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Open Letter to Mayor Dick Murphy and Members of the San Diego City Council Dear Mayor Murphy and Members of the San Diego City Council: On April 12, you will have the opportunity to make a fiscally responsible decision by rejecting the proposed Living Wage Ordinance, thereby avoiding further deterioration of the city's financial condition. To even consider this proposal without fully understanding its costs would be fiscally irresponsible. Proponents of this proposed Living Wage Ordinance insist that, because the implementation of this plan will be pushed out until the 2007 budget year, approving this mandate today will not add to the city's current financial woes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Adopting a policy with no accurate assessment of its costs, no identified funding source and no idea of what future budgets will look like is the height of irresponsibility. It was this type of "vote now, pay later" decision-making that has helped create and fuel the current fiscal crisis. While the city manager admits that the long term costs of this proposal are unknown, the most current city manager report regarding the Living Wage Ordinance (April 2004) estimates that implementation of the ordinance has the potential to increase the city's costs by up to $6 million annually. The city is currently facing an estimated $50 million budget deficit and, as yet, has no clear answer about how that gap will be filled. To add the burden of this mandate to future budget years with no identified funding source will only add to the city's long-term financial chaos. Proponents will argue that the impact on the city's budget is minimal since City of San Diego employees are exempt from the proposed ordinance. Again, that argument is false. On its face, it may appear that the greater burden of paying for the ordinance falls on the business community, but in the end the city and its residents will suffer. This ordinance could force city service contractors and subcontractors to look for other, non-city contracts and work with municipalities who do not mandate wage increases. Should contractors opt to participate in city contracts, the additional costs will certainly be passed on to the City of San Diego, and ultimately the taxpayers, in the form of increased costs for providing the service. San Diego is in the middle of a fiscal crisis. Don't make it worse by adopting this ordinance. Do not repeat the mistakes that brought us the pension crisis. DON'T BE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE! Sincerely, Jessie J. Knight, Jr. President & CEO San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Nikki Clay Partner Carpi & Clay Vice Chairman San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Christopher B. Neils Partner, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP General Counsel San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Thomas V. Wornham Treasurer, Board of Directors San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce John Hawkins President & CEO Cloud 9 Shuttle Immediate Past Chairman San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce George W. Hawkins President and CEO Associated Builders and Contractor of San Diego Auday P. Arabo, Esq. President & CEO California Independent Grocers & Convenience Stores Steven J. Fricker President, San Diego Chapter of the California Restaurant Association Pamela L. Richardson President San Diego County Hotel-Motel Association Lisa Briggs Executive Director San Diego County Taxpayers Association C. Terry Brown Chairman San Diego Lodging Industry Association Phil Blair Executive Officer Manpower Staffing Services Chairman, Public Policy Committee San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Chris Cramer CEO & Co-founder Karl Strauss Brewing Company Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce William W. Eigner Partner, Business/Technology Team Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce David P. Ferguson Partner Goldman Ferguson Partners Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Karen Hutchens President Hutchens & Associates Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Herbert G. Klein Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Bryan B. Min President & CEO Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc. Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Vincent E. Mudd President & CEO San Diego Office Interiors Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Robert J. Bruni Executive Director, Policy & Legislative Affairs San Diego Employers Association Doug Sawyer Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Richard H. Vortmann Member, Board of Directors, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce |
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"What are State Legislators Doing to Help Solve Key Regional Issues?" Invited speakers include: Dennis Hollingsworth, State Senator 36th District; Denise Moreno Ducheny, State Senator 40th District; Juan Vargas, State Assembly member 79th District; George Plescia, State Assembly member 75th District; and Shirley Horton, State Assembly member 78th District. Where: Doubletree Hotel Hazard Center 7450 Hazard Center Drive San Diego, CA 92108 When: Friday, April 08, 2005 8:00 - 10:30 am Cost: $40 Chamber Members $50 Prospective Members $65 At the Door $300 Table of Eight Sponsors: Chevron Texaco, Qualcomm, SAIC, Sharp HealthCare, SDG&E, Jack in the Box, San Diego Biotechnology Political Action Committee, Kaiser Permanente, and LM Capital Group, LLC. For more information or to register for this event, please visit www.sdchamber.org under the calendar of events icon. |
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Thank You to our
Renewing Members Chamber Press Releases Hot off the press |
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Members in Action Announcements, awards and more! Chairman's Report News from the Chamber Board |
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Your Business Advocate Leveraging its robust membership, collaborations with other organizations and political access, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's business advocacy team initiates legislation and lobbies for policies that create a stronger pro-business environment. |