Decaying warships in limbo

Decaying warships in limbo
Towing to Texas for scrap on hold
By Michael Gardner
2:00 a.m. December 28, 2008

Decommissioned and decaying military ships are anchored in Suisun Bay, east of San Francisco. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) -
MARTINEZ — MARTINEZ – Often shrouded in coastal fog, a fleet of ghost ships steeped in history and mystery haunts the waters of Suisun Bay.

During their prime, these ocean warriors anchored just east of San Francisco were the pride of the country in times of war and peace. Alumni include a survivor of D-Day and a CIA spy ship built by Howard Hughes.

But today, decommissioned and decaying, about 55 of the ships will be towed to Texas for scrap if state water-quality regulators and federal authorities can settle a legal standoff over how to clean and fortify the vessels for their last voyage.

State regulators and environmentalists say the ships are rotting, shedding paint and other toxins into the water below their hulls and threatening irreversible damage to an already fragile Suisun Bay estuary.

“These are accidents waiting to happen,” said Bruce Wolfe, executive officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which has oversight of Suisun Bay. “We need to get a program together that everyone can agree on and get those ships out of here.”

Moving the vessels is risky. Outgoing ships could leave a trail of copper, mercury and other pollutants. The most unseaworthy threaten to break apart before reaching the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Federal Maritime Administration, which is responsible for a number of the vessels, insists that it is moving as aggressively as it can given time constraints and budget limitations. Agency officials say they are committed to working with the state to find ways to safely escort vessels to dismantling yards.

“This is a very unique problem. These are the only vessels in the world having these rules imposed on them,” said agency administrator Sean Connaughton. “There are no accepted procedures. We are the guinea pigs.”

It can cost taxpayers as much as $1 million to have one ship cleaned and towed through the Panama Canal for dismantling in Brownsville, Texas, according to various estimates. Dismantling companies then sell the scrap and keep the money.

Some officials are pushing to have the work done closer to the fleet, which they say would limit chances of harm as surplus vessels are towed out of Suisun Bay.

A fledgling California company, Allied Defense Recycling, is negotiating permits and a lease to reopen a dry dock at the nearby Mare Island Naval Shipyard, which closed 12 years ago. The British parent of BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, which has a dry dock facility in San Francisco, may be interested in servicing the mothballed ships.

Suisun Bay has been a naval storage yard for 60 years, with more than 300 anchored there at one time at the height of the program. The ships were shuttled in and out of service, except for those declared unseaworthy.

Eerily picturesque in the fog, the ghostly looking fleet sometimes draws gasps from motorists spotting the neatly lined-up rows for the first time as they drive across the Benicia-Martinez Bridge.

The approximately 70 ships stored in the bay today are in somewhat of a purgatory. About a dozen, still enjoy official “reserve” status, which means they could be drafted back into action. The others are only valued for scrap, if that.

From an overlook just off Interstate 680, the curious can pick out the star, the battleship Iowa. Built in 1943, “The Big Stick” saw action in World War II and the Korean War, but is probably most remembered for a tragic 1989 gun turret explosion that killed 47 crewmen on maneuvers.

Those who served onboard are campaigning for the Iowa to be turned into a floating museum in Vallejo, but raising money is proving difficult. It remains in reserve status.

“The biggest, best battleship ever made,” said retired Rear Adm. Gerald Gneckow, who was at the Iowa's helm from 1984 to 1986.

There are other less-famous workhorses. Among those: the Sperry, a submarine tender deployed 10 days after Pearl Harbor and frequently operating out of San Diego. There is the amphibious warship Thomaston, also home-based in San Diego, which was part of the fleet sent to evacuate Saigon during Operation Frequent Wind in 1975.

One-time members of the fleet include the spy ship Glomar Explorer built by Howard Hughes as part of a secret CIA mission to raise a Russian submarine in 1974. Its reward was being auctioned, dismantled and reincarnated as part of a deep sea oil-drilling platform. More fortunate was the Jeremiah O'Brien, a rare survivor of the D-Day invasion in 1944. Today, the Liberty ship is a floating museum on Pier 45 in San Francisco.

