Did you know that the Rocklin City Council does not care about the voters of Rocklin? Read the April 1, 2010 edition of the Placer Herald.  They awarded the Rocklin City Manager a 42% increase in his salary over the last 5 years.  That does not include the extra 2 years of service towards his retirement that he did not earn.  These 2 acts by the Council will cost our city over 1million dollars.  How are they going to pay for this?  They will keep raising our taxes.  First the alarm tax, then the park tax and finally they raised your cable bill.  What is going to be next?  Don’t worry; Councilman Peter Hill says you can afford it. 

While the council probably did nothing illegal, their arrogance is not surprising. These people have been in office so long, supported by developer money, they out of touch with the voters.

Lets not point the finger at only the Rocklin City Council.  Our Rocklin School Board has no problem wasting our tax dollars as they prepare to lay off teachers and cut education programs.  The Rocklin School Board approved 1.6 million dollars to upgrade the football field at Rocklin High School.  The school district says this money cannot be used in the classroom or to pay teachers.  This is probably a true statement.  However, if they really wanted to limit the number of lay offs, they could work with our Assemblyman Ted “in my pocket” Gaines to change how this money needs to be spent.  1.6 million dollars would pay for approximately 32 teachers.  In 2006, school board member Steve Paul said taxpayer money would not be used to upgrade the football field.  Remember Steve Paul is the board member that never reads his school board agenda. 

I think we need a Tea Party movement in Rocklin.

Where does the Placer County Republican Party stand on these issues?  The only person that has shown any real leadership is County Chairman Tom Hudson.  He has criticized the Rocklin City Council for their tax increases.  What is the rest of the Placer County Central Committee doing?  NOTHING.  In fact, they have endorsed most of the members on the city council and school board.  They are supposed to be the leaders of the Republican Party in Placer County?  Central Committee members Dave Patterson and Aaron Park live in Rocklin.  I do not see any opposition from them.  What about Congressman McClintock?  He is our Congressman.  He is the one that wants to stop politicians from spending our tax dollars. Is he a true leader?  Why does he not make a statement on the wasteful spending in Rocklin?  I forgot he does not even live in Placer County, so how could he know what is going on in Rocklin?  What about Assemblyman Ted “in my pocket” Gaines?  Why would “In My pocket” not make a comment?  He probably does not want to bring attention to the $178 a day per diem he is collecting to drive the approxiamtelly 15 miles from his home to the State Capital?  Lets not forget that Mr. Gaines helped get 3 members elected to the Rocklin School Board in 2006.  Because of his help the school district spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to fight the opening of a charter school in Rocklin.  It also cost the charter school close to $100,000 to fight the lawsuit.

It is time to throw out all these incumbents.  I am a Republican and I would like the opportunity to vote for Republicans and leaders that are not going to spend money we do not have.  We need to throw out people like Peter Hill and his comrades on the city council who are no longer in touch with the average Rocklin family.

WE NEED A TEA PARTY DEMONSTRATION IN ROCKLIN.  

 

  

 

The Rocklin City Council should be recalled for spending our tax dollars by providing outrageous pay packages for their friends.  They are providing these huge payments while cutting funds from the police and fire departments.  They voted for layoffs and furloughs for the people that really do the work for the city. 

A few weeks ago I made a blog posting on how the Rocklin City Council cut a special deal with the Rocklin City Manager.  The city manager is now collecting a pension worth $170,000 a year. He is also working 24 hours a week earning $137,000 a year. The city manager is now earning $307,000 a year.  Prior to retiring the Rocklin City Council credited the city manager with 2 year of service for years he never worked.  That extra 2 years of service, according to the Sacramento Bee, will cost the taxpayers of Rocklin $134,984.

The people below are collecting their pension, which you and I helped finance, plus working part-time for the city.  Remember these are our tax dollars.  How would you like to earn the estimated amount below and only work part-time?

