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
Proposed California Pension Reform Measure Could Save Billions
The controversial “Public Employee Pension Reform Act” – which would “reform the excessive pension benefits provided to current government employees” – would save billions over the long haul and give local governments more room to maneuver in tight fiscal times, … Continue reading
California’s State Workers Need to Give More
As lawmakers and the governor struggle to forge consensus on solutions to close California’s remaining $15.4 billion budget deficit, one thing is clear. Savings and sacrifices must be made in every area of state spending if we are going to … Continue reading
Retiree Health Care Costs: San Diego Cuts a Big Deal
San Diego expects to save $714 million over the next 25 years under a tentative retiree-health agreement with labor unions announced last week by Mayor Jerry Sanders, a step toward cutting a long-ignored public employee cost. Rising pension costs during … Continue reading
The Clock Is Running on Pension Reform in California
Self-styled “truth squads” visited Sacramento this past week to contest warnings that pension debts are squeezing the ability to pay for basic public services. Critics, according to Martha Penryn, a special-education teacher in Sacramento, “continue to spread myths and falsehoods … Continue reading
Dispelling the Public-Sector Salary Myth
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE unions often defend their members’ pricey pensions by claiming the benefits make up for salaries that are lower than those in the private sector. A study released Thursday undermines that rationale. In California, wages of state and local … Continue reading
San Diego Saves $323 Million on Retiree Health Care
The agreement would still leave an $800 million shortfall in promised benefits The city of San Diego’s leaders signed off on a tentative agreement Friday with labor unions that they say would shave $323 million off a $1.1 billion shortfall … Continue reading
New Contract for Menlo Park, California’s Police Sergeants Includes Retirement Age Increase for New Hires
Menlo Park’s eight police sergeants have agreed to a two-year contract that includes no pay bumps and slashes 100 hours of paid work from the schedules of four sergeants, according to a city memo released Thursday. Contracts for the sergeants, … Continue reading
AUDIO: California Pension Reformer Marcia Fritz Interviewed on Los Angeles Talk Show
Click Here to Listen to the Interview
Union Clamor Can’t Muffle the Need for Pension Reform in California
Union activists plan to march on the state Capitol and have launched a public relations blitz to convince the public that efforts to rein in out-of-control pension costs for public employees amount to an effort to demonize government workers. As … Continue reading
