Headed to Yosemite to Hike Half Dome

I'm finishing up my packing and putting things in order to head off early tomorrow morning (4 a.m.) for Yosemite. The plan is to climb Half Dome on Friday and return to San Diego on Sunday. I have this extreme fear of heights, so getting to the top of that rock may be a feat all to itself. Getting back down??? If you never see another post on here you will know why.

In the last few days the e-mails and telephone calls with questions have increased and I will try to capture the essence of the concerns most have had. I would suggest the questions you have related to DROP, Retiree Medical, DROP Interest, and the current contract; call a Board Member for the SDPOA. I do not have the answers to most of your questions. The answers I have offered come from my understanding of the Charter, MMBA and what I have gleaned from the information put out as of today by the SDPOA Board. I am still confused, as it appears many of you are what changes if any came from discussions on Thursday, May 21, 2009, between the SDPOA and City.

The message coming from Board Members seems to be very clear. Those Board members who have discussed the Retiree Medical have all said there is little hope anything will change in the foreseeable future and if you are in DROP and concerned with the loss of the COLA for your medical, you need to speak to your financial advisor NOW and make a decision based on your specific needs and desires. You need to do what is right for you!!!! The pre-1986 people who have no Medicare; there is also little if any hope the City is going to make accommodations or changes to the LBFO and we are "SOL" as they say.

Mike Conger is working on preparing litigation to address the DROP issues; 55 age entry; DROP interest and elimination of the benefit from Chiefs and Captains. He is also working on researching the Retiree Medical issues. The word from those Board members who are speaking is this is a tough issue and will take longer to work through. So if you are waiting for something to come of this litigation, you may be standing at the door waiting for a while. Do not gamble with your future if you do not have Medicare or some other form of insurance to sustain you through your golden years.

The good news is the Voice of San Diego has picked up on the shenanigans of the mayor and his negotiations team. They are asking the right questions and pointing out the underhanded, unethical and illegal manner the mayor and his henchmen have comported themselves. There is more to come and we can all hope this will in some way put the mayor in check and force him to pay attention to the law and stop with his illegal behavior (Don't hold your breath; but we can all hope). As this all plays out you will see a lot of finger pointing and shifting of blame in the mayor's office. Someone's head is going to roll; any bets on who will be first? Lunch on me at the "Green Fly" for the person who identifies who in the mayor's circle will be first to lose their job as the mayor throws his patsy under the bus.

To all of you who are still on the fence and trying to make a decision; you need to get your paperwork together if you are going to roll your annual leave over. The cut-off date for this to happen is, June 12^th. Contact payroll NOW to get the specifics of what you need to do and by when. Do not get caught holding a large bag of cash only to have to give it over to the IRS because you procrastinated and could not take advantage of this option. Call SDCERS and get down there and figure out what it means if you stay and if you go. Get ALL the information you can to make an educated and intelligent decision based on what is best for YOU. Time is ticking folks!!!!

I just received a message from the mayor via Twitter; "CASupremeCt decided some can take away certain rights from others. Neither justice nor equality were on the court's agenda today #prop8" (I love following the mayor) without getting into a discussion either way related to this issue; does anyone see the contradiction here? If Lisa were a police officer, would the mayor be as eager to violate the law and eliminate, reduce or otherwise change vested benefits she would stand to receive as part of her employment? Another raw example of the mayor's penchant for picking and choosing what law is acceptable or important. His attitude is clear and his actions speak to his ethical digressions. It is the little things.

I will be checking in, off and on, but will not post to this BLOG again until Sunday, May 31, 2009. I will be lounging under the large pines and oaks in Yosemite, reading, listening to music and sipping cold beverages. I hope to hike daily, do some writing and photography; then the climb of Half Dome. I am looking forward to this much needed break and will finalize my decision; do I stay or do I go? We shall see. Until Sunday; Keep the faith, be safe and enjoy family and friends.