The Senior Engineer - $60,000/year

The Police Lieutenant - $68,000/year

The Chief Building Official - $67,000/year

The Battalion Chief - $70,000/year

The Assistant City Manager - $100,000/year

WOW! Not bad for part-time work.  Who would like a job that pays the above salaries and you only need to work 24 hours a week?

 

  

 

 

Hear we go again.  The Rocklin City Council is stating they are saving us money by paying a huge pension plan to their retired, but not really retired, city manager, Carlos Urrutia and 4 other top managers. 

What do I mean by “retired but not really retired?” I am going to use the dollar amounts stated in the February 25, 2010 edition of the Placer Herald with regards to City Manager, Carlos Urrutia to explain what is going on. 

Mr. Urrutia retired in December of 2009. He was earning a salary of $230,000.  This did not include an outstanding pension plan or the outstanding medical plan.  He is now collecting his pension, which amounts to $170,000, plus he still gets the outstanding medical plan.  The Rocklin City Council, which we all know is a group that never saw a tax they did not like, has hired Mr. Urrutia back as a part-time city manager.  HE IS WORKING 24 HOURS A WEEK FOR NEARLY $137,000 A YEAR.  That means Rocklin and California taxpayers are providing over $300,000 to Mr. Urrutia.  How many of us would like to work 24 hours a week and earn $137,000 a year?   

The Rocklin City Council cut this same type of deal with 4 other managers.  This week, I will submit a Public Records Request to see how the Rocklin taxpayers are being ripped off.   I will ask for the pay compensation for the other 4 managers.  Does the City Council think we are that stupid?

I do not want to say anything negative about Mr. Urrutia or the other managers.  I am sure they are very good at their jobs.  However, is Mr. Urrutia worth the money our City Council has been paying him?  He had a salary of $240,000 before he retired.  Now he has $170,000 a year pension.  Plus he is earning $137,000 a year for working 24 hours a week for the city.  He now earns over $300,000.  This compensation is way too high for a city manager job in Rocklin. 

I would like to compare the Rocklin city manager’s pay and responsibilities to that of the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

The Rocklin City Manager, Mr. Urrutia, is responsible for a budget of $44 million.  He has a couple of hundred people that work for him.  He is accountable to the City Council while conducting the city’s day-to-day business.  Last year he was paid a salary of $230,000 plus medical and a pension.  Today, he collects a $170,000 a year pension and he works 24 hours a week for an additional $137,000 a year, which includes an outstanding medical plan.  Total compensation equals $307,000 a year.

The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Norton Schwartz, earns approximately $240,000 a year.  When he retires, his pension will be approximately $180,000 a year.  General Schwartz is responsible for a budget of $160 billion.  He has 327,452 people under his command. He is also responsible for 5,573 military aircraft, 450 ICBMs and 32 satellites.  General Schwartz reports directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  He also testifies before Congress and briefs the President.

Can you believe that the Rocklin City Manager’s earns more than the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force? 

The Rocklin City Council continues to abuse their elected positions by throwing our tax dollars at a position that may be worth $120,000 - $140,000 a year.  Do not believe them when they say this is good for the city.  Do not believe them when they say they could not find a qualified city manager for $120,000 - $140,000 a year.  And lets not forget, they cut similar deals with 4 other city management positions. 

When people are loosing their jobs and homes, the Rocklin City Council says we will take care of our senior managers and the heck with everyone else.  To help pay for this outrageous deal, they continue to raise our local taxes.  Remember the park tax?  We need the park tax for maintenance on our parks.  They could of used the money out of their general fund for the upkeep on the parks.  How about the alarm tax?  Now they just raised the tax on our cable bill.  Kathy Lund and Scott Yuill voted against raising your cable bill.  Lets not forget that they are up for re-election.  I smell a backroom deal on the cable tax.  Lund and Yuill get to vote against the tax but support it.  That is politics as usual in Rocklin.

It is time to tell the Rocklin City Council to rescind the $307,000 a year payment to the Rocklin city manager.  In November, lets vote out of office Kathy Lund and Scott Yuill.  This will send a message that the city council cannot keep raising our taxes while providing special compensation packages for their friends.

