City Shouldn’t Be Immune to Cuts

Re “City Pay Hikes Amid Recession Raise Howls of Anger” (Dec. 4): As president of Huntington Beach Tomorrow, a large, citywide citizens’ organization concerned with good government, I wish to express our strong position against raises for Huntington Beach employees in 1992. The pay hikes are totally inappropriate during a recession.

Employees in private industry are not getting raises; many are worried about getting pink slips. Even other levels of government have recognized the inappropriateness of raises in a recession. Most state employees received no raises, managers are asked to take 5% cuts, and L.A. schoolteachers are asked to take cuts.

Yet the Huntington Beach City Council, doing business as usual, gives pay hikes. Further, it appears that the council intends to finance these raises on the backs of the city’s taxpayers. Already this year they have imposed two new taxes on cable TV and phone calls and increased the trash collection fee.

Therefore Huntington Beach Tomorrow proposes our Two-Point Plan for 1992 Raises, Fees and Taxes:

1. Due to the recession, no pay raises or step increases in 1992 for any city employees. The unionized employees should be presented with this choice: Either give up their raises for 1992, or the city will lay off a sufficient number of employees to pay for every cent of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay hikes.

2. The total of all new and increased fees and taxes imposed on residents in 1992 shall not exceed the 1991 rate of inflation.

DAVE SULLIVAN, Huntington Beach