What caused Willie Brown to see the light on public pensions?
In his column today in the Los Angeles Times (“Arnold Schwarzenegger hits the right note”), veteran Sacramento-watcher George Skelton gets Willie Brown to explain what caused him to come to the conclusion that public employee pensions have become a problem:
The second intriguing Schwarzenegger move is his stab, one final time, at scaling back state employee pensions. The governor said that state pension costs have risen 2,000% in the last decade while revenue has increased only 24%.
“We are about to get run over by a locomotive,” he said. “We can see the light coming at us.”
Last June, Schwarzenegger proposed that future pensions of new hires be scaled back to what they were before Gov. Gray Davis and the Democratic Legislature generously enhanced benefits in 1999. The governor still embraces that modest plan, which seems reasonable.
The prospective pensions of current employees would remain intact. “These pensions cannot be changed — either legally or morally,” the governor said Wednesday. “It is a done deal.”
If Democrats won’t listen to Schwarzenegger, they should at least pay attention to their icon: legendary Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.
In his weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, Brown wrote about the “out of control civil service.”
“The deal used to be that civil servants were paid less than private sector workers in exchange for an understanding that they had job security for life,” Brown asserted. “But we politicians — pushed by our friends in labor — gradually expanded pay and benefits . . . while keeping the job protections and layering on incredibly generous retirement packages. . . . This is politically unpopular and potentially even career suicide . . . but at some point, someone is going to have to get honest about the fact.”
Brown attended Schwarzenegger’s speech, sat in the Assembly balcony and was introduced by the governor. I asked him when he had concluded that public employee unions were out of control. After he became mayor of San Francisco, Brown said.
Read George Skelton’s entire column here.
We have no option other than reducing the pensions for FUTURE years of service for CURRENT (yes CURRENT) as well as NEW workers.
Otherwise anarchy is inevitable.
These Public Service Union Thugs Have Been Pulling The Same SH_T All Over The Country For Over 3 Decades !!! The Taxpayer Bank Is Broken !!! Somebody Is Going To Have To Tell The Unions; ” Mo Mas ” !!! The Elected Officials And Their Union Buddies Have Had A Good Time MILKING The Taxpayer For All These Years !!! That’s Over !!! Time For GIVEBACKS On Salaries And Benifits !!! Time For CLAWBACK On All Retirees !!!
“The prospective pensions of current employees would remain intact. “These pensions cannot be changed — either legally or morally,” the governor said Wednesday. “It is a done deal.””
And how does Arnie think he can improve things now if all what got him/CA into trouble is left standing …to me this is an absolute assine statement…it will be 30+ years before “this” works it way through the system…CA needs action now.
What about the taxpayers – they have ben legally and ethicaly screwed over.
Actually, the savings will come much sooner. Top officials predict half of public sector workers will retire within the next seven years, and labor costs for folks who replace them will drop dramatically.
True Marcia, but I still don’t want to pay for the pensions of these people whose unions bribed public officials for them.
Marcia, And the pension GROWTH during the years before they retire is not huge ?
I know you want to address changes incrementally, but many of us (also well versed in finance) know there isn’t time. The pensions for FUTURE years of service for CURRENT employees must also be reduced … NOW.
And while we’re at it, the retirees (ALL if them) should be paying AT LEAST 50% of their retiree healthcare cost (and proportionally MORE if they have served for less than 30 years). The taxpayers are REALLY getting tired of paying for pensions & benefits (of others) that THEY no longer get for themselves.
Let’s start with all the retired politicians (city / county / state / national) and bring their pensions in line with the enlisted military – and under 20 years service no pension. This would be a good reminder that they were supposed to uphold the Constitution, which most of they didn’t.