 

            

 

         

I have to thank Placer County Republican Central Committee Chairman Tom Hudson for exposing Placer County politicians who run as Republicans but act more like liberal Democrats. Because of Tom Hudson, it looks like the Placer County Republican Central Committee may finally be getting it right by deciding not to endorse people running for office just because they are registered as a Republican. Over 5 years ago, I tried to convince the Central Committee not to endorse anti-school choice Rocklin School Board member Craig Daley. They would not listen. Three years ago I tried to convince the Central Committee not to endorse Rocklin School Board members Steve Paul and Todd Lowell for their anti-school choice views. They still did not listen. Because of Tom Hudson, it looks like the Central Committee is finally going to endorse only candidates that actually have Republican/Conservative principles. Even Assemblyman Ted Gaines finally gets it. In 2006 he supported Mr. Paul and Mr. Lowell for the Rocklin School Board, even though he knew they did not support school choice and were anti-charter school. Partially because of these endorsements and Ted Gaines who provided logistical support for these school board members, the taxpayer is out hundreds of thousands of dollars. This money has been spent on lawsuits between the Rocklin Unified School District and Rocklin Academy/Western Sierra Collegiate Academy. Since Mr. Gaines is running for re-election, and will have no opposition and has hundreds of thousands of dollars in his campaign account, he should donate $50,000 to Rocklin Academy to help them fight the lawsuit. I have to remind people that in 2006, his current Chief of Staff said they were proud that he and Ted were able to help Mr. Lowell and Mr. Paul get re-elected. The Rocklin School Board is trying to take away the right for parent’s to decide which school best meets their children’s needs. If Assemblyman Ted Gaines really believes in parent’s rights he will donate the money to Rocklin Academy.

Breaking News – In the December 28^th addition of the Sacramento Bee, Rocklin City Councilman Peter Hill and Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes stated they left the Republican Party and registered as “decline to state.” I am not sure if that is really breaking news. Peter Hill has never acted like a Republican. He does not support the right for parents to decide where to send their children to school. He opposes charter schools and would not support Western Sierra Collegiate Academy (WSCA). Even though WSCA opened last fall, the school could of opened during the fall of 2008. This would have brought needed jobs to Rocklin. Families living outside Rocklin would have spent some of their money in Rocklin, supporting our business community. Lets not forget that Peter Hill supported at tax on everyone in Rocklin that has a security alarm. While serving as Mayor and as a Councilman, he has raised your taxes and is one of the most anti-business people on the council. Go talk to mom and pop businesses in Rocklin and they will tell you how anti-business and pro-tax the Rocklin City Council has become. All those years on the council and there is still no downtown Rocklin. I am glad Mr. Hill no longer calls himself a Republican. He gives the Party a bad reputation.

Placer County supervisor Jim Holmes is an opportunist. He thinks he can get himself elected to Congress running as an independent. Lets not forget that in 2006, Jim Holmes stood hand-in-hand with the teacher’s union and opposed the charter schools in Rocklin. 

Our elected officials should be honest with the voters. They should not be registered with a party when they do not support the party’s core values. Peter Hill and Jim Holmes have not been honest.

Tom Hudson deserves our support for standing by his conservative principles and calling out our elected officials that do not support the core values of the Republican Party.

 

           

As to Rocklin Mayor Peter Hill, I have seen no proof that he has ever been a Republican, but I am willing to take his word for it.  I don’t know him very well, but I cannot recall any time when he has ever agreed with Republicans on any issue, I am not aware of any Republican candidate that he has ever supported, and as far as I can tell, he has taken every opportunity to attack the Party in public.  I am not sure how we would be able to tell if he were to leave the Republican Party.

I share Mark Klang’s embarrassment that Peter Hill calls himself a Republican.  With “friends” like that, who needs enemies?

