Litter, graffiti, gum, needles, vomit, poop.

Austin Bertucci has seen—and cleaned—it all and more working as San Luis Obispo’s “downtown ambassador” over the past few years. Donning a Downtown SLO cap, polo shirt, trash picker, and unflappable smile, Bertucci spends his weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. traversing Higuera, Marsh, and Monterey streets, his eyes peeled for something to clean up and someone to help out.

San Luis Obispo is hoping to wipe out its massive unfunded pension obligations by spending millions to pay down its costs over the next two decades.

The pension spending was a significant focus of the city’s $400 million two-year budget for 2019-21, which was approved by the City Council last week.

The city currently is saddled with about $150 million in unfunded pension liability, said City Manager Derek Johnson. Unfunded pension liability refers to the amount of money the city needs to cover pension costs for its retired and current city employees.

SLO has laid out an aggressive plan to pay down its liability over a 20-year versus a 30-year period.

Everybody wants their elected officials to be fiscally responsible, except when it comes to their own pet project or complaint.

I know this because I spent 15 years working in government behind the dais and got to see that firsthand. It takes real strength for an elected official to be fiscally responsible and do what is best for the community in the face of public pressure to do things that would provide instant gratification — a strength that we don’t always see in elected officials.