From the San Diego Union Tribune
We’re disturbed because unspecified “court managers” as opposed to “aoc managers” are cited as looking the other way, so as usual, a local court and local court workers, who have nothing to do with any of this pay the price for Bill Vickrey’s gross mismanagement.
Mr. Wintermeyer can attest that, as a Director of Facilities, he never even knew or was made aware of how much jacobs was charging because as the director of facilities, he was outside of the approval loop that starts and ends in the Sacramento OCCM call center and CAFM that automatically spits out $500.00 service work orders. The issue with this is that each court has a budget and rather than have any discretion over his maintenance budget, it was all spent by automatic charges such as these listed here for San Diego.
This is only one of 58 courts in this state. More than 2/3rds of them use “Team Jacobs”
This is a current and ongoing problem and what is Mr. Bill doing? Trying to justify it all while extending their contracts for another 10 years.
Mr. Bill shouldn’t resign. Mr. Bill should be indicted.
Michael Paul
February 27, 2011
This statement by Carrizosa defies logic and I am sure anyone that knows the process will agree:
“Still, the agency is considering a change in the future. He said a new maintenance contract now up for bid calls for all work under $2,000 to be done under a firm fixed price for each task, not on a job-by-job basis as is done now.”
What is the difference between a firm fixed price and a job-by-job basis? They’re the same exact thing. The only difference is the SWO will be for the specific amount rather than a blanket $500.00? This kind of logic seems like a way to increase the costs and pre-justify them as opposed to having a $500.00 loophole.
SF Whistle
February 27, 2011
It’s downright insulting—-I agree that it is a vehicle to expand their scam–
Michael Paul
February 27, 2011
Dear San Diego Courts,
For what the AOC paid for 8 months worth of $375.00 light bulbs and $409.00 clock batteries, I will be happy to replace them all for a whole year on a proactive basis in a manner where no service call will ever be required. I will be happy to supply all bulbs, fixtures when necessary and labor. Since I’m also certified in building management systems and controls, I will toss in calls of too hot/too cold into the package at no extra charge. Finally, as one of the principal engineers that influenced or wrote most of the AOC technical standards, I’ll be happy to provide my knowledgabe advice and guidance on networked systems integration or even your new courthouse project at no extra charge.
You have a beautiful city and although the price tag may seem high, it is half of what the AOC is charging you for the same services. Unfortunately, I would require that kind of money to relocate my home and businesses your beautiful city.
Sincerely,
Michael Paul
Jon Wintermeyer
February 27, 2011
You are correct JCW, it is the AOC that approves the Team Jacobs invoices, never a court manager. If the approval was to be made by the court facilities manager, as proposed in the Trial Courts act, at least you have a more experienced and qualified person reviewing the invoices. The entire setup by Team Jacobs with their list of approved vendors that they would use in your court was never a list that had any input by the court’s facilities unit. So no matter how qualified and close to building locations the local vendors were, they were never considered. When I was first given the TJ vendor list, I raised this question about vendors we had prior history with and that performed quality work and were told to have them submit requests into the AOC for consideration. They never got added to the TJ vendor list and no response as to why was they were not was ever seen by me. Sounds like a circular file response was taking place.
I’ll tell you about a pipe break that occurred out in Pittsburg behind the courthouse. When I had my staff make the call into the CAFM system for a priority one service request because I did not want to close the building down and shut off the water for the afternoon, my staff was told by the CAFM staff that they did not consider this to be at that priority level, but they would put it in as a lower priority level. When told of this by my staff, as I had already gone out to the site to review the situation, I called into the FMU directly and told them what the problem was and why it was a priority one and to get Team Jacobs and a vendor out to this location that afternoon. No FMU or Team Jacobs managers ever appeared that afternoon or the next day. The TJ vendor they sent arrived and proceeded to shovel out the area in search of the leak location in the pipe. When the location was discovered he turned to me and said I’m not qualified to work on any piping that size and I will have to contact my office and have them contact TJ’s office and tell them to send another vendor. Team Jacobs called me and said they could have a vendor out there sometime the next day, so I called the FMU and told them I was taking this project over. I then contacted the City of Pittsburg’s engineering department for water projects and asked for a local recommendation. Their engineer Sean came right over from his office and looked at the problem and the emergency of it and immediately called a local firm that pulled a journeyman off another project and sent him over to our location. Long story short the repair was made within one hour of the close of the court at 4PM, so we could work in the remaining daylight and be open for business the following morning on schedule. I told the contactor to give me a bill the next morning and that I would hand it directly to the AOC for payment. That’s the difference, no ownership or concern by the AOC or Team Jacobs management and their only concern was operating at their scheduled pace, no urgency necessary. My Pittsburg Court Administrator and the Supervising Judge knew that they would continue to do business as usual, only because I took it over. If this work requirement had been left to the AOC and TJ, it would have been at least one full day of court closure and many more gallons of water lost then another full day to cover the hole and provide cleanup. That is why the Trial Court Rights Act is necessary.
Michael Paul
February 27, 2011
This is where adding public contract code to the mix also helps. You can and are encouraged to use small businesses like those that can be found in your local neighborhood to bid on and work on projects.
The current system guarantees work to whomever is Team Jacobs preferred contractor, whom up to the middle of last year, might have been another unlicensed contractor and it certainly wasn’t ever put out to bid. It was just given to the preferred vendors at prices that were off the charts. When I was with the AOC, both ERS and IS were my technical construction customers.
Until the generator project in my own building where I was being told to use these unlicensed contractors, I did not use OCCM’s designated service providers because ERS and IS could not afford them. We usually did what the trial courts who are desperate to get things done and have no money burn did – we went outside of OCCM to get it done.
There is your proof positive that the AOC themselves doesn’t even believe that the service providers are reasonably priced. We worked around them whenever possible to complete our projects affordably.
antonatrail
February 27, 2011
The new CJ appears to have scuffed the legislators’ letter to remove Vickrey under her shoe. At least the letter is of record now. As events develop down the corroded road, it will stand. Anyone who has attempted to stand up against arrogant bureaucracy has learned, document, document, document.
judicialcouncilwatcher
February 28, 2011
Getting her recall campaign started might give her new religion.
SF Whistle
February 28, 2011
A recall of the CJ would actually be a recall of Ron George—Our CJ is a puppet—-installed to further the takeover and consolidaton of power launched by King George—
She inherited a broken, corrupt branch and has done nothing other than defend it—-
Michael Paul
March 2, 2011
Monday I had a nice discussion with Mr. Moran of the San Diego Union Tribune and I believe Jon Wintermeyer may have talked to him yesterday. Both Jon and I pointed him to this site.
I asked him if he was getting any unusual commentary to his stories. He indicated that it is unusual for people protesting the stories to nitpick one item and claim bias like they were doing on this story. I explained to him AOC pravda and gave him other news organizations that will verify they were beat up by AOC pravda.
I also contacted some contractors I know who’ve been screwed over by the AOC’s facilities contracting policies and procedures and gave them moran’s contact information.
Michael Paul
March 2, 2011
I also urged him to find a judge or CEO willing to go off the record and be a confidential source and back up what Jon and I are telling everyone.