Pension measures grab California voters' interest

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 10/26/10 | Heather Knight

[SmithL]

San Francisco voters aren't the only ones who will take up an incredibly contentious pension measure on election day. From the beach towns of Carlsbad and Pacific Grove to agricultural Bakersfield, from Redding up north to Riverside down south, Californians will decide about a dozen local pension initiatives - more than the state's voters have ever faced at once.

While San Francisco's Proposition B to require city employees to pay more for their pensions and health care benefits is getting the most attention, voters around the state are suddenly interested in what has long been considered an eye-glazing topic reserved for wonky budget analysts at City Hall.

"Arcane is in," said Barbara O'Connor, a former professor of political communications at California State University Sacramento, who added that voters don't trust politicians to rein in pension costs on their own.

"It's really about trying to take back government,"

. . .

Finding a target

Terry Brennand, senior government relations advocate for the state Service Employees International Union, said it's natural that during an economic downturn, politicians and voters will look for ways to cut spending, but he believes public employees have become the scapegoat unfairly.

. . .

A bellwether vote

Experts say that whatever happens this election - particularly in liberal, labor-friendly San Francisco - will determine whether more voters around the state and nation will face measures to curb pension costs.

"If public employee pension reform passes in San Francisco, it would pass anywhere in California,

[poobear]

Even the LA Times is onto the pension/pay debacle.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-salary-database-js,0,6202025.htmlstory

[napscoordinator]

I know people hate government workers, but before they start taking people’s pensions away (who worked for them by the way)...why not start by taking away WIC, welfare, food stamps, school lunches, medicaid, and other nonsense that is given away. Why punish the workers. Yes I know government workers don’t do crap (which I don’t believe). Plus the average government pension is around 2,000 dollars a month. I know that the focus is on those high ranking government officials who get six figures but the average government employee is not rich regardless of some here say.

[Plumres]

If those clowns in California vote for Brown and Boxer, I would sure hope the Federal government does not send them one cent in bail out for their crazy pensions that can never be made whole.

[qwertypie]

The voters will only be changing the formula for future pensions. If civil servants don’t like them, then they can quit. Many more people are right behind them who are equally competent.

Government salaries/compensation should be market-based, and should be raised or lowered depending upon the size of the waiting list; and not on some union standard.

[p. henry]

An attorney who worked for the San Diego City Attorney's office for 35 years is getting $134,000 per year in retirement and will do so for the rest of his life - with cost of living adjustments and retiree healthcare. My wife and I have worked a combined 60 years for major law firms, i.e. a lot harder than an assistant city attorney, have lived a prudent lifestyle, and have availed ourselves to the maximun extent of every defined contribution plan avaliable to us. We will not match this fellow in retirement income and will not receive retiree healthcare from our employer.

The retired head librarian of the City of San Diego is receiving more than $200,000 per year in retirement.

Most California Highway Patrolmen are retired by age 50 - frequently on a disability.

I urge you to research the recently reported retirement income of police officers and fire fighters in El Segundo.

The problem of excessive pension benefits for California public employees is NOT limited to "high ranking government officials," and it is a result of corruption - that is, the corruption that occurs when elected officials who determine pension benefits are effectively controlled by the political power of the public employee unions that Jerry Brown enabled when he was governor.

Ultimatley, the solution to this problem will lie in municipal bankruptcies and the initiative process. After we take back out country, we will take back our state.

[Libloather]

California Pension Promises Exceed 550% of State Tax Revenue by 2012; A Look at Solutions

[wiggen]

Unions around the state have agreed to furlough days, pay cuts and other concessions to help bridge budget deficits. Brennand said unions are not averse to pension changes, but that those should be made over the bargaining table, too - not at the ballot box.

“Rather than vilify public employees, we ought to be looking at them as the single largest partner in solving the fiscal crises at the state and local level,” he said.
Are they partners or are they the problem? Of course the union wants to be seen as a partner. Negotiate with a politician who will whip out the kneepads.

[wiggen]

There are teachers and many many others getting 50-80k a year plus benefits. You want to know why the average is around $2000 a month? Its because of people like my father getting half of that after retiring from the post office 25 years ago. The average is going jet up over the next few years.