I have worked as a firefighter for a small municipality for 14 years but it's obvious I'm doing something wrong. It took me 14 years to earn as much as this guy makes in 2!
News
LA EventsTop PicksSubmit an EventEvents NewsletterGet MobileEntertainment AdsTicketsArtopiaTacolandia
LA MusicMusic BlogHenry RollinsConcert CalendarLA NightlifeSubmit an EventMusic NewsletterGet MobileMusic Ads
Rich Fireman Named in Shoplifting
In El Segundo, where firefighters make $210,000 a year, anger spills over
Firefighter Michael Archambault is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the bizarre shoplifting arrest of the El Segundo firefighter, wealthy enough to own a home in exclusive Rolling Hills Estates, has sparked a furious battle.
PHOTO BY TED SOQUI
Michael Robbins, former El Segundo councilman turned civic watchdog, is fighting City Hall.
The hero-turns-heel allegations have made Archambault a metaphor for the El Segundo firefighters' union, its members' staggering $210,000 average compensation in a town so sleepy that fires are rare, and the union's push to merge with the Los Angeles County Fire Department in order to preserve its outsized pay scale.
"Everything about this shoplifting case illustrates what we've been saying for years: These public safety unions have invaded our little town and taken over the political system to enrich themselves," says Michael Robbins, a former El Segundo councilman turned civic watchdog.
"The police and fire unions have developed an incredible sense of entitlement, a feeling that they are royalty and we are just here to fund their grossly inflated salaries and lavish lifestyles. Look at the facts."
Archambault, 52, was arrested on April 12 by Torrance police after he allegedly stole $375 in electronics from a Costco in Torrance. He owns a $1 million ranch-style rambler in Rolling Hills Estates, one of the priciest suburbs in the United States.
El Segundo City Councilwoman Suzanne Fuentes says Archambault typifies the strange problem that residents of this small, middle-class L.A. suburb are confronting: "Only one of 50 members of the El Segundo firefighters' union actually lives in this city. Yet they're trying to control our little Mayberry-by-the-sea."
Archambault earned $208,000 in total compensation last year. According to his arrest report, he was spotted by loss-prevention officers at the Costco at 2751 Skypark Drive in Torrance as he surreptitiously opened a box containing a trash can and stuffed it with a Belkin router, a Motorola modem, earbuds, ink cartridges and a Waterpik Water Flosser.
The fireman then allegedly purchased the trash can for $47.99 — with the electronics hidden inside. He was detained outside the store and handed over to Torrance police. A few hours later he posted $1,000 bail.
No longer blue-collar, El Segundo firefighters — who require only a GED to enter the 10-week firefighter academy program — are among L.A. County's richest citizens.
Their total annual compensation averages $210,000 in a low-crime town of 16,000 residents, which averages fewer than two structure fires a year. Essentially, they are very well paid paramedics. More than 90 percent of their calls are for medical transports.
Robbins says of the alleged shoplifter, "What kind of grueling work schedule does he endure for all this taxpayer money?"
Thanks to lucrative deals granted to the El Segundo Firefighters Association union by the City Council, firefighters must work only two of every six days.
Archambault's workweek is typical: During two consecutive days, amounting to 48 hours, he is paid to sleep for 16 hours, and some of his sleeping is paid as "overtime." He gets the next four days off and the cycle begins again. It's a beautiful government job.
Archambault did not return calls from L.A. Weekly seeking comment. But Robbins says, "He gets to spend most of his time hanging out at home. He drives down to El Segundo once a week, sleeps a big chunk of his working time, and leaves two days later."
Those generous rules and huge salaries were set when the City Council handed a new contract to the union in 2008, in the depths of the recession. Among other things, the City Council awarded the firefighters an 11.25 percent raise over three years. El Segundo Mayor Eric Busch defends the steep raises as being given in exchange for other, long-term concessions.
El Segundo's police and fire unions are two of the largest campaign contributors to City Council candidates. "That's how the public safety game is played," Robbins says. "You elect the people who negotiate your contracts. And then they're supposed to represent the taxpayer when they're already indebted to you?"
About 55 percent of El Segundo Fire Department retirees in the past decade have been awarded either partial or full disability status by the city — a high figure for men who spend most of their workday hanging around a firehouse eating, sleeping or exercising.
Robbins says, "It doesn't make sense."
The economic reward for wangling a "disabled" ruling from El Segundo city officials is huge: Half of your pension income becomes tax-free, both state and federal.
El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith made $357,609 in total compensation last year, although it's not a demanding job. Smith has very little actual firefighting to oversee. But he has never spent time probing the 55 percent "disability" retirements awarded to his force.
Smith insists there isn't any medical fraud in the El Segundo Firefighters Association.
"Heart disease is the No. 1 medical problem for firefighters," he says, although the illness is more associated with hereditary factors, poor eating habits and lack of exercise. "And then come bad backs. It's a tough, physical job that takes its toll on our bodies."
Chris Thomason, president of the El Segundo Firefighters Association, made $256,132 in total compensation last year. Like Smith, he couldn't explain the high disability rate. He laughed at the notion that any union member would engage in medical fraud.
47 comments
And I suppose they get 3% at age 50 retirement also? City of LA has the same primadonna Safety Prison Fire syndrome and we are desperate to balance the budget.They tripled our trash fees to "hire 10,000 police" ? The council has to quit raping the power fund for this deficet spending on bloated pensions for political pat to play.
El Segundo police officers get the 3% @ 50 CalPERS pension benefit formula. This means their annual pension income is GUARANTEED by the taxpayers at 3% of their single highest year pay for each year of service, for a maximum of 90% with COLAs after 30 years of service, and retirement at age 50, for the rest of their life and their spouse's life. And they get "free" medical insurance for them self and one dependent for the rest of their life and their spouse's life.
El Segundo firefighters get the same royal family treatment except they get the 3% @ 55 CalPERS pension benefit formula with retirement at age 55.
The El Segundo firefighters had average and maximum 2009 total compensation of $213,209 and $357,669. The average and maximum individual annual CalPERS pension contribution paid by the City (taxpayers) was $43,124 and $83,594.
The City paid both the 9% "Employee Contribution" and the much larger 38.3% "Employer Contribution" for the firefighters and police officers. This is a percentage of their regular earnings, AND their "special compensation" add-ons which averaged 28% of regular earnings for firefighters and police officers in 2009. The firefighters, police officers, and all other city employees did not pay a single dollar in contributions into their own pensions.
The Los Angeles City Council has been raising electricity and water fees for residents and businesses, and transferring many tens of millions of dollars from the DWP to their general fund. They are using the electricity and water customers as cash cows to increase taxes without a proper vote of the people, by calling them fee increases instead of tax increases. The increases are going to pay for excessive salaries, benefits, and pensions for city employees - especially the firefighter and police employees.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
As a federal employee, I am amazed at the discrepancy between state and federal employee compensation. Our professionals are on pay demo plans, which means that they are paid to perform and can be excused from government service for non performance. Most of the new hires are being hired as interns who have to meet specific performance standards and not all of them make the cut at the end of three years. Congress passed legislation to catch up the professional (i.e.- engineering, scientists, accountants and logistics experts) compensation to make it competitive with the private sector so that the government could attract talented individuals to work in public service. When the President and Congress froze government pay, this program was also frozen, while the compensation for the President and especially congress was not impacted.
Our retirement compensation, if you are under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), is as follows; One third is made up of Social Security benefits, paid into like everyone else; one third a Thrift Savings Plan, which is a 401K type savings program where we can do up to the maximum allowable amount adjusted for inflation each year with a 1% automatic contribution, 3% dollar for dollar matching and 2% 50 cents on the dollar matching for a total of 5% matching maximum. For the Thrift Savings Plan, the governments version of the 401K there are choices of government securities, the C fund tied to the S&P 500, the S fund that invests in small caps and the I fund that invests in international stocks. It is up to the employee on how they want their investment distributed across all the funds. The final third is the pension, which is calculated at 1% of a high three average. This means that if a federal employee averages a 100,000 salary for three years their retirement calculator is 1%that equals a 1000. This 1000 is multiplied by the number of years of service, say 30 and the resulting pension is 30,000 a year. From this pension, the employee has enough to pay 100% of their health insurance premium. Thanks to Obama-care, that premium went up 14% this year alone, with the annual cost for a PPO family plan being almost 12,000 a year for health insurance. This is split between the employee and government as a 25%/75% split. There are still individual's under the CSRS retirement system that pays a percentage of base pay as retirement. These individuals do not pay Social Security or contribute to 401K's and they pay a percentage of their health care costs. This system was phased out in the 80's and those who elected to stay in the system are nearing retirement. Under this program, 41 years of service is when someone max's out.
