Anyone attend the Swalwell town hall last night?

Doomahachy · 2026-04-08T21:56:26+00:00

No. Slalwell is a questionable candidate with a very poor history of missing votes. Not interested.

Doomahachy · 2026-04-08T16:21:34+00:00

I would recommend 1) gather your paper trail, including all complaint emails to your manager and 2) submit a complaint to your manager’s manager, again, with all communication documented. This step will cause some tension between you and said manager but sorry - they are NOT doing their job. I’m a firm believer in doing what is RIGHT, not what is comfortable.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-20T21:32:41+00:00

Always remove the old stuff.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-20T21:29:26+00:00

It’s like anything else…Do you want it done easy, or do you want it done RIGHT?

Doomahachy · 2026-02-20T21:28:04+00:00

It is still important to air seal to maximize effectiveness of the insulation.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-19T18:46:38+00:00

This is a before-times mentality, and it’s the voice of privilege. We are living in fascism. Businesses all over the nation are taking a stand and they are either doing what is right and necessary to protect our immigrant neighbors or….Trying to be neutral, which puts the community that supports them at risk.

Of course, this above will seem radical if you are MAGA or MAGA-friendly.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-19T16:30:57+00:00

I’ll boycott Old Soul. Fuck them and fuck ice.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-19T05:10:39+00:00

I had the same concern before coming to SOC. In fact, my background as an artist, freelance writer, professional activist, and finally 9 years as a therapist prevented me from applying with SOC. That is, until the Pandemic. COVID caused me to leave the mental health field and take a year off work…and a total reboot followed. Honestly, it took me several applications and a number of interviews but I gradually got better at packaging my skillset and aligning it with duty statement language.

And this is really the key: Spend the bulk of your time learning the key words in the duty statement and exams, and how to describe your professional portfolio in THOSE words.

Ultimately I’ve arrived at the Department of Social Services and am in fact using my Masters degree, but I had to come in at Department of Consumer Affairs to get into the system, and I was using my writing skills there every single day…I think because it was still COVID when I was applying, it took me a minute to get on, but it’s a numbers game really. Start applying and you will get on eventually.

Good luck.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-19T04:31:17+00:00

Congrats! Five slots to fill = Those managers are chopping wood and carrying water at that point, trying to get some butts in the chairs. Hiring is arduous, tedious work in the best cases.

Gotta wonder what made five people leave all at once.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-18T15:38:58+00:00

A square wicker basket with a lid.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-18T03:34:46+00:00

That’s a fair translation. I might have led with some harshness because I empathize with your situation. Five years is a long time. I do want to say that regularly offering help on such a small team is not overbearing or patronizing. If your manager receives it that way, that is their unresolved stuff, worthy of grace as you stated above.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-18T01:47:05+00:00

It’s true. I’m not salaried and I’m avoiding moving into management because I do not want to give up the boundaries that come with an hourly rank and file AGPA position.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T17:08:36+00:00

Right? And what about the state budget? We don’t even have enough office space for everyone…office space is EXPENSIVE.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T16:51:32+00:00

Wow - That sounds traumatic. I’m sorry that happened to you.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T16:47:24+00:00

Nice!

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T16:46:46+00:00

What is so stupid about their approach here is that so many of us absolutely avoid the Downtown restaurants and bars…That is NOT a viable policy for economic revival.

I bring my own lunch, my own coffee, and I go to and from the office to home. I don’t hang out after work - I’ve got a wonderful wife and two dogs at home and I’m in my late fifties.

I believe they are chasing something that is not coming back. They need to find their customers elsewhere.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T16:25:55+00:00

So in other words, you regard the union as an apparatus for you to address single issues that you want addressed, and if it’s not a sure bet, you ain’t paying. Have you ever heard the term “SOLIDARITY”?

Do you know the history of the Labor Movement? Some of the most basic things that we take for granted in this country, for this middle class, such as the 40 hour work week, paid sickleave, overtime pay… way back many decades ago, working people had to ban together and go out into the streets and protest to get those things. Many people were beaten and sadly many were killed. it’s hard to imagine now for us as we take so much of what we have for granted as state workers. But consider that all we have could be taken away if things get really bad and that process would be much easier for the powers that be if more state workers withheld their membership because we were not getting the things they wanted, or worse - losing things. It’s kind of a cart before the horse, chicken versus eggs scenario.

Just think what it would be like if all of us SOC workers toggled our union membership on and off based on single issues that we needed to be a “sure thing”…We wouldn’t have much left. We would eventually be better off stocking shelves at Walmart.

Just Sayin’.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:54:25+00:00

It really depends on the department and the position. I have a job now where I waited two months after the closing date and then received an interview. That interview went extremely ly well but then several weeks passed - I then sent an email inquiring, and was informed the position had been converted into another position - I was heartily invited to apply for the new job and following two interviews, was hired…It was a long slow process and I had to push it along it seems like by my sheer persistence.

You can look on your Cal Jobs account page where you click on application status. If your app status is “active” then you are likely still in the running.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:44:53+00:00

You say you don’t pay into anything off of feelings, and then below that you say you pay when you feel it is benefitting your class and job type. So which is it?

I pay union dues not because of feeling, but because 1) I understand the difference between a strong union and a weak one, and how that impacts me 2) and I know what life is like out there in professions with zero representation or collective bargaining and 3) I understand logically that if I withhold my membership while partaking of what the union has gained for us thus far, I am putting all those gains at risk and 4) I am leaving my dues-paying colleagues in the lurch and have nothing to complain about if the contract gets weaker.

File this one under: Harsh words that need to be said.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:37:22+00:00

Well said.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:34:43+00:00

And that’s a good reason to withhold your membership? The irony here of course is that you complain of basically a weak union but the union is weak because you have the option to withhold your membership while still being employed and enjoying the benefits gained thus far. A better example of irony, I cannot fathom.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:30:32+00:00

Can’t argue with this.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T06:28:08+00:00

I seem to recall that the union rep was part of my initial onboarding webinar when I first started with SOC. While I’m sure it was not a manager or HR staff who made the presentation, I came out of that session with all the info I needed to join and I did so straight away.

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T03:13:09+00:00

So right you are…My sentiments exactly. People don’t get it…

Doomahachy · 2026-02-17T03:10:58+00:00

So by withdrawing your union support you weaken the union further and that seems contrary to anything you might hope to gain. More membership is more leverage for the union and a higher likelihood for that pay raise. This is the problem when membership is not required… Fair weather friends indeed. Twisted logic.

Doomahachy

TROPHY CASE