“We don’t have the money.”</p><p>That’s what City Manager Steve Rath said at a budget workshop Tuesday night in front of a room full of city staff concerned about plans to eliminate their jobs or the jobs of their co-workers. </p><p>The preliminary proposal to reduce spending from the city’s faltering general fund was unveiled to the public at City Hall.</p><p>The plan calls for multiple layoffs. They include three police officers, a fire captain, permit coordinator, fleet clerk, recreation supervisor and a recreation lead clerk. </p><p>The plan also would abolish several vacant positions. They include four police officer positions, a firefighter, three community service officer jobs, two police dispatchers, an animal control officer, maintenance worker and a senior planner.</p><p>In addition police Cmdr. Dan Fitchie will not be replaced after his retirement next year. The layoffs and additional programs and services cuts are expected to save the city $1.3 million this fiscal year and $2.2 million in 2009-2010.</p><p>Cuts in the police department were viewed by many as especially egregious.</p><p>“It would seem fair to everyone that has to take a cut that it’s done fairly across the board,” said the Rev. Melvin Whittle. “I’ll take one less water meter and one police officer. Safety is very important. Crime don’t go away. As a matter of fact, it’s a proven fact crime rises when things get worse. People start breaking into cars more, breaking into homes more.” </p><p>Officer Preston Jelen said his department has responded to 43,675 calls for service this year. Jelen said the department only has 28 field officers. </p><p>“That leaves us with 28 officers to fill the six shifts. You want to take three of those from us,” Jelen said. “We are already running into what we consider advanced gang members. When you guys remove us you’re going to create a vacuum. Once that vacuum has been filled with bad people, and we lose our foothole on these people, we will probably never get it back.”</p><p>Jelen said if officers’ jobs are cut Los Baños will start breeding gang members.</p><p>The plan to cut the officer positions was presented 138 days into Police Chief Chris Gallagher being away from his job, which he’s being paid for at a base salary of $11,364 per month. </p><p>When asked how he could justify laying off officers while paying a chief to stay away from work, Rath said, “It’s a personnel issue I cannot talk about it.”</p><p>Robert Strauch, a fire captain and union representative, gave a PowerPoint presentation on what he believes is a history of the city understaffing the fire department.</p><p>He said in Los Baños there are times where two paid firefighters go out in the city to fight blazes when state law requires a minimum of three. He also said when the city sends a fire engine to assist other city’s three firefighters are sent.</p><p>According to Strauch the fire captain position being eliminated will result in a firefighter being laid off. He said that can occur because the captain has seniority that allows the person to transition into the top level fire engineer position. Under that scenario personnel will keep getting bumped down in job title until the least senior firefighter is laid off.</p><p>Strauch is also upset about eliminating a vacant firefighter position that is funded through community facilities district revenue. Furthermore, he said there are plans to pay one of the fire clerks with Measure P funding.</p><p>“Measure P was supposed to be for new firemen, not existing, and today we're forced to use these funds to save positions,” he said.</p><p>Strauch said a better solution to the city’s budget woes would be cutting salaries by a percentage in all departments. He said his plan would save the city $1 million more that its current proposal.</p><p>Under the plan presented this week, a $20,320 cut in the contribution to the Chamber of Commerce and the elimination of the city’s aquatics program and abolishing use of a video service were also proposed. </p><p>Council members and Rath repeatedly encourage people to give them alternatives before the Jan. 7 council meeting, at which they will vote on the layoffs. </p><p>Chief Financial Officer Melinda Wall said if the council does approve layoffs they will not go into effect until Feb. 2.</p><p>Another budget workshop is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 520 J St. </p><p>Enterprise staff writer Corey Pride can be reached at 388-6563 or cpride@losbanosenterprise.com