'Golden handshake' foe says Assembly speaker stripped him of rules post

Sacramento Bee ^ | 3/26/8 | Jim Sanders

[SmithL]

Assemblyman Hector De La Torre said Tuesday that he was ousted as chairman of the powerful Rules Committee for challenging Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez's "golden handshake" offer to employees as a potential taxpayer ripoff.

De La Torre, D-South Gate, said he simply could not justify – despite Núñez's insistence – pension-sweetening offers to 222 employees, of whom 13 already qualify for pensions above $100,000 and an additional 12 for pensions of $70,000 to $99,999.

"I felt it wasn't good for taxpayers and didn't make sense in light of everything else that's going on with the budget," he said.

De La Torre said it appeared that Núñez was pushing the golden handshake offer as a form of gratitude – "icing on the cake" – for Assembly employees in the lame-duck leader's final months.

Steve Maviglio, Núñez's spokesman, declined to comment Tuesday.

"It is and always will be an internal caucus matter," he said of replacing De La Torre on the committee that oversees Assembly operations.

However, Maviglio defended the golden handshake proposal, which offers two years of additional service credit to Assembly employees who are 50 or older and have worked for the state at least five years.

"It was part of a cost-savings package that will help the Assembly reduce its expenditures by 10 percent," Maviglio said. "It's worked in the past and it should work again."

Jon Waldie, the Assembly's chief administrative officer, said his office had suggested the golden handshake plan to Núñez because it mirrored an incentive that was successful in 2003.

Waldie said the Assembly could save $2 million to $3 million if 40 employees accept the offer. Anyone who receives a golden handshake is not expected to be replaced for a period of three to 18 months, depending upon the job, Waldie said.

[TCats]

Just more evidence of one of the next financial debacles that will come out - Unfunded State and Local Gov’t pensions. As best I can tell most State and Local Gov’ts are between a rock and a hard place with non discretionary expenditures slated to rise far into the future while inflows are declining. Same for Medicare and SS.

[HeadOn]

How about a simple, “Thank you, but your services are no longer needed.” That would save a lot of money, too.

I understand being compassionate, and would not have a problem extending full salary for 60 to 90 days, while allowing access to computers, phones, etc. for purposes of allowing job searches.

[ridesthemiles]

Geeeez— you go to work for Kalifornia as a state employee at age 43 and work until you are 50, and you get a GOLDEN handshake.
Wonder how many Kalifornia taxpayers would like to talk to this politician about this kind of largesse???

This is another reason why the state is in such financial trouble.
The Legislature in Sacramento is sooooo out of control, and they don’t like the light of day on very many of their proposals.

[ridesthemiles]

The employees who take the “golden handshake” are not expected to be replaced for as long as 18 months?????

WTF??? Sounds like they aren’t needed in the first place. LAY THEM OFF!!!!!!! Another example of bloated village/city/county/state/federal government!!!!

My brother said once that if a taxpayer actually bought a copy of the budget money spent by any level of government and actually read it carefully, the taxpayers would revolt...