That list doubled to eight in 2012.
Last year, Encinitas' tony $100,000 club hit 13, with two more scratching at the door collecting more than $99,000. Transparent California:
| Name | Pension | Years ofService | Year ofRetirement |
| Mark Muir | $181,936.56 | 34.11 | 2011 |
| Donald G Heiser | $159,274.80 | 33.79 | 2006 |
| Joseph W Bunn | $154,836.00 | 31.02 | 2010 |
| Jeffrey S Henry | $151,155.24 | 33 | 2013 |
| Talmadge F Tufts | $127,270.56 | 33.35 | 2005 |
| Darlene R Hill | $111,573.96 | 36.26 | 2009 |
| Robert M Romero | $109,443.00 | 35.1 | 2009 |
| David L Moore | $104,875.68 | 31.73 | 2007 |
| Charles Essex | $102,499.92 | 31.27 | 2014 |
| Darrin R Ward | $102,011.76 | 21.26 | 2014 |
| John C Gonzales | $101,330.52 | 29.9 | 2014 |
| Tom Henie | $101,104.80 | 33.69 | 2010 |
| Thomas E Curriden | $100,975.44 | 31.59 | 2013 |
Former fire chief and current councilman Mark Muir is the undisputed champion, pulling in $181,936. Talmadge Tufts and Donald Heiser have already collected more than a million dollars each, and with Encinitas' young retirement age, some of these folks will be collecting this every year for decades.
Meanwhile, CalPERS continues to fail miserably in its investments, meaning they'll be taking more and more money from Encinitas each and every year to keep these fatcats rolling in the green. Encinitas already spends more on employee pensions than on maintaining its underfunded roads.
With Encinitas per capita income at $46,000 a year, it would appear that we now have a new CalPERS royalty. All hail!
ReplyDeletePer capita includes children.
DeleteI get your point, but household income might be a better comp.
Correct, but the median city worker career retiree still gets more than the median household income!
DeleteA much more compelling point, EU.
DeleteAmerican per capita income is $28,155.
Deletehttp://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
10:39, "more compelling" than the silly argument made by 7:27? Not a very high bar...
DeleteDialing it in from the gravy train, excellency?
DeleteAccording to CalPERS mortality experience, firefighters (the most frequent recipients of the big pensions) will live more years in retirement than they did working for the city.
ReplyDeleteLike ALL CA governments, these pensions are woefully underfunded, meaning that residents will see either higher taxes or fewer city services. More likely both.
perhaps, except of course, for the firefighters killed or injured in the line of duty.
DeleteI've never understood the animosity towards firefighters I hear from Encinitas residents. Maybe you should all tatoo "don't cut me out of my overturned car or save my McMansion from a wildfire" on your foreheads?"
...and yet you still haven't moved to Texas.
DeleteP.S., I read your blog just now. Pro tip: don't expect to be taken seriously when you spew racist claptrap and Ayn Rand propaganda. You sound like a 12 year old boy.
Urban firefighters SELDOM die on the job. The last city of San Diego firefighter to die was hit by a car in 1978 as he was dealing with an auto accident. The mortality rate for firefighters is only slightly higher than the "athletes, coaches and umpires" category.
DeleteLet's be clear. You consider employee death rate on the job to be a guiding principle for determining comp & bennies?
DeleteHow much physical risk did YOU take on when you were exploiting the investments of pension plans as a stock broker and "financial advisor?" Your phenotype adds nothing to society and demands everything.
Firefighters, in contrast, add a tremendous amount of value to society. A sense of security, a sense of community, and protection from unforeseen dangers. I know Ayn Rand thought all of that was worthless unless it directly benefits a "producer" like yourself, but those of us who understand that the world is more complicated that a Rush song know firefighters make contributions that cast a long shadow over a paper-pushing political Don Quixote like you.
Corruption of unbridled greed. Civil servants looting the treasury instead of the money going for the common good. And none of these council people will touch the subject of desperately needed pension reform - it is off the table.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame the employees. They are taking what's legally offered. BLAME the politicians that granted the benefits. The politicians are the only people that can change what those benefits are.
