By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 6B

By lowering its investment forecast by another quarter point, CalSTRS made a bow toward economic reality – but also may have complicated efforts to shore up its finances.

The teachers’ retirement board agreed Thursday to reduce CalSTRS’ official investment forecast to 7.5 percent, down from 7.75 percent. It was the second cut in 14 months, after the $144 billion fund left the forecast untouched for 15 years.

In a volatile investment climate, following a year in which CalSTRS’ portfolio earned just 2.3 percent, board members took their consultants’ advice and went with the lower number.

“I think it’s best that we be conservative,” said Terry McGuire, representing board member and state Controller John Chiang.

The board of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System voted 9-1 to reduce the forecast. The lone dissent came from Pedro Reyes of the Department of Finance. The higher forecast “is not unreasonable,” he argued. “Let’s stay where we are right now, (and) visit this in another year.”

By cutting investment projections, the board instantly ballooned CalSTRS’ funding gap – the estimated shortfall of assets available to meet the pension fund’s long-term needs. The gap will grow by nearly $6 billion, or roughly 10 percent.

That could create problems in the Legislature, which must OK changes in how CalSTRS is funded.

CalSTRS gets around $5.6 billion a year from the state, school districts and teachers. The pension fund had already calculated that it needed another $4 billion a year to eventually get healthy. With the lower investment forecast, those needs grow by another $500 million a year.

While CalSTRS is pushing for more money, many Republicans want to erase funding shortfalls for public pensions by reducing benefits. Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown wants to give newly hired employees a combination traditional pension and a 401(k)-style program.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/03/4235828/calstrs-gap-rises-as-return-forecast.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Gov. Jerry Brown laid out a detailed plan to alter California’s state and local public retirement systems on Thursday – and immediately drew fire from his core labor constituency.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 6B

CalSTRS is thinking of cutting its investment forecast for the second time in barely a year, a move that acknowledges the increased financial strain on the pension fund.

The teachers’ retirement board on Thursday will consider a recommendation from its actuarial consultant to cut the forecast by a quarter point, to 7.5 percent.

Read the rest of this entry »

Executive Editor Frank Pine
Created: 01/28/2012 06:06:04 AM PST

San Bernardino County’s Board of Supervisors asked county lawyers last week to draft language for a ballot measure that would give voters the final say on increases to pension benefits for public employees.

Supervisors Janice Rutherford, Gary Ovitt and Josie Gonzales voted yea with supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt and Neil Derry voting nay.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, January 30, 2012
By Ed Mendel

The nation’s two largest public pension funds last week reported slim annual investment earnings, CalPERS 1.1 percent and CalSTRS 2.3 percent, as experts continue to say hitting their long-term earnings target, 7.75 percent, will be difficult.

While CalPERS reported weak earnings in 2011, a prominent private-sector investment manager, Robert Arnott of Research Affiliates, told the board last week he thinks the most they can expect from stocks and bonds next decade is 4 percent.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Jerry Brown pledges to cut spiraling costs, but key parts of his rollback plan apply mainly to future workers. Activists want quicker action.

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
January 28, 2012

Reporting from Sacramento— Gilbert Robles retired as a state parole agent at age 53, able to collect a $101,195 annual pension — 94% of his final salary. Last year, six months after he retired, the Arcadia resident accepted a political appointment with the same agency that pays an additional six figures.

Scott Hallabrin took retirement as the top attorney for the state’s ethics agency on June 29, 2009. The next day, he went back to the same post, as he prepared to watch his pension checks roll in on top of a salary.

Read the rest of this entry »

San Bernardino County supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt, First District; Janice Rutherford, Second District; Neil Derry, Third District; Gary Ovitt, Fourth District; and Josie Gonzales, Fifth District (File photos)

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/25/2012 04:21:42 PM PST

A proposed initiative to make county supervisors’ jobs part-time would spell doom for residents desiring a stronger presence of government in their communities, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Josie Gonzales said Wednesday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Safety union announces push for part-time supervisors
January 25, 2012 10:31 AM
Natasha Lindstrom, Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO • On a split vote Tuesday morning, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors directed staff to draft a ballot measure that would require voter approval for any future pension increases for county employees.

A few hours later, the county Safety Employees’ Benefit Association announced it was funding an effort to reduce the Board of Supervisors to part-time status.

Read the rest of this entry »

Supervisor Josie Gonzales

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 24 January 2012 07:08 PM

San Bernardino County supervisors moved forward Tuesday with a proposal to require voter approval of future pension increases but face opposition from employee unions who quickly announced plans for a competing measure aimed at supervisors.