When we reach 65 we are put into Medicare and our insurance becomes a secondary policy. We have to use medicare, even thought we have so called Cadillac health plans. The retirement age is also creeping up every year. In order to be eligible to retire a government employee must meet the following criteria, They must have at least 20 years service and be at least 55 years of age. The 55 age has been adjusted up and being born in 1966, my number is 57 and 20. There are some minor incentives to keep people working until 62, when a government employee reaches 62 years of age, the 1% of high three becomes a 1.1% high three calculation.
It appears that if the information in the article is correct, that state and city employees have much more lucrative compensation packages than federal employees. It is an insult to have them claim, falsely that government employee are the greedy ones. Please consider the fact that federal government employees are not state and city employees and are on different compensation plans. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Without trying to get personal...here goes.
What does shoplifting have to do with public safety unions? Was the fireman on-duty when he "allegedly" stole these items, or was he a public citizen? This article has nothing to do with shoplifting and has everything to do with former council Michael Robbins' crusade against public employees and LA Weekly was either part of it or got scammed.
Mr. Robbins, why do you blame the firemen and police officers for their salaries and benefits and not the El Segundo City Manager or your ex-fellow Councilmembers? Didn't these people have a part in agreeing to their respective contracts? Why are the unions getting blamed for getting the "best deal" for their members?
Your either a very frustrated ex-councilman with a lot of anger built up or extremely jealous that you weren't accepted as a fireman or policemen. You website is just a lot or rhetoric while jumping on the anti-public employee campaign.
You criticize the salaries of the fire and police men and women that are paid to protect us. I was always told that we pay these individuals what we do for what they are willing to do, not how many calls they respond to during any period of time.
@Luci Fer (Lucifer):
RESPONSE TO Luci Fer (Lucifer):
Lucifer is using ad hominem attacks because s/he cannot defend the indefensible dishonest and corrupt practices of the El Segundo firefighter and police unions with the facts.
Lucifer should identify her/himself and disclose the conflicts of interest that motivated her/his scurrilous personal attacks. Anyone who defends the firefighter and police union corruption that has been pushing California cities and counties down the road towards bankruptcy must be ignorant on the subject and/or have a financial interest in continuing the City of Bell-style corruption. Reasonable informed and honest people would oppose the firefighter and police union corruption that has already bankrupted Vallejo, California and threatens to bankrupt other cities.
El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault's shoplifting arrest has everything to do with the El Segundo firefighter union.
The El Segundo firefighter union has been acting as a royal family with a culture of entitlement, where its members act as though they are entitled to everything they want, and they treat the taxpayers as peasants who must to pay for it all, no matter how excessive, unreasonable, and unsustainable. If in fact Michael Archambault is guilty of shoplifting nearly $400 in merchandise from Costco, a store that is very fair to its customers, the crime is likely an example of the royal family culture of entitlement that the community has been talking about.
The only people getting scammed here are the residents and taxpayers of El Segundo, and of all the other California cities where the firefighter and police unions endorse, shovel campaign money to, and aggressively campaign for the City Council candidates who will give them the biggest raises while falsely claiming they are supporting the best candidates for the voters' safety. The firefighter and police unions have been engaging in this form of corruption, bribery, and extortion for at least twenty years. They have abused their positions of authority and public trust.
The El Segundo Firefighters Association (union) is so corrupt it even sent a campaign letter on official letterhead threatening senior citizen voters with "the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them" if the three candidates they endorsed were not elected! This letter became known ad the "Senior Scare Letter". You can see a scan and the text of this letter at PublicSafetyProject.org at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
If this does not upset you, then you are excusing the inexcusable firefighter union corruption.
Take a look at the historical news articles on the Public Safety Project (PublicSafetyProject.org) web site at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
I and my fellow City Council members held the line on firefighter and police union raises during a previous recession. Under the current three-year contracts, the firefighter union got an 11.25% increase, the police officers union got a 15% increase, and the firefighter and police managers got significantly larger increases to prevent "salary compaction", while many taxpayers in the private sector were losing their jobs and homes, and others were happy to keep their jobs and merely get pay cuts or no raises.
The corrupt El Segundo firefighter and police unions dramatically increased their compensation under former Mayor Mike Gordon, who made pay-for-play an art form.
I never applied to be a firefighter or police officer. Had I become a firefighter or police officer with a high school education or GED, my intellectual ability would have been wasted. I have a degree from UCLA in Mathematics/Computer Science, and I have had a career in the aerospace and defense industry supporting the national defense of our country, and keeping our military men and women alive, by developing the most advanced surveillance, communications, and weapon systems technology in the world. Also, I would have been forced to financially support a corrupt government employee union, because California is not a Right to Work state.
What you dishonestly label as "anger" is the righteous indignation of someone who has been robbed by thieves who got away with it. The firefighter and police unions have been effectively looting the public treasury of the city they are sworn to protect. They can make more money than robbing banks, and they can get away with it.
I am not the only El Segundo resident who feels this way. Substantial majorities voted down the business Utility Users Tax increase and the residential trash fee after learning about the outrageous compensation paid to the firefighter and police union members and their managers. They did not want to pay increased taxes and fees only to enrich greedy overpaid union members who got their wildly excessive compensation through corrupt political campaigns.
El Segundo is a slow city for firefighters and police. It has little crime, few fires, and mostly paramedic calls. There are many other jobs that are more dangerous and pay much less, including our all-volunteer military, commercial fishermen, and others.
The only legitimate compensation is based on competitive free market rates without corruption and coercion, and on what the city can afford. The government employee unions have an unavoidable inherent conflict of interest that results in massive political corruption, suppresses competition, and distorts the free market economy. When the firefighter and police unions "negotiate" their contracts in secret with the politicians they elected, there is nobody at the table representing the voters and taxpayers.
By the time the contracts are made public, they have already been agreed to in secret and they are a done deal. The government employee union contracts should not be approved without a vote of the voters at a regular election. And many other reforms are needed.
There are typically one to two thousand or more firefighter job applications per job opening. This proves the city is paying too much.
The earnings data currently posted on the PublicSafetyProject.org web site at http://www.publicsafetyproject... does not even include the pension data and medical benefits, which dramatically boost the already astronomical earnings.
I will be posting much more data in the near future that will expose additional corruption.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Mr. Robbins,
You have some facts in your response above but you show your cards when you accuse people of having a "Royal" attitude. If you could stick to the facts it would give much more credit to your argument. Your trying to intermix your anger with the theft and your hatred for firefighters is very telling about your crusade. You have no way of linking the two other than to accuse an entire group of having a "Royal" attitude. It makes you look weak.
Johnnydilznik,
You may be interested in the following letter to the editor of the El Segundo Herald that was published on June 23, 2011:
Money Before Lives
El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault was arrested for allegedly shoplifting nearly $400 in merchandise at the Torrance Costco store. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but the information against him is damning. He was observed by Costco loss prevention officers as he allegedly opened a box containing a trashcan, stuffed it with five computer and electronics products, closed it, and paid only for the $47.99 trash can. He was detained and arrested after exiting the store. Archambault's arrest report details and booking photo are available at PublicSafetyProject.org.
Archambault had 2009 total compensation of about $208,902. He has a home in affluent Rolling Hills Estates.
His arrest may be another example of the firefighter union's culture of entitlement, where they act as a royal family entitled to everything they want, and treat us as peasants who must pay for it all, no matter how extreme and unsustainable.
