$458K California Transit District Exec Gets $1.2 Million Housing Loan
When we at The Watchdog learned that Will Kempton, CEO of the Orange County Transportation Authority, had a $75,000 housing loan built into his contract, we wondered why. Kempton’s total compensation is just shy of $384,000. Couldn’t he afford to … Continue reading
San Diego Has No Obligation to Provide Health Care Benefits to Workers Who Haven’t Yet Retired, Judge Rules
Ruling could affect San Diego labor negotiations to reduce $1.36 billion liability A Superior Court judge has ruled that the city of San Diego has no obligation to provide health care benefits to workers who haven’t yet retired, a key … Continue reading
Lawsuit Claims Prison Receiver Spiking CalPERS Pension
Peel away the legalese, and a 62-page lawsuit in Sacramento comes down to this accusation: Prison Receiver J. Clark Kelso — with help from a federal judge, the state court administrative system and CalPERS — is spiking his state pension … Continue reading
Orange County Judges Lobbying to Keep Their Cadillac Health Plans
When not in his courtroom, Orange County’s Presiding Judge Thomas Boris has been seen recently walking the fifth floor of the Hall of Administration lobbying county supervisors. His mission: To convince county supervisors that they should let him and the … Continue reading
California’s Prison Guards Make More Than Twice Their Counterparts in Texas
As California tries to close a $15.4 billion budget gap, state workers—who earn 25.2 percent more than their counterparts in Texas—face cuts California’s prison guards make more than twice their counterparts in Texas—$71,000 a year, compared with $31,000. That difference … Continue reading
California Led Nation in Pension Fund Losses
All state public pension funds lost money in 2009 as their stock and property investments tanked, a new Census Bureau report says, but California’s systems accounted for a huge share of the losses. The state has three major pension systems … Continue reading
Salinas, California Public Hospital President’s $4 Million Retirement Pay Spotlights Issue of ‘Supplemental’ Pensions
The president and CEO of a Salinas, Calif.-area public hospital district will receive nearly $4 million in retirement pay on top of his $150,000 annual pension. Such ‘supplemental’ pensions are one focus of criticism over the way public officials are … Continue reading
Will California’s Public Pension Funds Unite to Invest in Job Creation?
Using their massive investment funds to create jobs might be a way for embattled public pension systems to aid the struggling California economy, while also generating some sorely needed good publicity. Gov. Brown may propose a job-creating pension investment program, … Continue reading
The Public Pension Crisis Is Real, as Fates of Other Cities Show
With the interminable debate we’ve witnessed over pension reform during the last year, it’s sometimes easy to forget that this isn’t just another political shooting match over a characteristically trivial San Franciscan topic. (Dog parks, anyone?) Yet an article published … Continue reading
Los Angeles Unions Will Contribute 4% of Pay Toward Toward Retirement Health Benefits to Save Jobs
Los Angeles city workers voted to contribute 4 percent of their salaries toward retirement health benefits for the first time to avoid furloughs and job cuts. About 19,000 full- and part-time employees were eligible to cast ballots yesterday, and 80 … Continue reading
