Congratulations Measure BB Supporters - We're Getting a SMALLER Police Force!

As a thank you to Measure BB supporters, City Administrator Dan Lindheim held a press conference today to announce that the City was planning to reduce the police force by another 35 officers. City officials proudly announced that the police force, today standing at 671, will be allowed to drop through attrition to 637. That, the City claims, is all it can afford. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_16526767

Under the original Measure Y, taxpayers had some real negotiating power to force the City to get general fund support for police staffing back up to 739, so that it could collect Measure Y funds. But they gave all that power away by voting for BB. Now, thanks to the deception of BB promoters, and the ignorance of most voters, homeowners will be paying $270 in taxes over the next three years, for an ever-shrinking police force.

BB supporter funded literature promised a "restoration" of the 63 Measure Y positions, leading many to believe that if it passed, 63 additional officers would be added to the force. Of course I knew it didn't mean that, and did my best to communicate that to the masses, but people heard what the wanted to hear, or didn't get the message (I didn't have $100,000 of union or taxpayer money to spend on fliers) and voted for BB.

And of course most residents didn't understand that any police officers brought in to fill the PSO and other Measure Y positions would have to come from within the existing force, thereby decimating the size of other necessary units within the force. When I tried to explain this on election day to a reporter unfamiliar with Measure Y, she didn't believe me. After today's press conference, however, she does.

Of course, the City's budget numbers are subject to some skepticism. Last week, Ignacio Delafuente said the budget deficit for 10/11 would be $50 million. Today, Lindheim was claiming it would be $10 million. What's a $40 million discrepancy between City leaders? If any of the numbers were crunched by Jean Quan, who has difficulty with the distinction between positive and negative numbers, addition, and basic multiplication, we should all wonder.

Meanwhile, the City's financial shenanigans were recently confirmed in amended "discovery" responses I received through the litigation. Turns out that despite the clear language of Measure Y, that PSOs serve "solely" the residents of their beats, at least two were reassigned outside their beats. One was reassigned for a full six months, leaving his regular beat totally uncovered. Worse yet, the City billed the entire amount of his salary (probably around $60,000 for that period of time) to Measure Y, even though he was performing no Measure Y duties. Thanks to my lawsuit, the City has "uncovered" this "clerical" error and supposedly will refund the money to Measure Y. And these are the bozos that you just decided to trust another $60 million of your hard earned cash to, no strings attached. Just sayin'.