McCammack: Talk of arresting council members was a joke
San Bernardino scuttlebutt that found its way to the newsroom Wednesday night had it that a police officer or police officers had threatened to arrest the City Council members who serve on the Budget Ad Hoc committee for an alleged violation of the Brown Act.
Previous postings on SB Now look at the controversy as to whether Wednesday's meeting would have been proper under California's open meetings law. 7th Ward City Councilwoman Wendy McCammack, who is not a member of the committee said she was present at the meeting site and that talk of arrests was meant sarcastically.
"It was a tongue in cheek kind of a joke," McCammack said. She said she did not know who cracked the reported wisecrack.
The meeting was never called to order. Interim City Manager Mark Weinberg wrote in an email that he canceled the meeting to afford more time to consider a cost savings proposal from Police Chief Michael Billdt that is being touted as a way to potential reduce layoffs of sworn police officers.
"I was not threatened in any way with respect to the meeting,." Weinberg wrote. "We convened the meeting, only for me to report to the Budget Ad Hoc Committee members that just 90 minutes earlier I received a report from the Police Chief which could have significant impact on my budget recommendations, and that I needed more time to digest it. I understand
there were predictions of some drama surrounding the meeting; however the brief meeting went without incident.
"Because of the compression of time between now and the MCC budget study session on February 17th, it is unlikely I will be able to reschedule an Ad Hoc Committee meeting. I
will likely seek input from one or more Council Members, without convening a meeting, and in full compliance with the Brown Act," he continued.
The council's next meeting is set for Feb. 17.
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Funny of not, comments such as these are yet ANOTHER example of the chaos that has enveloped the SBPD and its leadership. It is reflective of what is being found time and again within the PD which is under Chief Billdt. I doubt very much if anyone on this Council Committee or within the citizens/voters of SB that thinks it is funny. There is something terribly wrong within the SBPD when comments as such are made in public form. The word mutiny comes to the surface. Whoever made this comment should turn in his gun and shield and seek employment south of our boarder where such actions are commonplace and accepted. If any Council member is aware they should call for this resignation immediately. It is unprofessional and should NOT be tolerated. The P/D Union should also not condone these types of actions and needs to support the purge of these individuals who act as if they are the only ones in America being affected by the down turn of our economy. The City will do itself well to say goodbye to Chief Billdt as quickly as possible. Only then can the rebuild process begin to reestablish the pride and professionalism in the SBP/D leadership that is so over due.
the resignation of the police chief and his replacement will not change the rank and file of the police department,as soon as they find something new to gripe and cry about it'll be the same ole story all over again,what happened to having "adults" be accountable for their own actions and conduct themselves in a professional manner?,the childish antics of the police and their union is pitiful,likened to a spoiled child when things dont go their way,it would probably be in everyones best interest to s**t can the p.d. and bring in the sheriff...seems they do an outstanding job with 99% fewer crybabies....and no ,not converting the current staff to sheriff....seems they had their little job fair..good luck at your interviews..have mommy and daddy drop you off early so you get there on time.....LOL
I tend to think the problem is the chief rather than 99 percent of the rank and file. These are mostly hardworking cops dedicated to their jobs. It's just that the department fell apart at the top a long time ago.
Gary - you hit the nail right on the head. They are a bunch of whining, snivelling cry babies. They act like they're the only city employees affected by this economic crisis. Have you heard any of the Parks & Rec people complaining? They're losing upwards of 60% of their staff. Have you heard anyone from the library complain? They're closing all but one of their facilities and that will leave more people without a job. Not to mention, every city employee, with the exception of the police officers, are taking a 10% reduction in pay.
Apparently they think they are indispensible. I beg to differ.
Have you seen some of the parks in San Berdo, they need security officers. No offense to anyone but when was the last time a parks and recs person gave their life to defend people whom they do not know? If an organization is falling apart it is leadership to blame not the rank and file. SBPD and other officers across the nation serve a public even though some may not like them simply because of the uniform. Are times tough for everyone? Absolutely, but should we blame SBPD officers who have families of their own or George W. Bush who left this country in a mess?