Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006 | In a previous letter, I asked that the city and the unions get back to the bargaining table. The current situation is creating ill will and an atmosphere of distrust to all parties involved: the taxpayers, the elected officials and the employees. I have seen letters showing how little current retirees are getting, those facts seem to be pre-1996 and Manager’s Proposal 1, then we compounded the problem with Manager’s Proposal 2. It is not the current retirees who are causing the shortage, but the future retirees. I seem to remember an assistant city manager whom retired a short while ago with close to a million dollar lump sum and a retirement of well over $100,000 a year. Were those facts reported wrong? I don’t think so. How many taxpayers received those kinds of retirements? After the city spent $80,000,000 fixing up the Q, they signed a new agreement with the Chargers, it caused a lot of angst, it included the “ticket guarantee,” for years taxpayers called for a renegotiation. The Chargers only responded with “a deal is a deal” reply. To me that is where we are with the unions today. Well, the Chargers want a new home now, but the taxpayers are not ready to give them anything in San Diego city. I predict the next contract negotiations will be met with the same attitude by the taxpayers. If the city and the unions can renegotiate a reasonable pay and retirement package then we would all be better off, if we can’t, then there will be a “Taxpayer Revolution” similar to Prop 13.

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