San Diego Firefighters Lead Protest Against Rogue Anti-Retiree City Attorney
More than two years after the defeat of statewide efforts to take away the retirement security of public workers, San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has continued a rogue legal assault against public employee retirement. News reports even documented how Aguirre paid a campaign aide more than $120,000 to testify in a lawsuit aimed at rolling back promised retirement benefits.
This week, San Diego firefighters said they think it's time to roll Aguirre back to well-earned obscurity.
More than 100 firefighters, city employees, teachers and other public workers gathered Tuesday at the state building to urge the San Diego County Democratic Party to withhold their endorsement for Aguirre. Wearing T-shirts urging citizens to "Support Firefighter Families," dozens of Local 145 members made it clear they'd had enough with Aguirre's grandstanding efforts to undermine not only the retirement security of future members, but even the benefits promised current employees and retirees.
"We just can't afford another four years of Aguirre as City Attorney." said Local 145 President Ron Saathoff. "He has attacked our organization, our benefits and our good name."
Aguirre has become a lightning rod for criticism in San Diego among Democrats and Republicans alike for his handling of his job as the elected city attorney. The San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported he'd paid his campaign treasurer $120,000 of taxpayer money to testify as an "expert witness" in Aguirre's unsuccessful challenge to public pension benefits. The aide never actually testified. Aguirre has also been the subject of an investigation into his conduct and statements by the State Bar Association.
Of greatest significance to firefighters has been his lock-step allegiance to the national campaign against public employee retirement security. Aguirre's public statements have been in line with the views of former Assemblyman Keith Richman and others who seek to take away the retirement and health benefits of working families.
As news of the protest spread earlier in the week, Democratic officials made it clear they would not be giving Aguirre an early endorsement. Local 145 urged them to follow through and withhold any endorsement.
"We believe the employees, taxpayers and citizens of San Diego deserve better than Michael Aguirre," concluded Saathoff. "The support we've received shows that the city wants a city attorney who won't squander taxpayer resources to pay for political attacks on hard working families."