CHP Looks at Cutting 10 Percent of Employees

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[chance33_98]

CHP Looks at Cutting 10 Percent of Employees

The California Highway Patrol has been told it may need to cut 10 percent of its workforce to help make up the state budget shortfall. Letters went out Tuesday informing employees they could face layoffs.

The letters will go to CHP commanders. The commanders will then personally hand the letters to employees. "You have a right to know in advance that you may be affected by layoffs if they turn out to be unavoidable," the letter reads, in part. "This notice is being sent to allow you to be prepared for the possible layoffs and to be able to consider other available opportunities."

Ten percent of the workforce equals 836 employees. The the proposed layoffs would include 469 uniformed officers and 367 non-uniformed employees. CHP Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick said some of the cuts could come through attrition.

Because seniority will be a consideration in the layoffs, cadets who just spent 27 weeks in the academy could be the first to go. "They're very worried. You know, they're moving all over the state starting a new life, renting, buying new homes," said Helmick. "They have to get this letter in the mail. It's troubling."

The proposed layoffs are part of a plan to save $855 million by laying off as many as 10,000 state employees. If the plan is adopted, more than 70 of the state's 150 agencies will be affected.

Officials emphasize that the layoffs are still far from a certainty. The ultimate fate of the workers will not be know until a new state budget is completed, a process that could take several more months.

[Diverdogz]

Ponch and Jon getting laid off? I thought they cancelled that show a long time ago.

[DoughtyOne]

This is a hoot. How many California commissions will be cut? Answer, zero!

This is the typical response Democrats have to not having enough money to run things the way they want. Rather than cut non-essential services, they cut things that will really hurt the public interest. Then they come back six months to a year later trying to justify raising taxes based on these cuts.

[babyface00]

Funny how, whenever there's a budget crunch, police and fire are the first to be cut.

Never the $100k "consultants", numerous aides and beurocrats, legislative perks, etc. Its always the same, no matter the size or level of government. Everyone knows where the waste is, but those areas never get cut.

[Neanderthal]

This is the famous "Washington Monument" strategy. When faced with a budget cut, announce that you have to cut the most visible thing you can so that the public will oppose any cuts at all.

[gathersnomoss]

They are doing the dirty job of cutting costs for the chulrun. Now shut your pie hole and let them do the work of the people.

How else will we survive with the Bush regime tax cuts that are in place? "Grandma, where are you hiding the dog food"?

You incompassionate conservatives just don't have a clue.</sarcasm>

[Roughneck]

"This is the famous "Washington Monument" strategy. When faced with a budget cut, announce that you have to cut the most visible thing you can so that the public will oppose any cuts at all"

The folks who ought to get letters are the thousands of illegals getting welfare and other hand-outs paid by the CA Taxpayer!

[bmwcyle]

The world is never safe when the DEMS are in charge.

[Uncle Hal]

More scare tactics from the Dems. When ever there is discussion on cut backs they always bring up police and fire protection as the first to be cut. This is all a plan by the dems to scare people into demanding more taxes so there will not be any cutbacks.

[aimhigh]

Cities, counties and states need laws requiring that adequate police funding be the number one budget item. All other items should follow after public safety. A library is no good if I get mugged on the way there.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Cut CHP, and all the other state agencies, but lets start at the top, with Gray Davis.

[cinFLA]

Funny how, whenever there's a budget crunch, police and fire are the first to be cut.

Just politics as usual. CA sent out very specific letters concerning layoffs of state employees inorder to get the union to capitulate on pay reductions. Probably the same with the CHP.

[cinFLA]

(Here is the reason. The state employee union originally said no pay cuts untill the state sent out the letters describing how people would be laid off.)

CHP, guards won't give up raise
Salary cuts sought by governor to help reduce state's deficit
By Tom Chorneau, Associated Press

Although Gov. Gray Davis counts law enforcement among his strongest supporters, California Highway Patrol officers and prison guards say they won't accept his efforts to negotiate pay cuts to erase the state's record deficit.

Unions representing the CHP and guards said Friday that they are unwilling to renegotiate big pay raises due in July that will cost the state $145 million.

[cinFLA]

CHP and guards got a windfall package inorder to buy them off prior to the last election. No way I will feel sorry for them to get a little pay reduction now.

[DoughtyOne]

Okay, if they gave up double their entire raise, it would only generate $290 million in savings. We're talking about $38 billion here.

My take on the matter is this.

From 1998 to 2002 the state budget grew from $65 billion to $92.5 billion. That 40% of budget growth is exactly where I'd look to make first cuts. Any liberal cra-ola that was implemented during those years should be the first to be cut. Will it be? I doubt it.

Instead they'll go running to schools, libraries, hospitals, police and other emergency response personel.

That's nearly $30 billion a year in added expenses. Amazingly the first place Davis can find to cut is the CHP. That's shameful.

I don't know how long the CHP waited for those raises. Perhaps the raises were too big, but forking over half those raises will only amount to around $90 million, hardly even worth mentioning in the overall scheme of things.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You nailed it. I'm surprised the didn't close the parks and zoo.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you, but I sure got caught generalizing here:

"...but forking over half those raises will only amount to around $90 million, hardly even worth mentioning in the overall scheme of things.

How about $72.5 million...

[DoughtyOne]

Well I've been railing on that too. My wife and I visited San Diego a couple of weeks back. We drove over to Balboa park to walk around and visit the exhibits. We wound up walking around and leaving.

Each exhibit wanted to charge $4-$10 for us to walk inside. These parks used to be free. Not only are we being taxed up the ying/yang, you can't vist a local or national park without having to pay amusement park prices for the priveledge. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $30-$40 dollars to visit a local park.

[cinFLA]

Here is Davis' smoke and mirror budget in a nutshell....

Realigns $8.3 billion in health,
human services, and child care
programs to counties.

[Snerfling]

The folks who ought to get letters are the thousands of illegals getting welfare and other hand-outs

Believe it or not, but a lot of innocent citizens are going to be affected by cut-backs as well. For example, while everyone is pretty familiar with ESL programs, how many people are aware that many school districts have EPL programs?

Segregated EPL (English as Primary Language) programs are provided to stem the flow of transfers from schools that are getting heavy influxes of illegals. Once they end EPL via teach lay-offs and class size increases, there's no way parents (who are on the cusp anyway) are gonna let their kids rejoin the general population.

Just watch what happens in places like Costa Mesa.