A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2018

Though it was half a century ago, it seems as fresh to me now as the day it happened. I was what they called a Data Processing Manager in those days. One of those fellows who ran all of the business computer systems which included Operations, Systems and Programming! My employer was the Bunker-Ramo Corporation, a mid-size aerospace outfit with extensive military electronic contracts during the Vietnam War. Most of the jobs required skilled people and that was no less true in my own department. One day a pleasant looking chap came to me seeking a programming job, a chap who had the proper training but lacked experience. During the interview he explained that systems and programming always held a fascination for him even though deep inside he always wanted to be a cop. He was clear about that. Police work was his real dream. There was something about Chris that made me think he’d work out. I appreciated his honesty and liked his sincerity. He got the job.

Chris turned out to be a very good hire. He had a real talent for the computer world and it showed in his work. He also fit in with the staff very well. Tall, soft-spoken, and good looking, and also single, the gals were immediately attracted to him. They didn’t have a chance because his heart was already set on someone whom he married the next year.

It was a full year later that I received a visit from the California Highway Patrol who wanted to talk about Chris. He had been applying for an officer’s job and they were interested and were considering hiring him. The problem was they couldn’t understand why he would leave a relatively high-paying position for the salary a CHP officer makes. I remember my amusement because anyone who knew Chris knew his love for law enforcement far outweighed any consideration for money on his part.

I convinced the CHP representative that Chris was sincere in his application to become a cop. They soon hired him and he left us as happy as a clam. He was living his dream. Another year went by when I heard the heart-breaking news that Chris was dead, killed by a sniper on the I-5 freeway near Sylmar. There had been a spate of anti-cop assaults and this one resulted in his death. He was only in his twenties.

We are blessed when these young men and women wear the blue uniform. They are some of the finest people in the land. They put their lives on the line every single day so the rest of us can enjoy our freedom and liberty. In Jacksonville our officers could earn more almost anywhere else. We do provide them with the best working conditions we are able, as well as the greatest law enforcement leadership one could ever hope to find.

Now we are faced with having to find a way to pay them enough just to keep up with the cost of living increase which hits everyone. There are different ways of doing this and the Budget Committee will arrive at them for presentation to the Council and public.

We are a city blessed in many ways. And we are a city managed in sound ways with minimal but adequate staffing by dedicated people who need go only as far as Talent to make more money. Indeed, our auditor’s report was pure sunshine on paper. For a small city our size, with the third lowest tax base rate in the state, we are in remarkable shape and place in the top ten of ALL cities in financial matters. That’s quite a remarkable achievement and one the auditor made note of.

Still… the General Fund which pays for the Police Department is running out of money, in large part because it is the funding arm for Police. We need to arrive at a stable system of funding. The Town Hall Meeting on March 31, 2018 will address this, as will future Council meetings.

I am looking forward to working with the Budget Committee, the Council, and you, our citizens, in resolving this issue so that we can insure a stable system of funding and maintaining our own Police Department.

Frankly… I never met an officer in blue I wasn’t glad to see. Oh, I had tickets… but I deserved them. Here’s to the MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE.