City Privatization Sabotaged?

Katy Grimes: When employees who mow grass for the city of Sacramento are paid $60,000 annually, medical benefits and a nice pension, you know that the inmates are running the asylum. Unskilled labor jobs, which in the real world are paid at an hourly wage, have become part of the union-driven entitlement jobs, especially when the government is running the show.

But now, with talk in Sacramento of the need to privatize city park gardening and maintenance services, suddenly a lawsuit has been filed against the company which has successfully managed many of the city’s public golf courses.

There is no such thing as coincidence.

Four former city golf course employees filed suit recently against Morton Golf, alleging sexual harassment and labor law violations.

It’s interesting that the suit was filed this month, just as the Sacramento City Council approved a contract with Morton Golf for maintenance and other services of the city’s golf courses. City officials estimate Sacramento would save $500,000 annually by privatizing the golf course maintenance and services.

I think the number is low, but a good starting point.

The point is that the city should not be in the golf business. Because of outrageous union salary and benefit packages, the city can no longer afford to maintain much of what it is responsible for, including the city-run golf courses.

William Land Park Golf Course opened for play in 1924 in Sacramento, making it the city’s oldest golf course. After many years of looking seedy and needing a makeover, the golf course operations privatized approximately 10 years ago. The golf course has never looked better, and now operates in the black by a non-profit group called The First Tee.

“The First Tee provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as confidence, perseverance and judgment through golf and character education,” reads the mission statement. It’s a wildly successful program which helped to reinvigorate the golf course, which is now run smartly.

With the Sacramento city parks department cutting nearly 50 percent of its employees in only the last two years, the  maintenance crew at William Land Park Golf Course has already kindly expanded their grass maintenance beyond the golf course in order to help out the park and keep the golf course looking pristine.

That’s how it works in the private sector.

It is difficult not to assume that this lawsuit could be a union attempt to run interference and perhaps discredit Morton Golf in the eyes of the City Council. Whatever the reason, it’s very interesting timing.

But that won’t change the numbers on the balance sheet. The city of Sacramento has no money and is running a horrendous deficit from which it cannot possibly recover without a massive overhaul and union concessions.

And the golf course maintenance cannot possibly be run as cost effectively as a privately run business, as proven by William Land Park’s golf course.

“Labor officials say they doubt outsourcing will save the city money; an audit will explore the situation this fall,” the Sacramento Bee reported.

Threats, threats. Expect to see more of this union-thuggery as city budgets finally burst under the weight of unsustainable pensions and ridiculous salaries and benefits. Unskilled public employees, who otherwise would have been lucky to be paid $15.00 per hour, have been paid ridiculous salaries for just showing up and doing a mediocre job.

With a little competition in the mix, expect parks and golf courses to start looking better in Sacramento – if the union lawyers and City Council don’t screw up the deal.

JUNE 27, 2011

3 comments

Write a comment
  1. GSL
    GSL 26 June, 2011, 19:55

    In Sacto’s defense, at least it’s not declaring a golf course “too big to fail.” Unlike Burbank.

    Reply this comment
  2. David
    David 2 July, 2011, 09:52

    To me, in the inmates in the asylum are the Republicans in Congress who are fighting against even minor adjustments in the depreciation schedule for corporate jets, while demanding that poorer people be forced to work longer and have their health benefits cut.

    Reply this comment
  3. J
    J 21 October, 2011, 20:56

    Foremost I am not a inmate. I work at one of the Capital City Golf Courses. I am a college graduate I am working a job that got me through college. A single father of 3. There are many fine individuals that commit a lot of effort in providing a positive golf experience for our customers.

    Second… These are Morton Golf employees filing suit of sexual harrassment, NOT city employees. So this report is malice and in error.

    Third… Budget numbers taken from the Golf division display 1 financial quarter that only represents 3 months of last year that display revenue earned during the rainy season and unfortunate greens conditions of a city golf course.

    There is more to this than the quick scheme of privatization…
    1. Look into the former (now retired) City Golf Division managers track record since accepting the position. It shows a steady decline. Poor management.

    2. Morton Golf has not been audited by the city since 2005. Has the company been following their contract obligations? If things are so dire then why agree with a company that is a part of it?

    3. Lastly… We work with what we have. All golf courses are low in staff, aging equipment, ($5000 per year budget limit on equipment maintenance)freeze on raises/promotions, and lack of support from the City. Through this we “Inmates” work to give the best golf experience that we can with what tools we have.

    Reply this comment

Write a Comment

Leave a Reply



Related Articles

An $11 billion budget surplus

Why can’t California be like Texas, with an $11 billion state budget surplus? Despite — or because of — having

Logue Critical of Green Bill

Katy Grimes: There were outbursts and antics on the floor of the Assembly today while legislators debated a green energy

Brown Reaffirms Fiscal Emergency

Steven Greenhut: There’s a good reason the state declares a state of emergency during mudslides, fires and other natural disasters