From Stockton, California comes the latest union tactics in a dispute over budget cuts that has the union suing the city and the city suing the union.
“Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California: Stop laying off cops!” read one at the city’s entrance. Other billboards posted by the Stockton Police Officers’ Assn. depicted splattered blood, gave a running tally of the city’s record number of homicides — and the city manager’s phone number.
Since then, the fight moved closer to home: The police union bought the house next to City Manager Bob Deis.
“In 30 years of labor negotiations I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jonathan Holtzman, a San Francisco lawyer representing Stockton. “Tires slashed; late-night phone calls — but buying the house next door to the boss?
Don’t shed too many tears for the city, which, like so many others, made policy decisions destined to put the city and its taxpayers into a tailspin.
To his mind, the real estate more central to the dispute is the 10,000-seat sports arena, waterfront hotel, marina and other development the city helped finance in more prosperous times. Stockton has $87 million in outstanding redevelopment bonds that were sold in 2006.
