CFFR’s Marcia Fritz: Fix pensions and we won’t have to fire teachers
California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility President Marcia Fritz: California taxpayers would save billions of dollars that would flow to public schools, community colleges and universities if state and local public employees retired with benefits comparable to those provided to employees … Continue reading
CFFR’s Maria Fritz: Want to save schools? Fix pension systems
Marcia Fritz, a certified public accountant, is president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility. The recession deserves most – but not all – of the blame for the 1,200 layoff notices mailed to Sacramento area teachers this year. You … Continue reading
NY Times: California Teacher Pensions Fall Short of Other Public Workers
As states and cities debate whether benefits can or should be cut back for public workers, a new study suggests some of those workers have a lot more to fight for than others. The study found that public school teachers’ … Continue reading
Gates Says Benefits Costs Hit Schools
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates will step into the national debate over state budgets Thursday with a call for states to rethink their health care and pension systems, which he says stifle funding for public schools. Mr. Gates in an interview … Continue reading
Sacramento County’s Retirement Board Must Release Pension Data at Once
There is no excuse now. The 3rd District Court of Appeal has denied the Sacramento County employee retirement board’s petition for a rehearing of the court’s decision last month, ordering the board to make public the names and pension amounts … Continue reading
California Lifeguards in Hot Water Over Pay and Pensions
He could be working in any major Southern California hospital, with his master’s in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University and bachelor’s from UCLA. Instead, Kevin Selna, 33, chose a different public health setting: the beach. Selna, who patrols the coastline … Continue reading
Grand Jury Says Orange County, California Is Keeping Public in Dark on Salaries for Electeds, Department Heads
The County of Orange is leaving the public in the dark about how much its elected officials and top level employees earn and what extra perks are tacked on to their salaries, according to a recently released report by the … Continue reading
$3.9 Million Pension Paid to Salinas, California Hospital Exec Demands Sunshine
Pension payments such as the $3.9 million in supplemental funds to Samuel Downing, retired chief executive of the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, have touched off outrage among California legislators, editorial writers, and the public. But the amounts were approved … Continue reading
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Withholds Support for Pension-Reform Deal
On Tuesday, the public policy committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce invited Sean Elsbernd, a supervisor, in to talk about the pension reform plan that City Hall announced on May 24, after months of talks with union- and … Continue reading
California Cities Carry Out Pension Changes While Governor Is Still Negotiating
With little public comment and about 15 people in attendance, the City Council of Brea, California, voted unanimously last month to slash pensions for future hires and require current employees to pay as much as 4.5 percent of their salary … Continue reading
