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• Hundreds of applicants flock to Kohl's job fair in Lodi

• Activist's measure would cap salaries for city of Lodi's non-union employees

• Pursuit, armed burglary suspects appear in court

• Insurance fraud suspects plead not guilty

• Correction

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (72)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (40)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (31)

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Activist's measure would cap salaries for city of Lodi's non-union employees

Jane Lea also wants to create a commission to set pay and compensation for council members

Lodi residents may soon be asked to sign a petition for a ballot measure that would cap the pay of the city's non-union employees. The measure would also create a commission to set pay and compensation for council members.

The measure would limit the salary of the highest paid, non-union employee to 50 percent of the California governor's salary, which is $213,000. That means the city's highest paid employee could only make $106,500.

In 2007, the last year for which figures were readily available, Electric Utility Director George Morrow earned $211,151 in salary, overtime and benefits and was the highest paid employee.

All other non-union employees will be able to receive a maximum of 90 percent of the highest paid employee's salary.

Jane Lea, a local activist who has run for Lodi's City Council twice in the past, submitted the proposed measure to the city clerk's office. Lea did not respond to a request for comment late Monday afternoon.

"It is important for all possible safeguards to be put into place to avoid unnecessary spending," the measure's language reads. "Reducing exempt employee salaries of the city of Lodi's highest paid employees can help maintain programs and services vital to the citizens of Lodi."

The city's non-union employees include the city manager, city attorney, city clerk and department heads. City spokesman Jeff Hood did not know immediately how many employees are non-union.

The measure would also not allow the city to contract out any work that could be completed by a city employee. It would establish a nine-person citizen committee to decide on the benefits and salary the council will receive.

Also, the employee will be responsible for paying any part of their own benefits package that exceeds 50 percent of the employee's salary.

Councilman Bob Johnson called the idea "unbelievable" and said the city would not be able to retain qualified people.

"You may be able to make a case about the level of pay, but this is a draconian response to the problem," he said. "It would drive out all the department heads and many of the mid-managers, and who would you replace them with?"

It could set up a situation where, throughout the state, an average salary for a public works director is significantly higher than the proposed salary cap allows, which would make it hard to recruit, Johnson said. He also does not understand the correlation between department head pay and the governor's pay. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does not accept his salary. "What are the requirements to be governor for the state of California? To be an Austrian body builder," Johnson said.

Johnson suggested that if people feel the city's spending on employees is out of control, they should target employee pensions, because everyone in the state has been talking about how the system is broken.

Instead of the cap being attached to the governor's salary, former union president Mark Ruggiero would like to see management receive the same raises and cuts as rank-and-file employees.

Ruggiero represented both the maintenance and operators union and the general services union until he left the city a couple weeks ago for another job. He has not seen Lea's measure but said he would support it.

City Manager Blair King said he can understand where the idea is appealing to people at face value, but he pointed out if it were enacted there would be subordinates making more money than their bosses.

Councilwoman Susan Hitchcock said she hopes Lea has the city's best interests in mind, but was surprised that she would propose this idea.

"I know she was a candidate for City Council and had developed a little more background that would make her a little more aware of the challenges such an initiative would present to the city," Hitchcock said.

Without competitive pay, Hitchcock said the city would not be able to retain the quality department heads it has now.

"They would leave and go elsewhere and people would not apply. ... You don't get that kind of talent by paying cheap," she said.

She imagines the measure will make it to the ballot because measures do not require many signatures, she said.

"It's going to end up costing the city of Lodi a lot of money, but I truly think the city of Lodi residents will not think that it is in the city's best interest," Hitchcock said.

Contact reporter Maggie Creamer at maggiec@lodinews.com or read her blog at www.lodi-news.com/blog/citybuzz.