TOML stymied?

According to an editorial on Thursday at www.sacbee.com, Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski is attempting to clean up Assembly Bill 506 with AB 1692 less than one year after AB 506 was approved.

The original AB 506 established a mediation process cities would have to follow before filing for bankruptcy protection. It is the basis for the mediation process the Town of Mammoth Lakes is currently undergoing.

According to sacbee.com, Wieckowski is reneging on the law before there has even been a chance to see if it works.

“Wieckowski gutted an innocuous measure, Assembly Bill 1692, and inserted amendments that allow interested parties – including most significantly, his public employees union buddies, mainly firefighters – to endlessly delay and thus effectively stop municipal bankruptcy filings,” the article stated.

The law was originally negotiated between municipalities and public employee unions. Union contracts could be nullified if a city enters into bankruptcy, according to www.calwatchdog.com.

“The amendments inserted into AB 1692 impose on cities the very provisions which, after lengthy negotiations, Wieckowski agreed to strip from last year’s compromise measure. They were removed from the original bill because cities recognized that they would stymie city efforts to file for bankruptcy,” it continued.

If the Legislature approves AB 1692 (it may be going to a vote as early as Friday, May 24), it would not only break the deal the Legislature cut such a short time ago, it would destroy trust, according to sacbee.com Not to mention the blow it could potentially strike the Town of Mammoth Lakes in its continued dealings with the Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition settlement.