Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Cops’ Union Attacks Quan
Politics / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 11:11 AM
Updated: The Oakland police union began robo-calling Oakland residents yesterday, blaming Councilwoman Jean Quan for the city’s plan to lay off cops — even though she is not the driving force behind the layoff plan. The automated calls provide residents with Quan’s council office phone number and urge people to phone her and tell her not to put Oakland “lives at risk.” The calls represent a new escalation in the battle over whether police should begin contributing to their own pensions or face layoffs. And because they single out Quan, the union’s actions appear to be political since she is running against the police union’ favored candidate — Don Perata, who has taken up the union’s cause in this debate.
“They’re attacking me, but I’m not even the hard-liner on this,” Quan told the Express. Quan pointed out that Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente has been the most outspoken proponent of the cop layoff plan and of forcing police to start paying at least 9 percent of their own pensions. De La Fuente also is advocating for the immediate lay off of 150 police officers, while other council members are mulling over a proposal supported by Mayor Ron Dellums to eliminate eighty police positions now and ask voters to approve tax measures in November.
Nonetheless, the cops’ union has steadfastly refused to go after Perata’s longtime friend and close ally, De La Fuente, and instead is targeting Perata’s opponent in this year’s mayoral election. The union also has spared Councilwomen Jane Brunner and Pat Kernighan even though they hold similar views to Quan. Neither of them are running for mayor against Perata — nor is De La Fuente.
It also should be noted that the robocall contains innacurate information. It alleges that Quan has refused to consider budget cuts other than police layoffs, when in fact, she, De La Fuente, Brunner, and Kernighan proposed nearly $19 million in cuts unrelated to the layoffs earlier this week. The council plans to vote on those cuts — and the cop lay-off proposal — tomorrow night.
The robocall (unfortunately the intro got cut off):
Comments (9)
Showing 1-9 of 9
Some of yous need to do some research and stop repeating what the politicians are telling you.
The cops HAVE offered concessions. Repeat: the cops HAVE offered concessions. They've said they'll take cuts and make pension contributions in exchange for no layoffs.
Everyone wins - Oakland and the cops. But the City Council can't make that promise becuase they know that Quan has made such a mess of the budget, they're gonna have to lay off cops later in the financial year, no matter what concessions they make this week.
Seriously people. Do your homework because y'all looking stupid sounding like Jean Quan on puppet strings.
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Oakland police are the fourth-highest paid in the country; their average salary and benefits package is four times as large as this city's average household income. Over thirty percent of officers earn more than 200k per year, working in a town where unemployment is 18%. And now we're told to tax ourselves. . .again. . .so that the police can retire with nearly full pay at age 50, and without contributing a dime to their own pensions. Unbelievable.
Since my first post was deleted, I'm posting again - The rather obvious reason the cops targeted Quanabee in particular as opposed to other council members is SHE IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR, they aren't. She is the one they have to worry about having their backs if she's elected. If she wants to cut them NOW, how many will she cut when she's Queen Quan? If you're an Oakland cop, it's scary enough. But if you're an Oakland cop with Quan as Mayor, it's like living the 3rd act of The Excorcist.
Astounding that whenever I post a comment taking Bobby Gasman to task for his obsession with Perata - it disappears! Yet you managed to leave up the defamatory, slanderous catlittermeow remark about Perata being ethically challenged. I challenge catty to PROVE that accusation - where is the proof of Perata's ethical failing(s)? I also challenge the cowards at EBE to stop only printing a majority of comments that favor the yellow pseudo-journalism printed by a has-been/never-was that can't get a job writing for Walmart's newsletter so he assuages his insecurities by continuously attaching one person with innuendo and flat out lies. Still waiting for apology to Perata for all the fake stories Gasman wrote about Perata going to jail any day. That was in 2007 - how long does Gasman get to sit on his hairy hands before he admits he was DEAD WRONG. As usual.
The combination of lies, politicization, self-aggrandizement, and illegal robocalling is pretty breathtaking for a bunch of supposedly law-abiding public-spirited police officers. The threat of a "war zone" reminds me of how occasionally some emotionally troubled firefighter starts a big blaze in order to get recognition. I think the OPOA is undermining its own credibility.
Errr. Jean Quan is the Chair of the Budget Committee - you know, the Committee that's supposed to budget, not bankrupt.
So here's a whack conculsion that Bob Gammon couldn't bring himself to write - the cops are targetting Jean Quan becuase she's responsibile for the budget crisis, which leaves the state's most violent city facing a lay-off for 25% of its force.
Take responsibility Quan. Stop howling at everyone else for your incompetence.
The robocalls sent out citywide last night coupled with the full-page ad in The Tribune today are new lows in outright lies and political hit-pieces by the Oakland Police Officers Association (OPOA). These dastardly tactics have nothing to do with the difficult budget struggles the mayor and the full council are desperately trying to solve. Instead OPOA made this nasty and naked attack on Vice Mayor Jean Quan alone -- the mayoral opponent with a growing lead over Don Perata, OPOA's choice in the current campaign. These low-ball attacks by OPOA are thinly veiled attempts to hide the fact that every other program, office, and activity of the City have contributed over $170 million in cuts, reductions, and layoffs toward the City's horrendous budget problem such that there is literally nowhere else left to cut. OPOA aggression also conceals the fact that Police and Fire consume 75% of the city's total revenue. Even so, OPOA hides cowardly behind the emotional slogan of Oakland being turned into "a war zone," and stands stubbornly alone in refusing to contribute even one red cent to the problem !
I must say I was disappointed, but not surprised by yesterday's robo call as OPOA has so publicly allied itself with a mayoral candidate who is (to put it gently) ethically challenged.
This underhanded political hatchet job has Perata's fingerprints all over it and his grand-standing will ultimately make a fair and rational budget process that much harder.
When I listened to the robo call, my first thought was "this is a Perata attack". Had Sgt. Arotzarena not singled out Ms Quan but suggested a call to my respective Councilmember,I might have given his call some consideration. To the members of OPOA: I suggest you get a credible spokesperson to champion your cause.
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