Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Vina out!

Seaside Courier:
Encinitas City Manager Gus Vina has resigned, Seaside Courier learned late Monday. Reliable sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Vina informed City Council earlier Monday of his plans to resign.

Vina has been accused of messing up a number of Council requests. Most recently, some Council members, including Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer, said they felt blindsided by his report in September that tax-free bonds could not be used to finance the city’s $10-million purchase of the abandoned Pacific View Elementary School site—driving up the total cost of the deal to more than $20 million over 30 years.
From "Excellent" to out in a year and a half? What changed?

We thought only 28 obstructionists thought Vina was doing a bad job. Does the council owe them an apology?

Hat tip to Jim the Realtor!

141 comments:

  1. If true, there really IS a Santa Claus. Maybe he will take Sabine with him.

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    1. After listening to some of the questions during Tony Kranz's One-Man-Show at the library, and reading the following,"Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer, said they felt blindsided by his report in September that tax-free bonds could not be used to finance the city’s $10-million purchase of the abandoned Pacific View Elementary School site—driving up the total cost of the deal to more than $20 million over 30 years." And what? Work makes us free?

      I'm beginning to recognize that some of you are not just willfully ignorant, but that you are consciously trying to mis-lead the public while blaming staff.

      Question: Is W.C. still in charge of this blog?

      As to Lisa, how do you 'blindside' someone when they have their head up their aXX?

      LIsa misspent $24 mil on PV, Vina's staff miscalculated not the sale of the bonds, but what those bonds appropriate/legal usage can be: which, once the 'usage' was considered (Art Center) increased the total by $1.5 mil.

      So, 'Blind' LIsa' $24 mil mistake versus Aloha Gus Vina's staff, $1.5?

      Knife fight?

      Filed under 'Deja Vu', much like Teresa the misanthrope's inability to learn the law/facts concerning the council voting to increase taxes last February: (TB thought wrongly that 3 votes alone were necessary to raise taxes which led to Catherine Liu)

      Week before last Lisa and Tony thought they had enough votes to politically 'knife' Vina, only to 'miss', they didn't have a 'third' vote!

      Whoops!

      Most unusual was the part of their plan where Tony replaced Vina with a local real estate home-boy with very strong ties to EUSD:

      Wednesday night, EUSD will perform a 'dog and pony' show, an expensive one, exclaiming how 'dangerous' Quail Gardens Drive and Saxony are: someone is willing to pay a lot of money to make drastic changes on arterials, well, guess their right: it takes money to make money: How long you think those community gardens are gonna be gardens? Who lives on one of the streets destined for major change? Lisa. Who was the only person 'noticed' about an unnoticed expensive presentation before the Traffic Commission last month? Lisa.

      Will someone please tell Mirna Alphonso from the Patch that her headline and lead sentence are incorrect.

      Vina gets a raise and leaves the asylum to those whom believe they know what they 'know' how to free themselves from straight-jackets.

      Please, Tony, make Dadla the City Manager. Let's get it over with.

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  2. Replies
    1. Along with Manjeet and other planners!

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  3. Does Vina qualify for a pension from the city after such a short term in office? If so, how much will he be costing the city's coffers?
    Dump Sabine!

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    1. 4 years * 2.7% * $220,000 = ~$24K per year for life Encinitas will have to pay him. His total pension including Sacramento and Stockton will be close to $200,000 a year.

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    2. New CalPers report says soon more workers receiving pensions than paying into the system.... Can you say Ponzi scheme ??
      Read today UT page A2.
      Lolololllllooooooo.
      Hey Loser Leucadian can you say " I'm screwed"?? Lololllooooolll

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    3. These pensions must stop. 25-30 of below average work results in a $200K pension?? Insanity.

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    4. $24K/yr from Encinitas for a brief stop-over? The city treasury is a hogs'trough for retired employees. Reform needs to become a priority.

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  4. Will Vina be sitting in at tonight's council meeting? Or will Deputy City Manager Richard Phillips be in his place? Or one of the department heads, as is sometimes done? Whatever it is, it will be an awkward moment.

    Next to go should be City Attorney Glenn Sabine. He and Vina were working hand in hand.

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  5. Prediction: Vina will stay on on an interim basis until council can pick his replacement, which will take a few months.

    Prediction 2: Council's #1 objective in the hiring process will be to find a ringer at driving a successful General Plan update / Housing Element. Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Vina wasn't great at driving a tight HE process--I'm betting the new CM will be hand picked to perform that function.

