Kern County Taxpayers Association
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 05/29/2009 05:58
Updated by: mturnipseed on 05/29/2009 05:58
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 Police Union Attempting to Censor the Press
People's Republic of California:
Police Union Attempting to Censor the Press
This may be the scariest story ever written for the Cal-Taxletter. A police union is trying to stifle newspaper criticism of generous government benefits for employees.
In this case, the union representing Los Angeles police officers is pressing the new owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune to change its stance on public employee labor issues and fire its editorial writers.
Platinum Equity, the recent purchaser of the Union-Tribune, relies on pension funds of public employees for cash to make acquisitions.
Los Angeles Police Protective League President Paul Weber wrote to Platinum Equity Chief Executive Tom Gores on March 26: "Since the very public employees they continually criticize are now their owners, we strongly believe that those who currently run the editorial pages should be replaced."
Union-Tribune editor Bob Kittle said that while the paper has run several editorials criticizing the benefits and pension commitments made to public employees, the paper is not anti-public employee. "All of this has to be considered in the context of what the city can afford," he said. (Source: Los Angeles Times, May 22.)