The board agreed to have county staff draft a ballot measure requiring voter approval before retirement benefits for county employees, legislative officers and elected officials could be increased. But final approval is not assured with supervisors split 3-2 on whether to consider the proposal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

Published: Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Whenever someone suggests that California’s public employee pension systems need reform, civil service unions react dismissively, often with attacks on the credentials or even the morals of critics.

Read the rest of this entry »

George Skelton

By George Skelton, Capitol Journal
January 23, 2012

It’s the norm in January: After the governor proposes a new budget and delivers his State of the State address, legislators slide into hibernation until spring.

Oh, there’s some rustling around in the dens — a few committee hearings, brief floor sessions — but no strenuous activity, no risk taking until May, when deadlines sprout and the governor revises his budget proposal.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel
Monday, January 23, 2012

A new advisory panel, following a move by CalPERS last year, recommends that public pensions take a small step that touches on a big issue: What happens if pension fund earnings fall below the forecast?

Read the rest of this entry »

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 20 January 2012 10:26 PM

Future retirement benefit increases for San Bernardino County employees could be decided by voters under a proposal that will go before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Public Money

BY: Girard Miller | January 5, 2012

One of my pet peeves in the ongoing debates over public pension reform is the way partisans on each side try to pitch half-truths and myths to support their arguments. The other side seldom believes any of these, but they help rally the allies on the speaker’s side. Sometimes the press naively re-circulates these fallacies, which leaves the general public even more confused about what to believe. There’s an old saying in politics that if you tell the same lie long enough, the public will eventually believe it — and that apparently is the mentality of lobbyists on both sides. In an effort to start the new year with a clean slate for public debate, I’d like to set the record straight on a dozen of the most glaring fallacies and silly slogans.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel
Tuesday, January 3, 2011

An official analysis of two public pension reform initiatives last week raised an issue quickly seized by opponents — a potential cost increase of $1 billion or more a year for state and local governments during the next two or three decades.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Legislature will consider unresolved budget and pension issues when members reconvene this week.

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times

January 2, 2012

Reporting from Sacramento—- When state lawmakers convene again Jan. 4, their plates will be filled with leftovers.

Their agenda is expected to be dominated by issues that have been unresolved in the last few years: state budget problems, pension reform, a new water supply system and legalizing poker on the Internet.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 31 December 2011 05:04 PM

Changes in public employee retirement were a hot-button issue in 2011 and will likely continue this year as a dominant policy debate at the state and local levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 29 December 2011 07:21 PM

Riverside County imposed pension changes on its largest union Thursday afternoon, a move that means 7,000 employees will begin paying more toward their own retirements starting next month.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel
Monday, December 26, 2011

Gov. Brown’s proposal to give new state and local government employees a hybrid retirement plan is part of a national trend, joined by Rhode Island last month and Utah last year.

A typical hybrid combines a smaller monthly pension, guaranteed for life, with a more risky and unpredictable 401(k)-style investment plan, whose value can rise and fall with the market.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jannise Johnson, Staff Writer
Created: 12/22/2011 05:33:53 PM PST

MONTCLAIR – The Montclair City Council decided 3 to 1 Wednesday night to require members of the Montclair Fire Fighters Association to continue their 6 percent individual contribution toward their retirement fund.

Negotiators for the city and the association (MFFA) had been at an impasse since February.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 – 11:00 a.m.

A stark contrast has emerged between San Bernardino County and neighboring Riverside this week.

A contrast in how each county deals with collective bargaining and budgeting.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 20 December 2011 08:50 PM

Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday warily approved a four-year deal with a union covering various lawyers, setting the stage for a larger face-off with the county’s largest union next year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Daniel Borenstein

By Daniel Borenstein
Staff columnist

California taxpayers should ask themselves, in the words of Clint Eastwood’s famous movie character, “Do I feel lucky?”

We’re not staring down the barrel of “Dirty Harry” Callahan’s gun wondering whether there’s a bullet in the chamber. Instead, we’re gambling our financial future on whether public pension fund investments will surpass reasonable expectations.

Read the rest of this entry »

The State Worker
Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers
December 13, 2011

California’s three largest pension systems have promised $500 billion beyond their current ability to make those payments to retirees, according to a study released to today by Stanford University Professor and former Democratic Assemblyman Joe Nation and a student researcher.

The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research issued the report, documenting what it claims is the state’s deepening pension crisis. California Common Sense, an organization dedicated to engaging the public in “data-driven discourse” is also behind the report.

