As if there were not enough reasons to reject the Solar Measure B ballot item- AS IT IS WRITTEN- I see an item in the Wall Street Journal that is reported in other sources too, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123457326090086555.html , "A New Gang Comes to Los Angeles: Solar-Panel Installers; In Tough Economy, Homeboy Industries Trains Ex-Cons for Brighter Prospects" by Miriam Jordan. The story tells about the progam at the East L.A. Skills Center by Lincoln Park where it joins El Sereno's side and the LAUSD sub-district office. The Skills Center does an admirable job to get people employable and at a reasonable or no cost. Many students in LAUSD were trained in construction trades to be part of the work force in the bond funded school building program.
Problem: DWP is a utility company. Function: to supply electricity and water and related service of the utilities usage and supply sides.
DWP is not a social agency or an employment agency to conduct job training programs with the money that it's given.
But a job training program is exactly what is included in Solar Measure B's terms, as Brian D'Arcy, DWP union head of the IBEW, and the man that was in charge of putting the UNION's side of a wish-list in the ballot proposal.
A job program is the newest revelation to hire people, many with low or no marketable skills, and put then into the "solar energy" side of construction. This is part of the plan and it favoring ex-offender, ex-cons, felons or whatever label you apply to formerly incarcerated individuals after conviction of a crime.
I am for programs to rehabilitate anyone. The thing that I don't think is right is that the public money is used for this when IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR SOMETHING ELSE. Here it's the DWP being a social agency and for the Union.
Check the artcle and consider that lots of people are left OUT of the program and it's for making the UNION bigger and stronger. The Mayor already gave them some sweetheart terms at the last contract negotiations and they have this sent their way by TONY, AND they get to make it ONLY the IBEW who will be doing the work.
The UNION tailored this for their benefit, not for the consumers. That's the job of the UNION SO you can't be too mad for that. But you don't have to allow them to control it in the first place, like the Mayor did. THAT'S getting a little too friendly with the other side of the negotiation table and SELLING OUT the consumer just to make this be ANOTHER sweetheart deal for the UNION.
Where's the part that says taxpayers-consumers have to help them do that?
Where's OUR union rep?
IT'S YOU AND YOUR VOTE on March 3rd.
Let them write a NEW DEAL WITH FACTS for the next go round.
Vote "NO" on Measure B, a change that leaves cost increases OPEN, after NOT EVEN KNOWING the EXACT cost of this plan. We don't sign "blank checks," and this isn't "now or never."
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