Commentary: Public employee union donations pose a conflict

With California cities like Vallejo, Stockton, and San Bernardino filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, you’ve got to ask yourself, “What is the biggest problem facing local government?”

After more than 20 years of public service, as the Orange County treasurer-tax collector, 2nd District supervisor, and now the state senator for the 37th District, I am convinced that the answer to this question is: “Public employee unions.”

When unions can fund the campaigns of their potential bosses, it can only lead to the granting of overly generous and unsustainable compensation packages. Such is the result of this allowable, yet unconscionable, conflict of interest.

There are two major areas that public sector unions focus on. The first is collective bargaining unit contract negotiations. The second is participating in the election process and contributing to candidates that will be favorable to their first priority. This is done by contributing directly to those candidates, or through independent expenditures on their behalf, like mailing magnets in the shape of firefighter helmets with the names of their endorsed slate of candidates to voters.

This strategy makes good business sense for public employee unions. Clearly, if public employee unions are successful in electing candidates friendly to them, they will have a positive impact on their ability to better negotiate salary and benefit increases. Thus, the ultimate conflict of interest.

This activity is apparent in most local elections, from school boards to city and county elections. But right here in my hometown of Costa Mesa, organized labor has taken this inherent conflict of interest to another level.

In Costa Mesa, voters have elected a council majority that has been doing a great job of getting the city’s finances back in order. This means that its unions are not garnering the kind of compensation increases that they had hoped for. So, what are they to do?

Well, in 2012, the unions hired lawyers, who hired private investigators, who in turn harassed these City Council members. In fact, the harassment was so severe, it was criminal!

On Sept. 29, Christopher Joseph Lanzillo, who was hired by the now defunct law firm Lackie, Dammeier, McGill & Ethir, who was hired to represent the Costa Mesa Police Officers Assn., pleaded guilty to conspiracy and false imprisonment stemming from the illegal tracking and filing of a false police report of then-Mayor Jim Righeimer.

The recipients of this treatment fought back. Most elected officials would not have the temerity to sue the accomplices of these helpful union guys. But Righeimer and fellow Councilman Steve Mensinger did. Unheard of, but their cause was righteous.

Now, in another unfathomable move, the Costa Mesa Firefighters Assn. has hired someone from this same law firm to represent them. Why would the firefighters’ association hire a lawyer whose past firm was widely known for publishing a playbook on how to intimidate elected officials into conceding to better bargaining outcomes, if not to continue the same intimidation tactics?

The dirty little secret of funding candidates that give away our hard-earned tax dollars to unions as a repayment for campaign assistance is out. How is a voting citizen to react to this egregious, but ongoing situation?

There are two recommendations that you need to consider. The first is that you not vote for candidates supported by public employee unions.

The second recommendation is more critical. Public employee unions have brought municipalities to their fiscal knees. They now need to be a part of the solution in restructuring and reforming their financially stretched employers.

Either they fix it themselves, or they will watch a federal bankruptcy court judge do it for them. The federal judge who oversaw the city of Detroit’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy proceedings gave its retirees reduced pension benefits.

Public employee unions can either knock off the nonsense of always pursuing more at all costs, or they can start the process of preventing their retirement benefits from imploding in the near future.

Until public employee unions take ownership of the fiscal havoc they have created, we need to avoid voting for their anointed candidates. Or we will dig a hole so deep that our children will resent us for letting it happen in front of our eyes. And with our votes.

State Sen. JOHN MOORLACH (R-Costa Mesa) is running for reelection in the Nov. 8 election.