No Let Up in Richman Attack on Retirement Security
Former Assemblyman Keith Richman failed as a candidate for statewide office. His two previous attacks on retirement security for firefighters, law enforcement personnel, and other public employees failed to even qualify for the ballot. Like an "Energizer Skunk," Richman keeps going and going. But his ideas still stink.
Even though his latest anti-public employee initiative initiative failed to get enough signatures, the termed-out politician has announced that, with "minor changes," he is refiling the initiatve and hopes to qualify it for the November ballot. Among other things, his punitive measure would:
- Roll back and cap retirement formulas. For public safety, it's 2.2% at 55. Some public employees would get as little as 1% for every year of employment.
- Effectively cap maximum benefits ... at 60-70% of salary for 30-years of putting your life on the line.
- Increase retirement age: Adds five years to minimum retirement age for firefighters and other public employees.
- Remove benefits from collective bargaining. Employers could impose further benefit cuts on new employees.
- Attack long-term employees. Pension based on average of highest five consecutive years' salary (currently one-year highest).
- Require voter approval on all benefit hikes.
"The pension commission appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger last year has come up with reasonable, balanced, bipartisan recommendations to insure that retirement benefits for public employees are adequately funded in the future," said CPF President Lou Paulson. "But instead of giving the governor and the legislature time to act on these recommendations, unreasonable partisan ideologues like Keith Richman would rather punish firefighters and other public employees than seek fair solutions."
Richman's backers in his latest assault on retirement security include Orange County's notorious supervisor John Moorlach and anti-tax zealots like Jon Coupal, Lew Uhler and Kris Hunt. They are advisors to Richman's bogus Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, which is funding this irresponsible initiative campaign.
"Polls continue to show that Californians do not want to take away hard-earned pension and health care benefits from firefighters, nurses, police and other public employees," Paulson said. "That's why CPF, along with the Californians for Health Care and Retirement Security (CHCRS) coalition, will continue to work hard to defeat Mr. Richman again. And if Richman tries to extend his anti-worker campaign beyond November, as he has promised, we'll be ready to beat him again."