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  6. Why is he resigning after getting glowing assessments? Sounds like some kind of deal was reached behind the scenes. Vina has probably managed some sweet arrangement for himself, no doubt. Sabine is possibly posturing in case the tide turns against him now.

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    1. You're assuming that the discussion behind closed doors was actually glowing. Remember, it only takes three council votes to replace the city manager. It may be that that balance is changing with Blakespear replacing Barth. Vina may be anticipating that and offering his resignation.

      But I have no inside information. I'm only speculating.

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    2. Here's some pure speculation: Vina was on thin ice with everyone except Barth, and the Ecke baseball fields fiasco was the last straw for both Kranz and Gaspar.

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    3. Just like Kerry Miller, a true pro. When Miller saw the Redevelopment scam wasn't going his way, he checked out to Folsom, where he created one in that town, with a nice smile on his face. Vina's first words when he came here were "Housing Element", and now that the tide is turning against THAT scam, off he goes. Slick willies, indeed.

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    4. I think the Bond brick was the final straw. That was a colossal screw up. I think every council member felt burned on that one.

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  7. Lisa got to the right answer. I knew the bond miss was going to be his undoing. That type of miss could be career ending in the private sector.

    In retrospect, perhaps Barth wanted to make sure he felt the sting of her criticism as well. After all, many here feel she can (and has) turn on you on a dime - why would Vina be treated any differently?

    - The Sculpin

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  8. 1. If Barth wanted Vina to feel her sting she would have voted to approve Muir's motion for the review to be held in public- she didn't.

    2. It is no surprise that as Barth ends her tenure Vina leaves- they ran inteference for each other for 2 years- first with MIG, then ERGA, the Lew Edwards and the list goes on

    3. pacific view bonds played a role, but not the big role. If Vina stayed he would have been reviewed in January. Encinitas Undercover and The Coast News both made the public aware of the upcoming review, with the Coast News describing Vina as "embattled" The Janauary review would likely have been held in public, that would not have looked good for Shaffer, who looked the other way at Vina's mismanagement and malfeasance

    4. What did Vina in was keeping the council in the dark on Little League- the Vina culture of secrecy has been crumbling the past 2 years- the Erga HOA despise Vina, then the Lew Edwards secrecy with Barthm and Shaffer looking the other way, the the Hall Park Rossini Creek secrecy, then little league

    Shaffer was the last Vina supporter- Shaffer is ethcially dyslexic and is blown by the wind- Shaffer would not have survived a Vina review in January



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    1. Vina says he has taken a position in No. Cal to be closer to his family. Hard to believe he ever accepted a position in So. Cal if that's the real reason. However, the real reason doesn't matter. He will be gone. Now we need to have someone that can guide this city in the right direction.

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    2. 10:59 -

      Is this true? I was told in July that Vina had been put on probabation - this same person suggested Vina would resign and claim it was because he wanted to be near family-

      Vina was a disaster for the city- If I may.

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    3. 11:02- I subscribe to the Coast News online and that is where I got the information about Vina leaving because he wanted to go back to No. Cal. Whether it's true is another matter. I doubt if Vina would say he was fired.

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    4. 10:59- hard to believe any city in NoCal would give him a job... No one in the private world will hire him.

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    5. It's not that hard, when you don't like your job or they don't like you, you go somewhere else unless you're closing in on retirement, like Phil Cotton.

      Enough on the Vina file, the key now is a rigorous vetting process for whoever takes Vina's place.

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  9. Wow, color me as shocked. Guys like Vina don't normally leave unless they see greener pastures elsewhere.

    There's a lot of speculation as to support, or lack thereof for Vina. It makes sense that he would leave at the council changeover.

    Other than that, as always, I say be careful what you wish for, the next person can be worst than the last.

    -MGJ

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    1. MGJ, that's CYA so you can say "I told you so."

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    2. I wonder if he will take his extended ass-covering team with him like Gina, his communications officer, Sabine, and others who he has already trained.

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    3. 11:10, that's the truth of how it has progressed so far, ie Kerry Miller, Phil Cotton and Vina all were subpar. I thought Cotton was the most incompetent, but a case could be made for any of them.

      The bottom line is they need a good pick, they need to do research and reach for the brass ring, the big chance is finally here.

      -MGJ

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  10. Sabine is not going anywhere unless the Council fires him. And, if they haven't fired him buy now, it looks like he will be around a while. Remember he makes big bucks here. Dr. Lori has 1000 pages of Vina's bills to the city and he and his firm have been paid 10 million dollars over 7 years. Who would voluntarily leave that? Council doesn't seem to care.