But the most extreme example is Measure P, the firefighter union's initiative. Measure P proves that the firefighters care more about money than our lives. Measure P will liquidate our fire department, contract with Los Angeles County for reduced emergency services, and permanently eliminate our paramedic ambulances, forcing residents to rely on out-of-town ambulance companies with significantly increased hospital transport times and fees.
But measure P will protect the firefighters' jobs and wildly excessive and unsustainable salaries, so they can continue to effectively loot millions of dollars per year in excess compensation obtained through their political campaign support for certain City Council members.
Michael D. Robbins
Johnnydilznik,
There is no anger here, and no hatred against firefighters. It is all about a culture of entitlement, and to some extent, a culture of corruption when it comes to labor union contract "negotiations", in the firefighter and police unions in El Segundo and many other California cities.
What we have here is the result of decades of firefighter and police union corruption that has pushed El Segundo and other California cities towards bankruptcy, and that has already bankrupted the city of Vallejo, California.
The firefighter and police unions in El Segundo and other California cities HAVE acted as a royal family entitled to everything they want, and they HAVE treated the residents and taxpayers as peasants who have to pay for it all, no matter how excessive and unsustainable. This has been going on in El Segundo and other California cities for decades. That is why their compensation and pensions have been pushing California cities towards bankruptcy.
The entire unions are responsible for the harm they have done to El Segundo and other California cities, including the bankrupted city of Vallejo. The greedy and dishonest union members cannot hide behind their unions as a group and claim they are not individually responsible for the harm they have done.
This is not a crusade, but a reform movement in El Segundo and other California cities, to roll back firefighter and police union compensation and pensions to reasonable and sustainable levels, to prevent the bankruptcy of additional California cities including El Segundo.
The extreme excesses and abuses of the firefighter and police unions over many years have created a backlash that will only grow stronger over time. They have brought disgrace and dishonor to their professions, and increasing numbers of people view them as thugs, bullies, and thieves who are effectively looting the public treasury of the city they are sworn to protect.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
We clearly have issues to work out with most public service folks in California but I have a few questions for Paul Teetor and his obtuse article:
1. How do you know how much the firefighter paid for his house? Does his wife work? Did he inherit the house? Did he invest $10,000 in Apple last decade? Did he smuggle illegal aliens across the border? Did you even bother to ask or did the cost of the house sound better when you wrote it that way?
2. How many firefighter's have secured a job with just a GED? How many El Segundo firefighters have only a GED? How many have a AA Degree? Bachelor's? Master's? How about a useless journalism degree? Anyone?
To the council folks who think they live in "Mayberry-by-the sea": Give me a break. There is a reason they call it El Scumundo.
All this talk about El Segundo losing local control is foolish. As was demonstrated a few months back when the helicopter crashed into the building. El Segundo is getting away with a lot of free help in the form of Los Angeles County Fire Department. When cities like Inglewood and Hawthorne contracted with LA County it was a good move. They get more resources and faster without having to maintain so much equipment in each little city. El Segundo is cutting a fat hog by USING the county to help them when they can't control an emergency. For all you little town folks who still think it is 1952 in your city, WAKE-UP.
@Johnnydilznik:
RESPONSE TO Johnnydilznik:
Here is a straightforward refutation of your erroneous and misguided claims.
I cannot answer for Mr. Teetor. However, here are my observations:
1. Johnnydilznik said:
"1. How do you know how much the firefighter paid for his house? Does his wife work? Did he inherit the house? Did he invest $10,000 in Apple last decade? Did he smuggle illegal aliens across the border? Did you even bother to ask or did the cost of the house sound better when you wrote it that way?"
REFUTATON:
The article stated, "He owns a $1 million ranch-style rambler in Rolling Hills Estates, one of the priciest suburbs in the United States." The value of his house is a legitimate measure of the firefighter's wealth. If you really want to know what he paid for the house, you can probably get a reasonable estimate from the property taxes and the year he bought the house.
2. Johnnydilznik said:
"2. How many firefighter's have secured a job with just a GED? How many El Segundo firefighters have only a GED? How many have a AA Degree? Bachelor's? Master's? How about a useless journalism degree? Anyone?"
REFUTATION:
The point is that the requirements to attend the firefighter academy and be hired as a wildly overpaid firefighter are minimal, with just a GED required. Due to the nature of firefighting, most types of college degrees would have no value added for the residents and the taxpayers. However, the firefighter union's contract requires that the taxpayers pay the education fees for union members to get college degrees that are unrelated to the job, and then to pay additional "special compensation" which spikes their CalPERS pensions, in addition to all their other compensation, once the union members have the degrees.
For example, the firefighter union's contract requires that a political science degree qualifies for education fee reimbursement and special compensation.
See:http://www.publicsafetyproject...
and specifically, see the firefighter union contract:http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Clearly, a political science degree does not help put out fires, of which there are very few, or provide paramedic service which are the majority of calls. The obvious purpose for explicitly including a political science degree in the union contract is so the firefighters can learn how to do a better job campaigning for and electing the City Council candidates who will give them the biggest salary, benefits, and pension increases, no matter how excessive and unsustainable.
Thus, the taxpayers are required to pay for the firefighter union members to learn how to engage in legalized forms of bribery and extortion more effectively.
Given that there are typically one to two thousand or more job applications per firefighter opening, additional education beyond a high school diploma or GED could be used as a differentiating factor, even if there is no value added. However, additional unrelated education means the applicant is older and further away from their physical prime condition, which can be a negative.
3. Johnnydilznik said:
"To the council folks who think they live in "Mayberry-by-the sea": Give me a break. There is a reason they call it El Scumundo."
REFUTATION:
I have never heard El Segundo referred to as "El Scumundo". The current popular name for El Segundo is "Bell Segundo", in reference to the City of Bell government corruption scandal, due to the firefighter and police unions' wildly excessive and unsustainable compensation whereby they are effectively looting the public treasury they are sworn to protect. They receive this scandalous compensation as a result of union contracts "negotiated" in secret with City Council members elected with their campaign contributions and other campaign support.
4. Johnnydilznik said:
"All this talk about El Segundo losing local control is foolish."
REFUTATION:
4. El Segundo residents and taxpayers will lose local control over the level and price of fire and paramedic services if the firefighter union can deceive enough voters into voting for the union's initiative, Measure P.
Measure P will permanently eliminate the city-operated paramedic ambulance service, making residents dependent on out-of-town ambulance companies with increased hospital transport times and fees. However, Measure P will protect the firefighter union salaries from necessary and proper rollbacks to reasonable and sustainable levels. That is why the firefighter union members lied to residents to get them to sign their initiative petition in the first place. The firefighters told the voters their petition would preserve our local fire department when in fact it liquidates our fire department, transfers all fire and paramedic services to Los Angeles County, and thereby eliminates paramedic ambulances.
The firefighter union members care more about their obscenely excessive and unsustainable salaries than the lives of the residents who are paying for their salaries.
5. Johnnydilznik said:
"As was demonstrated a few months back when the helicopter crashed into the building. El Segundo is getting away with a lot of free help in the form of Los Angeles County Fire Department."
REFUTATION:
The emergency response to the helicopter crash into Raytheon Building E-1 in El Segundo on Sunday, March 13, 2011 proves two significant points. First, it proves our existing Fire Department mutual aid system works exceptionally well. El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith stated that 70 firefighters responded to this incident, including mutual aid from the L.A. County Fire Department and all South Bay fire departments, including Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance. The mutual aid did not come exclusively from Los Angeles County.
Second, the quick and effective emergency response by 70 firefighters proves that Measure P, the firefighter union's initiative, is absolutely unnecessary because we already have effective mutual aid. It shows how deceptive the firefighters' claims are. It debunks their fundamental ballot argument claim that Measure P will "put 72 firefighters on call" (including out-of-town stations).
You claimed that "El Segundo is getting away with a lot of free help in the form of Los Angeles County Fire Department" as though El Segundo taxpayers do not pay taxes to Los Angeles County. I am sure that if you research it, you will find that El Segundo taxpayers pay much more taxes to Los Angeles County than they receive in County services, even counting the rare instances of mutual aid from the County. El Segundo has few fires each year, even fewer structure fires, and typically, zero, one, or two major structure fires with $100,000 or more in damage in any given year.