Delete2:19. I call BS - the firefighters and cops donate to politicians, the politicians then reward them with fat pay raises. In our town Muir formed a political action committee even though it was against policy, sending out mailers and flyers to elect Stocks - Stocks then voted to give Muir a pay and pension raise. A few years later Stock and Gaspar (also backed by the firefighters) appointed Muir to the council- see how the cronies work ? Their solution to pay for pension increases is to up-zone the city for stack and pack housing, increase bars and hire code officers to comb the city looking to fine residents. Oh yea- let's not forget the proposed tax hike.
DeleteSadly, 7:04 is correct.
DeleteAnd at the state level, government unions are extremely powerful in electing legislatures that will give away the store.
7:04 is right and guess who is enemy numero uno in all of Encinitas? He sits on council and is robbing taxpayers. He is there only to protect his pension. Period. We need him gone and pension reform. Otherwise you see our city build up and be ruined all for greed of a few.
DeleteVote out of office those that only care about protecting their pension rather than quality of life for residents.
DeleteThe average California firefighter is paid 60% more than paid firefighters in other 49 states (not counting the 70+% that are volunteer firefighters). CA cops are paid 56% more. Yet the CA 2011 median household income (including gov’t workers) is only 13.4% above the nat’l avg.
ReplyDeletewww.tinyurl.com/CA-ff-and-cop-pay
and
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income
BTW, it's doubtful that ANY of the city firefighters live IN the city. They live and spend their paychecks elsewhere -- too often to other COUNTIES.
DeleteProbably not the case in Encinitas. Firefighters are among the few who make enough money to buy a house in Encinitas.
DeleteA lot of firefighters, and other workers, do not live in the city they work in. I've lived in Encinitas 20 years, and have never worked here.
DeleteThe real issue is how we allowed ourselves to be asleep at the switch when the pensions were allowed to go way up. And now that times are hard, everybody cries like a baby...
Rider, just like smart attorneys, never ask a question you do not know the answer to: most of those people listed still live in Encinitas: you on the other hand....
DeleteYour source? How many are firefighters?
DeleteRemember, I'm speaking SPECIFICALLY about firefighters, who have to commute to work only 5-6 days a month (double shifts), as opposed to about 22 days a month for other employees. Hence they can live further out, where, of course, they get more housing bang for the buck.
So what's the solution, make them move closer? I would agree they're overcompensated, what's the solution?
DeleteAs long as I live in a world where somebody is named Richard Rider, I can sleep soundly at night.
ReplyDeleteAre you sleeping now?
DeleteRichard "Raw Dawg" Rider.
DeleteOh you Dirk!
DeleteThese guys game their pensions, get disability for minor things like "stress" and are basically crooks. $181,000 a year at taxpayers expense to retire at 55 makes you a crook.
ReplyDeleteI think it makes the people of Encinitas the criminals, for not paying attention and allowing a system to be put in place where people could earn that kind of pension.
Delete@9:50 I'm not sure where you get the nerve to question someone's disability. Ever cut a dead body out of a car? Twice in one incident where the top of the passenger's head was essentially gone and his corpse was convusing in agonal breathing. It's one of the reasons I quit my EMT job, and it's haunted me ever since. I don't get a pension or disability, because my township was all volunteer. Consider yourself lucky you have professionals watching over you, and remember that you have the right to refuse their services, including the service they do you clearing the car accidents that get between you and your oh-so-stressful life. Walk next time, it will help you consider what is valuable in life..
DeleteWe are talking about guys sitting around most of the time eating between trips to Vons. You deserved a pension but some took too much of the pension pie.... then asked for seconds.
DeleteWhat a load of crap. I live near enough to a fire station to hear how many runs happen a day. I also see these guys working their butts off running stairs and trying to stay in shape so they can haul your fat ass down the stairs when that heartburn starts spreading down your arm and the panic sets in.
DeleteA solid pension is the least we can do for firefighters and police. If you don't like it, run for office or maybe you can get a financial engineer like Dick Rider elected to make everything right.
Little touchy. Truth hurts.
DeleteNo, lies and narcissism annoy.
DeleteAs do undeserved pensions.
DeleteIf you need a fire trunk, go to Vons.
Delete7:36. Encinitas averages 2 fires a year- you may hear truck rolls, they are not going to fires
DeleteTwo? I call bullshit again. I've seen two homeless camps burning in the last three MONTHS near my place. Do you expect me to believe that there have been no kitchen fires, garage fires, parked car fires, tipped over barbecues ANYWHERE else in Encinitas? What about the drownings at Swami's? That's two THIS MONTH.
