(Picture courtesy of the O.C. Register)
“The nearly $400,000 remodeling of reception and break areas for county supervisors is drawing fire from employees, labor officials, and even one county supervisor, as officials plan to lay off nearly 800 social service workers,” according to the O.C. Register.
Wow. The County is laying off 210 social services workers this month, according to the L.A. Times, while they spend hundreds of thousands remodeling their break areas? Check out their snazzy new break room (pictured above) – complete with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Nice.
All of this stems from problems with barriers that were elected post 9/11 to keep the public from having access to the Supervisors. The barriers apparently are blocking access to emergency exits. However, the first floor of the Hall of Administration has a Sheriff’s station and a metal detector. So why are these barriers even needed?
Apparently Supervisor John Moorlach has received death threats so he feels the barriers are needed. However Supervisor Chris Norby disagrees. “I favored tearing the barrier down and having them stay down,” said Norby. “The message that would send is that we are an open government,” Norby said, adding that any member of the public should be able to simply walk into a supervisor’s office.
Thank God for Norby! He is the only Supervisor who makes sense on a consistent basis.
I doubt the rest of the Supervisors will halt the construction – heartless Republicans. May they all find coal in their Christmas stockings…except for Norby!
One of the traits of leadership is that a true leader walks his or her talk. The Supervisors need to walk the talk of frugality, dire budget news and the other bad county government news of late to be leaders. Otherwise, they are elitist. The cuts that are coming to county government will go beyond people having to wait longer for service. Everyone should drill down and find out the true consequence of each and every cut on service to the public, including possibly some people no longer getting served at all, especially special need populations such as the vulnerable elderly. Monitor this siutation very carefully, people —-
WTF? Why dont you take janet to task over this one Arturo? I would at least like to see the building of these facilities go to workers for the county so that they dont get laid off during the holidays. And what is the DPOC going to do about this? Are they calling these people out on any of this? Doesnt the DPOC and the Young Dems have undercover operators in janet Nguyens office? I thought that Melahat woman and Alicia Berhow and Phil Becerra were tight with janet Nguyen Cant they call her and call in some of the favors they did for janet during her forst election to save some jobs here?
How can a board whom are public servants themsleves place their own interest as a priority during such difficult times? Greed and selfishness; that’s how. If we ultiately want to get out of this mess the american people need to start working together considering how their decisions wil affect the individuals, families, and communities. If they do not make good decisions it may eventually trickle down to them. I say a prayer for all those at risk during this time and hope that our leaders begin to surface.