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Full benefits for part-time elected officials are reasonable, mayor says
November 5th, 2009, 10:53 am · 25 Comments · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer
Read the main story hereIt’s “reasonable and customary” for local governments to provide full insurance coverage to part-time elected officials, the mayor of Laguna Hills says - and many public entities do just that.
We thank Joel Lautenschleger for responding to our question about the insurance issue, which makes that part-time city council job much more valuable than it might otherwise appear, in a pure dollars and cents sort of way. (Lautenschleger’s stipend as a councilmember was just $7,484 last year; but the city paid nearly $24,000 for his medical, dental, vision and other insurance, plus $1,324 into a retirement account.)
He didn’t like it that we singled out Laguna Hills. “It’s insulting and demeaning to suggest that we’re doing this just for the insurance,” he told us on the phone.
“The 18 years I have put in to public service have been ones of dedication to improving my community,” Lautenschleger said in an email. “I am very proud of not only helping to form this city but to have it run efficiently, honestly, safely, and with tremendous fiscal responsibility. It is why we get re-elected and if you would bother to look at some of the accomplishments instead of being a mouthpiece for a council challenger, you would see why people have expressed great satisfaction with this council over the years.”
(We object to the “mouthpiece” bit; we do not have feelings for or against council challenger Barbara Kogerman, but we certainly do like the public documents she has forwarded to us.)
Lautenschleger’s medical insurance is high because he is 65, he said, and the law allows insurance companies to price based on age (the older the participant, the higher the rate). He’d actually like to opt out of the city insurance altogether and go on Medicare, but Medicare won’t let him. So long as he’s working, and insurance is offered, that’s what must cover him, he said.
The rest of the “Laguna Hills Response” to our story about Cadillac benefits (It’s the health insurance, stupid!) this morning follows:
1. The City Council conducts all of its business in an open and transparent manner in which the public is invited to participate. All expenditures are available for public review.
2. It is considered reasonable and customary to provide insurance coverage to elected officials. Many public entities do so. It should be noted that Laguna Hills does not provide City Council Members with retiree health coverage.
3. Recent changes in law now allow Insurance Companies to provide insurance pricing based on age. In the industry this is known as age-banding. The older the participant the higher the rate.
4. The City Council receives a monthly stipend of $623.66 in compliance with State law. This is a fixed amount and doesn’t change no matter how many City- related meetings they attend, how long the meetings last, and no matter how much time and effort is put into investigating and researching every agenda item or resident concern.
Once we get the data in from the dozens of other local governments in OC, we promised Lautenschleger that we’d run it past him. Laguna Hills does not appear to be any more or less generous than other local governments, and we don’t want you to get that impression. They’re just, you know, all sort of generous. Details to come.
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Gee, what private sector job gives full time benefits for a part time job? Answer: NONE. More evidence that these trough feeders have turned into our MASTERS, not our servants. They get MORE of everything just because they CAN! And, of course, Lautenschleger makes no apoligies. His snout is deepest in the feeding trough. I’m surprised he pulled it out long enough to take a breath and respond. hah.
He or the city of LH aren’t paying for it, so who cares. The tax payers are an endless source of money to these clowns.
Just keep on adding more slop in the trough when it runs low. This is beyond disgusting…the public sector truly does play be a different set of rules.
Lots of private sector companies offer benefits to their part-time staff. Starbucks even gives its baristas stock options.
The part-time designation is only for how many work hours an allotted, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to company benefits.
You sir, have no experience with business.
When I turned 65 I was (and still am) working 40 hrs. per week with my health premiums paid by my employer. At 65 I enrolled in Medicare, kept my same health provider and had my premiums drop from over $500 per month to a bit over $90.
There is some other reason, like having to change plans, doctor, etc., that keeps Lautenschleger from enrolling in Medicare. Either that or he’s acting on old wives’ tales.
Hes acting on screw you, I don’t care. THATS what his position is, he just told you.
Medicare doesn’t cover tummy tucks or double chin-ectomies, does it, Gator?
That might be another reason.
For a $22000 premium policy I could get home nursing preventative-care visits by Jennifer Lopez look-alikes and a room at the doctor’s office with my name on the door.
Something really stinks. I hope Teri digs deeper.
“The City Council conducts all of its business in an open and transparent manner…”
Not True. I read the October 13th Minutes and at 8.04 the Mayor went into a closed session meeting. Why a Closed Session if everything is open and transparent?
” …considered reasonable and customary to provide insurance coverage to elected officials. Many public entities do so.”
Maybe it shouldn’t be this way. Looks like 2 things need to be changed.
“The City Council receives a monthly stipend of $623.66 in compliance with State law. This is a fixed amount and doesn’t change no matter how many City- related meetings they attend, how long the meetings last, and no matter how much time and effort is put into investigating and researching every agenda item or resident concern.”
So. The job was this way before they ran for office.
” …considered reasonable and customary to provide insurance coverage to elected officials. Many public entities do so.”
See, that’s how the game is played in gobblement. It’s called ‘racheting up’.
They say ‘heck, all the other gobblement trough feeders are doing it. Why not us?’
Just like with Channing’s $60,000 ride.
The other city manager’s look and say ‘Channing in Laguna Hills isn’t anything special. I deserve a $60000 ride more than he does. In fact, if he got on I demand a better one….$75,000!’
That’s the way the game is played in gobblement. COMPLETELY different than what goes on in the private sector. COMPLETELY different!
They all feed off one another and applaud the exhorbitant bennies. WHY??? Because they know they’re next in line. That’s why!!!!
And to think every penny they get is nothing more than a recycled tax dollar!
Yeah, while it may be customary, they are supposed to be public servants. Elected officials at all levels should not expect full time benefits, and Cadillac ones at that, for part time work.
No wonder taxes at all levels are so high. If they want insurance, they should pay for it themselves. They should not have better coverage than most of their constituents who work full time.
Not only city and county, but also state and federal elected representatives should not be getting bigger benefits than their constituents, including retirement benefits after only a short time in office.
of course everything you stated makes perfect sense, OC4truth.
but gobblement makes zero sense.
hence, full time benefits for part time work.
only in the highest ranks of gobblement.
come on guys, stop ‘insulting and demeaning’ this guy. After all, he WORKS so hard. So typical of these folks to ’sell’ their agenda, hoping most are sheep (which it looks like a lot in L.H are). Oh, and call them out and they attempt to stifle your voice with deragoratogy terms, like ‘mouthpiece.’ That is insulting and demeaning! It is astounding how blatantly arrogant these kings are.
The Laguna Hills response to this story says - “1. The City Council conducts all of its business in an open and transparent manner in which the public is invited to participate. All expenditures are available for public review.”
There was no transparency from this city government when we asked for the 8 goals the City Council said the City Manager had to meet to qualify for his big bonus of $23,000 plus and additional 10 vacation days = $32,000 in 2008, in addition to his $60,000 Toyota from Tustin and his $233,592 salary plus many other benefits. We were told that information was not available to the public. Why should citizens not be allowed to know the goals set for their city manager’s bonus?
City Council Member Craig Scott negotiates the salary and benefits for the City Manager and he objected to any additional transparency from the City Manager as well. On June 24, 2009 there was no support for Transparency when City Council Member Melody Carruth asked if there were any guidelines for the City Manager’s bonus program for the city staff. Council Member Carruth asked if the words “with the approval of the city council” could be added to the words “at the city manager’s discretion” in the interest of Transparency, especially in times like this when many cities are looking at every benefit and the Public Expects Transparency. Melody noted that there was no requirement now for the city council to even be advised of this expenditure. City Council Member Randy Bressette agreed with adding some type of language to “at the city manager’s discretion” to make this process more Transparent.
City Council Member Craig Scott said he was very strongly opposed to comments in the motion because they intrude inappropriately on the city manager’s authority. If we don’t like the way he’s doing this we ought to change the city manager but we ought not to undermine his discretion. When we charged him to make these decisions, I think it’s inappropriate to then require that there be a public report or that he justify in some way the exercise of his discretion. He stated that in many cities it is part of the city code that the city council cannot intrude in the way that has been suggested by the comments and by the impending motion.
City Council Member Allan Songstad said he saw no reason for any report from the city manager.
Mayor Joel Lautenschleger said this is how we have been doing business for 18 years, Channing has the authority and no need to invade. This is superfluous.
Jean,
Your comments are right on point and well-researched. Well done!
I seems that these hack politicians have forgotten who they work for and it doesn’t seem like there are enough of us with the will to say “Enough! You’re Fired!”
I’ll never forget my first one-on-one contact with a politician: a “member of congress” when I was a high school senior. I was inquiring about a nomination to the Air Force Academy and he grunted “Why the h—do you want to go there? I’m busy, pick up the papers from my clerk.” Of course back then it was going to be four years before I could vote but I’ll never forget the attitude. Things haven’t changed in all these years. :>(
Just another political thief, Shows white collar crime does pay.
I like to view a city council, board of supes or a legislative district as a public corporation. The officers of that corp. have a right to appoint the board of directors and generally “run the business” but they forget that the voters are the shareholders, and collectively we have 51% of the stock!
As I told my state senator: “you are supposed to work for the people of your district, not the Republican party.” Same goes for Democrats also.
those days are gone gator dad.
i am amused at people who still hold the belief that we have a democracy in america.
nothing is further from the truth.
and it the last decade it has gotten much worse.
being run almost like the former soviet union.
the gobblement owns the financial and banking system, the auto industry, healthcare, the home mortage industry through fannie mae and freddie mac, etc, we can no longer believe what we read in the papers since all the information has been sanitized by false gobblement stats, and we are fighting the same people (taliban) we armed just a few years ago when they fought the russians. A war that basically bankrupted the old soviet union. And we are following in their footsteps. Crazy to the nth degree.
Starbucks gives PT Benefits….
I was going to mention Starbucks and UPS, but other than that I cannot name anymore-but thosetwo are bare bones insurance, and no dental, this is Cadillac everything.
another fat cat who wants everything while the taxpayer is getting screwed left and right. How the hell would it cost 22,000 for a medical policy for this guy??? What condition does he have that would make the policy be that expensive? And finally, as mentioned by many, it is nearly impossible to get benefits while working part time, and even full time workers are not getting the type of coverage this guy is getting. Resign dude, now.
What they are is a waste of tax dollars and a fraud. Just because some sociopath of a Mayor says they are reasonable doesn’t make them so. Looks like “Open and Transparent Fraud” to me.
Quoting from the first paragraph …”and many public entities do just that.”
I find it SOOOO disingenuous that in ALL such situations, the “reference” is always to other PUBLIC entities…. not to Private Sector employers staffed by TAXPAYERS who pay the salaries & benefits of Civil Servants.
It’s like a bunch of thieves sitting in a circle and one saying what a good guy he really is … that is doesn’t do anything the others don’t also do.
Wake up America. Unless we get rid of everyone in this Undemocratic gobblement, we will get what we deserve. We are too lazy to fight back. Don’t tell me voting is the answer, it’s all fixed. We need a revolution!! The two political parties are the reason we’re in these mess. Term limits is one step to changing our gobblement and impeaching should not take years to complete. Remember corporations owns OUR government. The only democracy being spread are in politician pockets.
Damn! I kick myself every time I think of the recent election where the Laguna Hills council persons were unopposed. I personally will not allow that to happen again. Now, for those of you who really want to do some good work for the city; as opposed to those who are just looking for something to complain about because someone gets something you don’t, the next election has three open positions up for grabs. If Laguna Hills residents allow the incumbents who are total sell-outs to remain in office, you have nothing to complain about. However, for about $300 and some signatures you can run for city council. More candidates means dilution of those votes an incumbent has essentially sold!
Right now is the time! People are not in the mood for incumbents especially clowns like Joel Lautenschleger who is an attorney and would be a classic case of a “double dipper” when it comes to two different salaries; except his city paid medical benefits cost a heck of a lot more than the $628 he gets paid for sitting on the city council He is being paid to do both his jobs. He is self-employed which probably means that his reason for remaining on the city council is so he and his family will have medical insurance benefits paid for by the taxpayers instead of himself from the proceed of his attorney services.
As Joel arrogantly postulates and rationalizes his rewards for “public service,” I think it is about time for him and the other incumbents to go. A part-time city council member should be just that; part-time! The monthly stipend is reasonable enough to cover gasoline and mileage on his car when he travels to cities around the county, but no one on the council should be receiving anything other than that. I hope to see about 30 candidates in the next election!!!
Nothing wrong with benifits for part-time workers. I work for kaiser and our part timers get nearly the same benefits as fulltime.
My 2 cents.
“The 18 years I have put in to public service have been ones of dedication to improving my community,” Lautenschleger said & “It’s insulting and demeaning to suggest that we’re doing this just for the insurance,” he told us on the phone….
THEN DO the COMMUNITY a FAVOR!!!
SET an EXAMPLE THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT OTHERS TO FOLLOW!!!
DENY YOUR OVERLY-RIDICULOUS BENEFITS!!!