Pension votes in cities put pressure on Gov. Brown

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/7/12 | Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Political Writer

[SmithL]

After voters in San Jose and San Diego, two of California's largest cities, rolled back public employee pensions in Tuesday's election, pressure is mounting on Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature to take similar action to deal with financial crises that are crippling state and local governments.

But don't expect politicians in California to attack the collective bargaining rights of public unions as they did in Wisconsin, experts said Wednesday. The Democratic Party controls both houses of the California Legislature and all of the statewide offices, and left-leaning politicians have little incentive to crack down on labor unions that are among the party's major donors and suppliers of grassroots support.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who survived a recall vote Tuesday, "set out to cripple the political power of unions" by eliminating many of their collective bargaining rights, said Harley Shaiken, a UC Berkeley professor who specializes in labor issues. "That may have national significance, but that ... won't happen in California."

Still, Shaiken and others predict that other cash-strapped cities and counties in California will try to cut retirement benefits for public-service workers.

[SmithL]

The unions own the governor and the legislature. No significant changes will be made until the state bankrupts.

[SMARTY]

THEN, California will push to the head of the ‘bail out’ que!

Of course, if “O” is at the helm... the California bail out will make all others look like pocket change

[Mr. K]

keep the pressure up and California will have to turn GOP

[napscoordinator]

The simplest solution would be for private and public companies to get out of the retirement business all together. When a person starts their working life whether at 12, 14, 18 or 30, every 3 percent of their earnings should go into a self run account. By the time they are elderly, they should have enough to live on. Forget everything else. I would begin with the 2013 high school and college graduates. That is so simple that anyone can figure it out. I just completely figured out how to make this work and get us out of debt as well.

[houeto]

After voters in San Jose and San Diego, two of California's largest cities,

California's largest cities? Shoot, both of these cities are in the top 10 largest in the U.S.! This is a big deal.

[Foolsgold]

Moonbeam put in the public employee unions in his last go around as Jane Fonda’s friend and Linda Rhonstats lover.Grey Davis (recalled Gov) was his chief of Staff, Tom Hayden (SDS)was all over the place.

[hattend]

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