Read the rest of this entry »

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 13, 2011 | 3:27 pm

The debate over pension reform in California reached a boiling point Tuesday.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer resigned from a pension advisory panel to protest a study it was affiliated with that called for reducing retirement benefits for current public employees and overhauling the boards that oversee the public pension systems.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 – 10:50 am

A majority of California voters support Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to dial back public employee pensions and a plurality think that state and local government retirements are “too generous,” according to a new Field Poll.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 1, 2011 | 4:15 pm

Gov. Jerry Brown stepped up Thursday to defend his proposed overhaul of the state’s public pension systems against criticism from legal experts and unions, telling lawmakers it would save money without running afoul of legal restrictions that protect retirement benefits for current employees.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
November 27, 2011, 10:54 p.m.

It’s business as usual at Santa Ana City Hall as residents trickle up to the counter to pay business fees, pick up a dog license or, in a newer wing next door, apply for a free solar permit.

But on the top floor of the eight-story concrete fortress, city officials in Orange County’s most labor-friendly city are doing the once unthinkable: demanding big benefit concessions from their employee unions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 11/24/2011 06:10:18 AM PST

The Golden State’s pension systems are fraught with areas of concern.

A report last year by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research said retirement funds for 2.6 million California teachers, state workers and university employees have long-term unfunded obligations totaling as much as $500 billion.

Read the rest of this entry »

Justice Marvin Baxter, pictured on Nov. 10, wrote for the court: “Under California law, a vested right to health benefits for retired county employees can be implied under certain circumstances from a county ordinance or resolution.” (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
November 21, 2011, 5:50 p.m.

Health benefits for government retirees may not be eliminated if state and local governments had clearly promised workers those benefits, the California Supreme Court ruled in an Orange County case Monday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, November 20, 2011 – 11:00 a.m.

One things for certain.

The sluggish stock market and record low interest rates has been and will continue to be a bad recipe for California government pension funds.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Riverside County group has a nearly $900,000 war chest as it strives to build clout and protect its retirement benefits

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 20 November 2011 08:19 PM

After a record year for political spending, the Riverside Sheriff’s Association is sitting on nearly $900,000 in cash as the 2012 elections approach.

The group likely will be a potent force, political experts say.

Read the rest of this entry »

Supervisors, managers and employees not represented by unions will pay 8 percent of their salaries toward retirement

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 15 November 2011 07:25 PM

Riverside County’s elected leaders and management will begin paying their own pension costs in a move designed to save money and show employees that they are willing to lead by example.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
November 16, 2011

A Los Angeles judge Tuesday ordered the release of all pension data for 50,000 Los Angeles County government retirees, rejecting arguments by union and retirement system attorneys that the records are confidential.

Read the rest of this entry »

The county board already favors contributing to their own pensions to save $14 million over 3 years

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 13 November 2011 08:20 PM

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday will take up a measure requiring all county elected officials and management to pay their own retirement contributions.

Supervisors earlier this month voted in favor of the concept but had yet to work out the details.

Read the rest of this entry »

George Skelton

But some believe the contracts clause doesn’t prevent the state from changing costly retirement plans.
By George Skelton Capitol Journal
November 14, 2011

From Sacramento– In Philadelphia, 224 years ago, some men tucked these words into the nation’s new Constitution: “No state shall … pass any … law impairing the obligation of contracts…”

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, November 14, 2011
By Ed Mendel

A key part of Gov. Brown’s 12-point pension plan, the only change quickly yielding sizable savings for struggling government employers, could have a serious legal problem.

Read the rest of this entry »

The firefighters’ union vows not to accept a pay cut and San Bernardino may impose its final offer

BY BRIAN ROKOS
STAFF WRITER
brokos@pe.com

Published: 11 November 2011 06:55 PM

San Bernardino and its firefighters are at a contract impasse after the union vowed not to accept a pay cut.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
Published: Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

The political Sturm und Drang over California’s public employee pensions, like all emotional debates, has tended to obscure the underlying facts of the issue.

Read the rest of this entry »

California Governor Jerry Brown holds a press conference in his Los Angeles office. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times / June 16, 2011)

By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
November 9, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento— Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to alter public pension benefits is courageous but legally dicey, and key pieces of it have not been fully developed, according to a new report from California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

After arguing last week that labor would be crazy to fight Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposals for pension reform, we invited Steve Maviglio, consultant to the union-backed Californians for Retirement Security, to respond to our brilliant, well-reasoned and responsible points. Here’s his offering.

