The Mechanics of Pension Reform – Local Actions

By John Moore
01/11/2016
Part 2 of 2… Introduction In Part One, I enumerated reforms needed at the state level. That list was in part plugging up the “cheats” used to run up the statewide pension deficit of about a trillion dollars. Employee unions control the state legislature, the attorney general, all executive offices and all retirement administrators; therefore...

TAGS: "California Rule", California pension reform, John Moore, Pacific Grove pension reform, pension reform

The Fall of Pacific Grove – The Immediate Future

By John Moore
11/10/2015
The Final Chapter, Part 4 of 4 The facts and law indicate that the lawyers defending the city in the POA pension reform law suit, directed by the city attorney, and supported by a city council majority, consciously and intentionally failed to uphold two legal ordinances which could have prevented the financial “Fall of Pacific...

TAGS: "California Rule", challenges to the "California Rule", John Moore, Pacific Grove and CalPERS, Pacific Grove city council, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove insolvency, Pacific Grove pension reform, pension contribution increases, The Fall of Pacific Grove, vested pension rights

The Fall of Pacific Grove – The Judge's Ruling

By John Moore
11/03/2015
The Final Chapter, Part 3 of 4 The parties to the law suit made final oral arguments, and on June 18, 2013, Judge Wills issued his Statement of Decision, setting forth his conclusions and the legal reasoning that led to his conclusions. First, he found that because the charter stated that the city council was...

TAGS: "California Rule", challenges to the "California Rule", John Moore, Pacific Grove and CalPERS, Pacific Grove city council, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove insolvency, Pacific Grove pension reform, pension contribution increases, The Fall of Pacific Grove, vested pension rights

The Fall of Pacific Grove – The City's Tepid Defense of the Vested Rights Lawsuit

By John Moore
10/27/2015
The Final Chapter, Part 2 of 4 In June of 2010, the City of Pacific Grove (City) received an initiative petition from a citizen’s group containing the requisite number of signatures. Thereafter the city adopted the petition as an ordinance. The ordinance limited the city’s obligation to pay for employee pensions for work not yet...

TAGS: "California Rule", challenges to the "California Rule", John Moore, Pacific Grove and CalPERS, Pacific Grove city council, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove insolvency, Pacific Grove pension reform, pension contribution increases, The Fall of Pacific Grove, vested pension rights

The Fall of Pacific Grove – A Primer on Vested Rights

By John Moore
10/20/2015
The Final Chapter, Part 1 of 4 Editor’s Note:  In early 2014 we published a eight part series, “The Fall of Pacific Grove,” written by retired attorney and Pacific Grove resident John Moore. It describes in detail how this small coastal city slid inexorably towards insolvency by yielding, again and again, year after year, to pressure...

TAGS: "California Rule", challenges to the "California Rule", John Moore, Pacific Grove and CalPERS, Pacific Grove city council, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove insolvency, Pacific Grove pension reform, pension contribution increases, The Fall of Pacific Grove, vested pension rights

Judge Quashes Pension Reform Initiative in Pacific Grove

By John Moore
06/30/2014
Monterey County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wills ruled on June 26th that the 2002 ordinance enhancing public-safety pensions was legally enacted, and therefore could not be voted on by the citizens of Pacific Grove. To put the decision in perspective, Judge Wills encouraged the citizens to Appeal his decision. His decision was based on his opinion...

TAGS: John Moore, Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove pension reform

Comparing Pension Reform in Pacific Grove vs. Bakersfield

By John Moore
05/21/2014
Editor’s note: Several times this year we have published in-depth investigative reports written by John Moore, a citizen activist living in Pacific Grove. This recent letter from Moore was addressed to the local newspapers serving Pacific Grove. Moore is unhappy with the coverage these newspapers have given the city of Pacific Grove’s pension crisis. The...

TAGS: CalPERS and Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove bankruptcy, Pacific Grove pension reform

The Fall of Pacific Grove – The Cover-Up by the City After the Hidden Actuarial Report Surfaced in 2009

By John Moore
02/18/2014
Part 7 of 7: How the City and Unions Covered Up the Illegal Pension Enhancements In 2009, through a series of public records requests, I discovered a document entitled “Contract Amendment Cost Analysis.” It was the document mandated by State Government Code Section 7507 (for the 2002 pension increase for the safety unions), which said:...

TAGS: CalPERS and Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove bankruptcy, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove pension reform, Public sector unions and Pacific Grove

The Fall of Pacific Grove – Privately Owned Real Property are the Only Assets to Pay for Pensions

By John Moore
02/11/2014
Part 6 of 7: Unions Will Seek Court Imposed Tax Increases Instead of Reform In a corporate bankruptcy, the judge can close down the business, sell the assets, and determine which creditors get paid. But in a municipal bankruptcy (MBK), a judge cannot force a city out of business. The city should come out of...

TAGS: CalPERS and Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove bankruptcy, Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove pension reform, Public sector unions and Pacific Grove

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California’s Literacy Crisis

For decades, teachers, parents, academics, scientists, and curriculum developers have been engaged in a pitched battle over the best methods to implement effective, comprehensive and practical reading instruction. This controversy, dubbed the “reading wars,” has had lifelong consequences for a generation of students who have been hostages and unwitting casualties of the war. Experts believe...

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