Payroll outrage

Another outstanding investigative report by the Daily News. Notice that the Los Angeles Times, the socialist propaganda source, doesn't do any stories like this, they just call for more tax increases on hard working Angelenos while government bureaucrats live and retire in the lap of luxury. The system is KAPUT.

Right on! Glendale residents seem to get it. State and local governments in California are failing the people with their excess and waste.

The writer of this article artificially suppressed the private sector salaries. As a practicing lawyer for 24 years, the average lawyer in the private sector makes closer to $160,000 plus. This article falsely creates the impression that governments overpay their workers, and refelcts a very Republican bias- that government should not exist at all, that it should cost nothing to run it, and that taxes should never be raised to keep up with inflation. I have worked for the State of California for nine years, I have worked significantly below the private sector's salary for many years. Life is not rosy as a government worker. I have worked for the same salary for two years, going on three years, because of my commitment to public service. It costs money to run a government, and it is very hard to get high quality workers for the low salaries we are offered. Stop wearing your political party on your sleeve when you write these falsely skewed articles. Where would you be if you needed life saving city services, but they weren't available to you because no one would work for the lower salary?

Deborah wrote:

The writer of this article artificially suppressed the private sector salaries. As a practicing lawyer for 24 years, the average lawyer in the private sector makes closer to $160,000 plus. This article falsely creates the impression that governments overpay their workers, and refelcts a very Republican bias- that government should not exist at all, that it should cost nothing to run it, and that taxes should never be raised to keep up with inflation. I have worked for the State of California for nine years, I have worked significantly below the private sector's salary for many years. Life is not rosy as a government worker. I have worked for the same salary for two years, going on three years, because of my commitment to public service. It costs money to run a government, and it is very hard to get high quality workers for the low salaries we are offered. Stop wearing your political party on your sleeve when you write these falsely skewed articles. Where would you be if you needed life saving city services, but they weren't available to you because no one would work for the lower salary?

While State employee salaries may be bouncing along the rates paid in the private sector, that is not the case with the City of Los Angeles, where wages and fringe benefits are generally 20% or more over private industry. In the case of the most populous unskilled and semi-skilled classes the overpayment can be as high as 50%.

As to the "average lawyer" making $160,000 plus in the private sector, please show your source, as well as what you mean by an "average" lawyer. Keep in mind that amongst the City's workforce there are not that many lawyers either, so in any case you've picked a poor comparison. You might be surprised just how well the City attorneys do as a group.

Deborah:

You have the socialist Los Angeles Times and many other liberally biased media outlets to spread the propanda that bureaucrats like you are underpaid and overworked. Of course you're threatened by fair and objective news sources like the Daily News who tell the true story of your excesses, waste and corruption, but give the taxpayers a break and let us enjoy at least one honest news source that does something to protect average middle class citizens rather than you and your bureaucratic elite, okay?

Nobody is arguing that we get rid of government and you should know that as an attorney. This argument is about hardworking taxpayers getting a fair return on the many tax dollars going to government. California citizens have been watching their quality of life decline while you government workers raise taxes and spend like there is no tomorrow. The fact that most of our tax dollars are wasted on excessively high salaries of bureaucrats must be a wake up call. Janitors, clerks, mechanics, landscapers and carpenters making an average of $70,000 per year can not be tolerated. Nor can firemen, electricians and Redevelopment real estate agents making $130,000 per year. Potholes aren't getting filled, freeways aren't being built, criminal gangs run free in the city terrorizing citizens, violent criminals are set free long before their sentences are served, water is unclean, electrical outages become more common, sewage is dumped into raw into the ocean ---- and yet government employees are making $100k plus salaries and retiring with lifetime pensions in their 40s and getting rich on tax dollars.

Sure, we want government and we don't mind paying a fair salary. You were supposed to be receiving lower salaries in return for job security and generous retirement plans. But you people are getting more salary than private sector and your retirements are beyond generous, all while private sector employees are losing jobs and you haven't ever felt the threat of a real layoff ever. Responsible citizens must demand responsible and responsive government.

there are no janitors making 70k a year...let's get that stright. i agree with you on the police and firefighters. they have high salaries, given that the requirement is to have a high school diploma. however, as city employees, we provide an important service to the community. now, you might have problems with crime, potholes and all, but that is the policitians you need to blame. we follow orders. we are all struggling like most of you. by the way, i do agree with you on the redevelopment real estate agents making over 100k. that is ridiculous...

Blubberment Rip Off wrote:

Deborah:
You have the socialist Los Angeles Times and many other liberally biased media outlets to spread the propanda that bureaucrats like you are underpaid and overworked. Of course you're threatened by fair and objective news sources like the Daily News who tell the true story of your excesses, waste and corruption, but give the taxpayers a break and let us enjoy at least one honest news source that does something to protect average middle class citizens rather than you and your bureaucratic elite, okay?
Nobody is arguing that we get rid of government and you should know that as an attorney. This argument is about hardworking taxpayers getting a fair return on the many tax dollars going to government. California citizens have been watching their quality of life decline while you government workers raise taxes and spend like there is no tomorrow. The fact that most of our tax dollars are wasted on excessively high salaries of bureaucrats must be a wake up call. Janitors, clerks, mechanics, landscapers and carpenters making an average of $70,000 per year can not be tolerated. Nor can firemen, electricians and Redevelopment real estate agents making $130,000 per year. Potholes aren't getting filled, freeways aren't being built, criminal gangs run free in the city terrorizing citizens, violent criminals are set free long before their sentences are served, water is unclean, electrical outages become more common, sewage is dumped into raw into the ocean ---- and yet government employees are making $100k plus salaries and retiring with lifetime pensions in their 40s and getting rich on tax dollars.
Sure, we want government and we don't mind paying a fair salary. You were supposed to be receiving lower salaries in return for job security and generous retirement plans. But you people are getting more salary than private sector and your retirements are beyond generous, all while private sector employees are losing jobs and you haven't ever felt the threat of a real layoff ever. Responsible citizens must demand responsible and responsive government.

