FWB: Paycheck > Work

I've been hoping the Sunday Mercury News-Times-whatever front page article from Sunday would appear on its website, but the website is such a disaster I still cannot find it.  So here are a couple of tidbits from Thomas Peele's piece; retyped by yours truly

San Mateo Harbor Commissioner Pietro Parravano got $25,757 in cash and benefits last year for attending 21 meetings that lasted an average of 77 minutes each, the (Mercury News') analysis shows.  That's $1,094 an hour.  Parravano, 64, a commercial fisherman from Half Moon Bay who also serves on several national fisheries commissions, said he's never questioned receiving full benefits for the part-time office he's held for nearly two decades.  The harbor commission oversees two marinas and a park and employed 27 workers in 2012.

The article really laid into the another aspect

Being a San Mateo County harbor commissioner can pay even beyond the grave.  When Commissioner Sally Campbell died in April 2012 during her 20th year in office, her cash pay stopped but the district continued to fund her medical insurance at a cost of more than $18,000.  That's because Campbell included her a grandson, whom she'd adopted as to make a legal dependent, on her policy.

Finishing on a high note, the article concludes by saying

In San Mateo County, Parravano said there is talk about rolling the harbor commission's functions into county government and doing away with the elected commission.

Shouldn't that be about a 3 second conversation??

Comments

[Holyroller]

What is the point you are attempting to make?
Are you angry that these people made a living, received medical benefits.
Are you angry with this family?
What is Thomas Peele' connection to this "unremarkable" note?
Does Thomas Peele or any family members have anything to do with Harbor Maintenance, Fishing, Selling or purchasing fish for retail sale?
Transportation and Storage?

[hillsider]

I think the point is that the great grandson and great great grandson should also get the benefits. That way we can pay forever and ever because some woman worked a minimal job for some minimal time. Right?

[Joe]

Yesterday's front page article in the Times (which I still cannot find on their website) tackled this issue again also written by Thomas Peele. He's doing a great job of describing the issue, but no real investigation into what can be done about it. As we saw last week in the San Jose ruling, judges are pretty reluctant to change the status quo. Also, the headline "part-time work, lifetime perk" never really addresses San Bruno mayor David Canepa's assertion that "the part-time designation is not reality, saying he works more than 40 hours a week for an $18,000 salary". If that is really his salary, it's two and a half times our electeds salary.......

[Holyroller]

I really take umbarge when comments are posted towards individuals, instead of the people who "granted" these generous benifits.
Besides "Federal, State, County, and City, polititions" who would not take these "perks?"
Those people all get incredibliy generous benefits, spending accounts, gym memberships, parking spaces,morgatge/rental payments, cars, security,on and on and on.
These problems need to addressed from the top down.
It is easy to pick on any goverment employee.
I just do not get it when people go for the weakest link.
That is Bullying, and Chicken Poo.
Thomas Peele is just another lazy reporter who knows that going after "the little guy'" gets local headlines.
I am sure Mr. Peele's Editors would fire him if he asked for the benefit package Diane Fienstien gets...which no doubt would include her husband as well.
How about that for a challenge Mr. Peele?
Yet until Mr. Peele seeks out the root of the issues, he just brings his profession down the drain with himself.

[Joe]

Just for the record, I'll paste the link to the SM County Times' article on County pay here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_25292807/three-san-mateo-county-employees-paid-more-than#insidebayarea