The Fall of Pacific Grove – Anti-Pension Reform Mayor Claims to Favor Reed Pension Reform

By John Moore

02/03/2014

Part 5 of 7: A New Reform Initiative is Proposed Mayor Chuck Reed of San Jose is a genuine pension reform advocate. He has been working on a state-wide pension reform initiative for the last year. On Oct. 15th, the proposed initiative was filed with the state attorney general. Pacific Grove’s Mayor, a dyed-in-the-wool anti-pension...

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 – Outsourcing of Safety Services Causes Increased Pension Deficits

By John Moore

01/28/2014

Part 4 of 7: How the Unions Control the City’s “Pension Subcommittee” In Pacific Grove (Pacific Grove), the employee unions rule. They have the full support of the city manager, the city attorney, and the council majority. True “collective bargaining” is a myth. The Pacific Grove Charter established a strong city manager form of city...

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 – CalPERS Begins Calling Deficits "Side Funds," Raises Annual Contributions

By John Moore

01/21/2014

Part 3 of 7: By 2005 Pension Costs Were Crippling the City In 1999, CalPERS represented to the state legislature that a 50% increase in pension benefits for safety unions would not result in increased costs. It based its opinion on its investment prowess. But by 2002, the tech bubble broke, and CalPERS began suffering...

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 – How City Thwarted Reform, and CalPERS Squandered Surpluses

By John Moore

01/14/2014

Part 2 of 7: City Attorney Kept Sponsors of Initiative from Participating in Defense of Initiative Part 2 of 7: In 1927, the City of Pacific Grove adopted a charter that reflects the principles of “home rule” and provides for local control of municipal affairs (California Constitution, Article XI, Section 3). That is why evidence...

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 – How it Began, and How City Officials Fought Reform

By John Moore

01/07/2014

Part 1 of 7: Pacific Grove is a quiet town of 15,000 residents located on the northern tip of the Monterey peninsula, with the larger resort town of Monterey to the east, and Pebble Beach to the west. With windswept white sand beaches, defiant stands of cypress growing out of surf splashed rocks, and one...

TAGS: Pacific Grove financial stress, Pacific Grove pension reform

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

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