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    1. The shrink can keep all of her papers. They mean nothing.

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    2. 11:25-You sound a bit bitter. If the papers show what the poster said they show, why do they mean nothing? Is it because you love Sabine so much, or you hate Dr. Lori? She didn't write the papers. She only did a CPRA request for them and paid money out of her own pocket. The fact that you think they mean nothing shows how much you dislike her, as most of us probably think 10 million is not worth it for Vina.

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    3. Sadly I agree, Dr. Lori has had her shot, it was a good effort, but it didn't amount to anything. Barring some real dirt on Sabine, methinks he stays.

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    4. 11:41- There is a lot of real dirt on Vina. Don't believe me, just do some detective work. I know Dr. Lori has it, but has never used it. Not sure why.

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    5. 11:33 Not falling for your game Ms. Greene. You would have had more money in your purse had you not had such a vendetta to GET Sabine. I suggest you save any future monies. You will need it for your extended care.

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    6. Someone has way too much time on his hands Jerome. Get a life.

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    7. Jerome is lucky that Dr. Lori doesn't sue him for sexual harassment. Remember Muir's Xmas party Jerome. Now STFU, or perhaps you may find a sexual harassment suit for of like FIlner had.

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    8. 12:19 A person contemplating a law suit never tells their plan ahead of time. How stupid can one be?

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    9. 1:14- I disagree. Marco Gonzales did it with the women that said they were sexually harassed by Filner. And that was that. You don't have to prove anything, at least in San Diego. And, for her effort, Irene McCormick got $1.5 million and the grandmother got a new condo. Remember this was before it ever went to the court, and Filner was never given his day in court. The law is a mysterious thing. Perhaps Marco is working on it already. What I saw was sexual harassment, as I was at that party 12:19 references. Surprised she didn't sue then, as eh was still on the Council.

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    10. 2:15 The flirty little shrink didn't egg Jerome on either, right? She has some little dirty secrets herself, but she won't come out with those.

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    11. OK here is where the flirty little shrink comes in and says ENOUGH! Let's set the record straight. I am not flirty, I am not particularly little, and I am a psychologist, not a "shrink". Whoever hates me this much I don't care, unless it starts to get venomous. Then I will attack. If I was going to sue anyone, it would be someone with money, which I don't think Jerome has enough of to make it worth my while.

      Second, whoever is calling me Ms. Greene, at least you have my last name spelled correctly, and I could care less about the doctor title. I began using that years ago on this blog and just haven't bothered to change it.

      Lastly, it is true that I have a lot of documentation on Sabine and it is true that he and his firm have cost the Encinitas taxpayers, of which I am one, 10 million in 7 years. Compare that to the full time City Attorney of Oceanside who makes $260,000 per year and works only for that city. Yes, I also have other information that I would never publish on this blog. The person who said you don't tell someone you are going to sue is right. And if I sue anyone, which is also unlikely, it will be someone or an organization with deep pockets. Right now, I am busy with attempting to help others during this stressful holiday season. Am I grateful Vina is leaving. I really don't know. I want to know who is replacing him before I make that decision.

      Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I think I'll go to pilates and exercise. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, even the person(s) who dislike me so much. But, as MLK once told me "if everyone likes you, you stand for nothing." So, I must have pushed some buttons, and for that I make no apologies.

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    12. $10 million in 7 years??? And he is on staff? He absolutely needs to be sacked, as he is intentionally bilking this city big time.!!
      How does he get away with "outsourcing" to himself? .Flagrant abuse going unchecked.

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    13. $tock$ coming onto someone? Reminds me of the squinty eyed walrus mating rituals seen on the Nature channel.. $tock$ probably grunts like them when he moves.

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    14. $tock$ was trying to be nice to some one who really isn't that pleasant to look at. Bless his heart. At least he tried and she took it hook, line and sinker.

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    15. 4:49 Vicious attack. I can not stop laughing.

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    16. Hardly. Examples abound of Stocks coming on to women. Ugh.

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  11. What a wonderful Christmas gift to this city. Council now needs to do their job and find the right person who will work with them and not against residents of this city. Vina cooked his own goose.

    Jeff Murphy is the next one that needs to hit the road.

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    1. Include Manjeet Ranu on the get out of town bus.

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  12. This "be careful what you wish for" line is standard at the Planning Dept. They use it on anyone who shows up to question a project.

    The notion that Vina should stay because the replacement could be worse is beyond absurd, but that's the kind of "don't rock the boat" world MGJ apparently lives in.

