Check out what might be Santa Ana’s new fire department, this Saturday

View Comments

• Why wouldn't they want to go to orange county fire department after how they seem to be treated? You read about problems and needs for improvements with santa ana streets, parks, council, police, schools all the time. I don't remember reading or hearing street talk about how bad or problems within santa ana fire department. with that, the police chief now wants to get ride of them? Let the poor kids go and rid them of the negativity.

  • We do have a great fire department. It is a shame that the early police and fire retirements and overly generous pensions have bankrupted our city.

• Come on Sir, do you have to keep going there and looking at things one sided? It has to be just like my company and yours, money IN versus money OUT. People aren't making money, so people aren't spending money. If people don't spend money, then the feds, states, counties and cities don't bring in money. if they don't bring in money then they can't spend money. That equals cuts across the board for everyone, doesn't matter if a private business or public sector. With your logic are you blaming public pensions for the lay-offs that I (and every other private company) have made or for the Dodgers going bankrupt for that matter? The list goes on: wars, wall street, Greece, health care costs, gas, add others as you wish.

  • Santa Ana owes 25 million a year in pension payments. The problem is as I stated. Cops and firemen retire at 55 with six figure annual pensions. They live on average until they are 82. Do the math.

• The city website shows a budget for $583 mil for 2008 - 2009.
  The city website shows a budget for $440 mil for 2011 - 2012.
  Can't find if the city pays $5 mil or $25 mil a year for pension, but it is as plain as day that the city is NOT bring in nearly close to the same amount of money a year as in the past. Thats not my opinion and it ain't funny math

  • The $25 million figure came from a report by Walters. He got that from a consultant they hired.

    Whether or not they are bringing in the money, they are still stuck with those pension obligations - to retired workers who at 55 will be around a long time before they die at 82...

• Mighty extensive report that is.
  I guess you were reading a different report or you just think everyone will believe what you say.
  The report says the cities revenues (prop tax and sales tax) is way down, therefore they have less money coming in. That also means less money going out, WOW, plain economics 101. It states that pension costs are rising, that means they WERE lower and NOW are getting higher. No where in the report did it mention anything/anywhere that pension costs are what has caused the city to be in the situation they were in 3 years ago, 2 years ago, last year or this year.
  However, I do say, thanks for YOUR "opinion", which I can respect. I just prefer to know the "facts".