DeleteSo yeah, many of these are first responder calls to help sick, scared old white people at home and in minor car accidents. I'd think that would of at least some value to you.
How many car accidents, work accidents, home accident, miscellaneous injuries in public, health emergencies? Ever heard of the term "first responder?"
From the Encinitas FD website: http://www.ci.encinitas.ca.us/index.aspx?page=46
The Encinitas Fire Department provides a wide array of public safety services. These services include fire protection, emergency response, medical aid, fire prevention, disaster preparedness, search and rescue, lifeguard services and community education programs. In 2010, the Fire Department responded to 5,128 calls involving fire and medical emergencies, including structure fires, vegetation fires, vehicle fires and medical aids, such as heart attacks, vehicle accidents, seizures and respiratory difficulties. The demand for our services continues to increase. Over a ten year period (2000-2010) the Department’s call volume increased by 27%, while the population of Encinitas increased by only 2.6% during that same period.
The Department has 63 full time employees and five divisions: Fire Operations and Support Services, Fire Administration, Loss Prevention and Planning (Fire Prevention), Disaster Preparedness and Marine Safety Services. The Department operates six fire stations and is responsible for responding to a variety of emergencies in a 23 square mile area. In 2010, the Department’s average response time for the city as a whole was 4 minutes and 56 seconds. The Insurance Services Organization (which rates fire departments based on the effectiveness of their response capabilities) gave the Department a rating of 3, which is the third best among North County departments and has resulted in lower homeowners insurance premiums for Encinitas residents. "
No no, I'm having a coffee and watching cat videos.
ReplyDeleteJoe Bunn is a solid human being. Not his fault his pension is large.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your interpretation of large?
DeleteHigher than average and above medium.
DeleteThe firefighter chief earns $250K and over sees a staff of 70. $250,000 divided by 70 equals $3571 per person. Let's extrapolate that pay per person for the captain of an US Navy aircraft carrier..$3571 X 5500 = $19,640,500.
ReplyDeleteSomeone is either over paid or someone is underpaid, since Captain of carriers don't get paid $19+M. It's a pretty easy guess.
If I took a job that offered a generous pension why is it my fault? The pensions were once a little more reasonable, but in the 90's when you could not lose in the stock market, the City Council gave a 35% in increase in pensions. And, at that time, the Council consisted of Jerome Stocks, Jim Bond, who are both conservatives. So, Mr. Rider, since I believe you are a friend of Jerome's why don't you add that to your post?
ReplyDeleteBond voted no. Rider has criticized Stocks on the pension giveaway.
DeleteEU; Could you direct me to where Rider criticized Stocks on the pensions? I would like to apologize to him if that is true. I know Bond voted no, My attempt was to point out that it did not happen with this Council, and to be honest, I was too lazy to check who the 5 were at that time. My bad.
DeletePretty sure he's done it emphatically on SD Rostra. Not sure how easy the archives are to search.
DeleteAnonymous at 4:27 PM -- Go to sdrostra.com, scroll down, and then click on Jerome Stock in the column on the left. Or you can try searching for Jerome Stocks in the search box. Either way you will have to some reading. Hint: look for topics on cost overruns on the Sprinter when Stocks was chairman of NCTD and also for topics on pension costs.
DeleteRider was very critical of Stocks' votes and his pontificating on both these topics. Rider was fearless in going after Stocks. Most couldn't take the intimidation, pressure, and retribution that were Stocks' way of doing business.
I think the Sprinter was more of a case of Stocks trying to take credit for what he thought would be winner. The board members at NCTD have very little to do with the day to day operations, in fact, pretty much none at all. So although it was clear the Sprinter was a Turkey, Stocks tried to paint it as a win, because at the times he still had hopes of higher public office.
DeleteBut you can blame a lot of the people at NCTD at the time, including Karen King, and some some of the financial people at the agency.
Simply put, NCTD does not have the manpower or brain power to try and build something like the Sprinter....
The board approved the building of the Sprinter and had oversight on how the project was being managed. The board approved millions and millions of dollars of cost overruns. Predicted cost was $214 million. Actual cost was $478 million. That's a 124% cost overrun. Stocks was up to his eyeballs in all of this.
