Saturday, June 15, 2013

Council accepting public comments on Gus Vina, Glenn Sabine performance

From Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer's newsletter:
City Manager/City Attorney Performance Evaluation: The Council adopted the proposed evaluation process that Council member Gaspar and I developed in our subcommittee. This means that next month the Council and senior staff will have the opportunity to complete a detailed evaluation form for the City Manager and the City Attorney to provide their input.Members of the public are welcome to submit their comments as well, though for legal reasons, the City will not formally solicit public input (we are caught between the employees' rights to privacy with respect to personnel records and the Public Records Act which makes any public comments openly available to anyone who asks.)  The Council will review a compilation of all the feedback and share our assessment with the two individuals under our direct responsibility.
As a resource for those who would like to submit comments to the council, here are Glenn Sabine's greatest hits:

1) Wasted thousands of dollars on expensive outside attorneys for Teresa Barth's ridiculous harassment claim.

2) Wasted almost $100,000 in frivolous fight against public access to public records. See also (1) (2) (3)

3) So clueless about the First Amendment that he allowed the council to try to censor political speech.

4) We need secrecy in government so bloggers can't criticize us.

Frankly, Sabine's performance is so appalling that it is an embarrassment that this council didn't fire him as its first action.

Gus Vina has had less time on the job, but arguably has already been more destructive to Encinitas than Sabine. Vina is the one person most responsible for the current climate of divisiveness and distrust between the public and the city council, having led the council into the Prop A fiasco with his hiring of notorious developer attorneys Rutan and Tucker to write a slanted analysis. Vina also has an atrocious record on financial management, and just persuaded the council to hire a $130,000 spin doctor to explain away his failures. And he proposed and got a $20,000 citizen satisfaction survey that was a transparent election year ploy to protect the incumbents (which he also failed at).

Encinitans who would like to submit their comments on Sabine and Vina's performance can contact their council members here:

Teresa Barth, Mayor: tbarth@encinitasca.gov

Lisa Shaffer, Deputy Mayor: lshaffer@encinitasca.gov

Kristin Gaspar: kgaspar@encinitasca.gov

Tony Kranz: tkranz@encinitasca.gov

Mark Muir: mmuir@encinitasca.gov










35 comments:

  1. Gus is a failed leader and he is mirroring what he sees sitting at the dais week after week. Failed leaders. From the first days this area became a city we have been plagued with failed leaders. From the first mayor telling Ecke that Enc didn't want his business to the most recent travesty involving the Cardiff athletic park. Failed leadership. The future?? More failures. Hold into your wallets.

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  2. Senior Staff will have an opportunity to evaluate their bosses? You must be joking, that's like having Bernie Madoff being evaluated by his investment team.

    Lisa is such a disappointment. I can't believe I voted for her and that I also talked my reluctant neighbors to do the same. My bad, never again!

    Shaffer and Gaspar are just tools for the City Manager.

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    1. I always write in Lynn Braun. I wish she would run for council for reals.

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  3. After Prop A passes, there will need to be a change in attitude on council and from City Manager. They will need to start listening and not plowing through their regional agenda of conformity. I don't know if Vina is salvageable. He is a big city bureaucrat, out of touch and uneasy with the public.

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    1. Passage of A will make no difference at city hall, it will be business as usual.

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    2. 11:19 AM
      Thanks Gus, Teresa, and the rest of the council for letting us know that.

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  4. Pass or fail prop A has divided this community like no other, I hope you yes on A people are happy with your own company because you are going to be snubbed at all social gathering for a long LONG time.

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    1. Vote YES on A.

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    2. Anon 12:04, I think we got to different social gatherings. All of my friends are voting Yes because we love Encinitas the way it is and think that we are better qualified to define community benefit than the ones who have had control.

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    3. I try to avoid Real Estate Banquet and developer cocktail parties so I won't be missing much!

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    4. I will permit former friends to snub me at social gatherings for a long time if the wine and Hors D'oeuvres are satisfactory.

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    5. Cool.... because going to a social gathering with boring developers like meyers and Harwood is soooo much fun. Haaaa.

