Bud Stevenson: Plagues aplenty in Solano County

Bud Stevenson: Plagues aplenty in Solano County
By Bud Stevenson | | January 12, 2009 23:00

I've been reading the suggestions for an appropriate slogan for Fairfield. It's been front page news in the Daily Republic, so I thought I'd add my own two cents worth.

I've come up with 'Fairfield Where the Ten Plagues Come to Life.' OK, they're not exactly like those in the Old Testament, which I studied faithfully until I was 13 years old. Most of these, of course, affect much of the country, and are not peculiar to Fairfield and Solano County, but they might give you an idea of just how bad things are.

Plague No. 1 would have to be the projected city deficit, which will only be mitigated by an immediate revival of the economy or an increase in taxes.

The deficit is related closely to Plague No. 2, which is the salary and benefit level agreed to by Fairfield and other cities in the county. Look no further than Vallejo, sinking, or sunk, into bankruptcy because it can't make good on the employee benefits it promised.

Plague No. 3 isn't in the Old Testament, either, but it may as well be. The city, the county and our local school district are handcuffed by something known as a 'PLA,' which stands for Project Labor Agreement. In effect, it means that contractors building public buildings must use union workers. That can run up the cost of a school or county office building as much as 30 percent, and naturally, add to Plague No. 1, the deficit.

Plague No. 4 is the condition of the roads and freeways. Yes, they have done some nice work on eastbound Interstate 80, but work seems to have stopped -- several months ago.

Westbound I-80 is another story. I take it every day home from Vacaville. If Sacramento is even thinking of raising the vehicle license fee, it should include a rebate for tires and front-end alignments for drivers using westbound I-80. There are probably highways in Zambia in better shape.

Closely related is Plague No. 5, the condition of some of the off-ramps from I-80. Take the eastbound West Texas Street exit and it looks like you're headed to a dustbowl town in 1930's Oklahoma.

The Abernathy Road off-ramp isn't much better, but I will admit that crews did a nice job repaving Abernathy Road itself, even fixing the bridge. The work did come too late for my speeding ticket about 10 years ago on Abernathy and having to abandon my car during a New Year's Eve flood a few years ago.

OK, they had a sign that said, 'Road Closed,' but in smaller letters I'm sure it said, 'except for Bud.'

Plague No. 6 is Solano Community College, which is under close inspection by the state. It's an embarrassment to have this sniping among the board members and disagreement about who's in charge. If we knew then what we know now, would we have passed the bond measure for the college? The board is proud of the new buildings but apparently its meetings are like Abbott and Costello movies.

No. 7is the collapse in the automobile business, with 'Auto Row' getting to be more like Death Row at San Quentin, as dealer after dealer closes doors.

I wonder what has happened to the rumors that Mercedes was coming to town. As dealers disappear, so does the sale tax so badly needed by the city.

That's related to Plague No. 8, the generally dismal retail environment, which is further hurting the city's revenue situation.

I reluctantly say that Plague No. 9 is the outcome for many students between the time they enter and the time they leave our public schools.

Some great graduates, but too many dropouts and uninspired students from a system that must still be called mediocre.

The last plague is the perception, even if not the fact, that many parts of Fairfield are dangerous places to be at night. The police work on the problem, as do the City Council and the mall managers, but that feeling is still out there.

Bud Stevenson, a stockbroker, lives in Fairfield. Reach him at Bsteven254@aol.com or visit his blog at www.dailyrepublic.typepad.com/mrniceguy.