From Cat Food to Caviar: Solidarity Ends at Retirement
Guest Commentary
by Derrick Roach
Recently, Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO, delivered a can of cat food to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders claiming that is all union members will be able to afford if voters approve pension reform measures for city employees.
While Gonzalez’s concern for the plight of union members is laudable, it seems that as head of the Labor Council and a member of two unions, she will not share in the solidarity of her unionized brothers and sisters as she lives a life of luxury sipping gourmet coffees and snacking on caviar like one of the “fat cats” that she so regularly criticizes.
Tax records for the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO show that during fiscal year 2009, Gonzalez received compensation in the amount of $117,561, which is nearly five percent of the organization’s total revenue. That equates to approximately $1.00 from the union dues of every member that she claims to represent.
Based upon the organization’s report to the Department of the Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service, one might think that Gonzalez is already living a lifestyle reserved for the rich and famous as she lounges around her exclusive Mission Bay residence in a million dollar neighborhood while sipping cups of gourmet coffee imported from an organic environmentally friendly plantation that did not exploit indigenous laborers.
Information reported to the IRS by Gonzalez indicates that her function as Secretary-Treasurer of the organization is to “offer an avenue for local unions to come together as one group” as is the stated purpose of the Labor Council. Gonzales further claimed that the Labor Council is not involved in any direct or indirect political activities and one can only assume that with an annual compensation package well above that of other union members, Gonzalez is living the life of luxury and has joined the ranks of the corporate “fat cats.”
As one of those fat cats, it will be interesting to see if Gonzalez will be found sipping her gourmet coffee and snacking on caviar or engaging in her signature partisan politics – contrary to what she reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
NOTE: On August 3, 2011 Dale Cundiff with the Whistleblower Office for the Department of the Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service in Washington, DC confirmed in a written statement that a formal complaint has been referred to the Informant Claims Examination (ICE) Unit in Ogden, UT to investigate tax fraud allegations that have been filed against the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO and Lorena Gonzalez who serves as the organization’s Secretary-Treasurer.
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Derrick Roach is a California licensed investigator with eleven years experience in performing fraud investigations. His expertise has lead to some of the largest criminal prosecutions of their type by law enforcement in California history. From 2002 to 2006 he served on a local school board and in 2010 he was the Republican nominee for the State Assembly to represent California’s 79th District.
During 2009, Roach received national media attention appearing on Fox News to talk about his involvement in exposing the document dump scandal at a San Diego area ACORN office that was under investigation by the California Attorney General. Since that time he has worked to expose political corruption at all levels of government.
Roach currently serves in a volunteer capacity as Secretary for the Republican Party of San Diego County.
Alger, isn’t it obvious why it was “worth publishing?” Roach wanted to encourage some right wing nut-ball to throw a brick through Lorena’s window! That sure helps the cause.
Or maybe he wanted to encourage union thugs to do the same thing so that you naive progressives could then blame Lorena’s critics.
Either way, I hope we catch the real culprits. Such violence — real or staged — has no place in American politics and discourse.
If the brick-thrower was perchance a Lorena ally, I suspect we’ll never catch the brigand(s).
I miss the http://www.DirtyDeMaio.com website. It was an illuminating if slimy example of the “civil” nature of the left — and of the typical “civil” local labor union thug who here doth protest too much.
Apparently the site finally went down. If you go to it now, it asks for a username and password.
Perhaps they are saving it for the Mayoral race. Indeed, count on it.
Hey Columbo what actual evidence do you have that this was politically motivated? Until you have some you are just flapping your gums.
Oh hey I think we’ll BRING IT ON with some pension reform next year.
Richard,
My question was legitimate and I still don’t know why you thought this was worth publishing. I now also don’t know why I even bother trying to have an intelligent discourse with you.
Well, although you are speaking to Mr. Rider and not me, may I answer the question? Publications publish the salary of individuals all the time. Each year the Sacramento Bee publishes the salary of every legislative staff member. In fact, with the advent of the Internet they actually have a searchable on-line database of anyone employed by the state legislature. I have seen the UT publish the salaries of numerous people throughout the years.
The UT ran a story about Dodie Rotherham who was being paid over $200,000 by the San Diego Chapter of the Red Cross and received another $50,000 from another entity affiliated with the Red Cross. Ultimately she resigned as a result of public outrage at how much she was paid.
The CEOs of major corporations have their salaries published all the time. In fact the unions use those figures to promote their efforts and it is perfectly acceptable for them to do it.
The IRS requires most nonprofit organizations to list the pay of their board members and staff. It is all accessible on the Internet for free and easily found within five minutes.
I do not know why Mr. Roach put his post up on SDRostra, but he has every right to do it as do all the other publications. These people are being paid, not by private organizations but by entities that receive money from people who either donate it or in some cases have it taken out of their paycheck even though they do not want to be part of the organization i.e. unions).
Part of the reason for requiring public disclosure is to protect against corruption, of which there is a vast history when it comes to unions in the US. If you need a history lesson on that, maybe someone can suggest a good book.
