In light of the situation in the city of Bell, the Acorn recently identified the salary of our council members at about $14,000 annually. As it turns out, this is not the total compensation the taxpayers provide to our council members.

In addition to the salary, a council member receives an additional $400 per month car allowance. What most people are not aware of is that council members also receive medical benefits as well as retirement benefits and other forms of benefits.

For them to be compensated with benefits from a part-time public service position that are normally reserved for full-time employment is excessive. A council member’s total compensation reaches about $53,000 per year.

I currently pay $1,400 per month for my medical insurance. I am not running for City Council so the taxpayer can pay my medical insurance and provide me a second retirement for part-time work.

If elected, I will not accept these benefits and will move for their elimination. And under all circumstances, whenever the question is asked about pay, the total compensation package will be reported.

I am running for council because I want to give back, not receive. Every citizen should rest in the fact that they get quality representation for the lowest cost possible; unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening on any level of government today.

The taxpayers of Simi Valley deserve to know exactly how much they are paying their elected officials. After all, they are paying the bills.
Keith Mashburn
Simi Valley

Council Member Glen Becerra indicated in our live discussion on Tuesday night that he didn’t join the City Council for the pay. I believe him. I don’t think any of the candidates I’ve spoken to have ever led me to believe that. Benefits or total compensation aside, I don’t believe the pay can be a motivator. The hours, commitment, exposure to public scrutiny, etc., cannot be easier to swallow by taking home $14K a year, even if the benefits that come with it are juicy. You either have a passion for the community, or you don’t. No one is doing it for the pay.

Regarding transparency of figures, I don’t believe these numbers were as transparent as we’re supposed to believe. It’s on the website now, but it wasn’t before the Bell scandal. Transparent now, yes! Transparent last year, no way. The information was available to anyone who asked, but to the casual website browser, you weren’t going to find the details. If you wanted it, you could get it, but it was not a “transparency of government” situation in the true sense of the phrase.

Regarding the total compensation figure of approximately $53K annually, I’ve argued whether or not the figure is fair. I think the figure is a fair representation of the work we expect from a City Council Member of a city like Simi Valley. Note: I have to claim ignorance regarding the technique of deferring health benefits to later in life — I do not know if that’s a practice that any Council Members engage in. To me, it comes off like a way to cheat the system, but perhaps I need to be better educated on the topic.

Council Members have been criticized for not knowing the $53K figure. There’s a total bottom-line cost for every employee of every company or organization. In most cases, the employee doesn’t have a break down of those figures. Over 10 years ago, I worked for a website development company as a programmer. I was paid $73K per year. I received benefits, a 401K, paid time off, and participated in a stock purchase program. About a year after leaving that company, my former boss shared with me that my actual cost was about $97K annually, including not only my gross pay, but the additional costs for my benefits and 401K matching. I was shocked. I always considered myself someone who made $73K on paper, but took home barely 60% of that. The $97K figure never factored into my thoughts. When I ask others what they think they cost their employer, most people simply rattle off their gross pay like I did.

I bring this up to demonstrate just how complicated it is for me to wrap my head around this topic to determine what’s right or wrong. I applaud Keith Mashburn for considering the taxpayers. But I’ve said it before, I wouldn’t object if he changed his mind on this position. If the obligations and commitment to being a City Council member are what I’ve been led to believe, as a taxpayer it would not bother me knowing they were compensated beyond their $14K salary.

Eric David Halub, former candidate for Simi Valley Mayor, presented a series of thoughts seemingly strung together on the fly. Among those thoughts was the notion that Council Salary/Benefits have been kept secret from the commuity. Council Member Sojka and candidate for Mayor responded during Council comments:

Join me tonight at 7:00pm for a LIVE BROADCAST with Council Members Glen Becerra and Michelle Foster @ VoteSimiValley.com

What a night.  I’m still not sure what I saw. I’ll try my best to recap the evening here.

To cut right to the chase, the City did implement E-Verify as a pilot program to start, intending to run E-Verify checks on City employs with the purpose of evaluating the service for the course of one year. After a period of one year, they will make a judgment on how to expand the program.

Public remarks on E-Verify were strongly in favor of implementing the program. Most people who spoke positively about the program were greeted with applause when they were through speaking. Candidate Bob Huber took the opportunity to recap the city’s response to the E-Verify issue, first mentioning Mayor Miller’s letter calling E-Verify a “flip of the coin,” next referencing his paid ad in the Acorn responding to the letter, and finally pointing out what appeared to be the City’s about face on the topic and its arrival on the Council agenda. Huber masterfully avoided criticism regarding the Ventura County College District’s lack of E-Verify implementation, saying if the College District were to implement it, he would be all for it, but that’s not the issue here. No one pressed the issue.

