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On public employees who retire, then return to work while earning a pension

As a retired government employee, I'm shocked and embarrassed. This kind of rip-off makes all of us look bad. If there is "critical work" and nobody else can do it, then they shouldn't be collecting a pension while staying on the job.

I hope this doesn't turn people against pensions, which are disappearing from private employment. Pensions let people retire with security, which we know now 401(k)s do not, giving younger people more job and promotional opportunities.

And everyone with half a brain "games the system" to get as much money as possible. I actually don't blame the employees. The system must be changed to protect the taxpayers.

This is too much, a resident of The Crossings

Just because some top-level city retirees are "double-dipping" to augment their already high pensions, doesn't mean that all city employees are greedy. Again, the article is talking about department heads, most of whom have decades on the job.

What about the father who sweeps our streets and mows our parks to support his family? The young woman who puts herself through college because she loves children and wants to be a librarian? The folks who work hard to provide our elders with a top-rate Senior Center? Are these people greedy?

Compare our downtown area and our civic center with Sunnyvale, Cupertino, etc. Look at our parks — ever notice how quickly things get fixed? You do not get this quality of service unless you are willing to pay good people a good wage.

BeReal, a resident of Old Mountain View

If you're so worried about what we are paying our public employees, let's start with the police and fire employees. Their compensation and benefits package is blown way out of proportion and I guarantee you they are not working as hard as you think they are.

Why didn't any of you apply for and work in these jobs? Because you were too busy applying for the high-tech dot-com jobs, hoping to get stock and a big cash-out. Now who's the pig at the trough? At least public sector employees put in 30 years before getting a payout.

Yes, there needs to be reform because it's unsustainable. However, our entire country needs to be reformed. We have all been living beyond our means for years, so back off of the Mountain View folks and focus on the other problems we have to fix.

Hello?, a resident of another community

Oink, oink ... could this be why we have a budget crisis?

Mary, a resident of Cuernavaca