June 20, 2009 at 5:42 PM

By Tanya Sierra

2:00 a.m. June 20, 2009

CHULA VISTA — Councilman John McCann proposed cutting pay for high-ranking city administrators and the City Council this week, but none of his council colleagues supported him.

McCann said his plan to reduce salaries, city pension payouts and funding for travel could have saved $2 million. Councilman Rudy Ramirez said McCann's suggestions amounted to “political theatrics” that McCann knew had no chance of passing.

“We've gone through those budget issues over the past three months and have dealt with them,” Ramirez said. “We're done with that phase. He had plenty of opportunities to bring that forward two months ago.”

Last week, the council passed a $132 million budget that included $20 million in cuts. McCann said that just because a budget has passed doesn't mean reform ends.

“I'm in favor of cutting executive pay and perks, and saving city services,” he said.

McCann's proposal would have reduced pay by 10 percent for the mayor, council members, managers and executives, and would have eliminated travel funding from the council budget.

“John is attempting to establish himself as the fiscal conservative,” Councilman Steve Castaneda said. “But a true fiscal conservative would have voted to cut the budget, and he didn't.”

McCann said he voted against the budget because he had questions about several expenditures it included.

“I don't want to vote for a budget that closes library hours while it sends foreign-exchange students to Japan,” McCann said.

Last week, McCann proposed cutting car allowances for the council and the city's managers and executives. He received no support for that suggestion. Instead, the council agreed to lower car allowances for managers and executives by 10 percent and roll that pay into their base salaries...

“These were the very crucial and strategic, small but necessary first steps that needed to be taken toward long-term reform,” said Ed Herrera, president of the group. “This council seems to act like an aristocracy that wants to be immune from leading by example.”

See full article at:

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/20/1sz20cvcuts182549-mccann-gets-no-backing-cuts/