Prevailing wisdom in Vista

By: North County Times Opinion staff - | Wednesday, May 30, 2007 8:51 PM PDT ∞

Our view: Voters should support Prop. C to wring maximum value out of tax dollars

Proposition C, the measure that proposes making Vista a charter city, will give the city the extra resources it needs to complete numerous projects, including a new city hall, and should be supported by voters.

But as Vistans prepare to vote on the proposition at a June 5 special election, the San Diego County Democratic Party and labor interests, such as the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union, are launching a campaign against it. Their main objection -- in fact, their only objection -- is that by becoming a charter city, Vista will be able to bypass prevailing wage laws.

Relics of the New Deal era, federal and state prevailing wage laws were enacted to ensure that skilled construction workers employed on public works projects would be paid the wages and benefits that "prevail" in their local communities and to protect those same workers from low-skill, low-wage competition. Passed before many common labor standards, like minimum wage and work hours, were put in place, the prevailing wage was seen as a way to use government as an instrument for improving labor conditions.

Obviously, the labor market has changed a lot since then. Although prevailing wage laws are still in effect, it is not the duty of Vista, or any other city for that matter, to sustain an anachronistic, inflationary practice. Rather, the Vista City Council's duty is to get the most bang for Vista taxpayers' buck, and in this case that means seeking to avoid paying these obsolete prevailing wages. Conversely, it is perfectly natural for the trade unions to seek the best pay for their members, and perfectly political for the Democrats to back their backers.

Vista has big plans for the money being raised by the half-cent sales tax increase voters approved last year. It plans to issue about $100 million in bonds, borrowed against anticipated sales tax revenues, to finance a new City Hall, two fire stations and other projects.

That sounds like a lot of money, but with construction costs skyrocketing, $100 million doesn't go as far as it used to. Vista would be wise to pass Proposition C and stretch its tax dollars as far as it can.

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