Blog purpose

This BLOG is for LLNL present and past employees, friends of LLNL and anyone impacted by the privatization of the Lab to express their opinions and expose the waste, wrongdoing and any kind of injustice against employees and taxpayers by LLNS/DOE/NNSA. The opinions stated are personal opinions. Therefore, The BLOG author may or may not agree with them before making the decision to post them. Comments not conforming to BLOG rules are deleted. Blog author serves as a moderator. For new topics or suggestions, email jlscoob5@gmail.com

Blog rules

  • Stay on topic.
  • No profanity, threatening language, pornography.
  • NO NAME CALLING.
  • No political debate.
  • Posts and comments are posted several times a day.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Bill Goldstein retiring

Livermore Lab Director Bill Goldstein announces retirement

https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2020/07/07/livermore-lab-director-bill-goldstein-announces-retirement

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rumor going around the lab that a 3 and 3 will be offered just before he leaves.
Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

Anonymous said...

7/10/2020 10:27 AM

False, this just does not make any sense. LLNL is hiring more people, why would the do this? I have not heard the rumor or anything like this.

As for Bill Goldstein he has got to be close to 65 and made some good money, he may want to return todo some research or simply move to another state, so I would not read too much into this. Unlike most of the recent LANL directors Bill Goldstein actually did real science and was known outside of the lab systems so I would guess he still wants to do some research and probably has options at various institutions to join.

Anonymous said...

Ah, the good old 3 and 3 rumor. Always looking back to the good old days. The last time LLNL had a buyout that good was 1993. All other buyouts were simply a lump sum cash incentive. The 2013 buyout was 1 week of pay for each year worked capped at 26 weeks. All the other buyouts between 1993 and 2013 were of similar nature. Nothing that juiced the retirement pay by adding age and service years.

Now consider TCP2 folks, nothing about age or service years applies, whatever you have in the nest egg is what you will get. At some point, and possibly it has happened already, the majority of the lab employees will be in the 401k plan.

And throw some logic at it, why would LLNS throw a bunch of monies to the working stiffs because the director bows out. It hasn't happened with any other director in either the UC or LLNS world. If anything, a golden parachute might fall from the sky in a change of contracts, but such manna from heaven doesn't go to the worker bees.

I too would have liked a 3 and 3. Them days is gone.

Anonymous said...

Moving to another state seems like a good move for anyone in CA.

Anonymous said...

Yes, “3+3” gets bantered about whenever there is disturbance in the force. Pigs cleared for takeoff on runway 27L.

Anonymous said...

I too would have liked a 3 and 3. Them days is gone.

7/10/2020 4:04 PM

3 and 3 is not going to happen. Could some kind of offer be coming..? who knows but I have heard nothing nor know of any reason why there would be any kind of offer like this.

Just another Anon said...

3 and 3 is not going to happen.


Because TCP 2 people can't be incentivized with this...?


Could some kind of offer be coming..?


Somebody upthread mentioned that something VSIP like wouldn't happen because "the lab was still hiring". Isn't the point of a separation incentive to get the more highly paid (usually older) to leave and bring cheaper younger personnel on board? Back in 2017 a 40K incentive was implemented for DOD for a while and floated for Federal organizations across the board. Never went anywhere but who knows as things get tighter financially for the FEDs.


Anonymous said...

Not going to happen. The dead wood is already gone. Getting rid of older, more knowledgeable people is eating your seed corn.

Anonymous said...

So how long until the lab conducts a open and fair nation-wide search for the best candidate and then selects an insider?

Anonymous said...

"So how long until the lab conducts a open and fair nation-wide search for the best candidate and then selects an insider?"

That statement reveals the truth of the matter. Of the 12 directors Livermore has had since it started, only Parney Albright was not promoted from within. I liked that guy, I believe he fought DOE/NNSA and was forced out.

Anonymous said...

"only Parney Albright was not promoted from within. I liked that guy, I believe he fought DOE/NNSA and was forced out."