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    1. See my point above. I am glad Vina is leaving, but if you think this solves all the city's problems, you are going to be disappointed.

      The key point is they need someone as a replacement that knows the law, knows the finances and can actually guide the city in the right direction. The last 3 city managers haven't pulled that off, plain and simple.

      -MGJ

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    2. MGJ, oh what a profound statement. We are all aware of what has been happening in this city for years.

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    3. MGJ, no one thinks Vina leaving solves the City's problems. I don't see anyone saying that. Who the City hires is entirely dependent on how sneaky and below-board they want to continue to be. In this case it bit the Council in the butt because they hired someone so underhanded, he worked against them, too.

      I stand by my statement that saying "be careful what you wish for" is absurd. "Or what?" is my question to you.

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    4. Great 11:56, then there's no need for that response. Let's quit with all the bickering because Vina is leaving. I'm happy, your happy, we're all happy.

      I agree with you, Vina got what he deserved. My point was, just because Vina is leaving doesn't mean the next holder of that seat won't be worse. There is no end game with a positive outcome unless council comes up with a good candidate. It hasn't happened in the past, so I'm not going to count on it happening now.

      If anyone has a perfect candidate in mind other than Rick Cole, I'm all ears. Otherwise, it's back in to the pool

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  13. Good going Vina. Now that you screwed us on the PV purchase and indebted this city for a long time, you now decide to resign. A day late, and millions of dollars short. Thanks for nothing.

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    1. Agreed. If he is going to a new city in Northern CA.......poor bastards!

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    2. I don't recall Vina voting on that one.

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    3. Thanks for sharing Gus at 11:44. You are clearly the victim in all of this!!

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    4. Vina could have been a better negotiator; he was listed on the closed session agendas as negotiator for the City re PV. Vina should have used his influence with Barth to hold the cost of purchase down. Instead, Barth and Kranz got their vanity project, which many people supported, but not at the inflated price the City was suckered into by corrupt Baird. Shaffer went along for the ride, common sense be damned. Vina, at the very least, should have had Bond Counsel present long before, so there wasn't a bait and switch process on the City's end in addition to the tricks that Baird pulled.

      Maybe Vina saw the writing on the wall with Blakespear coming in. Vina lost his patron saint, Teresa.

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  14. Sabine next. Actually more damaging than Vina.

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  15. In my opinion . . .

    Vina's support from council eroded over time when he failed to follow up on specific tasks the council asked for. A few months ago, Muir called him on it in public session. I don't remember the exact topic, but the council was basically put on the spot to make a decision on an agenda item, and Muir recalled that they asked for a specific analysis of the issue months earlier with no follow-up by Vina. For folks who follow city business, this appeared to happen quite a bit. Vina also asked the council to approve budget before some numbers were known. Instead of inserting best estimate, or a range to understand how building maintenance (e.g.) might affect the budget, he presented a budget where unknown costs were assumed to be zero. I think these mistakes were aggravating to council.

    When Vina failed to catch the tax-free bond assumptions underpinning the PV purchase decision, that was a major mistake that came on top of the follow up problems. Either of those mistakes alone might not have been a career killer, but together they are.

    By the time the 30 day exit clause on the YMCA park deal was exposed, I think the council already had the heat on Vina. That was a cherry on top.

    In my opinion, council did the right thing keeping their job performance review private. The City needs to publicly back a City Manager right up until the moment where they don't. Otherwise, staff, citizens, and stakeholders who have business with the city will know that they can undermine and wait out the CM. A weakened CM is worse than no CM. He needs to be able to enforce policy and rules with full support of council until the moment they pull the rug out from under him. These transitions work best when they are quick and decisive (at least they appear to be that way externally).

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    1. While I agree that the PV tax-free bonding issue made the city manager and staff look bad, I disagree with "By the time the 30 day exit clause on the YMCA park deal was exposed, I think the council already had the heat on Vina". The YMCA lease issue made the council look bad. The added clause was clearly highlighted in the 2 page staff report a year ago. No council person had an issue with it as no one pulled it off consent. Either they didn't read the report or they didn't think it through.

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  16. 12:12 PM
    Vina didn't enforce the city's policy or rules. He made up his own rules and had his handpicked directors follow his rules and policies. The city departments are in a horrible mess thanks to Vina. He didn't straighten out the mess left by Cotton. Vina increased it.
    Vina knew he had a weak council that wouldn't complain. He took full advantage of it and of the residents.
    Vina, take your handpicked directors - Pruim, Rudloff, Nash, Murphy, and Ranu with you.
    Council eliminate the communications specialist position now, immediately.

