California legislature approves pension reform

[Chris_]

California's legislature easily passed a pension reform measure on Friday that cuts some of the most generous public employee retirement benefits in the United States, but even many supporters of the plan called it only a first step in fixing a pension deficit that has been decades in the making.

The pension bill, unveiled by Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday after months of talks with fellow Democrats, will raise the retirement age and reduce benefits for new employees. It will also boost employee contributions and eliminate some practices that have led to exorbitant pensions for a relatively small number of workers.

The ability of a state government controlled by Democrats to defuse an issue that Republicans have seized on in Wisconsin and other states could have broader repercussions in the national debate over government fiscal policies.

Reuters


Wisconsin was all about political theater and class warfare. 

[ReaganForRushmore]

What will be the reactions of the Teachers Unions?

[DLR Pyro]

What will be the reactions of the Teachers Unions?

Manufactured outrage. This is nothing more than political Kabuki theater. The unions will express "outrage", then use these cuts as reasons why governor moonbeam's propositions up for vote this November to raise taxes on all Californians must pass. Sometime next year a backroom deal will be cut and the pension reform bill will be null and void. The unions will prevail.  The state of California will slip further into insolvency.  End of story.

[Kyle Ricky]

They did a Scott Walker? When are they having the recall election for Jerry Brown?

[Ballygrl]

Does DU know? will the left demand a recall?

[NHSparky]

Manufactured outrage. This is nothing more than political Kabuki theater. The unions will express "outrage", then use these cuts as reasons why governor moonbeam's propositions up for vote this November to raise taxes on all Californians must pass. Sometime next year a backroom deal will be cut and the pension reform bill will be null and void. The unions will prevail.  The state of California will slip further into insolvency.  End of story.

There's still a chance to escape, man.  Do it while you still can.

[obumazombie]

They did a Scott Walker? When are they having the recall election for Jerry Brown?

Excellent insight, how long should we hold our breath ?

[zeitgeist]

There's still a chance to escape, man.  Do it while you still can.

Any chance we can cede the [w]hole thing back to Mexico?  Wash our hands of the whole mess?  I mean last time I was there I think Spanglish was the state language. 

[DLR Pyro]

There's still a chance to escape, man.  Do it while you still can.

Its tempting Sparky but I was born and raised in So Cal, my family and livelihood is here. I'm holed up in conservative South Orange County til the bitter end.

[NHSparky]

Its tempting Sparky but I was born and raised in So Cal, my family and livelihood is here. I'm holed up in conservative South Orange County til the bitter end.

So was I, but lemme tell ya--you have no idea how happy you can be once you get OUT of SoCal.

Zeit can tell you the traffic on I-95 and the Spaulding up to the bridge sucks, but 1--it's only on holiday weekends, not EVERY. SINGLE. DAY., and 2--there are plenty of ways around it, and 3--quality of life actually MEANS something, it's not just a punchline.

Talk about SoCal's "but...but...but...where else can you be an hour from the beach or an hour from the mountains, etc?"  Uh, right here.

[zeitgeist]

So was I, but lemme tell ya--you have no idea how happy you can be once you get OUT of SoCal.

Zeit can tell you the traffic on I-95 and the Spaulding up to the bridge sucks, but 1--it's only on holiday weekends, not EVERY. SINGLE. DAY., and 2--there are plenty of ways around it, and 3--quality of life actually MEANS something, it's not just a punchline.

Talk about SoCal's "but...but...but...where else can you be an hour from the beach or an hour from the mountains, etc?"  Uh, right here.

WERD 

CA is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there year round.

[obumazombie]

I have seen some job listings in Ca in my vocation. Not going to apply.

[Mike220]

WERD 

CA is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there year round.

Fixed.

[Chris_]

If I want to go to the beach, I'll visit North Carolina.  That's the only reason I can think of going to California.

[DumbAss Tanker]

What will be the reactions of the Teachers Unions?

The operative phrase in that "Reform" coverage is "Relatively small numbers."  Sure, there will be reforms that apply system wide, but they will be rather modest and obvious things like raising the retirement age for everyone below some grandfathering threshold number, and actually having to contribute something for health care instead of getting a total free ride.  The only "Big" reforms will be changes to rules in CA (And many other states) that allow the retirement to vest over very short periods for some types of employees and officials, which have allowed a few people such as political appointees to step in and step out of the system but leave it with full lifetime retirement benefits after serving as little as a year in the system. 

[BlueStateSaint]

I know that Dandy Andy Cuomo got another retirement tier through, with the last CSEA/PEF contract.  There were some in PEF that wanted raises at all costs, even if it meant that some co-workers would lose their jobs (I was one who got his layoff notice twice).  The thing is, in the last PEF election, that faction won.  So, I don't know if I'll have a job past April of next year, when the layoff protection elapses.  My supervisor feels that we're as good as gone in April; but the No. 2 in our agency, who is a lot closer to the people who are "in the know," told me two weeks ago that we're actually ahead of our targets for cost/headcount reduction.  I tend to believe the second guy . . .

NYS is going to have to undergo a major shift for the power of the unions to be broken.  It may yet happen.  I don't think that Dandy Andy is going to do it.

[docstew]

There's still a chance to escape, man.  Do it while you still can.

I'm pretty sure you could transfer to Disney World. No income tax if Florida