Vehicles as perks at the nation's largest Public Utility
Happy "El Presidente" Weekend amigos y amigas!!117 and 250.
What do these numbers relate to??
The number of vehicles given as perks to DWP employees.
According to the story by scribe Beth Barrett in today's Daily News all six-figured salary supervisors and 250 selected employees are givens vehicles for their usage at the nation's largest Public Utility.
This comes as the DWP shills around the city for a rate increase coming on top of the passage of Prop S.
Give credit to the Daily News for their continueous probing of spending at the DWP despite the best efforts of IBEW's strongman "BOSS D'ARCY" lawsuits and H. David Nahai's spin.
This comment from DWP Commissioner Nick Patsaours,
Patsaouras said he will ask for a review of the utility's vehicle policy at
Tuesday's board meeting, and he called paying for employees' classes on
pregnancy and breast-feeding "absurd."
Labels: Boss D'Arcy, daily news, dwp, H David Nahai
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 2/17/2008 10:19:00 AM
16 Comments:
"all six-figured salary supervisors and 250 selected employees are givens vehicles for their usage at the nation's largest Public Utility."
And,insurance, gas and maintainenance...and...?
And they want in INCREASE IN MY RATES?
Three figure salaries; $100,000, $150,000, $200,000? The lowest Superisor makes a minimum of $100,000 or more..tenured superisors make more $150K...seniors make $200K or $250K?
An who and why are the 250 "selected employees"?
The Councilmen make $171K, JUDGES MAKE $171k including the Mayors sister "The Judge". How can they justify $200 K or more for a 'Supervisor"
At least 30 people make $218,000, the apparent standard for a department manager or Assistant Genl Manager -- way more than the Councilmembers, whose salaries there was a big fuss about, many, many more make around $150,000 and $125,000 seems a minimum.
11 people have 2008 Priuses, and the cars as a group are fancier than what the Councilmembers and staffs drive. Why do these people need a car more than a Field Deputy who has to drive around a district?
It just shows what a red herring the fuss about Councilmember and Mayor Salaries and cars were. What other departments have these perks?
Anybody remember that during the FH trial DWP bureaucrat Randy Howard testifying he was outraged that the department was mistakenly billed for a martini that somebody bought for a deputy mayor? Thanks to the Daily News, we learn today that Howard makes $216,212 a year and drives a 2008 Nissan Altima -- at taxpayers expense. That's a lot of martinis.
Maybe the Supervisors who work at DWP, other than Field Deputy types,should be required to take our transportation system...two hours on a bus and three hour to Long Beach from down town. If you want to go the the airport from Boyle Heights....you cant get there from here..
I thought it was Laura Chick's job to call attention to this kind of crap. She's very selective in her outrage. Does her staff get free cars?
To 11:41 Thanks to the Daily News, we learn today that Howard makes $216,212 a year and drives a 2008 Nissan Altima -- at taxpayers expense. That's a lot of martinis.
Get your facts straight. It's NOT taxpayers who pay -- it is RATEpayers. Sheesh. Where's my martini?
-Randy
Anybody who has worked at the DWP can tell you the biggest waste of money at DWP, is by the large number of employees who sit on their fat ass and don' put an honest 8 hour work day.
Nepotism is another problem at DWP, friends and family want others to enjoy the great benefits of working for a government run entity.
DWP management "rights" would be defined by Webster as "entitlements",like the 117 vehicles, management jobs with have no actual work duties just fancy ambiguous descriptions that sound important but really mean that they have no actual work to do. As a matter of fact when Lance Brown, the Director of Customer Services, was replaced (actually demoted), Mr. Brown kept his $180,000 while being stripped of all his responsibilities and DWP is paying another person the same salary to take his place. Money is no object when it come to management, however, work (unless you include the countless pointless meetings) is a management taboo. Or I forgot about the "important" utility conferences that management needs to travel to all expense paid + their Overtime salary courtesy of the ratepayers at varies vacation locations to attend (if they have time that does not interfere with their sightseeing). Mangers are quick to critize the DWP worker bees, yet they have no clue how do any work they critize, maybe managers should be required to do frontline work one day a week or month so they don't lose touch with the workers. sorry, they already lost touch
Furthermore, DWP is currently replacing 2 high Customer Services Management Positions not because they are needed but because they will lose these unproductive waste of money positions that are currently written in the budget. If they are not filled, they will be written out of the next budget. Manager positions are not filled on need, but on the fact of being written out the budget even though they might be a total waste of money unless you consider the contracts they negiotate from outside vendors for overpriced inferior products (quid pro quo)
DWP is a disgrace and an embarrassment. If you support the concept of a "public utility" you should be on the front lines demanding efficiency and accountability because DWP in it's current form is making the case every day for privatization.
hey randy, since your reading this blog, why not explain why you think RATEPAYERS should pay for your brand new altima on top of your $216K salary.
To 1:24
Yes, the ratepayers pick up the cost of DWP's expenses, and taxpayers cover the cost of the rest of city government. But since nearly everyone in the city pays DWP, either directly or indirectly as a renter, and they pay taxes, it doesn't really matter to people whether the money they have to shell out takes the form of taxes or DWP rates. A dollar is a dollar.
To 6:14 PM: ...it doesn't really matter to people whether the money they have to shell out takes the form of taxes or DWP rates
But it does matter. To increase taxes takes a vote of the people. To increase DWP rates and the (hidden tax) transfer to the City only takes approval of the City Council.
Net result may be the same, but there are different standards for accountability. Think about it.
- Not really Randy
The taxpayers get hit four ways. One is a tax that needs voter approval; one is a fee for services, such as trash collection; one is to pay off bonds that may or may not have been on the ballot; and the another is DWP rates. But to the person who has to pay all these, a dollar is a dollar. Angry citizens can vote out the Councilmembers who raise their taxes and those who approve DWP rates. But no one is organizing them. Neighborhood Councils?
Ask any DWP employee who is also an SCE customer, and they'll tell you how much more they pay for electricity than if they had DWP rates. DWP workers should also ask themselves how much of their IBEW dues go to paying for take home vehicles for their business representatives at the Union Hall.
The City is run for the benefit of the "electeds" and the City employees, not the taxpayers.
What else is new?
City managers, regardless of what department they work for, if they do their jobs correctly understand they have a fiduciary responsibilty to the public they serve. The problem often lies with appointed Department heads and the cronies they bring in who would rather mollify union leadership than work in the interest of our citizens.
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