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    1. 12:28 - if Vina had responded quickly, accurately, and correctly to all city council requests, he would have been allowed to make up his own rules and hire anyone he chooses. That's the perk for being accountable.
      One of my first mentors gave me the following advice: never ambush your boss.

      - The Sculpin

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    2. Agree with both of these points, when you make your boss, the council look like clowns in public, you're running the risk of your being put on the block. Probably a wise move by Vina to move on.

      Let's hope the vetting process this time will be more rigorous.

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    3. 12:28,

      You are missing the point.

      The point was about whether council should have made a negative review public. My argument is that they did the right thing by keeping this behind closed doors.

      Example: the city needs a contractor to maintain the new park. I'm sure there is a bid and negotiation process. If you represent the contractor, and you are aware that the CM has a negative review, it gives you power in the negotiation in several ways: (1.) you know the CM needs to secure the contract in a timely manor, or this will be added to his list of deficiencies. If he needs the deal to close badly, you can hold out for better terms. (2.) If you like the terms you are getting from the CM, you have the option to proceed to consummate the deal quickly, before the CM can be replaced. If you don't like the terms, you have the option to drag out the negotiation in the hopes that a new CM will hit the reset button.

      Weakening a CM through public performance evaluations gives power to counter-parties who deal with the city. Their ability to play the information to secure a better deal would cost you and me money.

      As I said, it's best if these transitions happen swiftly and decisively.

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  17. 12:51 PM

    Your example makes no sense. There is a bid process. Usually the contract goes to the lowest bidder, but not always. There is no negotiation process for bids in city government. Unless, of course, there is under the table negotiations.

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    1. Maybe it's a bad example. I'm used to large federal contracts that are certainly not take it or leave it. The government picks primary and secondary bids. The primary has an exclusive period of negotiation ti arrive at specific terms both parties can live with. If the parties can't agree, the government proceeds to negotiations with the secondary bidder.

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    2. Yes, there is a bid process - and when all participants in the process recognize that the CM is wounded, the quality of bids is not as beneficial to the city as it would be with a healthy CM. Ongoing contract work is always open to some negotiation, as are previously agreed upon renewals. From a market perspective, you could argue no harm, no foul since all participants are working off the same information - but the bid process itself is hardly market.

      - The Sculpin

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    3. 1:44 PM
      OMG. The CM is wounded? What is city government - a subarea of the Serengeti? It's a jungle out there for sure. If the city manager was required to put the contracts on an agenda for council approved, the city manager would be out of the equation.
      Was Vina wounded when he approved the YMCA 30 day contract termination clause?

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    4. 1:44 In this case, I think our city manager "wounded" himself by not being completely open and forthright with the council. He hid things from them, lied to them, and lost their trust. He should have been booted out a long time ago.

      May he have a joyous trip back up north.

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    5. 2:22 Thank you to WCV, EU, and all who exposed Vina being secret, mismanagement and malfeasance

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    6. So as not to write a short pamphlet on this, I'll just say you have no idea what you're talking about. Whether the city manager is on the plus or minus side of council support, it will have nothing to do with contract negotiations. As someone with years of experience in this domain, it's actually laughable to imagine. "Yeah, we were going to give you an added discount but we see your city manager is on the outs with the council."

      Who comes up with this stuff, TV scriptwriters?

      Please, if this is an example of the quality of analysis on this blog then there is a serious deficiency.

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    7. 3:27,

      Let me simplify for you:

      If you were negotiating a contract with the CM, and you knew he was on the outs, and you thought you might be able to get a better deal from the next CM, what would you do?

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    8. 3:27 - maybe I'm looking at this to broadly, but there are many B-school studies out there that show that the more distracted management becomes, the more difficult it becomes to develop and execute their plan. One such distraction could be the lack of confidence in management by the board of directors. It appears Vina did not have the council's confidence anymore. So why stay and try to function with such a distraction? It's not about discounts, it's about clearly identifying the scope of the contract, ensuring negotiations are efficient, blah, blah, blah. The more distracted, the more difficult.

      - The Sculpin

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    9. Vina was outed by an informed public, his culture of secrecy was crumbling- Lew Edwards, ERGA, unprepared staff, stumbling explanations before the council, little league

      the coast news had it right "embattled city manager"

      His next review would have been in public in all liklihood, and not good

      that is why Vina is leaving town-

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    10. 3:50 PM & 3:56 PM

      So funny.

