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The water rate hike has now been safely tucked away, and next in view is an eight year extension of Sierra Madre's utility taxes. Which, as we know, are among the very highest in all of California. We truly are a natural wonder in the Golden State. None pay more than us, even after we voted ourselves some utility tax relief in 2012. Something that has since been completely disregarded by most of our elected and salaried officials. Our votes only count when these stalwart defenders of local democracy approve of the results.
The assumption downtown apparently is that we did this in a moment of childlike choler, and it is their duty to bring us back to more responsible ways. The terrible mistake of not voting to pay 10% utility taxes to City Hall being completely ignored by those who live off of that largesse.
For our benefit a helpful do-over vote has now been arranged for us on April 8.
Our blithe and chipper City Council, who for some reason seems to be at its very merriest when they are dunning the residents in a monetary sort of way, has now blessed us with Measure UUT. An eight year extension of our sky high double digit utility taxes, something that will take us all the way out to the distant year of 2022.
Just in case you change your mind. People shouldn't be allowed to vote on taxes too often, you know.
And trust me, they're gearing up for this one. So much so that they changed up some water rate hike paperwork at the very last minute Tuesday evening. Done out of a fear that if they didn't it just might threaten their 10% utility tax intake. It was called Urgency Ordinance 1351-U, which is very science fiction sounding.
Did you catch it Tuesday evening? Here is how the staff report introduced this move.
Subject: Adoption of Urgency Ordinance 1351-U and first reading of Ordinance 1351 setting the water and sewer rates for fiscal years ending 2014 through 2018
Summary: Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Raftelis draft Water and Wastewater Rate Study Report of November 13, 2013; read and adopt Urgency Ordinance 1351-U, setting new water and sewer rates, effective March 1, 2014, and read Ordinance 1351 setting new water and sewer rates.
All pretty innocent so far. There is that "urgency" thing, though. And what makes this all so very urgent you may ask? Read on. There are unkind details.
The attached Urgency Ordinance 1351U established the beginning date for the new rates as of March 13, 2014; Ordinance 1351 establishes the beginning date for the new rates as of March 13, 2014. The March 1, 2014 date for the Urgency Ordinance was selected in order to coincide with the existing billing cycles and ensure that one portion of the community is not billed at the new rates more times than the another. Each of the two bi-monthly billing segments will receive two bills under the proposed FYE 2014 rates.
Utter gibberish. Here is where it gets laid on really thick.
The information that was mailed to water and sewer customers indicated that the new rates would be effective February 1st; however it was later determined that this would result in an inequality in the billing cycles for both segments of the community.
Which is, of course, also nonsense. If all the water bills needed to get out to all of the customers at the same time, what you'd need to do is mail them all on the same day. Any individual billing adjustments deemed necessary could have been done the old fashioned way, by fixing the math. It certainly wouldn't have taken delaying a water rate increase for an entire month to accomplish.
So why was the date changed from February 1st to March 1st, and in an "urgency ordinance" sort of way no less? City Hall doesn't want you to receive your brand new jumbo-sized water bill before you vote on Measure UUT. This ballot decision takes place on April 8, and that new March 1st date change will ensure that you won't receive your water bill until after you've cast your UUT vote.
The City is afraid that you'll be so angry over your new jacked up water bill that you'll go to the polls and take it out on Measure UUT. So it was delayed.
They certainly can't allow this UUT rate extension to go down for the second time in two years, right? Of course not. They have pensions to fund.
Patch fired a ton of people yesterday. Here is the classless way that they did it:
This from the noted media news website, Jim Romenesko.com (link):
I’m told that hundreds — two tipsters claim two-thirds of the editorial staff — have been laid off by Patch’s new owner, Hale Global. I have asked the company for confirmation. (It bought Patch from AOL on January 15.)
Excerpt of the 10 a.m. ET conference call transcript: "Hi everyone, it’s [Patch COO] Leigh Zarelli Lewis. Patch is being restructured in connection with the creation of the joint venture with Hale Global. Hale Global has decided which Patch employees will receive an offer of employment to move forward in accordance with their vision for Patch and which will not. Unfortunately, your role has been eliminated and you will no longer have a role at Patch and today will be your last day of employment with the company. … Thank you again and best of luck."
In other words, these people fired hundreds of Patch employees yesterday by recorded voicemail. You can listen to the bad news by clicking here.
It doesn't get any colder than that.
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