Vallejo, CA On Brink Of Bankruptcy

[Rodger Tellefson]

The city of Vallejo is on the brink of becoming the first California city ever to declare bankruptcy, City Council members said Tuesday. :huh::wacko:



Vallejo may run out of cash as early as March, council member Stephanie Gomes said.

 

[Johnny O]

My little town in PA is almost in the same boat. Very few town employees but as jobs evaporated over the last 20 years, working people have been gradually been replaced by welfare recipients, hence less local income tax, and much of the housing has become rentals with a more transient population and it's hard to catch up with them to collect any taxes at all.

 

[Tom Schindler]

This is going to get more common as the housing bubble continues to burst and jobs are moved oerseas.





Tom

 

[WXMotorSports DecalsPartsAccs]

Doesn't surprise me. What does Vallejo have to offer?



Traffic on 1-80 is horrible. Not that much in business there. So, you commute to the city or to Sac.



If it's 90 in Sac it's 100 in Vallejo. I wouldn't buy a house there unless it was a new development. Otherwise, it's Oakland's step child.

 

[Todd Cloutier]

We are in the same boat here in Western NY. Both the City of Buffalo and Erie county are under the supervision of state-appointed financial control boards. The reason: too much government.



Here's what we have in the Buffalo metro area



Erie County



Cities:

Buffalo

Tonawanda (about 2 sq. miles)

North Tonawanda



Towns:

Amherst

Clarence

Cheektowaga

Tonawanda (it's separate from the city of Tonawanda)

Lackawana

Lancaster

West Seneca



Villages (all are about 1 sq mile in size)

Kenmore

Depew

Sloan

Williamsville



1 in 5 jobs in this area are local government jobs, and we wonder why taxes are so high.

 

[Scott Heckler]

Do I get bonus points . . . . . I was born in Buffalo, grew up in Depew and Lancater and I servered in the Navy in Vallejo back in the late seventies . . . . It's a small world.

 

[TracN Jack]

SST, Vallejo is nothing like Oakland or Richmond



Yes there is a large Diverse population... a few areas like many towns with punks, i 80 right down the middle of the city does not help.



I live and work here( On Mare Island ), I live in the hills right next to benica and lived in the VERY nice Glen Cove are before that. There are some really nice new homes on mare island now too.



80% of the city income goes to fire and Police salaries here in Vallejo. some of the highest paid Safety workers in the state even before the overtime they are collecting.



14 Firefighter retire last week to keep thier accrued vacation and sick leave if the had been laid off. this put the city resposible for another 4 million dollars to payout.



There has been a multi year struggle with Contracts and commitments( political promises )



The city is trying to break the contracts they commited to until 2010



I am totally supportive of safety workers, I am not for thier unions controlling the local politics and raiding the city coffers even for thier members paychecks over what other local cities and counties pay thier employees.



The city goverment and councils has has not done a good job at all managing incoming business opportunities, over dependence on new housing development for taxes.



The city has acted for years as "We know what is best for you" so listen..



and the local populace has become complacent.



The city , the service unions, the employees need to understand that the local population and businesses are thier employers. The population needs to understand that they have an obligation to their city too. like paying REASONABLE taxes, keeeping thier neighboorhood clean, reporting crime, etc.... helping others



I know many of the players in this personally and plan on activly participating in some additional local goverment commisions to get this town back on its tracks.



This struggle is not just happening in VALLEJO, but if the city does declare bankrupty



Watch what happens to the municiple bond market nationwide!! and futher collaspe of the economy!





More Info this and the recent Mayor's race at http://timesheraldonline.com

 

[Johnny O]

IMO govt employees should not be allowed to unionize because it is a conflict of interest.

"We will support candidate X because he will give us a favorable contract if he wins."

If the law were actually enforced as written, the former mayor of Pittsburgh should rightly be in jail for doing exactly that.

 

[Tom Schindler]

IMO govt employees should not be allowed to unionize because it is a conflict of interest.

I agree. There is nothing more American than telling your citizens what you can and can't do. Those poor people that must live under a Communist have choices on what they can or can't do.





Tom