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STOCKTON - A billboard with blood spatter and a warning, "Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California - Stop laying off cops," went up Saturday on Fremont Street, one of five erected that day by Stockton's police union in its escalating row with City Hall.
Another billboard, on El Dorado Street, said the murder rate is up and that the "body count" is 24. Like the billboard on Fremont Street, it listed the city manager's telephone number. Police Officer Steve Leonesio, president of Stockton Police Officers Association, said about 20 more billboards are planned, a media buy he put at about $20,000.
The billboards appeared three days after a pivotal budget hearing at which the City Council declared a fiscal emergency, a legal measure intended to pry open existing labor contracts with firefighters and police.
Councilman Dale Fritchen said that as he left City Hall after that hearing Sgt. Mark Anderson, the police union's vice president, "put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Well, game on.' He said, 'Be safe out there.' "
City Hall intends to order layoffs and service reductions citywide to close a projected general fund deficit of $23 million. In declaring a fiscal emergency, the administration is likely to try to restructure police officer shifts and to lay off firefighters. The city has proposed laying off 53 police officers and dramatically reducing police services.
The union's response was not unexpected.
"We knew they would do something," Mayor Ann Johnston said. "We expected they would be very aggressive on presenting their side of the story."
She said, "It's too bad they don't take that money and work at spending it positively, for the good of our citizens."
Council members have said layoffs are necessary to balance the budget without concessions from the police and fire unions. Union leaders have said their members already have made concessions and that the city misspends money.
Leonesio said the billboards are "informational."
Regarding his interaction with Fritchen on Wednesday night, Anderson said he was not threatening Fritchen. He said he was upset because he believed the council had not fully considered the impact of laying off police officers.
"It's going to be dangerous," Anderson said. "It's a serious issue with safety out there."
Fritchen said he did not believe Anderson was threatening him. However, he said, "It didn't feel comfortable. ... I just thought it was inappropriate to say."
Vice Mayor Kathy Miller, who observed the exchange, said she thought Anderson was making a veiled threat.
Despite spending reductions in the Police Department last year, the number of violent crimes reported in Stockton fell 14.3 percent in 2009 from the previous year, according to a preliminary report by the FBI. Still, the city's violent crime rate among California's largest cities remained second highest, behind Oakland.
According to the Police Department, incidences of both violent and property crimes are increasing this year over the same period last year.
The "body count" referred to by the police union on its billboard includes two homicides classified as justifiable, including one officer-involved shooting, Leonesio said.
In its own battle with the administration, Stockton Professional Firefighters Local 456 has built a website and Facebook page, and it will send mailers to registered voters, likely in June, Fire Capt. Dave Macedo, the union president, said.
"Just trying to get out in the public a little bit, educate them a little bit," he said.
David Nybo, manager of Primero Outdoor Media, which owns the billboard space the police union used, said the company helped design the billboards and that the union "wanted to express the impacts of layoffs."
He said, "I'm trying to allow the people to express their concerns. ... I think that this is something that needs to be vetted in the public."
In other activity related to the city's budget crisis, artists and arts advocates gathered on the patio of Empresso coffeehouse on the Miracle Mile on Saturday for what was billed as a party to celebrate the survival of the city arts endowment. The council at its Wednesday hearing elected not to transfer money from the $1.3 million endowment to help close the budget deficit.
STOCKTON - A billboard with blood spatter and a warning, "Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California - Stop laying off cops," went up Saturday on Fremont Street, one of five erected that day by Stockton's police union in its escalating row with City Hall.
Another billboard, on El Dorado Street, said the murder rate is up and that the "body count" is 24. Like the billboard on Fremont Street, it listed the city manager's telephone number. Police Officer Steve Leonesio, president of Stockton Police Officers Association, said about 20 more billboards are planned, a media buy he put at about $20,000.
The billboards appeared three days after a pivotal budget hearing at which the City Council declared a fiscal emergency, a legal measure intended to pry open existing labor contracts with firefighters and police.
Councilman Dale Fritchen said that as he left City Hall after that hearing Sgt. Mark Anderson, the police union's vice president, "put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Well, game on.' He said, 'Be safe out there.' "
City Hall intends to order layoffs and service reductions citywide to close a projected general fund deficit of $23 million. In declaring a fiscal emergency, the administration is likely to try to restructure police officer shifts and to lay off firefighters. The city has proposed laying off 53 police officers and dramatically reducing police services.
The union's response was not unexpected.
"We knew they would do something," Mayor Ann Johnston said. "We expected they would be very aggressive on presenting their side of the story."
She said, "It's too bad they don't take that money and work at spending it positively, for the good of our citizens."
Council members have said layoffs are necessary to balance the budget without concessions from the police and fire unions. Union leaders have said their members already have made concessions and that the city misspends money.
Leonesio said the billboards are "informational."
Regarding his interaction with Fritchen on Wednesday night, Anderson said he was not threatening Fritchen. He said he was upset because he believed the council had not fully considered the impact of laying off police officers.
"It's going to be dangerous," Anderson said. "It's a serious issue with safety out there."
Fritchen said he did not believe Anderson was threatening him. However, he said, "It didn't feel comfortable. ... I just thought it was inappropriate to say."
Vice Mayor Kathy Miller, who observed the exchange, said she thought Anderson was making a veiled threat.
Despite spending reductions in the Police Department last year, the number of violent crimes reported in Stockton fell 14.3 percent in 2009 from the previous year, according to a preliminary report by the FBI. Still, the city's violent crime rate among California's largest cities remained second highest, behind Oakland.
According to the Police Department, incidences of both violent and property crimes are increasing this year over the same period last year.
The "body count" referred to by the police union on its billboard includes two homicides classified as justifiable, including one officer-involved shooting, Leonesio said.
In its own battle with the administration, Stockton Professional Firefighters Local 456 has built a website and Facebook page, and it will send mailers to registered voters, likely in June, Fire Capt. Dave Macedo, the union president, said.
"Just trying to get out in the public a little bit, educate them a little bit," he said.
David Nybo, manager of Primero Outdoor Media, which owns the billboard space the police union used, said the company helped design the billboards and that the union "wanted to express the impacts of layoffs."
He said, "I'm trying to allow the people to express their concerns. ... I think that this is something that needs to be vetted in the public."
In other activity related to the city's budget crisis, artists and arts advocates gathered on the patio of Empresso coffeehouse on the Miracle Mile on Saturday for what was billed as a party to celebrate the survival of the city arts endowment. The council at its Wednesday hearing elected not to transfer money from the $1.3 million endowment to help close the budget deficit.
