Archive for the ‘Matt Awbrey’ Category
Faulconer on Mayor Filner’s budget: ‘Repeats the mistakes of City Hall’s past’
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2013
Contact: Matt Awbrey, Communications Director – (619) 929-0089
Councilmember Faulconer’s Statement on Mayor Filner’s 2013-2014 Budget Proposal
SAN DIEGO — Today, Councilmember Kevin Faulconer released the following statement regarding Mayor Filner’s proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget.
“Instead of continuing with fiscal discipline, accountability and fully implementing voter-approved managed competition, Mayor Filner’s proposed budget repeats the mistakes of City Hall’s past. The Mayor’s budget further delays critically needed street repair projects yet increases other government spending for years into the future by raiding the City’s savings accounts and gambling our stability on future revenue growth.”
Faulconer’s open letter to Mayor Filner
Today, Mayor Bob Filner and two new San Diego City Councilmembers — Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman — were sworn into office. In his op-ed in Sunday’s U-T San Diego, Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer laid out areas the new mayor and City Council can focus on together to keep City Hall accountable and working for San Diegans. In case you missed it, you can read Faulconer’s open letter to Mayor Filner here: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/01/a-councilmans-message-to-mayor-elect-filner/
Matt Awbrey is Communications Director for Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer.
Faulconer Speaks Out Against Proposal to Increase Pension Debt
San Diegans voted for Comprehensive Pension Reform to fix the pension problem now. In fact, much of the City of San Diego’s financial turnaround over the past few years is attributable to local leaders taking the bull by the horns and not putting off difficult choices to future generations.
Today, Kevin Faulconer continued to speak out against a plan that would postpone the City’s full pension payments and run up its pension debt by $335 million. Faulconer appeared on the Rodger Hedgecock Show to reiterate that issuing so-called pension obligation bonds — an idea most recently floated by mayoral candidate Bob Filner — is unnecessary and a step in the wrong direction. A recent analysis released by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association revealed this risky maneuver would cost millions of dollars that could otherwise be invested in San Diego neighborhoods.
Faulconer: “People in San Diego were hungry for change”
San Diego’s vote on Proposition B is reverberating across California and the country, creating national headlines. Kevin Faulconer, co-author of the Comprehensive Pension Reform citizens initiative, took to the airwaves to talk about the overwhelming approval of the measure, and how San Diego is setting a blueprint for reform for local governments throughout the nation. Watch the clip here.
City Leaders Lay Out Prop B Pension Reform Implementation Plan
“San Diegans expect results. We must implement Prop B without delay.”
That was the message City leaders delivered today following the landslide approval of Proposition B at the ballot box Tuesday. More than 66 percent of voters endorsed the measure, otherwise known as Comprehensive Pension Reform, to eliminate traditional pensions for new employees and replace them with a 401(k)-style plan, similar to the private sector. The measure also ends pension spiking and directs the Mayor to seek a 5-year cap on pensionable compensation.
Faulconer pushes to bring City technology into 21st century
Faulconer calls for approval of Mayor Sanders' IT reform plan
Are you reading this using a computer system from the 1980′s? You’re probably not firing up a Commodore 64 each morning, yet much of the City’s information technology network still uses decades-old systems.
This morning Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilmember Lorie Zapf to unveil the potential savings from two competitively bid IT services contracts. He called on the City Council to approve the agreements, which will help bring City of San Diego operations into the 21st century while creating millions of dollars in efficiencies and savings.
Faulconer talks pension reform on national television
In case you missed it, Kevin Faulconer appeared on Fox News Channel this week to talk about San Diego’s Comprehensive Pension Reform citizen’s initiative, the fight to put it on the ballot and the millions of dollars in savings it can bring to taxpayers.
The reform measure, which will appear on the June ballot, comes at a time when cities across the country are grappling with unsustainable pension payments and looking for solutions like this .
Watch the video here.
Competition Between Government and Private Businesses Saving Millions for S.D. Taxpayers and Neighborhoods
Managed competition has created nearly $6 million in savings so far
Competition works — and is delivering results for San Diego.
Today, San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Councilmember Todd Gloria to announce City employees won a bid against three private companies to provide street sweeping services to San Diegans. Freed up to compete with the private sector through the voter-approved managed competition process, City workers submitted a bid that will reduce the cost of sweeping streets by $560,ooo each year. These permanent savings constituted the lowest bid, prompting the recommendation today that City employees win the contract.
