As our state and national economies slip into a deep recession, our local elected officials continue to blow our tax money. Reported in the OC Weekly this week is this little but insightful blurb, “On Jan. 7, the Santa Ana City Council voted unanimously to spend $60,000 in taxpayer money this year on employee trophies for just one city department.”
Maybe Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and his crooked cabal should get a trophy for blowing money in the stupidest fashion?
UPDATE:
According to one of my readers, who claims he or she wrote the trophy contract, most of the money spent on the trophies was for youth trophies related to city youth programs. However, $6,000 was indeed spent on city employee trophies, and on trophies for some neighborhood program. That money should NOT be spent on employee trophies, needless to say. Besides, can you think of ANY city programs in Santa Ana that deserve awards?
This is disgusting. That money could have paid a teacher or a police officer for a year. Many people don’t even make $60k a year. Sickening.
SMS
If you think that’s something, just wait until they blow another $302 million on that stupid streetcar project that they just passed.
Oh, and I wonder how much they spent on their tribute honoring Cesar Chavez.
SAUSD is also blowing money in the same reckless manner. Go the the SAUSD corruption thread to read about their catered affair at Segerstrom.
Try this, Write an artical telling us how you would redevelop Santa Ana.
What
cook,
I hope you are joking. This city has raised our water rates already in the past year. Councilman Sal Tinajero voted to raise our sewage rates by 60% over five years. They are talking about putting a bond on the ballot to raise money for God only knows what. I have heard the entire council is going to back the stupid SAUSD school bond in June. And you are OK with them blowing $60K on trophies for overpaid city workers? Just remember all their waste when you write things like that.
BTW, the city water department pays more for administration than any other water district in the OC. I suppose you are OK with that too?
#4,
Santa Ana’s city council always tries to do what I call “home run” planning. They ought to, instead, pay attention to basic services. This city is a joke. Putting in a billion dollar streetcar system is not going to fix all our other problems, just like the Artists Village didn’t fix any problems. Just like the ill-conceived Renaissance Plan was going to create problems, not fix them.
Srah,
Great point! What an insult to the working poor in Santa Ana.
When we plan our own family budget, we make a list of all the things that we need that require money. We then prioritize the list by asking hard questions on what needs to be taken care of first.
Smoking crack and running off to Vegas every weekend instead of putting on a new roof or sending the kids to summer camp was never a choice we made.
Those choices would have been selfish and neglectful. What in the world is this current council doing wasting city resources like this?
How do they even manage to take care of their own finances?
These trophy’s improve employee moral and that means better service for our residents. $60,000 is a drop in the bucket. I say it’s money well spent. It’s part of an over all TQM program which you would no nothing about!
ok Art, but you still didn’t answer the question. What would YOU do to redevelop Santa Ana?
Brother Art. An easy question and a follow up. How many employees are in this department? And if we reward one department in this manner how do city employees in the other departments react?
i.e 60 employees at $1,000 each?
I checked one trophy site and found an engraved basic star achievement awards at $72.50 to one that is 24K gold plated selling for $330.00
Folks. Trophy pricing is all over the map. The highest price I saw was a triple plate globe at $417.85
Do we have to go overboard, at taxpayer expense, as we hand out dust collectors? A simple certificate of appreciation, such as we give out in our city, might also be appreciated. Simply have them attend a city council meeting for some face time on camera and photos.
Did the dollar amount jump? I thought it was six (6) thousand, now I read sixty (60) thousand.
I guess an accounting is in order.
Is this the money that parents pay to the city to cover the t-shirts and trophies for the various flag football, t-ball, and soccer teams that play at the various parks thoughout the year?
How is that stuff accounted for?
I wrote the trophy contract for the City of Santa Ana. Your facts are not correct. The contract is mainly for trophies to be awarded by the Parks and Recreation Department. 90% of the contract total cost will pay for trophies for participants in Parks and Recreation youth sporting events. Those participants paid a registration fee, that included the cost for the trophies. The City of Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Department purchased the trophies with funds from the registration fees. An extremely small percentage of the contact total cost will be used for employee awards AND to award outstanding citizens of the community. The Request For Council Action for the contract, dated January 7, 2008, which is public information, explains this very clearly.
#15,
Looks like Pedroza got it wrong again. I’m shocked! NOT!!!!
Regarding the update to the City of Santa Ana trophy article, the contract is for the purchase of trophies for youth sports recreational programs. The $60,000.00 is just an estimated amount, nothing has been budgeted for employee trophies. I added a little extra to the contract total cost to pay for any miscellaneous trophies, INCLUDING but not limited to, trophies for employees and citizens of the City of Santa Ana, in case they are required. We may only spend $50.00 on miscellaneous awards in 2008. My attempt to explain this is just a very simple contract for childrens trophies somehow was changed to read that $6,000.00 was spent on employee trophies. $6,000.00 will not be spent on trophies for employees. My guess, based on past experience with the contract, is that the amount will not exceed $500.00 for employee trophies. I am extremely disappointed to see that assumptions were made and printed regarding the contract without first contacting someone from the City of Santa Ana. Please contact the Purchasing Department at the City of Santa Ana, if you require any information regarding the trophy contract or any other City contracts.