue in 2010.https://youtu.be/cYjLb-_ut7k

Above is from the July 20, 2010 Pin0le Council Meeting. Then, below, at the July 27, 2010 Fire Service Workshop Meeting. The public emphasized the issue with the Council. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

This is a perfect example of where change is needed! Assistant City Manager De La Rosa and Councilmembers Toms and Long failed to acknowledge the other side of the issue, the justifications given are designed to be misleading to the public, I heard the same spiel from the Administration of the City that I work for.

Council member Toms is correct that most City employees have contracts which allow for specific increases over time, five steps(merit increases), one per year seems to be the standard for Pinole. Annual COLA and competitive Salary Survey Adjustments were additional increases as well until those were suspended for employees due to the economic meltdown. Although dependent on them to keep up with the cost of living, most current City employees have not gotten those additional increases back yet. Most current City employees are "top step" employees with five or more years so they no longer receive merit increases, and some haven't for years, which leaves them with only the minute increases negotiated during contract negotiations with the City through the City Manager and Assistant City Manager. These top step employees also pay larger amounts towards pension and healthcare costs since losing the Merit, COLA and Salary Survey Adjustments despite the small wage increases which don't even cover the increased pension and healthcare costs. The extra costs to some employees have constituted a net pay cut as compared to net pay way back in 2008.

Assistant City Manager De La Rosa claimed "this is not just as a 'top' situation", but I disagree. When a union represented employee position becomes available, the position for hire is advertised with a predetermined starting step wage and final step wage such as a Firefighter salary range $65,545 - $79,670. Represented employees hire in at the low end of the salary range and progress through the salary range one step each year to "top step", unlike Executive Management employees. When City Manager Espinosa left the City's employ, if it wasn't a "top thing" then her years service should constitute "top step", but on 10/01/2015 she received a retroactive to 07/01/2015 Merit increase which increased salary for the City Manager to $179,785 annually. On November 30, 2018 when City Manager Fitzer started her employ with the city, two months after Belinda's increase, Michelle received $9,215 a year more than Ms. Espinosa. Is that the low end of the salary range, or is it another increase above the "Top Step" salary for the City Manager position? Wait a minute, what about step one? When a represented position comes up for fill, the City does not make an increased ending step into a new first step for that position. The City only does this with the TOP POSITIONS, so it is indeed a "top thing" Hector. Irma was right!

Is this a "Top Thing"?......Let me see.....

Hmmmm...…Could be...... Kind'a looks that way.....

Well it's definitely not a "Bottom Thing", hmmm....

That pretty much confirms it. It is a "Top Thing"!

As for Councilmember Long's contention that the City has to pay the City Manager more because "we have to start that separation" in compensation, this was the excuse for my employer to suggest that executive management needed to make a lot more compensation than subordinate employees back during the 2008 recession, I suspect the League of California Cities gave birth to this line of thinking. It's like saying, "We have to pay our highest paid people more so that we can pay the second highest paid people more, for years, before people lower on the food chain get adequate increases." What a 'Crock'! Sounds like Mrs. Ruport was right about the other employees being "thrown under the bus" too! It's somehow fitting that one of the last official acts of the outgoing Council was to pass this resolution. Their disconnect with the "wants of the community" is evident, the community wants change. That begins now! And I have a quote on this subject for Debbie on her way out, as well as the other Councilmembers who voted in favor of item 6.B. “Don't say things. What you do thunders so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

CONTINUED TO PART#2. END OF PART ONE DUE TO PATCH SIZE CONSTRAINTS. SEE PART TWO.