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    11. Again, I've worked in this area for years. Of course management distractions can have detrimental effects in all areas of city operations but to say that the status of the city manager can have an impact in ongoing contract negotiations is ludicrous. However, there are only two areas I see a potential impact. One, employee contract negotiations. Will there be concern among the negotiators whether the city manager can sell the city council whatever is agreed to. Two, if a contract being negotiated is somehow tied to the city manager and approval is more a question of whether there is a desire for the contract at all, not its terms. Routine contract negotiations are outside the status of the city manager.

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  18. As for Vina taking a job up north to be closer to family. . .

    I don't buy it. He was pushed out.

    If the early performance evaluation telegraphed a positive review, then Vina would have a sting incentive to stay on a few more weeks. Eventually, a positive review would become public record, and burnish Vina's resume.

    The fact that he resigned before the formal review in January indicates that he would rather not have the contents of that review made public. By resigning now, he won't have to explain a negative review to a future employer.

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  19. 1:38 PM
    No wonder taxpayers are paying for $600 toilet seats.

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    1. Truly. The Feds are a world unto their own.

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    2. When you see a $600 toilet seat, there is something(s) stupid in the terms that cause that. When the government requires contractors to build using certain materials, source raw materials from certain sources, hire certain people, keep a certain amount of inventory, precludes sale of the same service or product to anyone else, does not guarantee specific volume commitments, gives the government to return the product for any or no reason.

      All of these contract terms have a specific risk for the contractor. Contractors have to price the risk, and build in a margin of safety that considers the magnitude and probability of losses that could result.

      The price goes up.

      Sometimes it makes sense to contract for $600 toilet seats. Most times, it doesn't.

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  20. Wow, what a gift to this community. No more barth, no more vina, It is the giving season, after all. Lets hope this type of giving continues and others can follow them out the door. Top of this wish list starts with sabine, murphy, phillips, ranu, jay, roy, todd, pruim, peak, park and rec, e-town hall, tyler inc, deny Brian the vet a permit to house animals overnight up to 14 hours unattended that Planning staff approved. It is hard to stop thinking of all those that have earned their ticket to the afterlife of this city's business.

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    1. Dr eve and diagnosed my dog with a grow in his abdomen , surgery was performed and a sacoma removed. My dog lived many more happy years thanks to Dr. Evans. To refuse him a permit to house animals over night is cruel to the animals and their owners.
      I support Dr. Evans.

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    2. Evans could house them overnight if he conditioned that upon his pledge to have someone in attendance, somone on site to monitor the sick or injured animals being kenneled. Instead, the permit seeks to allow overnight boarding of animals with medical needs with no one to watch over them and check on their welfare. Council should grant the appeal, and deny the permit. Evans had promised, before he opened, that he wouldn't have overnight boarding. He's breaking his word.

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    3. Let's leave the vet out for now, that's a separate discussion. This is Vina-gate, 2014!

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    4. 8:35- so you are saying he's good enough to be on our council ?? I thought so. I'll take Dr.Evans over you and your KLCC friends everyday. Now go decorate a dead oleander for Christmas.

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    5. Go watch the waves, Marvy. The fresh air will do you good.

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  21. Is Vina's next gig Lincoln City?

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    1. River City.

      Cuz they got trouble with a capital T. . .

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  22. Encinitas will not be safe until each one of Vina's "Cabinet" is also fired. The "Encinitas Mafia" must go, beginning with Murphy, Rudloff, Manjeet, and Pruim, then move on to all the new hires, consultants, and new programs. .

    Gus Vina could not have gotten such a stranglehold on this city without the assistance of this weak, gullible, and ineffective Council.


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  23. Vina gone. Focus energy on Sabine now. Murphy and others will follow soon enough. CA has got to hit the exit as well, can't be soon enough.

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    1. Communications director should go - all of Vina's cabinet should get the boot. Run a lean operation - maybe then they'll have job descriptions.

      Delete
  24. No more "visioning process"? "If I may..", "If you will..."?
    Hey Vino, make sure the door does not hit you on your way out.
    Maybe, he just had a vision, or Council told him he was not part of their vision?

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  25. This is the best News Encinitas has had in a long time! Since $tock$ was spanked.

    Now its time to hire a competent City Manager that will fire all the deadwood and complete a real long term financial plan for this City.

    No more unnecessary trophy projects like the $3,000,000 life guard tower that we can not afford. Get a City Manager that will clean up our City Hall. Time to clear deadwood from the City Hall.