DeleteBlame the staff, but the board ultimately has responsibility.
So construction was over budget.
DeleteNow that Sprinter is open, how is ridership and the operating budget compared to plan?
Right, but the Board is pretty much a rubber stamp for the NCTD CEO. After the Sprinter they gave most of their power to the current CEO, Matt Tucker. Part of the blame goes to NCTD, part goes to the contractors, part to the Federal Government, and part to the taxpayer for not paying attention.
DeleteWhite people don't right public transport in SD, with the exception of the COASTER. So people could give a rats rump what happens. This is your result, a white elephant that shouldn't have been built....
Don't get me wrong, Stocks was not an asset to our town. The vote to increase the pensions, being an accomplice on the Sprinter. Sadly I think outside of Bond, any of the people on council at the time would have approved the money for the overruns.
DeleteIt wasn't like they were going to halt the project. It was a bad idea that never should have gotten out of the gate. There's plenty of blame to go around..
off-topic, but more suprising is the news at a website called - The Conservative Treehouse - that Breitbart's billionaire hedge fund owners have funded the Ted Cuz superpac and are using the IP and analytics information on Breitbart visitors to push Crus propaganda to their emails and fund raise. After the second debate the Cruz SuperPac gave Carly money- why? Because the globalist like Breitbart billionaires, Soros, Murdoch, Ried, Ryan, all want a Jeb Hillary run off because they win either way while american families lose. Cruz supports open borders, TPP- he now says he doesn't- like all politicans he claims to have evolved. There is only one non-establishment candidate running who said he'd bomb ISIS to crap 3 months ago- his name is Trump. Only one candidate truly opposed TPP- his name is Trump. The donor class must defeat Trump at all costs so Jeb can be the nominee. Take out Trump and Carson becomes Herman Cain, Cruz becomes Gingrich and Jeb becomes Romeny- the nominee backed by Rove.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am a little out of my league on this blog, as I don't know as much as most of you, but I do have a question. If I understand what I am reading from both Shaffer's and Blakespear's emails, the City is spending a lot of money on a lifeguard tower at Moonlight, plus Pacific View, plus a few more lovely things. My question is this: How does this City afford these things when the CalPers pensions are not going away and we do have to pay in to CalPers? Why don't we pay down our CalPers obligations, fix our streets, and perhaps even put a lot of the power poles underground? I am truly seeking an answer if there is one. I know all the feel good projects do just that, feel good. I am afraid for the future, both for me and my kids. How are we going to remain solvent at the rate this City is spending money on things we maybe able to, on paper afford, but in reality really cannot? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe answer is a bit complicated, and gets into various revenue streams and funding sources. However, recent rulings may indicate that the pensions and CALPERS are no longer a sure thing...
Deletehttp://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pension-controversy-20150317-story.html
The topic of the LA Times story is cities in bankruptcy. Private creditors argue that CalPERS should be treated just like them.
DeleteIn other words, CalPERS shouldn't be able to require, per the scammy state laws it pushed through, that cities in bankruptcy must fully pay pensions while private creditors get shortchanged.
Public employees' pensions at solvent entities aren't at risk.
In Encinitas, since the 2005 council passed the absurd 35% pension increase, can the present or a future council rescind it?
It is bad enough that their pensions are so out of step with the pensions of teachers and others, but the real problem is that WE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THEM. City decisions are based on sticking it to taxpayers at the expense of our community character, quality of life, and our own resources. Think about last weeks proposal for the water district to make taxpayers pay their retirements upfront as an additional charge. Thanks Mark Muir for asking questions and convincing Kranz and Gaspar to vote for the lower amount of 6 percent--which is still obscene!
DeleteConservative fundraising is like a ponzi scheme. My buddy was a registered Republican and every day a bigger and bigger stack arrived from the NRA and other assorted orgs begging for cash to counter obama or this and that ill.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a way for the guys behind the scenes to collect the cash and fleece older people out of their money.
Vote anyway you want, but if you're giving any of these guys money, you're just playing into their hands....
same goes for hillary or sanders, there is no difference between soros and the koch brothers, no difference between buffet and murdoch, no difference between jeb and hillary. Our democracy has been hijacked, we have a uniparty. every candidate has a billionaire puppet master except one - trump, he is his own man
ReplyDeleteTrump is a blowhard, buffoon and megalomaniac rolled into one. The sooner he's axed from the Repub nomination race the better.