Most of the calls are paramedic calls, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department does not own or operate paramedic ambulances. They use an antiquated, obsolete, and less effective system of rescue squads driving utility trucks instead of ambulances.
If Measure P passes and becomes law, Los Angeles County firefighters stationed in El Segundo will be sent out of the city to support other County service areas much more often than County firefighters stationed outside El Segundo will be sent into the city. El Segundo taxpayers will be paying an even bigger subsidy to Los Angeles County for a reduced level of service.
6. Johnnydilznik said:
"When cities like Inglewood and Hawthorne contracted with LA County it was a good move."
REFUTATION:
The union takeovers were obviously good moves for the firefighter unions that pushed for the moves, or they would not have pushed for the moves, but not for the residents and taxpayers.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
RESPONSE TO Johnnydilznik:
Here is a straightforward refutation of your erroneous and misguided claims.
I cannot answer for Mr. Teetor. However, here are my observations:
1. Johnnydilznik said:
"1. How do you know how much the firefighter paid for his house? Does his wife work? Did he inherit the house? Did he invest $10,000 in Apple last decade? Did he smuggle illegal aliens across the border? Did you even bother to ask or did the cost of the house sound better when you wrote it that way?"
REFUTATON:
The article stated, "He owns a $1 million ranch-style rambler in Rolling Hills Estates, one of the priciest suburbs in the United States." The value of his house is a legitimate measure of the firefighter's wealth. If you really want to know what he paid for the house, you can probably get a reasonable estimate from the property taxes and the year he bought the house.
RESPONSE: That is a wildly inaccurate statement. If the firefighter's parents bought the house in 1943 and he purchased/inherited it from them he would get a free house and the Prop. 13 taxes to go with it. It would increase in value from 1943 ($12,000) to current value ($1 million). But then again that wouldn't work in your story.
2. Johnnydilznik said:
"2. How many firefighter's have secured a job with just a GED? How many El Segundo firefighters have only a GED? How many have a AA Degree? Bachelor's? Master's? How about a useless journalism degree? Anyone?"
REFUTATION:
The point is that the requirements to attend the firefighter academy and be hired as a wildly overpaid firefighter are minimal, with just a GED required. Due to the nature of firefighting, most types of college degrees would have no value added for the residents and the taxpayers. However, the firefighter union's contract requires that the taxpayers pay the education fees for union members to get college degrees that are unrelated to the job, and then to pay additional "special compensation" which spikes their CalPERS pensions, in addition to all their other compensation, once the union members have the degrees.
For example, the firefighter union's contract requires that a political science degree qualifies for education fee reimbursement and special compensation.
See:http://www.publicsafetyproject...
and specifically, see the firefighter union contract:http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Clearly, a political science degree does not help put out fires, of which there are very few, or provide paramedic service which are the majority of calls. The obvious purpose for explicitly including a political science degree in the union contract is so the firefighters can learn how to do a better job campaigning for and electing the City Council candidates who will give them the biggest salary, benefits, and pension increases, no matter how excessive and unsustainable.
Thus, the taxpayers are required to pay for the firefighter union members to learn how to engage in legalized forms of bribery and extortion more effectively.
Given that there are typically one to two thousand or more job applications per firefighter opening, additional education beyond a high school diploma or GED could be used as a differentiating factor, even if there is no value added. However, additional unrelated education means the applicant is older and further away from their physical prime condition, which can be a negative.
RESPONSE: You are accurate on a Political Science degree being useless in firefighting. It would suggest that a person is smarter and better able to perform a job due to being more educated. Although that is wildly debatable. Your assertion that firefighters get Poli Sci degrees so they can use them to further the Union agenda is another example of your bias. You do have some facts on your side but you cloud it with baseless comments like this. I don't know if there is a "Fire College" or how it would make one better at firefighting. I do know one firefighter who was a lawyer and hated his job. He became a firefighter and has a lot of job satisfaction. Another firefighter I know has a Masters Degree and is multi-lingual. All things one would associate with being intelligent. I am going to guess that you will make an argument that these men are just grifters who wanted to get paid to do nothing.
3. Johnnydilznik said:
"To the council folks who think they live in "Mayberry-by-the sea": Give me a break. There is a reason they call it El Scumundo."
REFUTATION:
I have never heard El Segundo referred to as "El Scumundo". The current popular name for El Segundo is "Bell Segundo", in reference to the City of Bell government corruption scandal, due to the firefighter and police unions' wildly excessive and unsustainable compensation whereby they are effectively looting the public treasury they are sworn to protect. They receive this scandalous compensation as a result of union contracts "negotiated" in secret with City Council members elected with their campaign contributions and other campaign support.
RESPONSE: If you don't know the El Scumundo joke than you haven't been around very long. When I lived in Scumundo in 1988 that was an often used joke. When I moved to Manhattan Beach it was used even more. I guess I would be sensitive too if my beach view was taken away by Scattergood Treatment facility.(wink)
4. Johnnydilznik said:
"All this talk about El Segundo losing local control is foolish."
REFUTATION:
4. El Segundo residents and taxpayers will lose local control over the level and price of fire and paramedic services if the firefighter union can deceive enough voters into voting for the union's initiative, Measure P.
Measure P will permanently eliminate the city-operated paramedic ambulance service, making residents dependent on out-of-town ambulance companies with increased hospital transport times and fees. However, Measure P will protect the firefighter union salaries from necessary and proper rollbacks to reasonable and sustainable levels. That is why the firefighter union members lied to residents to get them to sign their initiative petition in the first place. The firefighters told the voters their petition would preserve our local fire department when in fact it liquidates our fire department, transfers all fire and paramedic services to Los Angeles County, and thereby eliminates paramedic ambulances.
The firefighter union members care more about their obscenely excessive and unsustainable salaries than the lives of the residents who are paying for their salaries.
RESPONSE: Yes but then again local control results in Bell Segundo type governments as well so I guess it just depends on which side of the desk your on.
How have you quantified the level of care firefighters have for citizens? Fortune Teller? Psychic Friends Network?
5. Johnnydilznik said:
"As was demonstrated a few months back when the helicopter crashed into the building. El Segundo is getting away with a lot of free help in the form of Los Angeles County Fire Department."
REFUTATION:
The emergency response to the helicopter crash into Raytheon Building E-1 in El Segundo on Sunday, March 13, 2011 proves two significant points. First, it proves our existing Fire Department mutual aid system works exceptionally well. El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith stated that 70 firefighters responded to this incident, including mutual aid from the L.A. County Fire Department and all South Bay fire departments, including Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance. The mutual aid did not come exclusively from Los Angeles County.
RESPONSE: No just the majority of the Mutual Aid. Hermosa Beach has 1 engine so they send no resource. The other three cities send 1 resource. The LA Co FD sent 4 engines, 1 truck, a squad and a Battalion Chief. There is a documented history of El Scumundo receiving a large amount of automatic aid assistance from the county over the years.
Second, the quick and effective emergency response by 70 firefighters proves that Measure P, the firefighter union's initiative, is absolutely unnecessary because we already have effective mutual aid. It shows how deceptive the firefighters' claims are. It debunks their fundamental ballot argument claim that Measure P will "put 72 firefighters on call" (including out-of-town stations).
You claimed that "El Segundo is getting away with a lot of free help in the form of Los Angeles County Fire Department" as though El Segundo taxpayers do not pay taxes to Los Angeles County. I am sure that if you research it, you will find that El Segundo taxpayers pay much more taxes to Los Angeles County than they receive in County services, even counting the rare instances of mutual aid from the County. El Segundo has few fires each year, even fewer structure fires, and typically, zero, one, or two major structure fires with $100,000 or more in damage in any given year.
RESPONSE: Paying county taxes does not entitle you to free services from the fire department when your city finds itself in the position of being unable to handle an incident. This only occurs every few years but since you feel so strongly about paying for proper service perhaps we could let ESFD handle the next refinery incident alone. You are using the term mutual aid and automatic aid incorrectly.
