02-21-09, Herbert Molano Regarding the “Good-by Girl” Open House for Glendale News-Press Editor Danette Goulet

Well, the Glendale News-Press gave its faux good-by to Danette Goulet earlier tonight. Sure enough, the city manager, the chief of police and a couple of councilmen came by to pay their respects to the editor. It was a who’s who of the benevolent society of mutual admiration and gratitude.

Had the Glendale News-Press been a true advocate of the public, really shown skepticism of city government and the load of Pablum and P/R they dish out, these thankful faces would not have shown up. They would have expressed a sigh of relief. But that didn’t happen. The parade of city officials was as long as they were thankful. That was my way of measuring how truly independent our local paper has been in the last few years.

I had to know. I had to see who would be showing up trying to please and influence the city’s only major independent publication for the non-Armenian population. While publishing for 16,000 people, the Glendale News-Press still reaches those who care about what happens in city government. The local paper is where the people learn to become the public. The problem is that our people are still significantly in the dark about city governance.

Years ago, when the GNP was a real needle on the side of city governance, they published the list of employees earning over $100,000 along with pictures of that elite group. The reaction by city officials was short of livid, as I was told by senior GNP personnel at the time.

In the last two years, after the California Supreme court decided in favor of the Contra Costa Times lawsuit against the city of Oakland, cities were compelled to release employee pay information. But since the ruling in August 2007, the GNP has been adamant about not publishing such critical information.

The biggest news so far this year has not graced our major city publication. On February 9^th, the city attorney’s office released the first compilation of those employees earning over $100,000 in calendar year 2008 – The list is enormous! Now nearly 30% of the employees have reached the golden ticket. Many can now retire with a pension at 90% of their last year pay, and can bask in the sun with a multi-million dollar retirement guaranteed by the Glendale taxpayer. But don’t expect any news of the sort from the GNP any time soon.

You also won’t find a story of how many employees got a big boost in pay in 2008, the very year when the taxpayer had the most fragile employment, lost homes and when their medical insurance or pension disappeared.

You won’t find any stories on how much money councilmen received as campaign contributions from city unions and how they all agreed to have the GMA be the official negotiating entity for the city’s management employees.

It’s been said that the people become the public when they have serious deliberations of the issues with the government. For that to happen, we need to nourish the Fourth Estate. Sadly, the current editor will still hold the reins of power from afar. That should keep city officials smiling. It will be a long haul before the spirit of Katherine Graham (publisher of the Washington Post) reaches the halls of the GNP. The day that happens is when the people will transform from consumers of government mush into a public demanding legitimate governance.

Herbert Molano