unfunded pension liability Archives

Time to Restructure Failing BART System

October 13, 2020 4:30 pmOctober 14, 2020 12:46 pm

Of all the public agencies facing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, public transit has taken the biggest initial hit. The reasons for this are obvious: when there’s a lockdown and businesses are closed, commuters stay home....

How Much Do California’s City Workers Make?

July 22, 2020 2:05 amJuly 21, 2020 8:48 pm

With the economic shutdown devastating private sector employment in California, with small family owned businesses the worst hit, how are California’s public employees doing? A recent report by NPR paints a grim picture: “Cities Have Never Seen A Downturn Like...

Who Runs the City of Santa Ana, Anyway?

June 1, 2020 7:03 amJune 1, 2020 7:18 am

With rare exceptions, most cities in California are run by public sector unions. There is the appearance of democracy, with public employees accountable to elected officials, who in turn are accountable to voters, but appearances can be deceiving. Because political...

Pension Reform Waits for California Supreme Court

November 27, 2019 11:44 amNovember 27, 2019 11:44 am

“When local government has reached the point where it’s spending nearly as much on pensions as it spends on base salaries, you still can’t do much.” With markets fitfully advancing after a nearly two year pause, the need for pension reform...