Ethics
The mayor’s political weapons
The Mayor is taking a $6,000 cut, after giving himself a $65,000 raise.
Remember that last year, the Mayor was drawing a salary of $35,000. After he was re-elected Mayor on December 8th, he awarded himself a raise, without so much as squeaking to the press, whilst parks and libraries were being shut down. Now he announces a 6 percent cut to the world. Here is my calculation assuming the annual salary points at the beginning of the fiscal years:
$35,000 (2008 salary) + $65,000 (2008 raise) – $6,000 (2009 cut) = $94,000 (2009 salary)
Difference between July 2009 and July 2008 salary = +$59,000
The Next Rod Blagojevich
San Diego political community is buzzing with rumors that long-time County Supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts will retire sometime soon. The heart of the story is that instead of serving out their remaining years, one or both might resign mid-term allowing the County Board to appoint a successor.
This would presumably be the preferred choice of the local Republican establishment, increasingly worried about San Diego’s “blue-ward” shift after Obama’s first-time-since-FDR county democratic majority last November. Since Cox and Roberts are both Republicans in districts with massive Democratic registration advantage, a mid-term appointment may be the only way for the party to hold on to the nominally non-partisan seats. Especially if their replacements were ‘elected’ by the four remaining members of the Board of Supervisors – all Republicans.
