Written by Urvi Sakurikar
A new law drafted by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria would mean an elimination of any limits on the salary and pension benefits of the Chief Operating Officer for the city.
Currently, the Chief Operating Officer of San Diego is Jay Goldstone, who has retired from three previous government positions and is collecting a pension from all of them.
If the law is allowed to pass by the Civil Service Commission, Goldstone would receive over $500,000 annually at the expense of taxpayers.
In the words of former San Diego City Councilmember and Chairman of Reform California Carl DeMaio, “This is an abuse. If [Goldstone] wants to retire, he should retire and then go work in the private sector.”
“Four taxpayer-funded payments for one individual [is] entirely outrageous, particularly when the city faces a budget shortfall”, added DeMaio.
The components of the law and how they would benefit Goldstone can be referred to as “quadruple dipping.”
Mayor Gloria has shown that he is not looking out for the best interests of the city. Earlier this year, he accepted a pay raise that nearly doubled his salary, despite the ongoing pandemic, and now he is looking to allow more taxpayer money to be funneled into politicians’ pockets.
For any mayor to try to take advantage of taxpayer’s money to unnecessarily quadruple the pension of his employees is extremely irresponsible and should not be overlooked. Gloria is also attempting to do this as pension costs for the city have skyrocketed due to higher salaries and longer lifespans.
Sam Hodgson/The San Diego Union-Tribune