By Steve Maviglio
Special to Calbuzz

At first glance, Gov. Jerry Brown’s 12-point package of pension reforms, released last week, looked like a deft political play, even winning over the usually sharp Calbuzz pundits.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011 – 11:00 pm | Page 3A

California’s budget runs chronic deficits, public pension systems are chronically underfunded and the fund that pays benefits to a million-plus unemployed workers is running huge deficits and dependent on federal loans.

The common thread is that politicians have endemically spent more – often much more – than underlying revenues can support.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

An oft-repeated cliché of political discourse – whose exact origin is unclear – goes something like this: “They didn’t see the light until we turned up the heat.”

Like many clichés, it has a valid core, and the California version is that the Legislature has tended to ignore a difficult issue until someone threatens to take it to the voters via an initiative ballot measure.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ed Mendel
Thursday, November 3, 2011

A pension reform group that filed two versions of an initiative yesterday faces two tests: raising $3 million to place the proposal on the November ballot next year, and a court battle over making current workers pay more for their pensions if the measure passes.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

State and local workers would pay more for their pensions under two ballot initiative proposals made public Wednesday.

The effort by a group calling itself California Pension Reform comes less than a week after Gov. Jerry Brown offered his own 12-point plan to dial back pension costs. Brown hopes to secure passage for his plan in the Legislature.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 2nd, 2011, 9:38 pm
Posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

With the public pension wars heading to a ballot box near you, it is worth noting that the number of California retirees earning more than $100,000 a year has skyrocketed 99 percent – in just two years.

Read the rest of this entry »

California Governor Jerry Brown

By Christopher Palmeri – Oct 30, 2011 9:01 PM PT

Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to raise the age when most public workers can retire with full benefits to 67, from 55, would put California in the company of just three other states.

Read the rest of this entry »

Created: 10/30/2011 07:01:21 PM PDT

California’s largest teachers union seems to be having reservations about a proposed “millionaire’s tax,” even as labor groups hash out strategies for next year’s elections.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Jerry Brown announces his public employee pension reform In October. His proposed overhaul of public pensions is a major step toward political reality. (Max Whittaker, Getty Images / October 30, 2011)

By George Skelton Capitol Journal
October 31, 2011, 2:42 a.m.

From Sacramento– Gov. Jerry Brown would be the first to admit that rolling out a 12-point pension reform plan is the easy part.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, October 31, 2011

Let’s stipulate that public employee pension costs are not the fundamental cause of California’s financial problems. We can even accept the argument from the union-backed Californians for Retirement Security that “the average public pension in California is $26,000-a-year,” that “three-quarters of CalPERS retirees collect $36,000 or less” and that “public pensions equal just 3% percent of California’s budget.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Columnist
Saturday, October 29, 2011

He was Oakland’s mayor for eight years and has lived there for more than a decade, but Gov. Jerry Brown has had nothing to say about the Occupy Oakland protests that have been roiling the city and attracting international attention.

Read the rest of this entry »

By JUDY LIN
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 8:39 am
Last Modified: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 5:45 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — San Francisco’s public pension system took a beating during the recession, which has left it carrying a hefty unfunded liability for its 26,000 current and 28,000 retired employees. The city’s pension obligation is growing by $100 million a year, leaving less funding for police and fire protection, park maintenance and health services for the needy.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

What about CalSTRS?

Despite two years of lobbying from the teachers’ retirement fund, a plan to shore up CalSTRS’ finances was missing from Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension reform proposal this week.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mac Taylor

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 27 October 2011 08:20 PM

California’s nonpartisan legislative analyst praised Gov. Jerry Brown’s pension plan Thursday and said it deserves consideration by the Legislature.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Created: 10/27/2011 03:54:21 PM PDT

Advocates of public employee pension reform are currently collecting petition signatures for three ballot initiatives that would significantly overhaul public pensions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Jerry Brown unveils his 12-point proposal to overhaul the state retirement system. (Max Whittaker / Getty Images / October 27, 2011)

By Anthony York and Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a sweeping overhaul of California pensions that would require public employees to pay more for their retirement and cut benefits for those hired in the future, setting the stage for a fierce battle with fellow Democrats and some of his main political supporters: unions representing government workers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Questions and answers about Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed changes to the state’s retirement system

By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011

What is Gov. Jerry Brown proposing?