Steve Sojka led the charge in challenging E-Verify during council discussions. He questioned whether or not the proposed ordinance would be truly free if a system for audit would be implemented to ensure it’s proper usage. Sojka and other’s continued to press hard to determine whether or not liability issues existed in the event of false positives, and the systems accuracy was challenged. Council Member Michelle Foster seemed truly concerned that an implementation of E-Verify without further consideration might indicate the Council is caving to political pressure. Ultimately, however, the program was approved for implementation in a limited fashion as indicated in the first paragraph.

UPDATE: Foster was supportive of implementing E-Verify for City Hall, but was concerned about implementing it for city Contracts.  Her preference was to vote on its implementation for City Hall separately from its implementation for city contracts.

Public remarks were particularly explosive. One gentleman opted to point out that the City has an illegal immigrant problem, referencing “illegals” that loiter behind the Wells Fargo bank branch on L.A. Avenue. When Council Member Becerra asked the man how he knew they were illegal aliens, the man mentioned they stood around, didn’t speak English and rode their bikes, among other things. Becerra made a suggestion that the man might be racial profiling, resulting in dramatic shouting and the man’s loud refusal to “answer racist questions.” This clearly indicated the emotions behind illegal immigration and certainly the controversial positions some have on the topic.

Particularly noteworthy were the public remarks from former Mayoral Candidate Eric David Halub. I’m sure I’ll take a considerable amount of criticism for saying this, but the gentleman made little sense. He seemed to be annoyed, but his inability to connect the dots in his presentations left me wondering if he felt the Council Members were overpaid or were untouchable gods. At one point, he referred to our President as President Obama Hussein. Cute. I found myself glad that my wife and kids weren’t there, and I took comfort in the fact that I was sitting close to the Chief of Police. I might start bringing pepper spray to the Council meetings.

Additional public remarks varied, some even questioning the pay and benefits of sitting Council Members. Sojka took the opportunity to respond on that topic during Council comments, indicating the Council has always been transparent. Members of the audience questioned this openly among one another. While I’ve known about Council salary and benefits since the Simi Valley POA published the details in a paid ad in the Acorn, most have only recently taken notice after the City posted the details on the City website weeks ago.

The fireworks drowned out the excitement behind the Military Banner program which was approved. The Council also discussed the Waste Management landfill expansion, hearing commentary from the public, including Louis Pandolfi, the most outspoken member of the community against the landfill.  The Council agreed to start communicating with the County Board of Supervisors to represent Simi Valley’s interests on the topic.

A weak recap considering the night was full of excitement. I’ll have more later this week, including video.

Don’t forget to join me tonight for my live streaming chat with Council Members Michelle Foster and Glen Becerra! We go live at VoteSimiValley.com at 7:00pm!

If you listened to our last live streaming chat then you already have a good feel for how the challenging Candidates feel about some of Simi Valley’s most high profile issues. This time, hear from Council Members Foster and Becerra on the same topics and possibly more (as time permits).

City Council Candidate Chat

“The Incumbents”

Tuesday, August 31 @ 7:00pm

All you need to listen-in on this discussion is your web browser, equipped with Flash (which most browsers support already). If you miss any portion of the live broadcast, it will be available here on the website for replay or you can subscribe to the Podcast feed in the Apple iTunes Store for playback on your favorite music player.

In sharp contrast, the incumbents, Councilwoman Michelle Foster and Councilman Glen Becerra each responded to the invitation to an online live discussion in the affirmative, literally hours upon receiving it, answering “I’d love to participate,” and “Count me in!” respectively. If you take a look at some of the remarks made by the challengers and directed at either the incumbents or the entire sitting council, you might think Becerra and Foster might hesitate about putting themselves out there. In some of the comments made by challengers, Becerra and Foster are taking shots square on the chin. Nevertheless, they eagerly agreed to address city issues for interested voters.

Candidate Mitch Green, an outspoken candidate from the very beginning, isn’t so quiet and agreed to participate. When challenged online by an anoymous poster, Mitch Green fired back and stood his ground, a move most people wouldn’t be expected to do in response to an anonymous post. Currently, my live “Challenger Chat” will have only Mr. Green as a participant, but something tells me it will be an engaging chat and I won’t have to be worried about uncomfortable silences.

I’ll put it out there one more time before I coordinate with Mitch Green exclusively for a live, real-time streamed discussion on the internet. If you’re a challenging Candidate for Simi Valley City Council, contact me to get in on the live discussion. We’ll cover the issues that mean the most to you and to Simi Valley. We’ll coordinate a date and set a time in the evening after work and before primetime television to ensure a captive audience.

Pension reform is a term voters will hear much about in the months ahead. Government agencies in California, from the State on down to the cities and special districts, are acutely aware of rising retirement program costs.

Gov, Schwarzenegger this month hosted a pension reform roundtable in Sacramento – and Simi Valley City Councilman Glen Becerra was invited and participated, at the suggestion of the League of California Cities. See the Ventura County Star article.

