THROUGH MY EYES -- Ron Davis

During the course of the last year, I have been quite critical of the

Huntington Beach City Council’s giveaway, donation or expenditure -- or

whatever noun you might wish to employ -- of public funds to outside

organizations and entities.

For those who have read me closely, my criticisms have focused more on

the issue of o7 howf7 we do these things, rather than o7 whyf7 we

do them.

With regard to both the Goldenwest gala expenditure and the contribution

of $10,000 to a local band, I objected because neither event appeared on

the council agenda. I believed then, as I do now, that if -- and it’s a

big if -- we’re going to donate or contribute funds to any outside

organizations, all organizations should be invited to apply for the gift.

Having said that, let me get to the city’s expenditure of public money

for a Huntington Beach employee’s holiday luncheon. By the time you read

this, the rather controversial employee luncheon will be in the fridge,

the door closed, and the leftovers chilling.

But like any luncheon, there will always be leftovers.

In this case, the leftovers consist of a certain level of

misunderstanding, confusion and questions regarding not only the

propriety of such a function but the extent of the expenditure.

This expenditure was somewhat different from the examples I’ve alluded to

above. Rather than contributing taxpayer dollars to other groups or

entities, this expenditure was by our city, for our city. You might

believe that it’s inappropriate to spend money honoring and rewarding

city employees, even in this minimal amount. That’s OK. But we should at

least understand that it was intended to directly benefit the residents

of this city by rewarding and increasing the morale of those city

employees who work daily to positively influence our lives.

This was no “party” in the traditional sense -- no party hats, streamers,

blaring music and cocktails flowing from the city coffers. It was a

luncheon, where employees arrived and departed in shifts so that they

could return to work. Although it was a function devoid of wine, it

wasn’t a function devoid of whining -- whining by many in the community

suggesting that the employees of this city, our very own employees,

weren’t deserving of this rather minimal tribute of appreciation to their

dedication and hard work.

The description of the function as an employee “bash” was accurate. Not a

bash in the party sense, but a real bash, as in beat the stuffing out of

our employees.

The truth is that if anyone wants to choke anyone for the party, it ought

not be the employees. The luncheon wasn’t their invention, and they

certainly didn’t make the final decision relative to having it or not

having it. The city administration made the primary decision -- a

decision that was the product of good intentions, but one that raised

legitimate questions regarding the extent of the expenditure and the

level of information provided to both the public and the City Council.

Decisions are like souffles -- sometimes they don’t turn out as expected.

But I suspect that the administration has learned through the process.

To put this in perspective, by the time all is said and done, I expect

that the final accounting will reflect that this holiday function cost

the people of Huntington Beach about a nickel per resident to recognize

those who work for us -- our employees. Are you listening, Ebenezer

Scrooge and Jacob Marley?

I know that the employees get paid for what they do. But we all know that

there is nothing appreciated more than the occasional thanks or a pat on

the back, and this function was intended to be nothing more than that.

Whatever leftover food exists after the luncheon will be donated to

various shelters and charities in the community to help the homeless.

Whatever mental leftovers and reservations any of us have relative to the

propriety of the function ought to also be disposed of as well.

The party’s over -- o7 finito, finif7 . Whatever mistakes were made

fall in the spilled-milk category and provide education and guidance for

the future.

I hope the employees had a heck of a time -- even on my nickel.

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He can

be reached by e-mail at ronscolumn@worldnet.att.net.