Among other revisions, Brown wants to:

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

A few years ago, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s chief actuary gave what he assumed was a private briefing and described the huge system’s liabilities as “unsustainable.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Wes Woods II, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/26/2011 11:26:25 AM PDT

CLAREMONT – Police officers union members will immediately begin paying a 6 percent contribution to the California Public Employees Retirement System, joining other city unions.

Read the rest of this entry »

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
October 26, 2011 | 7:12 pm

Gov. Jerry Brown will unveil a 12-point plan to overhaul the state public retirement system Thursday, proposing a payout for new state workers that combines elements of traditional guaranteed government pensions with a 401(k)-style savings plan, according to people who were briefed on his plan.

Read the rest of this entry »

Brown

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 25, 2011

Gov. Jerry Brown will give lawmakers his plan for pension changes on Thursday, the governor said in a letter to legislators this afternoon, though it remains unclear what Brown will propose.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, October 20, 2011
By Ed Mendel

In a settlement of a wrongful firing, a suburban San Diego water district agreed six years later to put its former general counsel back on the payroll for one year at $222,000, with a leave of absence that left him free to take another job.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 – 7:55 am

California’s big public pension funds are already short tens of billions of dollars. An organization of accountants is about to make the picture look even worse.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, October 17, 2011
By Ed Mendel

SAN FRANCISCO — The nation’s two largest public pension systems last week asked for a delay in new accounting rules that will make pension debt more visible, a change intended to aid decision-makers that some think may alarm the public.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A

California government employees, fearing that lawmakers may soon shut down a controversial program that boosts their retirement payouts, have flooded the state’s largest pension system with inquiries and requests to purchase the benefit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Desrochers
Posted: 10/13/2011 09:23:49 AM PDT

I came across a document titled “Pension Reform Proposal” that was apparently handed out by 3rd Ward Councilman Tobin Brinker when he addressed the Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 21.

This document restates his unrelenting desire to continue his attack on the pensions of city employees, both general and safety. In it, Brinker discusses the 122 employees that earn over $100,000 and how the city can save $1 million by reducing their incomes another 9 percent, by forcing them to cut their personal budgets even more.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jon Fleischman

Posted by Jon Fleischman at 11:15 pm on Oct 13, 2011

Yesterday in Los Angeles at an event with famed philanthropist and felon Michael Milken, Governor Jerry Brown said that he would soon be releasing details of his own pension reform plan, adding that his proposal will include a constitutional amendment and by necessity be put in front of the voters for approval. This comes on the same day that legislative leaders announce the formation of a special committee to review the issue of reforms to the public employee pension system. It is worth noting that the six-member legislative committee that has now been magically formed is stacked with four pro-union votes, thus guaranteeing that no policy recommendations will come from the committee that are not signed off on by the bosses at California Teachers Association, the Service Employees International Union, et.al.

Read the rest of this entry »

Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
October 13, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS – Gov. Jerry Brown said this afternoon that he will propose pension changes requiring a constitutional amendment and a public vote, though he declined to discuss them in any detail.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 – 10:00 a.m.

It’s been no secret that someone has wanted San Bernardino County Supervisors Neil Derry and Brad Mitzelfelt gone.

Now it’s crystal clear.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wes Woods II, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/10/2011 03:49:36 PM PDT

CLAREMONT — The City Council is expected tonight to approve spending some money up front on retirement incentives to save money over the long haul.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, October 10, 2011
By Ed Mendel

Unions and management in San Jose have bargaining proposals aimed at making a rare triple play in public pension reform — big cost cuts, done quickly and without a legal battle.

Current workers would be given the option of switching to lower pensions.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Liset Márquez, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Created: 10/05/2011 10:45:44 AM PDT

MONTCLAIR — Executive and department managers have agreed to permanently contribute to their pension benefits to help the city deal with a long-term shortfall in its bond payments.

In the past, the city has contributed to the employees’ pension benefits.

Read the rest of this entry »

Riverside County supervisors debated pension changes on Tuesday.
BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 04 October 2011 09:55 PM

Riverside County supervisors said Tuesday that county employees must start contributing more toward their own retirements, a move that would translate into immediate, long-term savings for the cash-strapped county.

Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, October 3, 2011
By Ed Mendel

As state and local governments in California face soaring public pension costs, unions insist that cost-cutting changes must be bargained, not imposed by legislation.

But there is one major exception: schools.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, September 29, 2011

BY DAVID DANELSKI
STAFF WRITER
ddanelski@pe.com

A judge ruled Thursday that the San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association must reimburse The Press-Enterprise for attorney fees incurred during a dispute over public pension records the agency sought to withhold.

Read the rest of this entry »