Those ships still moored in Suisun Bay are in the middle of one last battle, this one in a courtroom. A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit last year demanding that the Maritime Administration clean up its fleet after years of fouling the bay with lead, mercury and waste oil, among other pollutants.

Armed with a federal study, the groups argue that the fleet has discharged at least 20 tons of heavy metals into the water.

“If the Maritime Administration was a private business, they would have been criminally prosecuted by now,” said Michael Wall, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. A trial is not expected until summer.

State water-quality regulators joined in the litigation this year, setting up a court confrontation unless the incoming Obama administration can strike an agreement.

In addition to an alleged general lack of maintenance, the state is critical of scrubbing, or “scamping,” the ships. That cleaning process, regulators say, allows pollutants such as paint to peel off and escape into the water.

Wolfe, the bay-area regulator, accused the Maritime Administration of “being slow to react” after warnings that some of its practices were threatening the waterways.

“They've found reasons not to comply. That's been frustrating to us,” Wolfe said.

The Maritime Administration said it is doing its best given tight budgets and conflicts between federal responsibilities and state requirements.

“We have to look at this from the national perspective. The only fleet we have issues with is in California,” said Connaughton, the federal agency's administrator.

Connaughton said dry docking has complications, including whether the ships are strong enough to be placed on blocks. Pilot programs are in the works to limit the amount of pollutants that escape into the water.

The agency also must ensure that regulations do not become overly burdensome, deterring interest or raising the disposal cost, he said.

“We've been exploring every option,” Connaughton said.

Environmentalists remain steadfast.

“The ghost fleet doesn't belong in Suisun Bay anymore,” said Sejal Choksi of the group San Francisco Baykeeper in announcing the litigation. “It's been haunting our waters for far too long.”


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Sen. Boxer issues a report on economic woes in Solano

Sen. Boxer issues a report on economic woes in Solano
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen/Times-Herald, Vallejo
Posted: 12/26/2008 01:04:49 AM PST

Sen. Barbara Boxer has released a report detailing the impact of the nation's recession on Solano County, Vallejo and the rest California's counties and cities.

The picture is grave, and some of the most frightening remarks were reserved for Solano County -- specifically Vallejo and Fairfield, which she says are in particularly dire straits.

The report, based on interviews Boxer staff members had with officials in 20 cities and all 58 counties, paints a stark picture of the economic strains felt statewide, according to a press release.

Boxer's report recognized Vallejo as especially hard-hit.

With the city filing bankruptcy in May, an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent and one of every 10 households in foreclosure, "the city faced crippling debts of over $16 million and was unable to renegotiate contracts with police and fire unions," according to the report. The report was compiled by Boxer staff member Megan Miller based on an interview earlier this month with City Manager Joe Tanner.

The report notes that declining property values have also contributed to Vallejo's financial problems, though the city has only had to lay off three people since many public safety employees retired or quit after the City Council voted to declare bankruptcy.

According to the report:

Although the city hoped to borrow funds to cover the financial gap before property taxes come in, the bankruptcy "makes it impossible to secure any credit at all."

"Foreclosures have been a huge problem for Vallejo, which recently received $2.7 million in foreclosure assistance funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development because the rate of foreclosures is so high."

Also, the County Assessor slashed property values, which has resulted in a tremendous loss of tax revenue for the city.

Budget deficits and revenue reductions have forced counties and cities statewide to make cuts in many important programs, and as a result, nongovernmental charitable organizations are suffering.

The report also notes:

* That financing problems have stalled critical infrastructure projects, limiting job growth at a time when unemployment rates are at their highest level in decades.

* The nation's economy, the state's budget crisis and the failing housing market have left Solano County in "a difficult fiscal situation."

* The county has a 7.7 percent unemployment rate and that one of every 10 households is in foreclosure.

* The county's first quarter outlook indicates a $9 million to $12 million revenue shortfall, most of which is due to drastic property value declines.