      PS- To each his own Loser. Enjoy your boring parties with dick heads like Jerome Stocks and other snake, I mean insurance salesmen.

      As far a Gus is Concerned. He needs to be fired immediately for not bring forward an accurate forecast of the City finances including accurate future PERS payment and accurate Sports Complex operations and maintenance costs. Sacramento Gus is just a Stocks left over like Gaspar. Council just will not wake up to that reality.

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    6. I think you ment to say, we are better qualified to define community control.

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    8. Just got a NO on A flyer with an important message from the desk of Realtor Doug Harwood. Now I remember him. He's the guy who mentored the developers of the 3 story structures that were built right next to me. I kept wondering why he was always showing up at Planning Commission meetings when those were on the table. Now I know.
      On the flyer he sounds worried.
      1. He's worried Prop A will "drain city finances to pay for special elections". But he should know the city doesn't pay for those special elections. Only developers wanting to rezone for 3 to 5 story projects will.
      2. He's worried that Prop A will destroy property values for people "wanting to remodel their home". What he must not know is that that only applies to someone wanting to add a 3rd to 5th story on their home as part of their money making "remodel".
      3. Doug also is worried that "Desirability of living in Encinitas would decrease." Really? Last I heard he lived in Rancho Santa Fe. Maybe they'd like him to help them start their 5 story future? We're talkin' lots of available agriculture acreage there that could be well developed.
      Those things said, that's one beautiful 2 story estate remodel on his flyer. What everyone should realize is that home is nothing the passage of Prop A will inhibit here in Encinitas. Unless that chimney is over 30' tall of course

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    9. Fred, Harwood does know better; he just finds the truth too inconvenient to his wallet, so lies instead. He threatened neighbors in Leucadia: "you need to know, your whole community could be upzoned."

      That's just the kind of guy he is......

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    10. "Yes, Boris, dahlink...after we snub Yes on A peoples, we go after moose and squirrel, by order of Fearless Leader!"

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  5. I wouldn't want to go to any social gatherings where people would snub me for voting YES. Those are probably gatherings of developer and building industry interests, anyway.

    But back to the topic, I hope people will write Council and tell them how awful Glenn Sabine and Gus Vina are for our City. Sabine is a TERRIBLE parliamentarian; I've NEVER seen him correct Council When asked a question he usually says, "it depends," or refers to something without providing any legal reference. Othertimes he will run out of the room to drag out a law book. He should have those available, if he reads the agenda ahead of time, and the staff reports. He is very rarely, if ever, prepared, but just answers "off the cuff."

    Vina has been having illegal "briefings" of Council on upcoming Agenda items, illegal according to the Brown Act. He has done everything he can to build his "team" of Council and staff, standing firm AGAINST what public speakers are asking of the City, in most cases, such as Desert Rose, the issue of hiring a Communications Specialist, advocating against Prop A, and so much more.

    Yes, Senior staff doing the evaluations, what does that mean? The subcommittee said it means Heads of Dept. Well, they are all so new. But even if senior staff is included, they are such a "team" now, that none of them want to risk their team solidarity by making independent choices to give their honest opinions. They should include all levels of staff, not just department heads, and the answers should be confidential, provided to HR, only.

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    1. Department heads were all hired by Gus and owe their jobs to him. This is a complete comflict of interest and is another aspect of our banana republic.

      Gus basically has come in and hired many layers to avoid interaction with citizens and to take power. When did Encinitas govenment become so 3rd world?

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  6. Two more strikes against Gus Vina.

    1. He cancelled a council meeting in October 2012 at the behest of Jerome Stock without consent of the council, a clear violation of city rules. Vina made sure then Mayor Stocks was protected from public criticism about signgate.

    2. He did a whitewash and coverup in ERGA (Encinitas Ranch Golf Authority) after the Encinitas Ranch HOAs helped pay for an outside audit of financial irregularities involving repayment of the Sales Tax Advamce to Carltas (Ecke) out of non-existent Surplus Net Revenues. Vina made sure the audit didn't look at this part of the financial reports.