    Congratulations New City Council! With Barth and Vina gone there may be hope in Encinitas. How about Sabine next.

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  26. It was so nice to see Barth walk out of the chambers tonight for the last time. I wonder how much she had to pay those that gave her good riddance gifts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, guess who I saw lurking in the parking lot whispering to some Gaspar clones, the one, the only Jerome Stocks.

      Teresa hung in there during her first term, and admittedly she was not a great mayor, but I salute her service. She's now gone, so let's move on and see what happens now that a new CM will be coming in..

      Delete
    2. That explains the odor I was smelling.

      Delete
    3. That slime bag $tock$ still thinks he can meddle in the city's affairs. With Gaspar as Mayor, he is probably right.

      Delete
    4. Stocks feels he is riding Gaspar's coat tails as mayor= that he helped elect her.

      Gaspar would bge well served to stay away from the skunk

      Delete
    5. She'd be well served, but would not follow that advice. She still hangs with Andreen...'nuff said.

      Delete
    6. Gaspar isn't smart enough unless she has their direction.

      Gaspar = $tock$ puppet.

      Delete
    7. Did Barth depart on a bicycle or a broom?

      Delete
  27. 1:44 far above makes sense.

    Where's the proof Barth was, so to speak, in bed with Vina?

    The sequence of events could be interpreted that Barth wanted input on Vina's performance review so she could condemn him before her term expired. She couldn't say that herself, so she has Shaffer do it, with urgency, incidentally.

    Barth, Shaffer, Kranz, Muir and Gaspar reviewed Vina, and the consensus was he had screwed up royally so many times and embarrassed the council so many times that he had to go.

    Now he's gone before the formal review in January that would have been public and would have made it tough for him to find another job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From the UT:

      "Vina said that his departure date from Encinitas is not yet settled. Gaspar said that Vina has told her that he wants to leave in January, but she said his contract calls for a 90-day notice, so the council will need to decide when he can go."

      If Vina stays on in an interim capacity while council finds a replacement, there is a chance they will give him his formal performance review.

      He's willing to break custom, and the letter of his contract to avoid that fate.

      Must be a bad review.

      PS, you can avoid giving money to Papa Doug by opening UT articles in a browser incognito window.

      Delete
    2. Reviewing a lame duck city manager who has already resigned makes no sense. Even our City Council isn't that blind to reality.

      Delete
  28. Encinitas Advocate reported that Vina already has another job and his contract is in the works. Now he can go screw up another city.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I heard he was applying for the City of Bell. That is not that far North.

    I feel for the sucker City that hires that incompetent Government Tick. Vina was Barth's greatest failure followed by the PV debacle and then the $3 million dollar life guard tower.

    The current City Council should put a stop to the ridiculous $3 million dollar life guard tower. Unfund it like they did all other other Capital Improvement Projects when Vina transferred $7 million to help build the Regional Sports Complex Black Hole.

    ReplyDelete
  30. City of Bell - how appropriate. Scandal ridden and one of the poorest communities in the area. They must have got him at a discount rate.

    ReplyDelete
  31. b.s., Vina didn't apply at the City of Bell, he's going somewhere near Sacto, it's in the Coast News.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Lincoln city council will make their final decision on a new city manager in mid January. Is Vina the new city manager in Lincoln city?

    ReplyDelete
  33. City manager resigns amid rumors of discord with council members - headline.
    Lincoln city, California - July 10, 2014

    ReplyDelete
  34. Lincoln City is 30 minutes north of Sacramento,

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  35. I hope the council let's him go sooner than later.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Typo --- let's not let's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My computer isn't cooperating with me today -- the word is "lets"

      Delete
    2. Who cares where he's going, he's leaving Encinitas. End of story, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Let's get back to the housing element.

      Delete
    3. ...and VOTE NO IN 2016!!

      Delete
  37. Radio said this morning he's going to Sacramento, so guess that means Lincoln.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lincoln is interviewing candidates Thursday and Friday per their special meeting agendas. If Vina has accepted an offer of employment then it isn't Lincoln. Good try but guess again.

      Delete
    2. I hear Brentwood is nice this time of year.

      Delete
    3. Vina is already in the 6 figure retirement range; a job for him at this point is just additional gravy. I don't think he is sweating it.

      Delete
    4. We should know soon.

      Delete
    5. With Vina lack of common sense and debt ridden philosophy, Lincoln will soon become the new Bell. Shame and I feel bad for the citizens.

      Vina set Encinitas back financially 20 years and future planning wise 10 years. The guy is a fool.

