CORD BAUER, San Clemente
The residents are doing what they’ve been doing for the past three years—asking for more sheriffs.
The current ask—six more deputies—represents finding 1.6% more in a $66 million budget. If the city managers can’t find this money in the budget without resorting to a TOT tax, then it should be obvious to everyone their level of interest in public safety.
We all understand how much time and effort has been taken with the urgency ordinance, and I commend the city council, but as Gene James said in his council speech, we need leadership. Direct the individual city department heads to submit a budget that finds 5% worth of cuts in their respective departments. It’s that simple.
The city managers have proven that their priorities do not line up with the priorities of the taxpayers. They have proven over the past three years that their budget forecasting is flawed—to the tune of $18 million lost from our savings. Now is not the time to trust the budget to the city management.
We all remember the fiasco of Erik Sund trying to blame pool hours on sheriff staffing. It’s time to simply bypass the city managers and get a proper budget finished.
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