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    1. 4:08 is that your Jerome Stocks, or JS wannabe Mickey? still upset at Joe Corder and the average concerned residents exposing or violations?

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  7. Has anyone checked with Dr. Lori, as she gathered a lot of stuff on Glan back a while go. I know he threatened her with litigation so I wonder if she will say anything to the council. I hope so; So if you are reading this Dr. Lori, please let us know what you know. Hopefully if you do post no one will trash you as they did on the L.B. I know you were upset by that and have been quiet since then.

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  8. 4:21-This is Dr. Lorri and I do read this blog. I don't post anymore because I am not interested in being, as you put it, "trashed" by whoever might want to do this. And, since I always posted my name, unlike many, I got tired of defending my particular position, and having my words turned against me. I will say this about Glen. He has cost this City a lot of unnecessary money. The reason he did not give Teresa a straight answer about "sexual harassment" regarding Jerome, is because he said it would be playing favorites, in other words pitting the two people against one another. However, the law is the law and he could have just stated the law. That is not his style. I did an exhaustive review of him many years ago, and in one year he cost us 1 million dollars, and lost half of the cases. He once threatened me with litigation if I produced certain documents regarding a case I was fighting, so I am not interested in going through that again, either. I am still very active in learning things and getting information. However, posting on a blog will to be the way I handle things anymore. I have sent my information to the Mayor and City Council. What they do with it I cannot tell. Be well all of you. We live in an awesome City. BTW, for those voting Yes on Prop. A, you will be happy to know that Doug Harwood sent out an 8 1/2 x 11 slick mailer today that said to Vote No. Anyone who knows Harwood, knows he is in the same crowd as David Meyer. Enough said. I will select Anonymous only because I don't know how to use this particular site and I am in a bit of a hurry.

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    1. Thanks Dr. Lori, good to hear from you.

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    2. Thanks Dr Lorri.
      Doug Harwood, yes we know the guy. He was on the ERAC and at one meeting took over the discussion to impose his wisdom on the group with all the properties that are underutilized and deserve some attention for up-zoning. He lives in Rancho Santa Fe where he plans his next moves to up-zone your neighborhood.
      And we should listen to that clown regarding Prop A?

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    3. He took over the discussion (actually ran the meeting) by "prior arrangement" with Peder Norby. They were quite the tag team, with the great facilitator turning over the reins to the great developer.

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  10. Sacramento Gus offers no positive improvement for the City only more Staff and DEBT.

    Fire the loser before he ruins our City.

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    1. Not only are there MORE staff members, but he empowers those who are here to be worse. He likes to praise them and reward them when they waste money and make mistakes. I thought the staff was bad under Miller and Cotton, but they are far worse than ever before under Vina.

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  11. Glen Sabine is terrible and needs to be fired.

    Gus is a normal city manager. A new city manager wont be any different.

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  12. How about Vina following a stocks written script that very quickly explained, to what public was there at the special meeting that would strip $7 mii from civic projects, borrow $8 mil and explain the details to the public on hand writte foam boards laying on the floor.
    We need a regional sports park.

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  13. No a city manager should bring value, leadership, and integrity.

    Sac Gus has none of these qualities. Fire him.

    You could get a lame duck city manager for $100k.

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    1. I want to see a manager come in to fire staff--starting with Engineering and Planning Department staff. I keep hearing complaints about the same people over and over again.

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    2. Amen to that.... there is some serious deadwood in those departments. Shield has always been bad for Encinitas.

      Also the parks Department. Franken is total incompetent.

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  14. There are APPROXIMATELY 1800 Mail / Provisional ballots still to be counted
    PROP A CITY OF ENCINITAS Right to Vote Amendment

    Precincts: 30
    Counted: 30
    Percentage: 100.0%

    YES
    5710
    51.52%
    NO
    5372
    48.48%

    Well, this also says 1800 provisional and mail votes are outstanding; so it's confusing with 100% of the precincts counted. Still, I am celebrating a victory, but by only 338 votes, so far.

    We did a great job of getting the word out, despite all the lies and dirty tricks, broken promises by our elected officials and public officers.

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