Most of the calls are paramedic calls, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department does not own or operate paramedic ambulances. They use an antiquated, obsolete, and less effective system of rescue squads driving utility trucks instead of ambulances.
RESPONSE: Please provide facts on how the county system is: "antiquated, obsolete, and less effective system of rescue squads driving utility trucks instead of ambulances." That is another baseless assertion. Having a Paramedic Squad that does not have to take 30 minutes to transport a patient to a hospital for a broken leg and can transfer care to a private ambulance is a much better system. It keeps the paramedics available for advanced emergency calls rather than sitting at the hospital. A much wiser use of resources. Once again I don't think you care because you like sensationalism over truth.
If Measure P passes and becomes law, Los Angeles County firefighters stationed in El Segundo will be sent out of the city to support other County service areas much more often than County firefighters stationed outside El Segundo will be sent into the city. El Segundo taxpayers will be paying an even bigger subsidy to Los Angeles County for a reduced level of service.
RESPONSE:
Your level of service will greatly increase without you having to fund unnecessary resources sitting idle in your fire stations. Regionalizing fire services is one of the most cost effective things we can do in the area of Public Safety. The contractual agreement will be a legal document that works out all the particulars prior to this. The union does not have anything to do with a contractual agreement between the county and a city for fire services. But that wouldn't work into your agenda.
6. Johnnydilznik said:
"When cities like Inglewood and Hawthorne contracted with LA County it was a good move."
REFUTATION:
The union takeovers were obviously good moves for the firefighter unions that pushed for the moves, or they would not have pushed for the moves, but not for the residents and taxpayers.
RESPONSE:
Zero facts offered here only your baseless assertion.
Mike,
Public safety is in need of a gut check. Threatening people with death and mayhem if they don't pay more taxes is a tactic that will no longer work. We need to put all public employees on a more realistic salary and benefit schedule. We need to do this in conjunction with fixing a lot of other out of control programs/policies in the state. I have found while watching all this transpire that folks like you have SOME good facts but a lot of personal anger and agenda that mixes with facts. That makes you look foolish. The firefighter accused of stealing from Costco situation has nothing to do with his salary. It is an obvious sign of having a more serious underlying problem. I have noticed that agenda driven folks like you have no time to separate the two. As the son of a firefighter who watched my dad and his work growing up you make some wild accusations about "entitlement" and "corruption" that you use a broad brush to apply. You are a tax paying private citizen who has every right to demand a better system if you feel it is warranted. The problem is you are lying about some of your "information" and that is not going to move us along in solving these issues. But maybe that is not what you are really about.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
The author, Paul Teetor, did an excellent interview with Peter Tilden, on the Peter Tilden Morning Show with Teresa Strasser, on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 8:39 to 8:45 AM, on KABC AM 790. They discussed the subject matter of this news article.
You can listen to or download the podcast for the show segment using the links on the Public Safety Project web site (PublicSafetyProject.com) at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
or you can use the following link to download the 11.5 MB MP3 file, which excludes the news break and commercials (length is 06:18):
http://podfuse-dl.andomedia.co...
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
It's too bad so much revealing information had to be left out of this news article due to the word count limit. It would be great to have a follow-up news article to include the additional information.
Here is an example:
The El Segundo Firefighters' Association (union) sent a campaign letter on official letterhead to elderly voters, threatening them with "the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them" if the three candidates they endorsed were not elected. This became known as the firefighter union's "Senior Scare Letter." Ironically, the firefighter union's Measure P will permanently eliminate the city-operated paramedic ambulance service, forcing residents to rely on out-of-town ambulance companies with increased hospital transport times and fees, all to protect the firefighters' wildly excessive salaries.
The Senior Scare Letter can be viewed at the following links:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Here is another example:
The El Segundo firefighters' union collected Measure P initiative signatures by telling voters their signatures would only put it on the ballot so people could vote on it, and would not make it law. Voters were told they could change their mind and vote "No" at the election. Then the firefighters asked the City Council to enact Measure P into law without a vote, citing the signatures they collected (i.e., they wanted zero voter turnout). Then, after the City Council scheduled Measure P for an April 2012 election, the firefighters tried to buy an earlier, more advantageous election date for $60,000, claiming they wanted maximum voter turnout because the voters had a right to vote on their initiative! Union representatives showed up at a specially scheduled City Council meeting with their professional campaign consultant, held up two union checks totaling $60,000, and offered them to the City Council to pay for the earlier election date.
The much earlier election date would have given the firefighter union significant unfair advantages to win their Measure P election campaign, because they could easily overwhelm all the voters with massive amounts of their campaign propaganda and have the election before the local residents could organize an effective grass roots campaign operating with volunteers on a low-budget.
The firefighters can use their massive taxpayer funded salaries to raise an overwhelming amount of campaign money in a single day. They can use that money to flood voter's mail boxes with their campaign propaganda three or more days a week. They have large numbers of firefighters to campaign door-to-door, wearing their intimidating firefighter "association" tee-shirts, because they work only two out of every six days. And the higher voter turnout of the special election in June or July would allow them to deceive and mislead more voters who do not vote in local city elections and are unaware of local issues, but will vote in the special congressional election
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
It's too bad so much revealing information had to be left out of this news article due to the word count limit. It would be great to have a follow-up news article to include the additional information.
Here is an example:
The El Segundo Firefighters' Association (union) sent a campaign letter on official letterhead to elderly voters, threatening them with "the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them" if the three candidates they endorsed were not elected. This became known as the firefighter union's "Senior Scare Letter."
Here is another example:
The El Segundo firefighters' union collected Measure P initiative signatures by telling voters their signatures would only put it on the ballot so people could vote on it, and would not make it law. Voters were told they could change their mind and vote "No" at the election. Then the firefighters asked the City Council to enact Measure P into law without a vote, citing the signatures they collected (i.e., they wanted zero voter turnout). Then, after the City Council scheduled Measure P for an April 2012 election, the firefighters tried to buy an earlier, more advantageous election date for $60,000, claiming they wanted maximum voter turnout because the voters had a right to vote on their initiative! Union representatives showed up at a specially scheduled City Council meeting with their professional campaign consultant, held up two union checks totaling $60,000, and offered them to the City Council to pay for the earlier election date.
The much earlier election date would have given the firefighter union significant unfair advantages to win their Measure P election campaign, because they could easily overwhelm all the voters with massive amounts of their campaign propaganda and have the election before the local residents could organize an effective grass roots campaign operating with volunteers on a low-budget.
The firefighters can use their massive taxpayer funded salaries to raise an overwhelming amount of campaign money in a single day. They can use that money to flood voter's mail boxes with their campaign propaganda three or more days a week. They have large numbers of firefighters to campaign door-to-door, wearing their intimidating firefighter "association" tee-shirts, because they work only two out of every six days. And the higher voter turnout of the special election in June or July would allow them to deceive and mislead more voters who do not vote in local city elections and are unaware of local issues, but will vote in the special congressional election
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Q & A excerpts from ExpertLaw.com:
Is It Possible to Work as a Firefighter After a Shoplifting Charge?
Hopefully you lawyered up correctly......'cause stealing is a crime of moral turpitude and will most likely put the squash on any sort of civil servant application.
Even with a sealed or expunged record many of these positions clearly ask if you have "ever been arrested" and some even will have a notation that expunged charges must be reported. Other states do not require it.
How would you feel if you had a firefighter come into your home and steal from you?
Competition to be a firefighter has always been stiff, even to be a volunteer firefighter.
NEWS FLASH !!!
Some firefighters rush in to return shoplifted merchandise to buildings while others are rushing out to steal shoplifted merchandise ...
NJ firefighter chases down shoplifter
http://privateofficernews.word...
http://privateofficernews.file...
Posted by privateofficernews on April 30, 2011
CLIFTON NJ April 30 2011 — A shoplifter trying to flee the Home Depot on Bloomfield Avenue with $800 worth of unpaid merchandise didn’t stand a chance with Clifton Firefighter Anthony Latona chasing him, according to police.
On April 21, at about 9:45 a.m. Clifton firefighter Latona saw the suspect, later identified as Luis Gonzalez-Perez, 46, of Passaic, running out of the hardware store with unpaid merchandise and chased him, said detective Capt. Robert Rowan.