Faulconer: “People talk about creating new jobs. We must also protect the jobs we have”
Faulconer urges protection of 3,800 San Diego jobs
San Diegans rightly expect all levels of local government to be focused on creating and maintaining jobs, especially in this period of economic uncertainty. Today in front of the international headquarters of San Diego-based manufacturer Solar Turbines, City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined County Supervisor Greg Cox, Port Chairman Scott Peters and many more local leaders to unite behind protecting thousands of San Diego jobs that may be in peril.
Faulconer said,
Faulconer: Redevelopment’s Public Benefits Too Important to Stop
City Council President Pro Tem Kevin L. Faulconer released the following statement in response to today’s California Supreme Court ruling over the State Legislature’s decision to dissolve redevelopment agencies across the state, including in San Diego.
“Redevelopment has been a vital resource in the transformation of downtown and many of San Diego’s older communities. It has been the key to incentivizing private investment and creating affordable housing, parks and necessary public improvements in San Diego’s urban neighborhoods, all the while helping to create jobs and stimulate San Diego’s economy. The short-sighted decision by the State Legislature to take local funds from our neighborhoods and pump them into the bureaucratic black hole in Sacramento is a detriment to our region.
Navigating City Bureaucracy ‘Is Like Trying To Get Into A Speakeasy With The Wrong Password’
Local Businesses List Top Solutions To Cut City Red Tape
The City Council held the first Regulatory Relief workshop since 2000 last night. Over 100 business advocates showed up to the special evening Council meeting, which has been promoted over the last week by Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer, Lorie Zapf and Tony Young.
Dozens of recommendations to cut red tape were voiced directly to the City Council. One speaker compared navigating the City bureaucracy to “trying to get into a speakeasy with the wrong password.”
Council President Pro Tem Faulconer summed up the top changes businesses want when it comes to permitting and licensing: “Online, online, online.”
City Council Serves Up “Restaurant Relief,” Removing A Burdensome Regulation For Local Businesses
Faulconer: Government regulation putting “too many cooks in the kitchen”
Kevin Faulconer urges the City Council to cut red tape at the Corvette Diner
When was the last time you heard of the police breaking up a rowdy dance party at Liberty Station’s Corvette Diner? Probably never, but this family restaurant was required to obtain a $3,000 entertainment permit from the Police Department for the right to feature live entertainment (in this case, a DJ spinning 1950′s records and announcing children’s birthday parties).
Kevin Faulconer, City Council President Pro Tem and enemy of unnecessary regulations, worked with the Police Department to create a “Restaurant Relief” exemption for family restaurants.
“It’s In The Voters’ Hands” — Comprehensive Pension Reform Qualifies For San Diego Ballot
One hundred fifteen thousand nine hundred ninety one. That’s how many San Diegans signed the petition to qualify Comprehensive Pension Reform for the June 2012 ballot, the City Clerk confirmed today. The initiative’s authors — Mayor Jerry Sanders, City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer and City Councilmember Carl DeMaio — joined the Lincoln Club, San Diego County Taxpayers Association, Councilmember Lorie Zapf and many more to announce this latest victory on the road to permanent pension reform. They also reaffirmed their commitment to running an aggressive campaign to establish fair and sustainable employee benefits and ensure local government’s focus on community services — not employee pensions — is restored.
Bipartisan City Council Coalition Vows To Cut Red Tape So S.D. Businesses Can Create Jobs
Faulconer, Young and Zapf seek "Regulatory Relief" for San Diego businesses
“Time is money.” It’s an all-American saying that every small business in San Diego lives by.
Today, City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined Council President Tony Young, Councilmember Lorie Zapf, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and Building Industry Association of San Diego to committ to helping businesses spend less time navigating the City bureaucracy so they can focus on generating more money – for their families, for our local economy, and for job creation.
Faulconer to Review Over 300 Recommendations to Improve City Operations and Boost Efficiencies
Audit Committee to also consider proposal that could recover up to $500,000 from payment errors
Have an idea to fix City Hall and save taxpayer dollars? The independent City Auditor has over 300.
This morning at 9:00 at City Hall, Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer — chair of the City Audit Committee — will be reviewing 313 recommendations to save tax dollars and improve City of San Diego operations. 176 recommendations from independent City Auditor Eduardo Luna have not been implemented, with some dating back to 2008. Faulconer will be pushing the City to follow through on putting these ideas into effect.
City Council Approves Private Sector Competition for San Diego Landfill Operation
Faulconer makes motion to save millions of dollars through managed competition
Faulconer promotes taxpayer savings through competition
“We should line up managed competitions like planes on the runway at Lindbergh Field.”
This is a line Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer is fond of using when stressing the importance of competition for City services. Today, the City Council gave clearance for another plane to take off on its destination to save San Diego taxpayers money.
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