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Printed in the Aptos Times, September 1, 2002

(August 3, 2002) In 1771, Samuel Adams wrote in the Boston Gazette, “Power makes men wanton – it intoxicates the mind; and unless those with whom the power is entrusted are carefully watched, such men will not govern the people, according to the known laws of the state.”

It is clear that our county lawmakers are not being carefully watched, for while we have entrusted them with making laws and decisions which should benefit the people first and foremost, they benefit themselves!

The County Administrative Officer, called the CAO, sets yearly salaries for herself, the Board of Supervisors and other county employees. This is like the fox minding the chicken coop.

Soon, this CAO will be giving herself a 30% plus raise to approximately $191,000 per year, while the vice president of the United States receives approximately $170,000 per year. This, plus hefty pension plans, Social Security, bonuses, and other perks. Each supervisor will also receive a 30% plus raise and benefits to approximately $98,000 – all for attending about 35 meetings per year. Assistants do most of the gruntwork for them and bring them up to date on agenda issues. By contrast, San Francisco supervisors receive $36,000 a year, not $98,000.

These lawmakers tell us that we are facing serious budget deficits, so now they are cutting needed aid to the poor, the elderly, the mentally and physically ill, and the handicapped. What happened to the supposed budget surplus of $21 million we had only four months ago?

The Stroke Center budget has been cut. Also, the Center for Independent Living, which helps wheelchair-bound, handicapped, and convalescent people to become self-reliant. The latest outrage is that county managers want the supervisors to make 33% cuts to the medically indigent, who do not have any insurance. Bottom line: no more preventive care for the poor.

To Susan Mauriello, CAO, and to each of the supervisors I say, “In the face of these hardships, to so many constituents, who trust you for protection and guidance and wisdom, how dare you plan to give yourselves 30% plus raises? Or any raises? You have given yourselves too much already, with your lifetime benefits and perks! Your greed and callousness are irresponsible and unforgivable! You all deserve to be ousted from your cushy bureaucratic jobs!”

Recently, for one brief moment, Wormhoudt suggested to her colleagues that maybe they should forego the 30% plus raise, but that idea went over like a lead balloon. Jeff Almquist, poor baby, said that he needs that raise for his son’s college tuition. Wormhoudt could have refused her raised, but she didn’t. Heck, she made her gesture, and that was enough. Oh yes, she served on the Santa Cruz City Council for umpteen years, and now she is running for a third term as supervisor. So much for career politicians and term limits. But that’s another story.

How do We the People stop these unconscionable excesses?

We could do what California state voters did in 1990. They became fed up with lawmakers’ abuses, so they crafted an initiative which created a panel of citizens, not state employees, who meet yearly to set lawmakers’ salaries from the governor on down. It was put on the ballot, passed easily, and is now law.

Because of budget constraints, for the past six years, no state salary increases have been approved. That panel is the California Citizens Compensation Commission and the Chairman is Claude Brinegar.

While it is too late for this November election, we could prepare an initiative for an upcoming election. If you would like to be involved, call KSCO at 831-475-1080 and leave your name and phone number.

KSCO will be happy to provide free airtime to help solve this issue of lawmakers’ greed.

Once again, kudos to those who spend many hours to decipher obscure, convoluted county budgets, gathering financial facts for this editorial. They are Steve Hartman, Bob Suhr, Ed Mazenko, Harold Griffith, and Mike Schmidt – all heroic seekers for honesty and truth in government.

Let us not forget the powerful tool We the People have in the initiative process. It is the one way left for citizens in a free society to make right that which is wrong.