Tom Hudson, Chairman

Placer County Republican Party

 

Yes, the Placer County Republican Party is going through some difficult times after the resignation of 2 of its members over campaign donations. The comment in last week’s addition of the Sacramento Bee by Rocklin Mayor Peter Hill surprised me. He said he was embarrassed by the Republican Party and was thinking about leaving the party. I am a little confused. I thought Peter Hill left the Republican Party over 3 years ago. Lets not forget that Peter Hill has raised your taxes in Rocklin. Remember the alarm tax he supported? How about the park tax? Remember the park tax was supposed to save our parks. What do you think of the soccer fields your 8 – 12 year old children have played on this season? Very poor and some fields were actually dangerous. Go talk to local businesses in Rocklin. They will tell you that the Rocklin City Council is very anti-business because of the different fees that are imposed.

Lets not forget that Peter Hill does not support school choice. He would rather the bureaucrats decide which school is best for your children. He does not support you having the choice to send your child to a charter school in Rocklin. Go look at your property tax bill and see how much you are paying to the city of Rocklin and the Rocklin Unified School District.

Peter Hill says he is embarrassed to be a Republican. I am embarrassed that Peter Hill calls himself a Republican. He left the Republican Party years ago.   

What a sad day for our nation. Especially for the families and victims at Fort Hood.   Yesterday, we lost true American heroes. How could we let this act of terrorism happen to some of our finest Americans? Yes, I said it, this WAS AN ACT OR TERRORISM.  

Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is a terrorist. He is part of the Islamic jihad against the United States. Why won’t President Obama call it like it is? Why is Congress afraid to open it’s mouth? What is wrong with the mainstream media? Are they afraid we are going to offend the Muslim world? So what.   Obama went to Egypt and apologized for America. What is he apologizing for? He wants to apologize to a group of radicals that want to destroy our way of life. It is time for Obama to stand up for our country and stop saying America is at fault.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan should be put in front of a firing squad and shot. But that won’t happen. Our tax dollars are going to pay for his hospital stay. The liberals will then blame military for his actions. It has been reported that Hasan was making negative comments about the United States role in Iraq and Afghanistan. If he would have been questioned by his superiors about these types of comments, the liberals would of said we were picking on him because of his name and religion. 

We need new leadership in our country. We need leaders that will stand up for our rights and to protect us against the people that want to destroy our country. This leadership is not coming from the White House or Congress.

We need to take our country back. 

It has been a year since my last post.  The losses that we took during the 2008 campaign were difficult to accept.  I am back and reenergized to start posting again.  I will try to include local, state, and national issues.  Comments are always welcome on my blog. 

One year after the American people were fooled and elected the first socialist President of the United States.  We the people, have sent a message to the Democrats (aka the new Socialist party) that we want our country back.  With the election of Republican Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Republican Chris Christie in New Jersey, the message has been sent, that we do not want socialized medicine, our taxes raised, or the government involved in our daily lives.  If we stick to our Conservative message, we have a very good chance to pick up huge gains in the House and even the in Senate during the 2010 mid-term election.

President Obama, “the chosen one,” star is starting to fade.  The President could not even help a Democratic incumbent governor win in the most Democratic state in the nation.

We are a center-right nation. Obama and his team, of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed are trying to move our country towards a socialist style of government.  They are running Washington like Chicago politics.  Everything is under the table.  They will not even post the health care bill they are trying to pass.  Remember President Clinton rented out the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House for lobbyists and big campaign donors?  Obama is renting out the Oval Office to lobbyists and the big donors.  Remember Obama said he was going to have an open White House?  He will not even release the names of these lobbyists and donors that have received the Oval Office photo op, the use of White House movie theater, and even the use of the White House bowling alley. Lets not forget the enemy’s list that the White House is constructing.

If we stick to a Conservative values of lower taxes, job creation, health care reform, a strong military, and keeping the government out of our lives, we may just become the majority party again.

 

Mr. Hill has wasted our tax dollars.  He has pushed to increase our taxes.  If re-elected HE WILL RAISE OUR TAXES. Peter Hill, a Republican, could not even get the endorsement of the Placer County Republican Party.  That proves that this Councilman wants to take more money out of you pocket.  Take a look at your property tax bill and you will see all the special assessments that Mr. Hill has added to your bill. 