When the suspect realized he was being chased, he abandoned the cart full of unpaid merchandise and continued fleeing, but within minutes, Latona caught up with him and held him until police officers arrived, Rowan said.
Rowan said officers took the suspect back to the store where employees identified Gonzalez-Perez as the shoplifter and he was charged.
“We appreciate the assistance from our public safety partners,” Rowan said, adding “If it wasn’t for Firefighter Latona the suspect would have gotten away with a pretty large haul.”
The cart of merchandise was recovered and returned to the store.
Source: NorthJersey.com
This entry was posted on April 30, 2011 at 12:57 am.
Firefighter arrested for shoplifting while on duty
http://privateofficernews.word...
http://bp0.blogger.com/_jlFkF_...
Posted by privateofficernews on April 24, 2008
Covington KY. April 24 2008
By: Rick McCannNtl. Assoc. Private Officers
In this small community just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, some folks are surprised, while a few others say they are outraged at the arrest of a Covington firefighter who now stands accused of shoplifting.
Police say that the firefighter stole from a local grocery store while on duty and in uniform.Covington police were called to a grocery store last week and cited Donald Studer, a city firefighter, for theft, after allegedly stealing $6 worth of cold medicine that he did not pay for.
A witness at the Kroger at 15th and Madison, said Studer placed the merchandise in his left pocket and left the store.
The 19-year-veteran firefighter is also facing an internal investigation and discipline.The City of Covington did not say if Studer has been suspended or if he would remain on duty pending his court appearance.
Traci,
The only reason your husband was able to get such a sweetheart deal is because the police and firefighter unions dishonestly endorsed and contributed lots of money and other campaign support to the City Council candidates who would give them the biggest salary, benefits, and pension increases, no matter how excessive and unsustainable.
When the City Council members whom the unions helped elect "negotiated" the contract increases with the firefighter and police unions in secret, behind closed doors, there was nobody representing the voters and taxpayers.
This is a form of corruption where the unions and the politicians scratch each other's back. This is how the firefighter and police unions have been effectively looting the public treasury of the city they are sworn to protect.
Having a legitimate concern about the firefighter and police unions pushing El Segundo down the road to bankruptcy, just as the firefighter and police unions have already bankrupted the city of Vallejo, California, is not "being petty and narrow minded" as you claim.
If anything, you are being selfish and disingenuous. You are displaying the same culture of entitlement that I have been talking about. You don't care if all other city services and programs are cut, including the parks and the library, and maintaining the streets and sewers, just so you and your husband can live a lavish lifestyle off the taxpayers. You, just like the police and firefighter union members, don't care that you are robbing future generations just so you can enrich yourselves in your generation. That is typical of the unions, especially the government employee unions. In fact, you are already robbing others in the present generation.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Traci,
You said:
"I'm sorry that Mr. Robbins thinks that when you retire you should be poor and live under poverty level.......Correct me if I'm wrong but when you put money into a retirement fund you WANT to make what you were making when you retire so you can live comfortably???"
While you are entitled to state your own opinion, you are not entitled to misstate mine. I have never stated that when people retire they should be poor and live under the poverty level. Only you have stated that.
What I have stated is that the taxpayers should not have to pay for government employee union members, especially firefighters and police officers who are the worst offenders, to be paid wildly excessive and unsustainable salaries, benefits, and pension contributions when they are working, huge inflated leave payouts when they retire, and almost as much as their salary in their retirement when they are no longer working. And double-dipping into the pension while working, as your husband and others are doing, should not be allowed, especially given that the pension is a DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN (a never empty bottle) funded by the taxpayers and not a defined contribution plan funded primarily or entirely by the employee.
If you want to "put money into a retirement fund" and then "make what you were making when you retire so you can live comfortably (lavishly)," DO IT WITH YOUR OWN MONEY earned at honest, competitive free-market compensation, and not entirely or almost entirely with other people's (tax) money paid at corrupt extortionist union compensation and pension levels. It is like stealing other people's money and then pretending you never stole it.
It is that simple. There is a difference between wanting things and earning them. If you want them, you have to earn them to have them. Don't just take them through dishonest and corrupt means.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicvSafetyProject.org
Oh yes and before "Mr." Robbins responds to this my husband was an El Segundo Police Officer for 31 years. He retired in 07 with a total buy out of approximately $107,000.00. THAT includes accrued vacation, sick pay and comp time THAT THE CITY ALLOWED!!! That has always been done EVEN WHEN MR ROBBINS was a councilman! Also medical. I'm sorry that Mr. Robbins thinks that when you retire you should be poor and live under poverty level.......Correct me if I'm wrong but when you put money into a retirement fund you WANT to make what you were making when you retire so you can live comfortably??? And that is what we did. We paid our dues for 30 years. Struggled along many others and have been hit in this recent economic down fall just like many others have. BUT AGAIN none of this has any bearing on what that firefighter did. This isn't about Unions it's about a poor choice by a man! Mr. Robbins likes to incite anyone who will listen to his ramblings by being petty and narrow minded.
Traci,
You neglected to mention that you are the wife of John Sellens, a former president of the El Segundo Police Officers "Association" (union). You clearly have a vested interest in defending union abuses and excesses because you financially benefited from them and continue to benefit from them, and your husband had a part in them. You too have a conflict of interest.
You also neglected to mention that your husband (and you) are members of the CalPERS $100K Pension Club for El Segundo, California city employees. Your husband (and you) receive a CalPERS pension benefit of $106,704.36 per year, plus COLAs, as a DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN guaranteed by the taxpayers against poor investment decisions and results, and against greater than predicted life spans for BOTH YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND.
See the following links for proof:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://database.californiapens...
Your husband received a RETROACTIVE pension benefit formula increase to the wildly excessive and unsustainable 3%@50 formula -- 3% of his SINGLE HIGHEST YEAR PAY for each year of service, up to a maximum of 90% after 30 years of service, with full retirement as early as age 50.
It was primarily taxpayer money that paid for your CalPERS pension thus far, and much more taxpayer money will have to be paid for it in the future.
You also neglected to mention that your husband is DOUBLE-DIPPING into his CalPERS pension while working as a contract employee Code Enforcement Officer for the city of El Segundo, taking up a job from someone else who could use it during this recession with a very high unemployment rate. That should not be allowed.
These public employee pensions were never supposed to enrich the retirees at the expense of the overburdened taxpayers, but only provide a secure retirement. Since your husband is fit and able to work, and is actually working, he should not be collecting his CalPERS pension, especially not long before the age that most people in the private sector get theirs - in their mid-60's.
Your husband's city job position and work contact information is listed on the City of El Segundo official web site at:
http://www.elsegundo.org/depts...
John SellensCode Enforcement310-524-23xx
And did your husband claim a "job related" disability retirement, like about 55% of the El Segundo firefighters and police officers did over the last ten years, so that half of his $106,704.36 per year CalPERS pension income is free of state and federal income taxes? If so, what was his disability?
Upon your husband's death, you as the surviving spouse can assume your husband's full pension as though you were the police officer employee, for the rest of your life.
As you acknowledged, you and your husband get "free" medical insurance paid for by the taxpayers. This is another huge perk not enjoyed by the private sector taxpayers who must pay for it for the public employee unions.
This is on top of the many hours of vacation and sick leave that your husband was allowed to roll over from year to year, while many if not most private sector jobs have combined vacation and sick leave into "Personal Time Off" (PTO) and limit you to 40 or 80 hours maximum to carry over from year to year. You have to use it or lose it.
Your husband was allowed to carry over large numbers of vacation and sick leave hours from year to year, and to cash them out many years later after many annual, step, and promotional pay raises that far exceeded the inflation rate. When I was on the City Council, in the 1990's, the salaries, benefits, and pension contributions were much less and the leave payouts were not nearly this outrageous.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Way to twist the facts to make "everyone other than" the firefighter responsible for his own actions. The fact is that man "allegedly stole" items NOT the union. I thought reporters were supposed to report the news in an unbiased fashion???? When did the innocent become guilty BEFORE representation? Why are you saying that the union is responsible for that mans POOR CHOICES? Have any of you EVER done the job of a firefighter or Police Officer? Not just a day but every day for years? Have you served your country EVER? Been in harms way every day of your working life? When you have walked a mile in these men and womens shoes THEN you can write all the slime and smear crap you want!!!!