And as I pointed out in a previous post, I would not doubt that Ms. Gonzalez gets paid by more than one union entity. I have seen several union leaders who were paid from various organizations or branches, just as Dodie Rotherham did at the Red Cross. Maybe it is because they are doing legitimate work for the other entities or maybe it is an attempt to mask the total pay the person receives.
In the end it is all public information and ANYONE has the right to see it and use it as they see fit.
And here is a handy link to looking up labor salaries and figures courtesy of the United States government:
http://kcerds.dol-esa.gov/query/getOfficerEmployeeQry.do
One last thing, Mr. Roach points out that the 2008 tax return for the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council claims that the organization does not engage in direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office (Part IV – Question 3 on the tax return).
Well the organization does have a PAC called San Diego Works! Sponsored by San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council AFL-CIO and technically I suppose that is a separate legal entity. The campaign disclosures for the PAC lists the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council as a recipient of at least $215,331 for “campaign workers to support the Democratic Party.” I wonder what sort of non-political work the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council did for the Democratic Party that they had to be reimbursed by their PAC?
And the PAC also received numerous non-monetary donations from the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council.
http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=1369893&amendid=0
Maybe it is all legal, but it sure does not sound ethical to me.
Alger, I’ll give a try at your question.
The piece was considerably weakened by the lack of any specific examples of alleged fraud. Drinking gourmet coffee and snacking on caviar don’t suffice. If that’s criminal, than I’m also guilty.
I’d like to be photographed drinking gourmet coffee and eating caviar (or sushi) with Lorena, David Rolland, Richard Rider and Barry Jantz. We could then post the photo here. That would really cause comment!
Red Ryder,
Thanks for your reply and explanation. However, you still haven’t answered my question of why Rostra would think this was newsworthy or what Mr. Roach was trying to achieve with his investigation and post.
Bradley,
Thank you. In other words, this wasn’t worth posting. I thought; no, I know that Rostra is better than this. Although I don’t often agree with the opinions posted here, this is a great blog run by truly first-class people. There is no reason to stoop to this level, even if others often do.
Alger,
You’ve got a misconception: Rostra doesn’t decide if a piece is newsworthy. The individual bloggers decide that on their own — no permission is required to publish.
There is no central Rostrafarian hive mind imposing orthodoxy and censoring politically incorrect views. (A better place to look for that enforced orthodoxy is at sites like OB Rag).
As for what Roach intended with his post, it’s pretty plain that the intent was to attack Lorena as a hypocrite, and imply (with scant evidence) that she and the Labor Council had broken the law by performing political activities in violation of tax law.
Speaking for myself, the hypocrisy charge doesn’t resonate against Lorena. While Mission Bay is certainly a desirable part of San Diego, it’s no La Jolla or Del Mar, or Rancho Santa Fe. Her salary is hardly egregious, and she’s not getting her money through the taxpayers.
The beauty of free speech is that while it allows misinformation to be spread, it’s also the corrective. Obviously, Roach’s post is controversial and has generated a large number of comments for and against. People can make up their own minds by judging the evidence. That’s the First Amendment in action.
Bradley,
Thank again. I didn’t know Mr. Roach was one of your regular bloggers. I assume, and maybe I am wrong again, that Rostra wouldn’t allow just anyone to post any item.
I do agree that free discourse is allways preferable to censorship. This just seemed like a non-story to me that was published for the sole purpose of personal attack. And as you pointed out, Rostra is not the OB Rag.
Derrick Roach sought to show hypocrisy with Lorena Gonzalez living a life style considerably above that of the many rank and file union members in San Diego and Imperial Counties. She is doing this while castigating “the rich.” Sure, that is hypocritical. Rich people are bad, just not herself. Do the rank and file care if she lives like that? No, not so long as she is able to deliver a better life style for themselves. The article says of the $117,561 she receives,”That equates to approximately $1.00 from the union dues of every member she claims to represent.” I think most will agree, that all things aside, $1.00 to help increase wages and benefits is a good investment.
Is the article inflammatory? No.
Did it work? Yes, look at all the Lorena Gonzalez supporters who felt the need to attack the article, author and anyone else who does not agree with them.
And Alger, if you want to be chief editor and censor why don’t you start your own blog?
Alger,
I’ve a correction: Roach posted under the “guest column” moniker. So he’s not a regular columnist. I’m sorry about the mistake. I don’t know the circumstances about how it was posted.
Re: the OB Rag — have you noticed how much of it is not even original? The recycled press release is far from an egregious example. There’s also a column by Robert Reich that appeared on his blog, (did the Obrag get permission to republish it?) an article about Watts, and about how Obama is purportedly neutralizing the left.
While SD Rostra’s blogpen features many writers whose views range from Libertarian to moderate conservative to arch-conservative, the Obrag’s rainbow is monochrome lefty fanboi.
Thanks for being a Voice of Reason, MOLE, and rightly
saying an, “Editor and Censor” is what some people on
the Left want (not all of them, by the way, but many)….