It is easier to maintain a culture if you pick insiders for leadership positions. I believe Parney was a nice guy too.

Anonymous said...

How could there possible ever be layoffs at the labs with hiring and budgets increasing so rapidly? Even my friend who works at one of the labs easily got his Chinese-born wife a position that requires a high level of security clearance. By the way, there must be tons of Chinese and Taiwanese with recent US citizenship applying for positions at the labs. No problem because once you become a citizen you automatically are immune from any conflict. God bless America!

Anonymous said...

"How could there possible ever be layoffs at the labs with hiring and budgets increasing so rapidly?"

If budgets and hiring are flat or increasing across the board you have a good point. Are they though?

Anonymous said...

If budgets and hiring are flat or increasing across the board you have a good point. Are they though?

7/14/2020 8:47 AM

There is not going to be any incentive.

Anonymous said...

5:50 if you meant, “open” and “fair”, then the answer is about a microsecond. That practice has an interesting history. When Groves directed Oppenheimer to recruit a world class scientific staff, both men meant to do exactly that and did. After the war, even the leftovers and transplants were still world class by any reasonable standard. Consequently, for many years, hiring from within still ensured that your staff was among the best available. Unfortunately, as the original staff slowly died off, and second-rate replacements were found, the quality of both the scientific staff and science conducted became second rate too. Sadly, the now bad habit of promoting from within was still maintained. To add insult to injury, in recent years, the second-rate insiders were deliberately replaced by third-rate corporate bandits from Bechtel and elsewhere. We still promote from within. The results are predictable.

Anonymous said...

No one has mentioned Herr Director in my opinion bringing politics to the Lab? I do believe he has a good, but misguided heart. He is the first to do so (politics) as Parney seemed to try to insulate us from politics like the CR's? Again in my opinion it is clear Mr. Goldstein was pushing his SF Liberalism on us. I also noticed a small but interesting item, as his eyes would bulge out a little when he would address a Trump Policy like the Travel Ban.

The point is I believe (maybe I am biased) that this had something to do with his retirement as he looked like an unwilling retiree on his WebX?
Just sayin'

Anonymous said...

A buyout when the director leaves? I guess that would be better than performing seppuku to demonstrate loyalty to his lord by following him in retirement.

I retired in 2013, the contacts I've maintained at Livermore haven't informed me that the place has gone downhill since then. The budget and population of the place has significantly increase since then. Why the hope for a buyout?

Anonymous said...

The hemorrhaging national treasury means the budget increase is over, for awhile. Getting did of experienced and expensive staff is logical.

Anonymous said...

I heard PAD of op and business (which oversights hr, business op etc) retired too. something is going on..

Anonymous said...

UC Regent Charlene Zettel who heads LLNS and Craig Leasure UC Vice President for National Labs are leading UC's search for a new LLNL director.

https://www.llnl.gov/sites/www/files/2020-07/Zettel%20to%20LLNL%20Employees%202020%20FINALedit.pdf

https://www.ucop.edu/laboratory-management/index.html

Anonymous said...

Craig Leasure? Infamous carpetbagger gofer? you have got to be kidding!

Anonymous said...

This made me freak out. Craig Leasure?? UC VP?? Holy Crap! How did that happen? I retired a number of years ago from LANL, when Leasure was a gofur for Scott Gibbs, ADOPS. He was clueless about most everything, and showed it. His fawning over Gibbs (who was a that time a fairly good upper manager) was embarrassing. Wow. Just wow. What has happened to UC!

Anonymous said...

Well, if Craig is involved, you can get your bottom dollar it will be a charade.

Anonymous said...


Craig Leasure!!!!!?????

Not one of the best or brightest by a long shot. How this guy can even find the bathroom is beyond me. Another embarrassment for the labs and UC. I agree with 6.03 PM the only reason Craig would be on this is because he will do exactly as he is told to do by someone else. He survives by being a yes man. This whole thing is very sad.

Posts you viewed tbe most last 30 days