Take a look at this link that is circulating around Rocklin.  It provides a short review of what Peter Hill has done for the City of Rocklin over the last 4 years.  

www.peterhill.org

Take a look at Rocklin City Council candidates Ed Rowan and David Nelson. They may provide better leadership for our city.

 

Greg Daley does not get it.  He was elected to represent your children as a member of the Rocklin School Board.  He deserves an “F” grade.  He was more concerned about his image than working for you.  He was more concerned about helping the California Teacher’s Association (CTA) after a teacher choked a student at Whitney High School than looking out for the student.

Check out the Greg Daley web site, www.gregdaley.com, and see the 4 major issues that define Mr. Daley’s 4 years as a Trustee on the Rocklin School Board.

Greg Daley has not implemented one program in the last 4 years that helped your children.  By not supporting the teachers, high school students were not able to get academic help after school.  By not supporting the teachers, students did not have the opportunity to participate in after school clubs.  Thank you Mr. Daley. 

I suggest only voting for Michael Agostini.  Read his ballot statement in the voter’s guide.  You will see that Mr. Agostini will represent your children.

As the economy continues to struggle, the Rocklin City Council has come up with another way to tax its citizens.  Did you ever hear of the alarm tax?  I did not.  Check out this link.

http://www.rocklin.ca.gov/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=709&targetid=1

The new tax says all residents must pay $25 if you have an alarm system in your home or business.  The City Council calls it an alarm permit.  We all know in everyday language it is a tax.

This tax started in April of 2008 with a grace period until September 2008.  After September, you could be fined $100.  I never knew about this tax until someone emailed me the link.

There is also a charge starting after the second false alarm.  I support that charge.  It starts to get expensive when the Rocklin Police Department has to come to your home or business numerous times for a false alarm.

The initial alarm tax is $25 for the first 2 years, then $15 for a 2-year renewal. 

This may not sound like a lot of money, but what will the City Council want to take next?  Could it be $25 for each car in your driveway or $25 for each pet in your home?  Take a look at your property take bill?  See how much money the city is taking out of your paycheck.

When is this going to stop?  If Obama becomes President, you are going to see your taxes go up.  Arnold and the Democrats in the legislature want to raise your taxes because they cannot control spending. 

The Rocklin City Council has not seen a tax they do not like.  The tried to force a ¼ cent increase in the sales tax in Placer County.  The City Council supports an occupancy tax.  Last February, they tried to extend the park tax.  The voters were smart and rejected the tax.

Ask most businesses in Rocklin and they will tell you their taxes are much higher than the surrounding communities.  It starts to make sense on why there is not a downtown Rocklin.  The City Council is just not friendly to local businesses.  Take a look around Rocklin.  Look at the strip malls with all the vacancies.  Yes, the economy is bad.  However, the Rocklin City Council has done very little to attract new businesses to Rocklin.  They had the opportunity to support a first class high school charter school.  They opposed the school.  Councilman Scott Yuill still is an advisor to the charter school.  Not once, has he spoken in public in support of the school.  We have called Mr. Yuill on the carpet on this issue.  He will not answer the question on why he will not publicly support the school.  We have tagged him as the Rocklin City Council “Empty Suit.”  He joined the advisory group just to pad his resume for higher office.  How unethical.

Mr. ‘Empty Suit” is not up for re-election. Peter Hill and George Magnuson are.  These 2 so-called Republicans could not even get the endorsement of the Placer County Republican Party.  It is obvious that these 2 members of the city council want to continue to raise your taxes and spend your money.

Maybe it is time to look at challengers David Nelson and Ed Rowan.  Lets give them a try.  They cannot do any worse.    

 

 

There have been many discussions about who is playing the race card in the Presidential campaign.  The Obama campaign has said Senator McCain and the Republicans are playing the race card.  Obama has said the Republicans want to scare the voters and will use race as a tactic.  Wake up America, Senator Obama is the one using race to attract voters.  Remember Obama’s comments during a campaign rally when he said he does not look like the President on the dollar bill, and that he has a funny name, and he reminded everyone that he is black?