* Solano has aligned its program cuts, mostly in health and social services, with cuts in state funding. County officials also have delayed or scaled-back major projects and equipment purchases, and there is a soft-hiring freeze in place, but no lay-offs yet.

* The county's foreclosure rate, while still much higher than the national average, has recently slowed to 8.54 percent. And though the crime rate has increased slightly as a result of the economic downturn, there is no indication this is specifically a result of foreclosed or empty properties.

Report: Solano hit hard by recession

Report: Solano hit hard by recession
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
Article Launched: 12/20/2008 01:05:12 AM PST

Sen. Barbara Boxer has released a report detailing the impact of the nation's recession on Solano County, Vallejo and the rest California's counties and cities.

The picture is grave, and some of the most frightening remarks were reserved for Solano County -- specifically Vallejo and Fairfield, which she says are in particularly dire straits.

The report, based on interviews Boxer staff members had with officials in 20 cities and all 58 counties, paints a stark picture of the economic strains felt statewide, according to a press release.

Boxer's report recognized Vallejo as especially hard-hit.

With the city filing bankruptcy in May, an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent and one of every 10 households in foreclosure, "the city faced crippling debts of over $16 million and was unable to renegotiate contracts with police and fire unions," according to the report. The report was compiled by Boxer staff member Megan Miller based on an interview earlier this month with City Manager Joe Tanner.

Tanner could not be reached for comment Friday.

The report notes that declining property values have also contributed to Vallejo's financial problems, though the city has only had to lay off three people since many public safety employees retired or quit after the City Council voted to declare bankruptcy.

According to the report:

Although the city hoped to borrow funds to cover the financial gap before property taxes come in, the bankruptcy "makes it impossible to secure any credit at all."

"Foreclosures have been a huge problem for Vallejo, which recently received $2.7 million in foreclosure assistance funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development because the rate of foreclosures is so high."

Also, the County Assessor slashed property values, which has resulted in a tremendous loss of tax revenue for the city.

Budget deficits and revenue reductions have forced counties and cities statewide to make cuts in many important programs, and as a result, nongovernmental charitable organizations are suffering.

The report also notes:

- That financing problems have stalled critical infrastructure projects, limiting job growth at a time when unemployment rates are at their highest level in decades.

- The nation's economy, the state's budget crisis and the failing housing market have left Solano County in "a difficult fiscal situation."

- The county has a 7.7 percent unemployment rate and that one of every 10 households is in foreclosure.

- The county's first quarter outlook indicates a $9 million to $12 million revenue shortfall, most of which is due to drastic property value declines.

- Solano has aligned its program cuts, mostly in health and social services, with cuts in state funding. County officials also have delayed or scaled-back major projects and equipment purchases, and there is a soft-hiring freeze in place, but no lay-offs yet.

- The county's foreclosure rate, while still much higher than the national average, has recently slowed to 8.54 percent. And though the crime rate has increased slightly as a result of the economic downturn, there is no indication this is specifically a result of foreclosed or empty properties.

E-mail Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at RachelZ@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6824.

Unemployment revised upward in Solano, state

Unemployment revised upward in Solano, state
By Reporter Staff
Article Launched: 12/20/2008 01:05:16 AM PST

The unemployment rate in Solano County was 7.9 percent in November, up from a revised 7.7 percent in October, and above the year-ago estimate of 5.6 percent, according to numbers released Friday by the state Employment Development Department.

The figures compare with an unadjusted unemployment rate of 8.3 percent for California and 6.5 percent nationwide during the same period.

Solano's rate ranks it 18th out of the state's 58 counties.

As with previous months, the largest drop in jobs came in the construction and building trades industry, which has seen a 22.2 percent decline in employment since last year.

The leisure and hospitality sector has also seen significant declines in employment, marking a 10.3 percent decline in jobs in the arts, entertainment and recreation category in Solano County in the past month.

The jump in joblessness comes as California's unemployment insurance fund teeters on the brink of insolvency. The fund is expected to have a deficit of $2.4 billion at the end of 2009.