Traci,
Why don't you go back and read the first sentence. It states, "Firefighter Michael Archambault is presumed innocent until proven guilty." And then the word "allegedly" is used in not one, but three places in the article.
One of the main issues here is that the firefighters "association" (union), and yes, also the police officers "association" (union), act as a royal family and treat everyone else as peasants who have to give them everything they demand, no matter how excessive, unreasonable, and unsustainable. They, and apparently their spouses, have developed a strong sense of entitlement. That is a very plausible explanation why El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault, if guilty, shoplifted nearly $400 worth of merchandise from Costco, a store that treats its customers very well with good quality products, fair and competitive prices, and a great return policy.
By the way, do you think Michael Archambault was planning on returning the empty trash can for a refund?
If anyone tries to claim that the El Segundo Police Officers "Association" is not a union, as El Segundo Police Sergeant Rex Fowler tried to claim, then look at the proof that it is a union, as is the El Segundo Firefighters "Association", at the PublicSafetyProject.org web site at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Traci,
You are the wife of John Sellens, a former El Segundo police officer, and a former president of the El Segundo Police Officers "Association" (union). You clearly have a vested interest in defending union corruption because you are also part of the overall problem and you profit from being part of the problem, as I explain below.
Your husband (and you) are members of the CalPERS $100K Pension Club for El Segundo, California city employees. You receive a CalPERS pension benefit of $106,704.36 per year, plus COLAs, as a DEFINED BENEFIT PLAN guaranteed by the taxpayers against poor investment decisions and results, and against greater than predicted life spans for BOTH YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND.
See the following links for proof:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://database.californiapens...
It was primarily taxpayer money that paid for your CalPERS pension thus far, and much more taxpayer money will have to be paid for it in the future.
Also, your husband is DOUBLE-DIPPING into his CalPERS pension while working as a contract employee Code Enforcement Officer for the city of El Segundo, taking up a job from someone else who could use it during this recession and very high unemployment rate. It looks like cronyism, and people in the community have been talking about it. In fact, there appears to be a pattern of cronyism in El Segundo City Hall.
These public employee pensions were never supposed to enrich the retirees, but only give them a secure retirement. If your husband is fit and able to work, and is actually working (as he is), then he should not be collecting his CalPERS pension before the age that most people in the private sector get theirs - in their mid-60's.
Your husband's city job position and work contact information is listed on the City of El Segundo official web site at:
http://www.elsegundo.org/depts...
John SellensCode Enforcement310-524-23xx
And did your husband claim a "job related" disability retirement, like about 55% of the El Segundo firefighters and police officers do, so that half of his $106,704.36 per year CalPERS pension income is free of state and federal income taxes?
Upon your husband's death, you as the surviving spouse get to assume your husband's full pension as though you were the police officer employee, for the rest of your life.
Also, both you and your husband get "free" medical insurance paid for by the taxpayers.
This is on top of the many hours of vacation and sick leave that your husband was allowed to roll over from year to year, while many if not most private sector jobs have combined vacation and sick leave into "Personal Time Off" (PTO) and limit you to 40 or 80 hours maximum to carry over from year to year. Use it or lose it.
Your husband was allowed to carry over large numbers of vacation and sick leave hours from year to year, and to cash them out much later after many annual, step, and promotional pay raises that far exceeded the inflation rate.
The only reason he was able to get such a sweetheart deal is because the police and firefighter unions dishonestly endorsed and contributed lots of money and other campaign support to the City Council candidates who would give them the biggest salary, benefits, and pension increases, no matter how excessive and unsustainable.
When the City Council members whom the unions helped elect "negotiated" the contract increases with the firefighter and police unions in secret, behind closed doors, there was nobody representing the voters and taxpayers.
This is a form of corruption where the unions and the politicians scratch each others back.
This is how the firefighter and police unions have been effectively looting the public treasury of the city they are sworn to protect.
The police officers and firefighters are sworn employees in positions of authority and public trust. They are supposed to be completely trustworthy. But they are anything but trustworthy when it comes to getting their hands on as much of the taxpayers' money as they can take. It's almost like being legally allowed to rob banks. Only they can get much more money by looting the public treasury than by robbing banks.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Traci,
Don't expect your husband's pension money to last. These CalPERS pensions are unsustainable and the money will likely run out before you do, as a result of the union greed. I believe that only significant cost control measures, including a two-tier system for new hires with reduced pension formulas, and elimination of most special compensation, limiting accumulated vacation and sick leave to 40 or 80 hours maximum, and salary rollbacks for all current and future employees may save your husband's pension.
The wildly excessive and unsustainable 3% @ 50 CalPERS pension benefit formula provides El Segundo police officers, including your husband, 3% of the SINGLE HIGHEST YEAR PAY for each year of service, with full retirement as early as age 50 after 30 years of service, for a total of 90% of their single highest year pay with COLAs for the rest of their life -- and the for the rest of the surviving spouse's life. The surviving spouse assumes the FULL pension as her own upon her husband's death.
Also, the CalPERS actuarial data shows that upon retirement, safety employees (firefighters and police officers) live JUST AS LONG as miscellaneous employees (everybody else).
The CalPERS pensions are unsustainable DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS guaranteed by the taxpayers against poor investment decisions and results, and unexpected longer life spans of the employee and the surviving spouse.
El Segundo firefighters get the same sweet deal, except their retirement age is 55 instead of 50.
In 2009, the city (taxpayers) paid both the CalPERS Employee Contribution (9% of regular earnings and special compensation) and the Employer Contribution (29.3% of regular earnings and special compensation) for firefighters and police officers, for a total of 38.3% of regular earnings and special compensation. Special compensation averaged 28% of regular earnings in 2009 for police and firefighters.
The maximum and average CalPERS pension contributions paid for individual firefighters in 2009 were $83,594 and $43,124. These numbers were $77,274 and $41,436. If you include health benefits, these numbers were $87,617 and $53,251 for firefighters, and $78,772 and $50,809 for police officers. Many people would be delighted to have these annual sums of money as their total income. Clearly, this is unsustainable.
These CalPERS contribution percentages and actual dollar amounts keep increasing from year to year, and combined with the wildly excessive salaries, special compensation, vacation and sick leave payout at higher pay rates than when they were earned, and benefits, are pushing El Segundo down the road towards bankruptcy.
In addition to the CalPERS pension, firefighters and police officers can also participate in a 401(a) deferred compensation plan similar to 401(k) plans, and the taxpayers pay additional money into that. Former Police Chief David Cummings received $11,592 in taxpayer money for his 401(a) deferred compensation plan in 2009, without contributing any of his own money.
See:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Given the wildly excessive and unsustainable 3% @ 50 CalPERS pension benefit formula, El Segundo police officers retire with 3% of their SINGLE HIGHEST YEAR PAY for each year of service, with full retirement as early as age 50 after 30 years of service, for a maximum pension benefit of 90% of the SINGLE HIGHEST YEAR PAY with COLAs for the life of the employee and of the surviving spouse.
The surviving spouse assumes the FULL pension as her own upon her husband's death.
Also, the CalPERS actuarial data shows that upon retirement, safety employees (firefighters and police officers) live JUST AS LONG as miscellaneous employees (everybody else).
It is the same deal for El Segundo firefighters, except the minimum retirement age is 55 years, still a sweet deal.
If they claim a "job related " disability upon retirement, or even 5 or more years after retirement, as 55% of El Segundo police officers and firefighters do, whether legitimate or fraudulent, then half the pension income is free of state and federal income taxes.
The CalPERS pensions are unsustainable DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS guaranteed by the taxpayers against poor investment decisions and results, and unexpected increasing life expectancy of the employee and the surviving spouse.
All of the above applies to your husband with retirement as early as age 50.
