By Bobby Lopez
I don’t know about you, but I was having a good weekend up until yesterday morning. That’s when I saw this article in the Mercury News.
A long-awaited police substation is about to cost $5 million more than the City originally thought. It’s the second time this year City administration has had to adjust their numbers because of “flawed design documents”. To add insult to injury, they want the council to pay for the cost overrun with funds that are meant for a police driver safety training center.
In the past, I’ve pointed out numerous examples of wasteful spending coming out of City Hall. This is just another example, and it comes at the expense of cops.
This substation has been a long time coming. Our officers and support staff are stretched too thin to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe. A second home in South San Jose would relieve some of the pressure. Councilmember Kalra has it right the Merc story when he says, “it’s something we need to do.”
But think of the cops we could put on the beat with $5 million. Think of the new technology SJPD could use to improve reporting and records keeping. Think of the community policing programs we could fund. I think about it, and it makes me cringe, because instead of spending that $5 million on public safety, we’re making up for messy paperwork.
Recently, we’ve been hearing about how police pensions and benefits are bleeding our City coffers dry. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad in the first place if the City spent our tax dollars wisely.
Bobby Lopez is President of the San Jose Police Officers' Association
Monday, August 17, 2009
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Here here, Bobby.
ReplyDeleteIt's not enough that they dump our tax dollars into failing non-profits, they can't get their act straight when it comes to something as fundamental as public safety.
If they're able to produce a figure precise enough to send us a bill -- an indication that each error's been identified and priced-out, how about they produce a precise accounting of the errors themselves. Who is to blame? If the fault lies with city employees, let's identify the incompetence and take corrective measures. If the blame lies with a contracted professional, let's put a price tag on the malpractice and seek restitution.
ReplyDeleteIn a city that labors to identify and hold responsible every officer ever suspected of ticking off a citizen, why is it that when costly mistakes are made in City Hall, or by those they contract, there seems to be no attempt to hold anyone accountable. The attitude is always the same: just cut services, or send the bill to the taxpayers, then put the mistakes behind us and get on with the business of screwing-up something else.
It is astonishing how the city can have cost overruns when the economy is down. In private industry projects are coming ung budget because of competative bidding with the city the would rather spend ten dollars to save one just to keep sunshine in the project. We need real leaders!
ReplyDeleteYou know what bothers me more than this? The city wants to put "Professionals" in charge or our retirement system. The Murky news another organization with bad money management backs this idea as well. The old Goverment line "TRUST US WERE PROFESSIONALS" Has got to end. Didn't we trust the world to Professionals and look what happened. This is not he begining or the end of bad money management by the city.
ReplyDelete