Bradley,
Despite the way others may wish to characterize my beliefs, your last paragraph sums up exactly why I spend so much time reading Rostra and none reading the OB rag. Perhaps unlike others on this blog (but I hope not too many), I want to open my mind to new ideas and beliefs that may be contrary to those I hold today.
As for this particular topic, I wasn’t supporting Ms. Gonzalez per se, I was just unable to see hypocrisy in someone making a decent living by fighting so others can also make a decent living.
Alger,
And I likewise welcome your questions. It’s boring when one only talks with true believers. Diversity in perspective is good for helping the public make informed choices, — long may SD Rostra support such diversity!
It’s honestly hard to believe that anyone blogging on Rostra wants to hear from anyone who isn’t a right wing tea party type.
Project much, Mandy?
The more I think about who is more prone to violent acts, the less likely (though still possible) it seems that some “tea bagger” tossed a brick through Lorena’s window. The unions seem to be far better at such acts — and therefore at staging such acts.
Many think of labor union violence as ancient history. Sadly, it’s not.
Here’s the latest recounting of labor union violence (including a shooting) — this time in Ohio.
http://www.laborunionreport.com/portal/2011/08/developing-ohio-business-owner-shot-for-being-non-union-police-investigating/
This is a developing story as police are still investigating the shooting of a non-union business owner, John King, by what appears to be a union assailant.
With around 25 employees, John King owns one of the largest non-union electrical contracting businesses in the Toledo, Ohio area. As a non-union contractor, his business happens to be doing well at a time when unions in the construction industry are suffering. This, it seems, has made the usual animosity unions have for him even greater, making him a prime target of union thugs. So much so, that one of them tried to kill him last week at his home.
John King didn’t plan on being an enemy of unions. In fact, he says all he’s ever wanted to do is work at something he loves doing and be successful at it—something that most normal Americans would call ‘The American Dream.’
After high school and some college, Mr. King briefly worked for an IBEW contractor before being drafted into the military. Following his service in the early 70s, King became his own boss by going into business as the youngest electrical contractor in Toledo.
Over the years, King Electrical Services had always been a small business. However, during the Great Recession, King’s business has actually improved as his union competitors have priced themselves out of work.
Unfortunately, being a non-union electrical company, King has always been on the radar of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). In fact, in 2006, he won a significant case against the IBEW at the US Court of Appeals , after the union had improperly promised his electricians jobs on union sites if they voted the union into King’s company.
Since he’s been in business, in addition to the legal battles and verbal abuse, King’s company has been vandalized and threatened on numerous occasions.
“Back then, it was nothing to have to regularly buy a new set of tires.” King said during a telephone interview on Tuesday. “The ice pick was the weapon of choice.”
Until Wednesday, the worst of the union attacks on King and his business came in the mid-eighties during the UAW strike at AP Parts . During a lull during the lengthy strike, King’s business was picketed by more than 50 IBEW picketers. This was at a time when he only had eight or nine employees. One of his employees, whose car was trashed by the union picketers, was also beaten up by IBEW thugs.
Unfortunately, the vandalism has never stopped. This year alone, he’s had to report three incidents of damage to police. This doesn’t include the incidents of stalking he and his men have to go through while they’re working.
In one incident earlier this year, rocks were thrown through the front windows of his shop, one of which had the word “kill” written on it.
Last Wednesday, however, the attacks on Mr. King became much more serious when he was awakened late in the evening at his home in Monroe County, Michigan and saw that the motion lights in his driveway had come on. When he looked out his front window, he saw a figure near his SUV and went outside.
As soon as he got outside his front door, King yelled at the individual who was crouched down by King’s vehicle. As soon as King yelled, the suspect stood and, without hesitation, fired a shot at Mr. King.
Luckily for King, as he yelled, he also stumbled. If it weren’t for that, however, John King’s injuries might have been much, much worse. In fact, he might have been killed.
Upon scrambling back into his house, King got to his cell phone and called 911. However, due to the pain in his knees and shoulder from falling, King was unaware that he had been shot in the arm.
At first, King thought that his assailant was merely trying to break into his vehicle. Little did he know, however, that the perpetrator was targeting him–because of his non-union company.
The night of the shooting, police recovered a shell casing from a small caliber handgun. In addition to the shell casing, police also found a Swiss Army knife that police say was likely going to be used to slice the tires on King’s SUV.
While neither the police, nor Mr. King can say which union was behind the attack, it is very clear by the word ’scab’ scrawled on his SUV that it the attack was union-related.
“The police have been very thorough,” King says. “I cannot praise the Monroe County Sheriff’s department enough.”
The Monroe County Sheriff’s office is encouraging anyone with information to call 734-240-7530.
In addition, Mr. King is offering a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
Outright LIE of a headline from Murtaza Baxamusa:
“Brick Flies Through San Diego Labor Leader’s Window After Right-Wing Blogger Publishes Her Home Address”
http://wepartypatriots.com/wp/2011/08/18/brick-flies-through-san-diego-labor-leaders-window-after-right-wing-blogger-published-her-home-address/
Where did any blogger publish Gonzalez’ home address? Not even Gonzalez has said that.