Each time a firefighter or police officer retires with 90% of their single highest year pay for the rest of their life and the rest of their surviving spouse's life, the city has to hire a replacement employee while still paying pension at near full pay for the retired employee. this is unsustainable. That, together with wildly excessive and unsustainable salaries, and benefits, is how the firefighter and police unions are bankrupting cities, counties, and the state.
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Traci,
You are the wife of John Sellens, a former El Segundo police officer, and a former president of the El Segundo Police Officers "Association" (union). You clearly have a vested interest in this matter because you are also part of the overall problem and you profit from being part of the problem, as I will explain later.
But first, I want to note that the police officer union's former attack dog, Sergeant Rex Fowler, appears to be laid up in the hospital with a broken leg after colliding with a Hawthorne police motorcycle officer who died in the collision, during a multi-mile long funeral procession for a Manhattan Beach police officer who died of cancer.
I sincerely pray that Sgt. Rex Fowler has a full and speedy recovery, in spite of his dishonesty and dirty politics. His misfortune, pain and suffering bring me no joy, regardless of the cause and fault. I will be happy to learn of his full recovery, and the sooner the better. However, I will continue to work with others towards necessary compensation reforms to stabilize our city budget and to preserve our local fire department and paramedic ambulance service for the community.
My prayers are also with the families of the deceased Hawthorne and Manhattan Beach police officers, Andrew Garton and Mark Vasquez.
Life and death, and human suffering, are matters separate from and above the issues and controversies at hand. At least as far as I am concerned.
However, I still would like to know, Traci -- are you Rex Flowler's replacement for the El Segundo police union, given that your husband is a former president of that union?
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
White people are the biggest crooks. EL Segundo fireman/police workforce -- 60-80% percent White
From the bottom to the stop - El Segundo to Wall Street Bailouts 2 years ago
It's not about race. As the great scholar, author, and radio talk show host Dennis Prager said, their are only two races of people -- the decent and the indecent.
The problem is the government employee unions have an inherent and unavoidable conflict of interest, they are very corrupting, and they bring out the worst in people while giving them plausible deniability when they act as a group - just like a lynch mob gives each member of the mob plausible deniability, only here they are lynching the taxpayer.
The situation is even worse for the firefighter and police unions, which are fraternal organizations of sworn employees in positions of authority who act as a royal family, and treat everyone else as the mere peasants who have to give them everything they demand, no matter how unreasonable and unsustainable.
It is pure selfish greed. These unions have no concern that they are bankrupting cities, counties, and the state, and that they are effectively looting the public treasury, robbing future generations, and destabilizing society to unjustly enrich themselves..
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Why is it that a story about an individual who may have a psychological problem is turned into an indictment on public service unions? I kept looking and looking for the balance in this report, to no avail. Will look elsewhere.
You do that. There isn't much to defend when you become enlightened to the facts, is there? Perhaps you also are a "pensioner?"
How do you know that if El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault is guilty, it is due to psychological problems and not a royal family culture of entitlement fostered by his union?
If it appears that this news article lacks balance or is one-sided, it is because THERE IS NO BALANCE between private sector compensation and the taxpayer funded salaries, benefits, and pensions received by the government employees - especially the firefighter and police union members - in exchange for their election campaign endorsements, monetary contributions, and other campaign support to elect the politicians who will decide their increases. It is TOTALLY CORRUPT.
The firefighter and police unions have abused their positions of authority and public trust, and have been effectively looting the public treasuries of the cities they are sworn to protect. They have been pushing cities and counties down the road towards bankruptcy, and they have already bankrupted the city of Vallejo, California.
The government employee unions, especially the police and firefighter unions, engage in a form of corruption where they and the politicians they help elect scratch each other's back,
Due to the word count limit, the author, Paul Teetor, could not include much more damning information about the various forms of abuse and corruption that the taxpayers and voters continue to suffer at the hands of the government employee unions.
For example, the El Segundo Firefighters' Association (union) sent a campaign letter on official letterhead to elderly voters, threatening them with "the possibility of our paramedics not being available when you need them" if the three candidates they endorsed were not elected! This became known as the firefighter union's "Senior Scare Letter" and can be viewed at the following links:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
For more information on the El Segundo city employee compensation, especially the eye-popping firefighter and police compensation, take a look at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Despicable people without moral fortitude. Hell will be very crowded. The rest of the world is struggling to make ends meet, even with a bachelor's or master's degree...I guess the real idiots are those of us who buy into the education mantra. The Wall Street Journal ran a comparison story between Harvard grads and the California Prison Guard Union Members. Guess who made more money, got more time off and had to only have a GED or HS education. The real money is in government and civil service jobs. Especially for lazy fat-ass slackers.
It used to be that government employees had job security and reasonable benefits in exchange for somewhat LOWER pay than the private sector. But now, after the passage of the California state laws in 1968 and the 1970's that allowed local and state government employees to unionize and engage in collective bargaining with the politicians they helped elect, government employees have it all - civil service job security, superior salaries, benefits, and pensions compared to the private sector, and a culture of entitlement where they are the royal family and they treat everyone else as the peasants who must pay for their every demand, no matter how unreasonable and unsustainable.
Take a look at the Public Safety Project web site for some more information on these laws at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
For some historical news articles on how the firefighter and police unions in El Segundo and other South Bay cities campaigned feverishly to elect the City Council members with whom they would "negotiate" their contract increases in secret - pay raises, and benefits and pension increases - take a look at the "HISTORICAL NEWS ARTICLES" section of the PublicSafetyProject.org web site at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Mike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
What Mr. Robbins failed to report is that at 52 years of age, THIS firefighter has less than 3 YEARS to go before retirement, at 55, and with the current give away "credits" by a SUPPORTIVE UNION COUNCIL (the Mayor received 25% of his "entire" campaign funding by the firefighters union) Mr.Archambault is going to be collecting a BIG FAT SIX FIGURE PENSION plus full benefits for him and HIS FAMILY for life!
I provided additional pension details together with additional arrest report details for El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault at the Public Safety Project web site at PublicSafetyProject.org.
Take a look at:http://www.publicsafetyproject...
If Michael Archambault claims a disability for his retirement, whether real or not, then as mentioned in the article, half his pension income will be free of both state and federal income taxes.
Miike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
What Mr. Robbins failed to report is that at 52 years of age, THIS firefighter has less than 3 YEARS to go before retirement, at 55, and with the current give away "credits" by a SUPPORTIVE UNION COUNCIL (the Mayor received 25% of his "entire" campaign funding by the firefighters union) Mr.Archambault is going to be collecting a BIG FAT SIX FIGURE PENSION plus full benefits for him and HIS FAMILY for life!
I provided additional pension details together with additional arrest report details for El Segundo firefighter Michael Archambault at the Public Safety Project web site at PublicSaftyProject.org. If Michael Archambault claims a disability for his retirement, whether real or not, then as mentioned in the article, half his pension income will be free of both state and federal income taxes.
Miike RobbinsPublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
Thank you for pointing this out.
Actually, I address Michael Archambault's pension at the PublicSafetyProject.org web site at:
http://www.publicsafetyproject...
Could Firefighter's Arrest be the Result of a Culture of Entitlement?
MikePublic Safety ProjectPublicSafetyProject.org
The job also is not nearly as dangerous as popularly believed. You can bet that the riskiest part of the job for most of them (given that they don't live in town) is commuting to work.
It's a racket plain and simple.
these firefighters love to play the hero card but time is running out on them.. good job LA Weekly for drawing attention to these entitled exemplifiers of everything wrong with our system!
If Mulholland we're alive today he'd ditch stealing real estate and get himself a plum firefighter's job. In our post 9/11 world, firefighters were granted a degree of moral authority that they have uniformly squandered with their pettiness and greed (at least in SoCal). For another point of reference please google Joseph Diliberti and the 'heroes' of the San Diego County Fire Dept.
Now Trending
Browse Voice Nation
-
Voice Places
Find everything you're looking for in your city
-
Happy Hour App
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
-
Daily Deals
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
-
Best Of...
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city
Join
Log In
- Profile
- Newsletters
- Mobile
- Logout
-
Publishing:
ONOFF
