Fluff in the City

by Bruce Allison/PNN

While the other newspapers are talking about the city's "budget problem," this reporter will verify 10 things the city is doing that are absolutely FLUFF. The number one fluff in the city are Fire Captains that are called "Commanders". There are ten of them. Each one has three chauffeurs that drive them to fires. According to city rules and regulations, all firefighters must have a driver's license. Instead, they are using the chauffeurs at a total of $100,000 a driver. The city employs 30 of them, costing 3 million dollars. This is written into the union contract. To all writers interested, write the fire fighters union and demand that the president of the union give back the money that could be used to save the SRO collaboratives, who provide services to low-income tenants in residential hotels.The money could help feed elders and extend the hours of operation to shelters so people don't spend eight hours a day on their feet wandering the neighborhoods.

The next group I want to talk about is the department managers who are paid $100,000 a piece. There are seven of these so-called managers--each managing one (that's right...one) person. With 700,000 dollars you can have meals and housing for the poor instead of these managers who paid to get their job.

Last is the overtime in the police department. They spend this time putting up signs on telephone poles or directing traffic during parades. These jobs can be done by lower paid positions--meter maids can direct traffic and the department of public works (DPW) can hang their own signs! If these jobs were done by DPW it would cost half as much as a police officer who should be saving somebody's life. This would save $30 million dollars. That money could be used to reopen clinics, and to provide extended hours to help more people. It could be used to reopen the mental health center to give proper treatment to those in need rather than imprisonment.

If more information comes to me through my sources, Mr. Newsom, you can get a hold of me at bruce94103@gmail.com.