Bits and pieces of news have been trickling in about the Long Beach City Council's special closed session meeting that is progress as I write. City and union officials are negotiating a deal to have officers forgo a contractual pay raise to put police at the median pay level of 10 comparable cities on Sept. 30.
Today, Steve James, president of the Long Beach Police Officers Association, said the union made an offer to space out the pay hike, which according to James the council supported earlier this week but now may have decided to reject during today's closed council meeting. City officials have refused to address the specifics of the closed contract negotiations, and James wouldn't divulge why he believes the council could change course.
Earlier today, Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga told me that Mayor Bob Foster is trying to take the negotiations in his own direction and is "blackmailing" the council with the threat of a veto. Uranga wouldn't divulge the deal that is on the table nor what plan Foster supports.
She said she's frustrated with getting "mixed messages" from city management and that only the mayor, not the council, has seen City Manager Pat West's proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year.
"We as the council have not been getting the same information that the mayor's been getting, so he has us at a disadvantage," Uranga said.
The mayor's chief of staff, Becki Ames, didn't respond to a request this afternoon for a response to Uranga's comments.
James said he too would like to know what the real budget deficit is at this point -- the $43.3 million number has stood for months now -- and that the police proposal is a good way to reduce it.
The police offer "would get (police pay) to the level, but under the model we had out there, it would take approximately three years to get to the median, and then we would have a bump in the fourth year," James said.
The deal would save the city $10 million over two years, he said, but because police union members must approve it, the deal is "about as low as we can go."
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
long beach will be a better place when uranga is gone.