Saturday, July 2, 2016

Gus Vina pushing utility tax in Brentwood, lagging in polls

Having tried and failed to impose a sales tax on Encinitas, former City Manager Gus Vina is heading a task force trying to impose a utility bill tax on East Bay residents and businesses.

And it's going over about as well as his sales tax.

East Bay Times:
The Fire and Medical Services Task Force, which comprises 10 government and fire district officials, earlier this month floated the idea of asking voters in November to approve a tax on electricity, gas, cable TV and telephone service.

But the results released Wednesday suggest that it's unlikely the proposal would garner the simple majority vote required to pass: The highest rating the tax received anywhere in the district's service area was 47 percent.

"The public appears to be happy with being underserved," said Fire Chief Hugh Henderson [who gets $319,211 in pay and benefits], noting that 69 percent of the respondents indicated they are pleased with its performance.

17 comments:

  1. How is it that these incompetent, over-paid civil "servants" can continue to get employed with their atrocious track records? No one in Brentwood read about Vina's activities here in Encinitas? And he is looking to retire at a quarter million a year....simply outrageous!!!!

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  2. Replies
    1. That's why these travesties occur - no one cares.

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  3. What they say is that friends come and go but enemies are forever.

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  4. That little weasel strikes again!

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  5. No chief we are not happy being under served nor are we happy you are OVERPAID!!! Do you let all house fires burn to the ground in Brentwood like here in Encinitas??

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  6. If only slimy vina had taken some, or rather most, of the Planning Dept. with him, we would be so much better off.

    As it stands, we are left with the likes [dislikes] of Manjeet, Masih the community destroyer, Mike Strong, in fact, the whole planning dept. They deserve to urged to leave before they are fired like vina was. Yes, I am quite aware he was given to choice to resign before being fired.

    Even when we manage to get rid of the worst, like his lowness, and Barth, and Jeff Murphy, and Vina and so many others that could be named, without cleaning that dirty house, we have what we have. These sell out leftovers days are coming to an end. If they have the wherewithal to recognize any sense of reality, most of the Planning Dept would resign asap.

    It is a shame that our first local city manager has not shown more gumption to sweep that traitorous, sell out dept. clean.

    Karen, you have to know what needs to be done. Maybe Jim can help you to step up. We all sure hope so. Waiting for the HEU, despicably called @At Home Encinitas, to soften the image of what this urbanization plan will really bring to our precious community to fail, will be a poor choice. Your name is up there. Restore some faith to this community that you can prove your worth, and start firing planners starting at the top and working down from there and don't stop.

    You would garner so much appreciation that your place in the history of this city would be secured as truly heroic. We sure need our heroes. I hope you can become one of them, before it is too late. Don't wait. The times they are a changing and we need you to be on the side of your fellow residents.

    Everyone have a wonderful holiday and stay safe out there.

    This goes especially for WC for giving us a voice and keeping this site cleaned up when it is called for.


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    1. Don't expect any major reforms coming from the City Manager - she will acquiesce to the power brokers, the ones who will determine her fate and longevity - and that isn't the citizens of this community.

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  7. Vina was the worse and Barth was the worst for supporting him

    What a dumbass .

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  8. Maybe Vina can hire Peak Democracy to do one of their valuable polls so that he can get Marlena back working with him again. She has joined Peak Democracy as a "consultant?" Or he could get Lew Edwards in to convince residents that they really want to spend $200,000 on a program to trick them into voting on a tax increase. Let'a hope he has a tool in Brentwood like Teresa Barth who will write in her newsletter that the Lew Edwards program is less than $60,000 when it will cost $200,000. That is what good, old Mayor Barth did for Gus here.

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  9. Vina and fire captains. What a match!

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  10. Maybe the cities could moderate taxes if the bureaucrats weren't paid king's ransoms and the pensions weren't in the six figures. There are no checks and balances in place to constrain these free spending "civil servants". Encinitas needs culling at the Administrative level and pension reform.

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  11. Enough on Vina, unless we're still paying him. Isn't it time to start complaining about the Council candidates?

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  12. If there is even one council candidate that represents us by fighting for Prop A for all their worth and against the current urbanization scheme, he/she will get my vote and many, many others, I suspect.

    When that day comes, and it will, they, he and/or she will be a sure thing come election time. A new majority on the council will take back our town for the residents. Six weeks and counting, for all good men and women to come to the aid of our community and declare their candidacies. Plural. It will take three unencumbered citizens to overcome the fix that has been in for decades.

    Dreams can come true, even here in our small town.

    I hope everyone enjoyed the traffic this past holiday weekend. If the HEU plan passes, you can expect this year round and not just on the major holidays.

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  13. Can I have some of whatever you are smoking?

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  14. 7:33pm The brand is called, hoping for a day when our elected reps. defend this community and not sell out to developer interests. Sure, it is a dream at this point in time when we don't have one council member or potential council members standing up for this community. They are all on record supporting a plan that serves themselves and their deep pocket benefactors and goes against our desires for preserving the community character that brought us all here to begin with. Urban style density programs are doomed to failure and all the fear mongering lies will not change that fact or our minds.

    Any candidates that come forward and express that platform will be a winner. Those that believe things can go on as they currently are will be left behind.

    If you choose to smoke what the city is selling, then that is a poor quality choice on your part and your are welcome to choke on it. The city gives us seeds and stems. I prefer the flowers, especially as a former flower capital of the world that is long gone.

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