Part #2- Hope and Faith in Leadership In Pinole Council Possible!

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

Item 6.B. is likely a contentious issue for many represented Pinole employees who feel they are in a similar situation as the Fire employees which I used as an example for comparison. Just glancing over other departments, it appears that there are Police officers and Public Works employees with more than five years service who have found themselves in a similar situation. Transparency in City government has eroded as well, the City no longer makes public the employment agreements of most unrepresented management employees which makes it difficult for the public to access this information on the use of tax payer money. At least the City Manager contract is readily available on the website. I would like to point out a couple of additional things here.

First, the 5% Wage increase that the fire positions acquired over the ten year period, half of that or 2.5% was not part of labor negotiations, it was the result of a PERB lawsuit brought against the City for Unfair Labor Practices. So half of the comparatively miniscule five percent increase over the ten year period was "hard fought", the firefighters had to sue the City to get it!

Second, it appears that only AFSCME represented employees did get their COLA increases back effective July 1, 2015. Here's the MOU language:

"The City and AFSCME 512 agreed to the following:

Article VI: Cost of Living and Market Adjustment: Section 6.1 -
• A COLA of 2.5% of an employee’s base salary retroactive to July 1, 2015
following ratification of the MOU. (if ratified by Union no later than August 7,2015)
• A 3% COLA on the full payperiod following July 1, 2016

• A 3% COLA on the full payperiod following July 1, 2017"

Why did AFSCME get their COLA increases back?

There is a reason why AFSCME successfully got their COLA increases back and that reason is reflected in the following language excerpts from the current Assistant City Manager employment agreement and the current City Manager employment agreement.

"c. De La Rosa shall also receive cost of living salary increases equal
to that provided to the AFSCME bargaining unit."

"b. Fitzer shall receive cost of living salary increases equal to that provided to the AFSCME bargaining unit during the term of this agreement."

The City Manager and the Assistant City Manager could not be eligible for COLA increases without giving the same back to AFSCME represented employees. At least AFSCME employees achieved some financial relief from the disparity here. I wonder how many of them are "Top Step", five or more years though. Those "bus tires" probably hurt. For those employees who lost the Cola increases for the entire ten year period at 3% per year, they lost at least 30% in wage increases that they had a "reasonable expectation" of receiving. It's as though this was all planned with Belinda's retirement. But enough about 6.B., for now.

Item 7.A. to resolve acceptance of the November 2018 election results was the last official act of the outgoing council members. Mission accomplished.

Then came the beginning of the Transition with Item 7.B. thru 7.G. of the Agenda. First the outgoing Council members were Praised, awarded and allowed to say goodbye, as Council members, to all. Emotions were understandably obvious and everybody is entitled to their opinion of self pride and I won't criticize them but council member Long seemed defensive and then she delivered a curious Abraham Lincoln quotation.....

And with the ceremonious end to 7.G. an unscheduled recess was called. When the meeting reconvened the outgoing council members were absent from the dais and the council members elect were seated at the dais with Roy and Pete.

Items 8. and 9. had no sub topics scheduled. Time for item 10.

Item 10.A., .....Finally.... The Genesis of change for Pinole.

Pete Murray announced the swearing in of Norma Martinez Rubin by former Pinole City Attorney and Current Superior Court Judge, Ben Reyes. Then Pete Announced the swearing in of Vincent Salimi by Pinole City Clerk Patricia Athenour. Vincent took the Oath while holding his beautiful young daughter. A welcome change of a young family oriented council man. And then, without further announcement, the City Clerk administered the oath to Anthony Tave, also a young family man. All three new Council members are first time office holders and this is where the newfound hope lies.

And a New Council is born! New Hope! New Leadership!

The new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem are sworn.

The new council took their seats at the dais and continued the agenda completing Items 10.B. thru 10.D. with ease, which included selection and swearing in of Peter Murray as Mayor and Roy Swearingen as Mayor Pro Tem. Then after comments by the appointed Mayor the new council members were allowed to comment. The new Council members thanked their opponents, their campaigns and supporters and the voters and the community which they now serve. They promised accountability, interaction and future results. Then there was a recess for a cordial reception for the new council members.

When the council reconvened, they went to work on items 10.E and 10.F completing them in short order including a change to the order of the agenda which moves "Citizens To Be Heard" from Item 6. to Item 5. after Reconvene From Closed Session and before Recognitions and Presentations. This has been a needed change for some time now.

Items 11.A. thru 11.F. went well With some back and forth on a couple of topics but things seemed to work out okay for the first time working together.

There is one point of concern I noticed with Item 11.E. Council Requests For Future Agenda Items. Norma Requested the subject of Valley Fire Station 74 feasibility be placed as a future agenda item. She claims to have campaigned in favor of re-opening the station, really? This is of concern to me as I remember her husbands group, the CCOP carried out a vendetta against our Fire Department and lobbied the council to lay off firefighters and to close station 74 and keep it closed as is evident during numerous past Pinole City Council meetings and in news articles pumped out by Times correspondent and Rubin friend Tom Lochner over the years. Because Norma was also a CCOP member, I remain very skeptical that Norma would support our fire service or the valley station, plus based on her statement it sounds as though in the future she might decide the valley station is unfeasible or unsustainable. When she spoke on this topic it seemed she chose her words very carefully and a desire to re-open station 74 or improve the Fire Department just didn't come off as sincere to me.

I just have to compare Norma's demeanor to her husband's below.

The die is cast and the results will be evident with time. The people have created three new instruments to carry out our business for us. Let us all keep these instruments well oiled and working under our control for the needs, wants and for the good of all in our community.