Is $61 Million A Lot of Money?

In today's OC Register is an editorial, most appropriately called "Strangled in the Cradle."

It essentially recounts the Newport Beach City Council's fear of the city's Unions and pulls heavily from the Daily Pilot's article.

The following paragraph encapsulates the entire situation of the "republican"-led City Council:

"That a council with six Republicans in an overwhelmingly Republican city was too fearful to deal with the outsized benefit packages that have led Newport to have an estimated $61 million in unfunded pension liability costs is a testament to the power of government unions, which invest heavily in city council races. The excuse-making was incredible. Mayor Steve Rosansky said, in essence, that the public is too dim-witted to vote on such complex matters: "I don't think you could possibly educate residents enough about contract terms," Rosansky told the Daily Pilot. "Basically what you'll wind up getting is just people making a gut-level decision.""

Notes to remember:

• Yes - there are more Republicans registered in Newport Beach than Democrats.
• Yes - the Political Party registration of the Newport Beach City Council is 6 Republicans to 1 Decline to State
• Yes - The Newport Beach City Council wants to BORROW millions and millions of dollars to build a new City Hall
• Yes - Newport Beach has more City Employees to residents than any other neighboring city and are hiring more (go here to try to get a job, we pay really well and have great benefits!)
• NO - The Newport Beach City Council does NOT act like Republicans.
  

I had a good look at the General Plan drafts, and the finished General Plan. Many, many pages of charts, pictures, and words. Many pages of complex information.

I don't think there is anything more complex than Newport's General Plan, yet the residents voted on it. I don't think more than 1% of the people who voted in favor of it read through the entire thing. I probably would be safe to guess that not everyone on the City Council read through it cover to cover. Perhaps the Union's pocket lint might have gotten into the eyes of the Councilmembers?

Funny thing is that we were encouraged to vote on it by the same people who say that increasing City Employee pensions would be too complex for residents to vote on.

Was voting for the General Plan a "Gut-Level Decision?"

Will Mayor Rosansky's 2008 re-election campaign be too complex for voters?

What is soo complex about increasing the Pension liability? You don't have to go further than San Diego or even our own County of Orange to see what can happen.

If that $61 million dollar unfunded pension liability number for 2005 is accurate, how high does it have to get before the City Council understands the complexity of the matter?