stop the hating wrote:

there are no janitors making 70k a year...let's get that stright. i agree with you on the police and firefighters. they have high salaries, given that the requirement is to have a high school diploma. however, as city employees, we provide an important service to the community. now, you might have problems with crime, potholes and all, but that is the policitians you need to blame. we follow orders. we are all struggling like most of you. by the way, i do agree with you on the redevelopment real estate agents making over 100k. that is ridiculous...
<quoted text>

DWP Custodial Services Attendants make $46,000+ base pay + 23,000 in fringes and retirement + overtime. If you get on the overtime gig,$70,000 is light for the total package. And for security guards, wow! Because they get guaranteed overtime. I guess it got noticed last year that some were making over $100,000 in salary alone.

Now what were you saying about wages and fringe benefits in the private sector?

Governments over pay the workers for the one hour they work every day. You can't compare the work environment at the government with the private sector. I know.

whoooo cares

whada ya think

Governments overpay some workers but they have generous retirement benefits that no one in the private sector (or at least very few) get. At 60 DPSS employees can retire. At 50 police can retire and at 55 fire can retire at x times the amount of their salary. Yes, they do have dangerous. I don't have a problem with those in dangerous jobs getting more $, but I do have a problem with wasteful spending and overpaying employees with fringe benefits, etc. Everybody remembers the Rocky Degadillo issue with his wife driving the city car and wrecking it. Taxpayers should not have to pay for that nor should they not have to pay for stupid childish pranks in the fire dept (how many millions in waste because of the fire dept personnel acting like 2 year olds.) You know social workers in the private sector if they work for a non profit (they keep people well and it can be a dangerous job too if they come across someone who is mentally ill) and they don't get anything let alone retirement. Whooooo cares? Everyone should care because of high taxes. Government is good to a point but when it gets ridiculous and riddled with waste and lawsuits everyone should care.

This is one significant reason many large private sector employers will not establish primary business facilities in Lost Angeles. It's gotten to the point that if you are not a civil servant, a union or entertainment guild employee you can't afford the cost of living in Lost Angeles.

All of California is rapidly succumbing to the same fate as Lost Angeles.

To a significant degree such wage inflation has contributed to the unreasonable rise in home prices and other aspects of the high cost of living in California.

Anybody, who doubts what I'm saying here should consider why, about two years ago, economics Professor Arthur Laffer moved his economic consulting business (and several of its employees) from Southern California to Tennessee.

Deborah wrote:

The writer of this article artificially suppressed the private sector salaries. As a practicing lawyer for 24 years, the average lawyer in the private sector makes closer to $160,000 plus. This article falsely creates the impression that governments overpay their workers, and refelcts a very Republican bias- that government should not exist at all, that it should cost nothing to run it, and that taxes should never be raised to keep up with inflation. I have worked for the State of California for nine years, I have worked significantly below the private sector's salary for many years. Life is not rosy as a government worker. I have worked for the same salary for two years, going on three years, because of my commitment to public service. It costs money to run a government, and it is very hard to get high quality workers for the low salaries we are offered. Stop wearing your political party on your sleeve when you write these falsely skewed articles. Where would you be if you needed life saving city services, but they weren't available to you because no one would work for the lower salary?

But there's a big difference between public servant and the pivate sector. If you don't do tou job in the private sector you get fires, but as a public servant it take a act of Congress to get your lazy butt out!!

City employees are still paid less than most private sector positions. In order to be competitive, the City had to raise salaries for their employees. I think it boils down to the disgust on behalf of residents who assumed that civil service jobs were the lowest forms of employment. This may have been true in the past, but no longer the case. We expect civil servants to make around minimum wage(without overtime). True??

I am a city employee, and work VERY hard! Sometimes I cover the work for my own office and two others. I agree that City workers are highly paid, and I agree even more that there are several TOP brass city employees who are over paid and down right DO NOT DESERVE the pay they earn. I would have no problem paying top dollar to an employee, if they were QUALIFIED. Starting with knowing how to speak ENGLISH properly. If you can't even type a letter correctly without miss-spelling the month and thinking it isn't ok, then we do have a problem .The city needs to clean house and start with the top.

hummmm

Excuse me!!! It should not be anyone's business how much city employee;s make. This article is ridiculous! Most Civilian employee's don't even make OT. In comparison to the majority of other full time non-city employees we make the same.
This is such an invasion of privacy. Why don't we take a look at the employees of the Daily News and list their names and salaries.

Hey Glendale,
Why don't you take a look at your own city's financial information. your so quick to point a finger...Your city have money oozing out its smelly armpits.
Los Angeles is multiple times larger than your town and its gonna take more to run it. I'm a city employee. In glendale, someone with my job title makes almost twice what I do and has 1/2 the work load.

Vic wrote:

Excuse me!!! It should not be anyone's business how much city employee;s make. This article is ridiculous! Most Civilian employee's don't even make OT. In comparison to the majority of other full time non-city employees we make the same.
This is such an invasion of privacy. Why don't we take a look at the employees of the Daily News and list their names and salaries.

Did you forget that you work for the public? We, the tax payers pay your salary. Yes we do have a right to know. And are you at work posting too?
Just like the State employees. Search for a state worker's salary - http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/738462.html