FPD Insults the Taxpayers Yet Again

On Tuesday the City Council held a special Budget Workshop to go over options to keep us from going to insolvency thanks to CalPERS. All departments were asked to come up with cuts to their budgets in spite of the fact that public safety is the biggest driver of our debt.

Miraculously when forced government bureaucrats were able to find it in themselves to not throw tax money away. That it takes a fiscal crisis for the government to care about spending other people’s money is infuriating but not shocking. Ultimately most departments either offered to not fill positions or cut back on $50 boxes of paperclips or whatever frivolity they found.

FFD brought up the idea to negotiate a contract with CARE Ambulance to net the City a cool $1Million in new revenue. They qualified/blackmailed it by saying that they’d have to lay off 3 Heroes if that Ambulance idea was shot down. However, knowing that the council won’t let go of any hero staff at least FFD came to table with something. What did FPD put on the table?

They put up four police officer positions. This was so laughable that staff, during the presentation, reiterated that this wasn’t going to happen and was put there because FPD had to put something.

So FPD effectively offered to cut nothing. NADA.

Fitzgerald straight up said during the meeting that she wouldn’t vote to reduce Hero staffing. At a previous meeting she tried to save the paltry $48,000 for the horrible Behind the Badge PR nonsense and I doubt she’d even let us cut that $25K in legal fees given the choice.

The department, knowing that there aren’t three votes on council to reduce FPD staff, gave the Fullerton taxpayers the middle finger by not even trying to reduce their budgets. I don’t know, maybe don’t blow through so much ammo down at the range for starters ($58K/Year). Maybe end a few subscriptions or cut back on the pay-cations we send heroes on all the time. How about you stop beating people or wrongfully arresting folks and save us some settlement money at the very least? Something? Anything?

We’re good guys. Or else…

Nope, just a big old F-U.

An F-U to the taxpayers from the very people bankrupting us so they can retire 20 years before any of us with their ridiculous 6-figure pensions. The only thing worse than the Interim Chief giving us all the bird is Fitzgerald sitting up on the dais, her fake (R) self to blame for our ever increasing debt, going along with this hogwash.

They don’t want to cut personnel? Fine. Cut something. Come back to us when you want to act like adults and not petulant children unwilling to give up even one toy.

19 Replies to “FPD Insults the Taxpayers Yet Again”

  1. It’s almost like they WANT to bankrupt our city (and all the cities around us) so the state will come in and raise more taxes.

  2. The final budget proposal will include a new utility tax or a sales tax option. Count on it. Of course the council won’t vote for it – there will have to be a referendum and the “public safety – safety last, personal income first” unions will use our tax dollars overpaid to them to run a big propaganda scare campaign.

    Wait for it.

  3. I bet they’re getting a lot of great candidates for the City Manager position. Who wouldn’t want to take responsibility for this sinking ship?

    The council refuses to stop spending. Is there an adult anywhere around here?

    1. Yeah. Gee, we just hit that darn iceberg and are taking on water fast. Who wants to be captain?

  4. I don’t see how you can “save” $25,000 in legal fees. What does that really mean? Does FPD have a special lawyer on retainer?

    Can anybody help?

  5. FULLERTON, Calif. (April 11, 2017) –– Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker has announced his mini State of the City to be held on Thursday, April 27 at the Library Conference Center.

    The free event, which is designed for those who could not attend the State of the City luncheon held on March 30th, 2017, will begin and 6:30 p.m. and offer light refreshments.

    For more information, contact the City Council Office at 714-738-6310.

  6. Wow
    Looking at those FPD salaries I wish I had made a different career choice especially when you consider the Pension and Health Insurance

    1. Nah, you have to deal with the criminal element all day long. And that’s before you even leave the station.

    1. Detective? That idiot couldn’t find his own ass in the dark. FPD has a long history of employing numskulls as detectives. I remember Ron Bair. He turned out to be an expensive piece of work.

  7. Do not forgot the IT department. They over pay contractors just not to have the personally count against their numbers. It would be cheaper to have them hired on. Since they are “Contractors” they can charge the city an outrageous amount.

    They need to realize not filling positions and cutting people won’t solve our problem. We need to find revenue generators.

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