Where is the media on Obama’s racist comments?  I forgot the liberal media is so in love with Obama that they turn the other cheek.  Remember MSNBC’s commentator Chris Mathews said that he gets a chill up his leg when he thinks about Obama?  The good news for the American people is MSNBC’s rating are so poor that only the very liberal bother to watch the empty suits and empty skirts on that network.  It is surprising that NBC does not pull the plug on their cable affiliate. Do not forget that NBC now stands for the “National Barack Corporation.”

The racism is coming directly from the Obama campaign and the African American community. Obama has over 93% of the African American support. Does he have 93% of their support because of his policies? NO. The African American community is voting for him just because he is an African American. What do you think the liberal media would say if all White people were voting for McCain just because he is White?  The media would say they are racist.  I do not care how good a politician is, nobody gets 93% support from one group of people unless one candidate has played the race card in the campaign.  And that is exactly what the Obama has done.

When will the rest of America wake up?  The media has always been liberal.  This election they have not been afraid to hide their liberal bias. 

Anytime the McCain campaign goes negative on Obama, the Obama supporters call it an act of racism. You cannot talk about his association with Reverend Wright, you cannot talk about his association with Louis Farrakhan, who called Obama the messiah, you cannot talk about his association with ACORN, and so on.       

Wake up America.  Take a look at the people Senator Obama has associated himself with.  John McCain is not perfect, but he is a man of character and that is what our country needs as we go forward.

In last Saturday’s edition of the Sacramento Bee, Rocklin citizen Joe Scharrer burst on the scene as a major political player when it comes to advocating for Rocklin families the right to send their children to their school of choice. 

Mr. Scharrer believes that parents should make the decision on what type of school is best for their children.  He has been an outspoken critic of the Rocklin School Board and the Rocklin City Council for not supporting Rocklin Academy and Western Sierra Collegiate Academy. 

We all know from past elections that people like Rocklin City Councilman Peter Hill and Rocklin School Board Member Steve “I never read my agenda” Paul have used character assassinations to silence the opposition. 

Mr. Scharrer, the owner of a research and development company, decided to go high tech against the political establishment in Rocklin.  He bought many web site domains that include the names of some of the elected officials that oppose charter schools and school choice.  He even bought up some of the domain names of the Rocklin Chamber.  Watch the papers for an alternative to the Rocklin Chamber of Commerce.  A new Rocklin Chamber will soon be organized that will be free to all members.

Rocklin School Board member Steve Paul said, “to have something like this happen in our community is very disturbing.”  This is very strange coming from a person that had to lie to the Placer County Central Committee in 2006 about his support for charter schools and his views on the California Teacher’s Association (CTA).  Mr. Paul said, the CTA was a radical group but then took thousands of dollars in donations. How unethical.  To have Steve Paul as President of the Rocklin School Board is very disturbing.

For some reason Bill Halldin, a member of the Rocklin Chamber, likes to see his name in the paper.  I guess that helps promote his public relations firm.  He said that it is “morally wrong to take somebody’s domain name and use it for your own personal purposes.  It is very abusive.”  Mr. Halldin will not admit that he supports the same character assassination tactics just like his good friends Peter Hill and the slick attorney Todd Lowell, a Trustee on the Rocklin School Board.  Anyone remember the website rocklinparents.com, probably not.  This was Bill Halldin’s unethical attempt to denigrate the good work of the people at PEER (www.rocklinedu.org).  Bill needed to lie about people running for the Rocklin School Board in 2006 to cover up for the incompetence of the good ole' boys.

Mr. Scharrer has been offered money to sell the domain names.  He refused.  Finally, there is someone else in Rocklin that has the character and strength to stand up to these political hacks. 

Mr. Scharrer is a reasonable man.  He said he would release the domain names when the Rocklin School Board and the Rocklin City Council support charter schools. 

Word of advice to the other politicians in town, if you are not going to support school choice, you better purchase your domain name or this Rocklin man will continue his web assault.