Pension Reform – The San Jose Model

By Edward Ring
09/06/2017
Pension reform in San Jose began in June 2012 when voters, by a margin of 69% to 31%, approved Measure B. Despite overwhelming support from voters, however, this vote triggered a cascade of union funded lawsuits which by 2015 had overturned several of the key provisions of the reform measure. Finally, in August 2015, the...

TAGS: pension reform, San Jose pension reform

Pension Battle Shifts to San Jose, San Bernardino, Stockton

By Mike Shedlock
12/05/2013
Now that a federal judge in Michigan has properly ruled pension obligations are not sacrosanct (see Lesson for Union Dinosaurs) the spotlight is once again on union dinosaurs in California. Bankrupt San Bernardino foolishly did not attempt to shed pension obligations in bankruptcy, but perhaps it can now reconsider. What about Stockton and Vallejo? On April...

TAGS: defined benefit pensions, Public sector pensions, San Bernardino bankruptcy, San Jose pension reform, Stockton bankruptcy, Vallejo bankruptcy

California Pension Reformers Plan New State Ballot Initiative

By Steven Greenhut
07/18/2013
A statewide constitutional initiative planned for 2014 would tackle the biggest obstacle to meaningful pension reform: vested benefits. Right now, with certain exceptions, California municipalities may not reduce pension benefits for current employees—unlike in the private sector, where employers can change the terms of employees’ current pension plans, making them less generous. The courts have...

TAGS: BART strike, California pension reform, CalPERS, Pacific Grove pension reform, Public sector pensions, San Jose mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose pension reform