To keep unemployment checks coming, the state may have to borrow from the federal government for only the second time since the program was established in the 1930s.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cited Friday's numbers after vowing to veto an $18 billion deficit reduction plan that Democrats pushed through the Legislature on Thursday. The Republican governor said the plan didn't include the economic stimulus package he demanded.

"I've said countless times that any budget plan sent to my desk must include real stimulus that creates jobs," Schwarzenegger said Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bay Area home values hit 8-year low in November

Bay Area home values hit 8-year low in November
James Temple, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, December 19, 2008

(12-18) 17:34 PST -- Bay Area home values plummeted to an eight-year low in November, as discounts on foreclosed properties continued to draw buyers and drive down prices.

The median for existing single-family homes in the nine-county region fell to $350,000, a 47.8 percent drop from a year ago and the lowest level since September 2000, according to MDA DataQuick. Nearly 50 percent of the houses that sold during the month had been repossessed in the last year.

"Bargains and foreclosures are still king," said Andrew LePage, analyst with the San Diego real estate research firm. "It's a little scary to think of what sales would be like without the deep discounts, since that seems to be what's driving the bulk of them."

Across the region, 3,217 resale homes traded hands in November, up 31.9 percent from a year ago. Transactions were down nearly 43 percent from October, in part because there were fewer than normal business days last month. Given the tone of financial news and tight lending environment, LePage said he was surprised the sales figures weren't worse.

Janice Spencer, a Realtor with Windermere Signature Collection who focuses in eastern Contra Costa County, said it's difficult to close transactions in the current market because lending requirements are high - and fluctuate from day to day. Approved buyers in escrow suddenly have to meet new standards or scramble to switch to different types of loans, she said.

"When you have banks that want to sell (foreclosed homes) but don't want to make any loans, it makes it really tough," she said.

Because foreclosures are swaying prices so much, values continue to hold up better on a relative basis in the coastal markets that have had fewer repossessions. San Francisco had the smallest year-over-year median decline, although it was still a significant drop: 18.5 percent to $697,500. The median means half of homes sold for more than that amount, half for less.

Sales continue to be concentrated in the low-cost areas that have been hit hardest by foreclosures. The most expensive markets - Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties - usually account for 43 percent of regional sales but their share this month was 35 percent. Those four counties were the only ones where sales declined from a year ago.

The hardest hit county was Contra Costa, where prices sank 49 percent to $260,000. Spencer has seen homes in the area that nearly sold, only to come back on the market for $50,000 less two months later.

A host of factors could sway prices and sales in the coming months, but because many of them are at odds, it's hard to predict just how, LePage added.

The current statewide slowdown in the number of foreclosures - which may be due to new procedural rules that are delaying the filings, or could reflect a growing willingness on the part of banks to work out troubled loans - could decrease the number of bargains and slow sales, but may also lead to stabilizing prices in the longer term. A deepening sense of financial insecurity brought on by the economic turmoil and wide-scale job losses may discourage more potential buyers, while a mortgage rate that fell to 4.5 percent for qualified borrowers in the last few days could entice others.

"It's a foggy day for forecasters," LePage said.

Although the rate of foreclosures has slowed, a normal market is unlikely to return anytime soon. Last month real estate valuation service Zillow.com reported that 1 in 5 homes in the Bay Area are underwater, that is, their owners owe more money on them than they can be sold for.

Noting the likelihood of additional waves of foreclosures, economist Christopher Thornberg predicts that prices won't bottom out until sometime in the next year, probably during the fourth quarter. But he expects values will remain flat for years after, possibly until 2012.

"Hitting the bottom is one thing, getting off the bottom is completely different," said Thornberg, principal at Los Angeles consulting firm Beacon Economics.

Still, he stressed that while depreciation is bad news for individual homeowners, it's positive for a state where home prices have outstripped the incomes of large portions of residents for years.

"Prices had to fall just to get back in line with incomes," he said. "Low prices bring back the middle class, it means more people can buy and afford homes. Those are good things in the long run."

Staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this story. E-mail James Temple at jtemple@sfchronicle.com

Census finds more poverty, higher housing outlay in Vallejo

Census finds more poverty, higher housing outlay in Vallejo
By SHAUNTEL LOWE/Times-Herald staff writer
Posted: 12/09/2008 02:00:56 AM PST

Census data released today show a marked increase since 2000 in the percentage of Vallejo families living below the poverty level and a steep jump in the proportion of household income devoted to housing costs.

The data, compiled between 2005 and 2007 for the American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, also reveals an increase of more than 100 percent in the median value of single-family homes in that time.

(The figures, however, were based on statistics gathered at the beginning of the subprime mortgage crisis, and do not reflect current values.)

Since 2000, the percentage of Vallejo families with children under 18 living below the poverty level has risen from 10.3 to 15.5, according to the survey.

In that same period, the percentage of homeowners spending more than 35 percent of their household income on housing costs has climbed from 21.8 to 39.1.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommends that no more than 30 percent of a household's gross income go toward housing costs, which include mortgage and property insurance payments.

"If they go up to something like 50 percent or in that range, then it's going to mean that they're not going to be in a position to save money for expenses that come," like car repairs or medical expenses, said Larry Bush, public information officer for the regional HUD office.

Yet, as housing costs have risen over the past decade, Vallejoans have devoted a greater portion of their income to having a place to live.

In 2000, the median value of a single-family home was $166,400, or $200,358.36, adjusted for inflation in 2007 dollars.

But the latest survey shows that the median value of a Vallejo home in 2007 was $451,500. It has fallen, however, to about $240,000, according to DataQuick, a real estate industry monitoring firm.

The median monthly owner costs for homes with a mortgage in 2000 was $1,380, or $1,661.63 in 2007 dollars. In 2007, those same costs were $2,134.

The survey behind these figures, the American Community Survey, has been released annually since 2005 as a complement to the decennial census.

The federal government is already gearing up for the 2010 census by hiring census takers to begin verifying information.

For more information on the survey or becoming a census taker, visit www.census.gov.

Email Shauntel Lowe at slowe@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6835.

Study: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html

Haveman expects that unemployment in the three west Bay Area counties will climb to 6.3 percent a year from now, up from about 4.9 percent

Friday, November 21, 2008
Unequal pain
Construction sheltered the East Bay from the dot-com bust; this time the safe havens are S.F., San Mateo and Marin
San Francisco Business Times - by Eric Young

Paolo Vescia
Though many economists think the current downturn could turn around this time next year, Beacon’s Haveman says the Bay Area may take longer to recover.

View Larger Even as surrounding counties gave in to the downward pull of the economy, San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties were among the healthiest in the state.

The three west Bay Area counties chugged right along, creating jobs in hospitality, professional and business services, construction and other areas. Total industry employment in the area grew by 4,900 jobs — or 0.5 percent — in the 12 months ended last September. That marked the 44th consecutive month of overall job gains in the region, said Ruth Kavanagh, a researcher with the California Employment Development Department.

But now that streak appears to be over, threatening to put San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties on similar footing with the East Bay, where the number of jobs has been falling for months.

“All streaks come to an end,” said Jon Haveman, a principal at Beacon Economics of San Rafael.

Haveman expects that unemployment in the three west Bay Area counties will climb to 6.3 percent a year from now, up from about 4.9 percent at the end of the third quarter.

Contractions in several fundamental areas of the economy — professional services, leisure, and retail — are taking hold as businesses and consumers reign in spending.

If the region does slow down as anticipated, it will mirror what is already under way in the East Bay. Alameda and Contra Costa counties have seen a 2 percent reduction in the overall number of jobs in the past 12 months, state figures show.

Job declines in that region were led by construction, which contracted by more than 10 percent from January to August this year compared with the year before. Other areas of job decline were in manufacturing, trade and transport, retail and financial services.