      Delete
    6. 5:43- and yet there he was last night giving guidance to the council. What fools they are.....

      Delete
  38. Carlsbad resident Tom Arnold is spreading misinformation on the seaside courier webstie- he wrongly claims the Hall Pak cost $40M

    The purchase price was near $23 M
    Tinterset on the bonds for the purchase brought the acquisition cost to near 45M
    The construction costs were near $20M and included interest payment of $500,000 a year for 30 years that added another $10M plus

    thow in a few lawsuits, other acqusition costs of smaller parcels and the all in cost of the park is near $80 million

    Guess Arnold is as financially challenged as his friend Jerome 'midnight' Stocks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the same TK Arnold who worked for the LA Times in the 1980's, wore a poodle haircut and misquoted musicians. He also ran for council in C-bad and lost.

      He's a complete Maroon, as is Alice Jacobsen, who now owns the Courier and is part of the Stocks/ Bond/Dallager gang.

      Do yourself a favor and don't read it...

      Delete
    2. Typing with your thumbs in the dark?

      Delete
    3. What does the color maroon have to do with it?

      Delete
    4. Quick: what was the purchase price of your house, and what's its current value, roughly?



      Follow up: did you include interest payments?

      I didn't think so.

      Delete
    5. You didn't ask what was the cost of my house. I would have told you double the purchase price. I could hardly not know because each month the billing arrived showing that almost all my payments the first 10 years were going toward interest, not principal.

      I gained equity through inflation, but if I had had to sell my house, I would have lost money in the early years without the gain from inflation. Every time I made an extra payment, I put it toward principal. I saved myself a lot of money over 30 years.

      Delete
    6. I call bs 8:09am. When someone asks "how much did your car cost" or "how much did your house cost", the quick answer never includes the financing cost. Unless you've got an axe to grind.

      Delete
    7. 9:50 - because you are reckless with your finance anlysis and decidion making don't expect the rest of us to be so short sighted

      Delete
    8. Not reckless, just intellectually honest.

      The question wasn't what is the "total" cost, it was what do you say when asked "how much does it cost". Two different things.

      People who use the total cost, including the cost of financing, without qualification, as the answer to the second question want to make the purchase price sound like a bigger number to make a dramatic point.

      Delete
    9. Btw, JtR did this exact thing (used the total cost including financing costs) when describing the purchase price of the park on one of his posts months ago.

      Purchase price != total cost to purchase.

      Using total cost when the context is purchase price is dishonest.

      "How much did it cost?" is typically a purchase price question.
      "What is the total cost?" is a qualified total cost question.

      Delete
    10. OK, how about this: as a taxpayer, do you want to know the total cost of a purchase or just the purchase price? As a taxpayer, I want to know what I'm on the hook for; it has nothing to do with wanting the purchase price to "sound like a bigger number," sheesh.

      As a homeowner, you may quote the purchase price to someone who asks, but you'd be remiss if you didn't know your total (including financing) costs before you signed on the dotted line.

      Delete
    11. 4:50,

      Fine, but if you really want to understand the price, it should be expressed as a time value of money.

      If the interest rate is below the long-term rate of inflation, then the borrowing of money can actually provide a discount in real dollar terms.

      You are borrowing money in 2014 dollars, but eventually you are going to make payments in 2040 dollars. Long term inflation suggests that the real purchasing power of 2040 dollars will be significantly less than the 2014 dollars we borrow today.

      So there are two opposing forces. Interest payments that drive up the total cost of buying a property, and inflation, which lowers the total cost over time.

      The net of those two forces is what you want to look at. It's called time value of money, and it would give you a total price of the purchase in today's dollars.

      Given the historic low interest rates, borrowing money is almost free, because long rates are not to far above the long term average rate of inflation.

      WCV is in finance. If he reads this, he can weigh in.

      Delete
    12. Indeed. I would prefer speak about costs in terms of purchase price and annual carrying cost (i.e. like we think about our houses: purchase price and mortgage payments).

      WIth interest rates as low as they are now, there's a fair case to be made that long-term inflation will cover most of the interest cost.

      Delete
  39. Naa naa naana
    Naa naa naana
    Hey hey hey
    Goodbye....

    ReplyDelete
  40. Maybe Barth can peddle Vina to the train station on her bike...Parting is such sweet sorrow.....NOT!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hallelujah Praise the Lord!!!! This is the best news I have heard in a long time. Buh bye! I hope this rumor is true and not just a "tease" Gus. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out loser.

    ReplyDelete