Why did the City Council agree to make the new City Manager a millionaire?

It is very hard to understand why the Santa Ana City Council would offer a contract to our new City Manager, David Cavazos, that will essentially make him a millionaire.  What were they thinking?

Consider that in Santa Ana the per capita income, was $15,243 in 2010 and while it is projected to increase to $16,383 by 2015, according to the City of Santa Ana, the per capita income in California, is $29,634 and the per capita income in Orange County is $34,416, according to the U.S. Census.

Average household income in Santa Ana has grown from $54,636 in 2000 to $67,709 in 2010 and is projected to grow to $76,446 in the next 5 years, however currently the median household income in California is $61,632 and here in Orange County it is $75,762, according to the U.S. Census.

In addition to more than $550,000 in compensation in the coming year from Santa Ana, new City Manager David Cavazos is also set to begin collecting a six-figure annual pension from Phoenix, according to a report in the Arizona Republic newspaper.

This guy is not just the 1%.  In Santa Ana Cavazos is the King.  But don’t think for a minute that he will be living here.  No way!  He is definitely headed to Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, or some other swanky community.  Who knows?  Perhaps he might end up in Coto de Caza, next door to former Santa Ana City manager Dave Ream.

So why did our City Council members think that making Cavazos a very rich man – with our money, was such a great idea?

Let’s look at this Council – you have three government workers – Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero and Angie Amezcua.  And Michele Martinez works for a non-profit.  Miguel Pulido is an engineer who works as a business consultant and Vince Sarmiento is a lawyer whose family owns a banquet hall.  David Benavides is a realtor who reportedly has no listings.

Why would we expect this bunch to know how to hire a City Manager?  Let’s face it – they are all enamored of government, as Democrats, and probably see nothing wrong with getting filthy rich as a government worker.  In fact Martinez and Reyna would love to do that too!  But who would hire them?

Perhaps they had to overpay because no one wanted to work for them, after what they did to former City Manager Paul Walters?

This contract is an embarrassment and it is truly disgusting.  Please dear readers remember this when these Council Members come around asking for your vote again in the next election.

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