The tough times for the East Bay likely will continue for two years at least, according to a recent study produced by Beacon Economics. The East Bay escaped the worst of the Bay Area’s 2001 recession because it enjoyed the growth effect of housing. For that same reason, the Beacon economists said, the region will now shoulder a greater amount of pain.

The Bay Area had been an economic oasis as 2008 began. Technology’s strong momentum and the dollar’s weakness staved off the forces ravaging other locales. But job growth, where it was happening, was occurring more slowly than a year ago.

Now the region is getting hit with large-scale layoffs in various sectors. In professional services, for example, two San Francisco law firms, Heller Ehrman LLP and Thelen LLP, went under. The two firms employed several hundred lawyers and staff members between them.

Big discount retailer Mervyn’s LLC, which had been operating under bankruptcy protection, decided to liquidate and lay off hundreds of Bay Area workers. Construction hiring on both sides of the bay has been slowed as funding for projects becomes scarce.

Many economists speculate that the United States could be hitting the nadir of the recession and may eventually pull out by the second half of 2009.

Recovery could take longer locally, however.

Job growth may not take hold in the East Bay until the middle of 2010, Haveman said. Unemployment in San Francisco is expected to peak at 6.3 percent at the beginning of 2010.

There were 12,531 foreclosures in Solano County in the past 12 months.

Solano County foreclosure rate slowing
By Rachel Raskin-Zriehn/Times-Herald, Vallejo
Posted: 11/29/2008 01:01:04 AM PST

Solano County's per-household foreclosure rate may be slowing but it remains worse than nearly anywhere else in the nation, according to a newly released survey.

But this is expected to start turning around by this time next year, an industry expert said this week.

"Solano County foreclosures are at 8.54 percent, which is nearly four times greater than the national average of approximately 2.5 percent," Serdar Bankaci, founder of New York-based Default Research said Monday. Default Research recently released the survey results.

"The local economy in Solano County is not doing well, either, with an approximate unemployment rate of 7.7 percent, according to the State Employment Development Department."

Solano is not California's worst-hit area, however. That dubious honor goes to Riverside where 12.12 percent of households entered foreclosure in the past year, Bankaci said.

Foreclosures in Solano County grew from a low of 224 in January 2007, to a high of 1,528 this past August, according to the survey. The survey showed there were 759 foreclosures last month in Solano County. Default Research shows there were 12,531 foreclosures in Solano County in the past 12 months.

The problem is expected to worsen before improving, Bankaci said.

"The reason we see the slowdown last month is the new law California passed, requiring a 30-day notification period," he said. "But this only postpones the inevitable in most cases, and we're already seeing an increase again in foreclosures in October."

Solano Association of Realtors president Lori Collins said she concurs with this assessment, though foreclosures will likely remain slow through the holidays. That's because a foreclosure moratorium will be in place until then for mortgages held by troubled lending giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Nevertheless, even as home sales climbed, prices continued dropping in the Vallejo area and statewide.

"In some areas of northern California, including Solano County, we have seen home prices fall between 30 and 40 percent," Bankaci said. "I think things will continue to get worse for about three to six more months, before we see the area hit bottom and begin to recover."

Even planned government intervention won't have an instantaneous impact, Bankaci said.

"Much of the government bailout, interest rates, etcetera, have a six- to nine-month lag before affecting the economy," he said. "By this time next year, we hope to see declining foreclosure rates in this region."

Vallejo police Taser car theft suspect on school campus

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Vallejo police Taser car theft suspect on school campus
By Tony Burchyns
Vallejo Times-Herald
Posted: 11/25/2008 07:09:55 PM PST


VALLEO — Police used a stun gun on a teenage car theft suspect hiding in a restroom Tuesday at Vallejo's Cooper Elementary School.

Officers were searching the school at the end of a pursuit of three youths they believed to be driving a stolen car.

Eleven children and three adults were on campus when the incident happened. The school is closed this week for Thanksgiving.

Officers locked down the school about 10 a.m. and it reopened within an hour, said Vallejo City Unified School District spokesman Jason Hodge.