Glen’s invitation to serve the roundtable was good news for Simi Valley, and excellent timing by the Governor. The City of Simi Valley this month ratified a new contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that includes precisely the type of pension reform movement the roundtable aims for.

Participation by Glen Becerra and the City of Simi Valley in the statewide debate allows Simi Valley officials to share their concern and the real impact of rising pension costs on the level of services cities can provide to their residents.

As Glen stated in the Star article, it is noteworthy that Simi Valley’s retirement contributions a decade ago totaled $1.8 million, representing about 4 percent of the entire City’s budget. Today that same cost sits at $8 million, or 15 percent of the City budget – with projections that it will hit 20 percent in the next five years.

“It will impact the quality of life for our residents,” Glen Becerra told the Star.

He added that the City’s SEIU bargaining unit was a cooperative partner in negotiating the new contract. It is important for employee groups and government agencies to work together to address the challenges, with the ultimate goal of making the government agencies more healthy financially to ensure their long-term success.

For further information see http://tinyurl.com/City-SEIU-deal.

There was something very intoxicating about the environment. Aside from the breathtaking view on the beautiful property, it was really moving to be among so many Glen Becerra supporters.  I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I can tell you that every single person there was really excited about seeing Glen Becerra reclaim his seat for another four years.

People from all walks of life support Glen Becerra.  I saw Cameron Smyth, State Assemblyman, as well as Jeff Gorell who is the favorite for State Assembly (replacing Audra Strickland).  I saw many familiar Simi Valley business owners from my past life as a networking member of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.  I saw friends, neighbors and even Glen Becerra’s brother.  I even saw a gentleman named Bob Daggs who owned a large, successful manufacturing company where I used to work years ago. It was at that company where I transitioned from an accounting clerk to a Marketing Specialist, learning my way through website development, ultimately launching the career I have today.

Glen Becerra has a very strong following in Simi Valley. I had a lot of good things to say about him last summer when he published an ad in the LA Daily News in an effort to make the best of an opportunity.  This evening, I heard a lot of other people having a lot of good things to say about him as well.

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

Glen Becerra has his first major event this Saturday, May 22nd.  The announcement is as follows:

The Becerra for City Council 2010 Campaign’s first major fund-raiser is this Saturday, May 22, 2010, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the amazing home of Ed and Madeleine Landry. This is the estate nestled in the Simi Hills visible as you enter Simi Valley from the east.

Not many locals have had an opportunity to see Simi Valley from this vantage point, so for that reason and many others, this is not an event to miss!

Individual tickets are still available, for $100, or $150 per couple and you can pay at the door, just shoot us an email to let us know your coming. Details are online by clicking here.

Steve Sojka’s campaign also has something planned in approximately two weeks:

Please hold the date and join Mayor Paul Miller as he hosts many other community leaders for a sunset cocktail reception in support of Steve Sojka for Mayor, set for Thursday, June 3, 6:30 p.m. at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, 2940 Kuehner Drive. Please RSVP by May 31 by calling (805) 660-7695. California casual attire. For more information about the campaign, please visit the Sojka for Mayor website.

I’d like to attend both events, but I’m pretty sure Glen Becerra’s event won’t be possible for me.  I’ve heard the view from that home is amazing, so I’m sorry I’ll be missing it.

If anyone has any details on campaign events from other candidates, please let me know and I’ll post them here!

In response to the increase in sales tax to LA County residents who are paying nearly 10 cents on the dollar for every taxable purchase, Glen Becerra has invited our neighbors to shop in Simi Valley and enjoy the unchanged sales tax rate.  This is an impressive move, not just because of the powerful message, but also because Councilmember Becerra paid for a sizable ad in the Daily News out of his own private campaign funds!

Here’s a partial view of the ad, specifically the top portion of the ad that was published in the Daily News:

Here is a piece of the press release on the topic, also released today:

“Working families can’t afford to have their taxes raised and are struggling to make ends meet already,” said Becerra, a three-term Councilman for the city of 126,297 northwest of the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.  “Many people are unaware of the discrepancy in the sales tax level between the counties.  Many people are unaware of Simi Valley’s low sales tax.  Some aren’t aware of the great shopping and dining opportunities that Simi Valley offers.

“And public officials underestimate the true impact that sales tax increases have on shoppers, working families, businesses and the economy.  But that should change soon.  A quote in Tuesday’s paper by a shopper about the newest sales tax increase says a lot.  He said, ‘It’s not a good idea now.  I will shop less.’ “

To Councilmember Becerra: Thank you!  I really like your style!  This is a terrific idea!

Glen Becerra offers a downloadable copy of the ad that you can see for yourself at the following link.  Check it out here:
http://www.glenbecerra.org/images/simitaxes.pdf