Ventura County Taxpayers Association
March 1, 2012
Newsletter of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association
Articles
Pension Abuse
Special District? Special Deal

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Profile in Pension Abuse and Oversight Failure: Pleasant Valley Parks and Recreation District

$3,000,000 Pension and $200,000 Pay

to Manage Parks in Camarillo

  

POSITION: "GM of Pleasant Valley Parks and Recreation District", i.e., the Manager for Parks in the City of Camarillo (pop = 70,000).

  

LabradoDaniel LaBrado was hired as General Manager in July 2006 with cash compensation of $120,072 plus free medical insurance, a generous pension, auto allowance and relocation package.

 

While the last few years have been rough for the general economy times have never been better for LaBrado.  In six short years, as of August 1, 2012 his compensation will have increased 60% to $191,550 with an another 5% guaranteed bump next year. 

 

The district was concerned enough about the purchasing power of LaBrado's meager compensation to award him and only him, a COLA of up to 5% a year.

 

And with the heavy workload (?) of overseeing an $8.4 million park district, it is understandable that LaBrado needs to take almost two months paid vacation/ sick pay each year.

 

Apparently LaBrado was not satisfied with the standard 2% at age 60 pension.  He was able to convinced the board using information we believe was inaccurate, that most other agencies offered pensions with a 2.5% at age 55 formula.  Retire earlier with a 25% bigger pension.

 

If LaBrado retires at the end of his 2013 contract, his pension will be approximately $150,554 a year, or the present cash value of $3,000,000.

 

Now you know why he is smiling.

 

Special District? Special Deal


PVRPD 

The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District is a mid-sized independent special district separate from the city of Camarillo.

 

It owns and maintains parks covering 300 acres. The district is governed by a board consisting of five publicly elected directors and managed by the district's general manager, whose annual salary is $182,800, including car and phone allowances.

 

Ventura County Taxpayers Association began looking at PVRPD after noticing a July 2011 article in The Star. In what should have been a routine approval of the district's annual 2011-12 budget by the board, one elected director voted no - on principle.

Director Mark Malloy, the lone dissenting vote, was upset the board failed to address the issue of ever-increasing employee pension and health care costs.

 

According to Malloy, "there is not an agency in town that extends those kinds of benefits to its employees and not ask them to contribute. No one on the board ever wants to talk about it, but if the community knew what we were doing, they would be upset."

 

It turns out Malloy has a point and taxpayers should be more than a little upset.

 

Read on.

 

The next public meeting of PVRPD is March 7 @ 1605 E. Burnley in Camarillo.