"We were walking toward the bathroom when we observed a police car," said Geraldine Carter, the site supervisor for a child development center at the school.

"The policeman asked me if we had seen anybody. ... He then asked us to stay inside the room."

Hodge said police arrested two teen boys in a restroom on campus and a third in a garage at a home across the street.

Hodge said police shot one suspect with a stun gun. Hodge said he believed the suspects are juveniles.

Carter said she called the parents of the children to inform them of the incident and that everyone was safe.

During the lockdown, students and the teachers turned off the lights, closed the blinds and lay on the floor.


"We could hear the helicopter hovering outside but that's all," Carter said.

Vallejo 67th in national crimes study

Vallejo 67th in national crimes study
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_11087114

Vallejo has been ranked 67th of 385 large metro areas in a nationwide study of major crimes. The CQ Press, which has determined city crime rankings since 1999, looks at the most serious six crime categories -- murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft -- and ranks large cities and metropolitan areas accordingly. The rankings were released Monday, revealing that Oakland had the nation's fifth worst crime statistics and ranking New Orleans first in terms of major crime nationally. Richmond was ninth, San Francisco 102nd, Hayward 125th and Berkeley 132th. Vallejo Police Department spokesman Capt. Dave Jackson said the study's findings don't surprise him, though he thinks they may not reflect today's reality. "What I see is that this is based on 2007 statistics, so it's a little dated," Jackson said. "A lot has changed in Vallejo in the past year." For instance, the number of police officers is down in Vallejo while robberies and burglaries are up..

Rio Vista begins process of repairing budget

Rio Vista begins process of repairing budget
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/story.php?id=101.7

City leaders will pursue budget cuts and other steps designed to cover a looming deficit and stave off bankruptcy. The City Council on Tuesday met to discuss the situation. It endorsed ideas to deal with an $800,000 deficit in the $5 million General Fund budget for the fiscal year ending June 30. 'We basically directed a recovery plan,' Mayor Eddie Woodruff said Wednesday. Among the goals is to have one-day work furloughs for employees each two-week pay period, reduce overtime, freeze vacant positions, sell some city properties, ask employees to pay more for benefits and pass sewer rate increases, he said. 'There are some things we'll probably need agreement on from the employee groups,' Woodruff said. Sewer rate increases are a controversial issue, with some citizens objecting to previous city proposals. A majority of property owners are able to overturn whatever the council might pass. The council has grappled with the issue for months. Rio Vista has $1.1 million in savings, Woodruff said. Of that, he said $475,000 will go to cover last year's budget shortfall and roughly $300,000 will go toward this fiscal year's shortfall. Woodruff will step down as mayor in a couple weeks but wanted the council to address the budget problem before he left..

Solano County Supes approve cuts, warn of more ahead

Supes approve cuts, warn of more ahead
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_11087140

In what may be a preview for all departments and programs in Solano County, supervisors Tuesday voted to eliminate 33 vacant positions and warned of future cuts. Solano County is facing at least $9.2 million in budget shortfalls, although that number could jump to $12.2 million before the fiscal year ends June 30. The board voted Tuesday to eliminate two full-time positions in the County Recorder's Office and 33.3 full-time positions in Health and Social Services . All positions are currently vacant and department heads were part of the discussion on how many jobs would be cut. The Solano County Board of Supervisors for the first time held a first quarter review to discuss whether to use reserve and contingency funds to fill the budget gap. With $52 million in reserve funds and $29 million in contingency, the board will later decide how much, if any, of these funds it will use. Michael Johnson, county administrator, and other staff have warned the board that similar budget problems will persist for at least three or four years. "Even if we do nothing today, we will end the year in the black," Johnson told the board before the vote. "But it won't be balanced like it was in June." Patrick Duterte, director of Health and Social Services, said while cuts keep occurring in his department -- and will continue as the state balances its budget -- the number of clients are growing. "It's a bad situation out there for the community," Duterte said. "We had an increase of 65 percent of people walking in the door. Even though there are more people walking through the door, (the state) isn't funding what we do." .