Governor Endorses Bipartisan Pension Commission Findings
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to move away from the harsh attacks on firefighter retirement security that characterized his first two years in office.
The governor this week has announced he is supporting a series of bipartisan recommendations aimed at protecting public employee pension and retiree health benefits. The recommendations were proposed by his own Public Employee Benefits Commission, 12-member panel with labor and management representation that spent 2006 and 2007 reviewing the state's retirement system.
"Retirement benefits that have been promised to our valued public workforce must be provided, and in a way that will not negatively impact funding for other state services or pass the burden on to future generations," said Schwarzenegger. "I believe these recommendations provide a roadmap to accomplish these goals."
The centerpiece of the effort is for the state to begin pre-funding retiree health benefits. The governor wrote letters to both the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties, urging them to begin pre-funding as a way of guaranteeing that retiree health benefits are not denied those who have earned them. He also urged PERS, STRS and the County Retirement Systems to do what they can to implement pre-funding and other reforms proposed by the Commission.
Most importantly, the recommendations reaffirm the state's commitment to secure pension benefits for public employees.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE GOVERNOR'S PRESS RELEASE.