ReplyDeleteTrump is schooling you doofus, his whole campaign and persona is a goof, and so are you if you support his act. There will be no Trump in the race come next year...
ReplyDeleteNext time you see $tock$ stumbing around Encinitas make sure you thank him for bankrupting Encinitas.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tool. He should mike to Oceanside with M. Assream.
Thanks for destroying Encinitas financial future $tock$, Your actions are paying off for your contributors.
Its time for our City to seriously consider bankruptcy or City Council action to greatly reduce staff cost. Any candidate not talking about this should be laughed off the platform.
The City should go to court and void the 2005 city council action that evening. It was done with minimal public notice and I believe was a criminal action.
A serious conversation about undoing the 35% pension increase, as well as additional reductions needs to begin. It is inevitable and the sooner the better as the city finances are not in good shape. An audit will reveal just how bad things really are.
ReplyDelete7:48- The sad part is the every Council member will tell you our City is in great financial shape. That's why we can afford a 3 million dollar lifeguard tower, Pacific View, and other "feel good" projects.
DeleteJust a clarification. Sanders does not take PAC money. His average donation is $32.50 and he has had millions of people send him money. Trump also has not taken PAC money. The rest have.
ReplyDeleteTrump said 4 months ago he would bomb ISIS oil tankers, Trump said 4 months ago he would secure the border, Trump said 4 months ago he opposed TPP and fast track. Trump is holding rallies daily with tens of thousands going- there are photos on the Internet of the crowds-the establishment media like Fox, Cnn, NBC won'the show the crowds. Today Kasich, Rubio and Jeb joined forces using their wall Street donors to target Trump. Every candidate is looking to get something except Trump, Trump gave up his show, Trump risked his brand, Trump gave up his Univision contract worth milliono to serve his fellow citizens. He is a great leader, not a follower
ReplyDeleteShaffer said in her newsletter that current fire chief Daigle is also retiring. She said four fire chiefs have retired since she took office! That's a lot of pension money, right there.
ReplyDeleteMillions for the minority. That civic funding formula is reversed.
DeleteThat is fr8cking pathetic. The City needs to hire a Fire Chief from outside the Union grasp, that can control the costs of that pathetic department.
ReplyDeleteIf not, lets go minimal department coverage and go to 90% voluntary fire department. The only ones doing any real work are the EMTs and we can get some low cost college kids studying to be nurses to do that job. Firefighters got fat and lazy are ruined all the honor behind the big red trucks. Now they are just Government Ticks. Living of hard working peoples tax money.
Disgusting. Bye loser Daigle. Go join your fat ass friend Muir at the donut shop. I hope you live short lives for the sake of the taxpayers.
The solution is to get the State to pass a Assembly Bill (state law) approving a 60% income tax on all pensions over $50,000 with a provision that all the revenue goes towards paying off huge DEBT of CALPERS.
ReplyDeleteIf that were the case Mark Muir would net $50,000 + .4($132,000) for an approximate total of $103,000 per year and would pay $79,000 in taxes towards CALPERS. That is better than the taxpayers being gouged for that type of criminal theft.
Lets see if there are any truly logical and responsible law makers in CA not owned by the unions.
Sounds like a plausible solution - but it would be fought tooth and nail by the unions. Need another Jarvis.
DeleteOr retirees would simply move out of the state and evade the tax entirely......
Delete- The Sculpin
"Or retirees would simply move out of the state and evade the tax entirely......"
DeleteYou're such an optimist.
Trump is indeed a great leader. He's managed to convinve people who used to just think professional wrestling is real to believe that his acceptance of a million dollar interest free gift from Daddy and his five separate bankruptcy bailouts make him Horatio Alger.
ReplyDeleteThere's one born every minute. Apparently there were several born every from 1945-64. A generation of cowards and suckers.
Make the state law where the tax is taken from the Calpers payments, so it about being distributed in Ca not where the recipients chose to spend the money.
ReplyDeleteAnother option is to just pass a law cutting the highest paying pensions to a reasonable number like $100k and no more.
The crimes were committed against the public taxpayers and the ticks need to pay their fair share.
And a tick like Muir is on the council, voting for more public employees in an already bloated infrastructure. He needs to get the rail next election.
ReplyDelete