“San Jose has plenty of company in the most populous U.S. state when it comes to pension politics. San Francisco voters, for instance, earlier this month backed Mayor Ed Lee’s plan for tackling the city’s rising pension costs and its goal of saving up to $1.3 billion over 10 years.
Lee’s plan will have city employees put more of their pay toward their pensions, an approach many other local governments across California have been adopting.
Reed’s plan would give current San Jose employees the option of putting more of their pay toward their pensions or accepting less generous retirement packages that preserve what they have already accrued.
By contrast, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is seeking a break from traditional pensions with plan for a ballot measure next June that would put new city workers, excluding police officers, into defined-contribution retirement plans similar to private-sector 401(k)s.”
Unless government, at all levels controls the sweetheart pension system negotiated by unions, cops, firefighters, libraries, parks and more, GONE. We can payoff the unions or we can have government services-not both.

Showdowns loom in California over public pensions
By Jim Christie, Reuters, 11/23/11
There’s no avoiding a ballot showdown over paring public employee pensions in California’s third-largest city, its mayor said on Wednesday.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed told Reuters by telephone he has enough backing from city council members to put his plan for cutting about $100 million a year in pension expenses over two decades to city voters next March.
The council is expected to vote on December 6 on advancing the plan to the ballot. That will involve declaring a fiscal emergency for Silicon Valley’s biggest city, whose unionized employees have been tangling with Reed’s administration over its plans to rein in rising pension costs.
Those costs have become a growing concern for local and state governments across the nation as they contend with lean revenues that opened massive budget gaps, requiring steep spending cuts for public services and putting tens of thousands of government workers in unemployment lines.
Reed said he also expects a landslide victory at the polls for his pension overhaul plan.
“It’ll be in front of voters in March and they will give us enough time to get it place to save money for the next fiscal year,” he said. “Anybody who’s done any polling knows it’s 70 percent ‘yes.’”
PENSION BATTLES SPREAD
San Jose has plenty of company in the most populous U.S. state when it comes to pension politics. San Francisco voters, for instance, earlier this month backed Mayor Ed Lee’s plan for tackling the city’s rising pension costs and its goal of saving up to $1.3 billion over 10 years.
Lee’s plan will have city employees put more of their pay toward their pensions, an approach many other local governments across California have been adopting.
Reed’s plan would give current San Jose employees the option of putting more of their pay toward their pensions or accepting less generous retirement packages that preserve what they have already accrued.
By contrast, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is seeking a break from traditional pensions with plan for a ballot measure next June that would put new city workers, excluding police officers, into defined-contribution retirement plans similar to private-sector 401(k)s.
Meanwhile, Riverside County officials have opted against ballot measures aimed at pensions.
As San Jose’s city council on Tuesday received a city manager’s report backing a ballot measure — to avoid, the report said, having to balance the city’s books by closing libraries and deeper cuts to police and fire department staffing levels — Riverside County imposed pension changes for roughly a third of its employees.
UNILATERAL ACTION
Riverside County now will give new non-safety employees less generous benefits and have existing non-safety employees pay 3 percent of salary toward their pensions. That will increase to 8 percent in the county’s 2013-2014 fiscal year.
The county’s non-safety employees pay 8 percent of salary to their pensions during their first five years of service. The county pays that share for the remainder of their careers.
The county’s action follows pension changes imposed on its management employees and sheriffs’ department and is aimed at helping close an expected $80 million budget gap, said Bob Buster, chairman of the county’s board of supervisors.
“We’re running out of time,” he said. “If we don’t get savings we could have significant layoffs … The walls have closed in on us.”
California’s pension politics are also playing out at the state level. Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has unveiled a plan for “hybrid” pensions combining traditional pensions, Social Security and 401(k)-like accounts. He also wants government workers to pay half the cost of pensions and would raise retirement ages for most new employees to 67 from 55.
Republicans are seeking to put a pension measure on the November 2012 ballot. They unveiled two measures and want to put the most promising one to voters. The measures have some features in common with Brown’s plan but would have public employees fund unfunded liabilities of their pension plans.
She asked him point blank, "Did you write this, or did someone else indite it for you?" The student immediately confessed. He had ordered the technique-written point from an online work-thesis charge. FreeDebtConsolidationQuotes.com
May 20, 2014 at 6:08 am
If you make any missteps the crowd will start to get suspicious and your suspicion-meter
will start to fill. Having one own car is the most attire thing ones dream about.
That’s how you get the ‘Wall-E’-style cubes of recycled car.
May 17, 2014 at 11:40 pm
If you make any missteps the crowd will start to get suspicious and your suspicion-meter will start to fill.
Being exposed to the moisture and poor conditions can erode this delicate equipment.
However there are many ways to pay funds for auto parts in which online is the most general source of buying.
May 17, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Those of the interesting information you always bring out the best that I know, thanks.
May 10, 2014 at 1:36 am
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the
future and it is time to be happy. I’ve learn this submit and if
I could I wish to recommend you some fascinating issues
or advice. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article.
I want to read even more issues about it!
May 3, 2014 at 8:00 pm
Excellent post! We will be linking to this great article on our
site. Keep up the good writing.
May 3, 2014 at 7:36 pm
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the finest sites online.
I will recommend this site!
May 3, 2014 at 7:25 pm
Hi friends, its fantastic article regarding teachingand entirely defined, keep it up all
the time.
May 3, 2014 at 6:51 pm
What’s up i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i
read this piece of writing i thought i could also make
comment due to this good post.
April 29, 2014 at 12:43 am
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is
the little changes that make the most important changes.
Many thanks for sharing!
April 28, 2014 at 2:27 am
whoah this weblog is fantastic i like reading your articles.
Keep up the great work! You recognize, many people are hunting round for this information, you could aid them greatly.
April 22, 2014 at 11:38 am
Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I
have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you have the
opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this page.
April 22, 2014 at 8:49 am
Nice blog right here! Additionally your site so much up fast!
What web host are you using? Can I am getting your affiliate
link for your host? I want my site loaded up
as quickly as yours lol
April 21, 2014 at 11:34 pm
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout
of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it
much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often.
Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?
Fantastic work!
April 20, 2014 at 6:16 am
Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of
volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on.
You have done a wonderful job!
April 19, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Very nice blog post. I definitely love this website.
Thanks!
April 19, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Asking questions are truly pleasant thing if you are not understanding anything completely, however this
post provides good understanding yet.
April 19, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Everything is very open with a precise clarification
of the challenges. It was really informative.
Your site is very useful. Many thanks for sharing!
April 19, 2014 at 3:03 pm
With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My blog has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either
authored myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is
popping it up all over the internet without
my agreement. Do you know any ways to help prevent content from being
ripped off? I’d genuinely appreciate it.
April 19, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Just desire to say your article is as astounding.
The clearness in your post is just great and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject.
Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep
up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable
work.
April 19, 2014 at 3:33 am
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for hemorrhoids home treatment
April 19, 2014 at 2:26 am
What’s up, yes this article is truly good and I have learned lot of
things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.
April 19, 2014 at 1:30 am
I hardly drop comments, but I browsed some remarks on this page Showdowns loom in CA over public pensions
as State and local gov
April 17, 2014 at 3:32 pm
Spot on with this write-up, I really believe this amazing site needs much
more attention. I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the
information!
April 17, 2014 at 3:05 pm
Everyone loves it whenever people come together and share thoughts.
Great blog, stick with it!
April 17, 2014 at 12:43 pm
Cash all the pensions out NOW!
Eliminate the Public Employees Pension system entirely.
Or…
Continue to feed Pension Money to an international cabal of foriegn banker Psychopaths, and fiduciary criminals.
Sociopaths, Malignants, Psychopaths, and Megalomaniacs…
Know their pathology, or be their victim.
May 31, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Mayor Sanders had absolutely nothing to do with S.D. City’s “pension reform”. 5th District Council-Member, Carl DeMaio designed, created ‘pension reform’ as part of the Future of our beautiful city for 5 years out. Now candidate for Mayor of San Diego - DeMaio has placed his “Road to Recovery” before the citizens. ‘Pension Reform was a separate measure qualified by city residents circulating as volunteers… the needed reform to be placed on the ballot. The citizen’s Referendum for ‘pension reform’ qualified for the June 5 Primary. The ‘greater number, union dominated city council made the decision, against the citizens of our City to move the ‘pension reform’ to November 6 costing citizens several millions of their dollars. The union dominated, employees and designated attorneys with administration attempted every possible quise to thrwart the citizens of San Diego. The Twarting arrived from the Unions through the seats bought with union money. Remember: In a closed-shop union government employee system wages are taxpayer money; dues are taxpayer money; administration receives tacxpayer money to use for attorneys and for 100% of ALL BENEFITS - member as dues and administrator with all substructure employees!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carl’s with the citizen’s complete support.. changes to the other kinds of reform mention in your article. Carl is the First — and Only Leader who not only wrote and designed an equitbale reduction in the union’s power and control over city government but also designed a way to continue to work together in ‘Open Competition’ with private sector business for the services. Carl is probably the ONLY candidate for any elected office from mosquito abatement to President of U.S. who is actually addressing recovery as inherent to “future” of the City. Carl has no intentions of going beyond Mayor. The office is not a stepping stone nor does he plan to hide behind anyone, or support with bias one interest over another as the road to status quo with Unions of his opposition “Filner” the partner of closed-shop Union power and control
January 19, 2012 at 3:18 pm
I say all CA citizens agree to a %50 state income tax increase to pay for the govt. employee’s salaries and pensions. We need to make sure that CA is not only Number 1 in taxes, but Number 1 to the 10th degree.
December 2, 2011 at 4:05 am
Until the elephant in the room is addressed (Police & Fire) the pension system will never become stable .I recommend that non sworn and all other public employees have their own seperate retirement plan like the teachers Calstrs. Police & Fire suck all the oxygen out of the room. They are the ones with 3% @ 50 & free medical. They use up all the funds whille everyone else suffers.
November 27, 2011 at 9:07 pm