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Welcome

That approaching wave of pension debt is a lot bigger than it looks. The purpose of this site is to provide an overview of the multiple pension crises that are about to drown America's taxpayers. Our primary focus is on California, but we also track other states, corporate pensions, social security and international trends.

Latest Newsclips     last updated February 8 9:12pm PST

The complete text of these articles was e-mailed to subscribers.

February 8, 2010

• California's Local Governments Struggle as Public Pension Costs Soar (Larry Parsons / Monterey County Herald)
• Stop Blaming and Fix Contra Costa County's Pension Rules (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• CalPERS 'Retirement Dialogue' Conference This Friday in Los Angeles (blog - CaliforniaPensionReform.com)
• Escalating Pension Costs Contribute to Santa Barbara County's Widening Budget Hole (Sam Womack / Lompoc Record)
• California Sheriff Takes Home $640,000 a Year; Automatic Raises in SF; Oregon Pension Board Buries Head in Sand (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Trends)
• Oregon's Leaders Shrug as Public Pension Crisis Looms (editorial - The Oregonian)
• Pennsylvania Officials Mull Looming Crisis in Government Pension Funding (Tony Romeo / Kyw Newsradio)
• Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska Proposes Trash Tax to Cover $500 Million Shortfall in Police and Fire Pension Fund (Kerri Stowell / Action 3 News)
• Connecticut Should Look at Public Sector Employee Benefits for Savings (editorial - Easton Courier)
• Tax Increases Can't Plausibly Address the Coming Entitlement Crisis (op-ed - R. Glenn Hubbard / Wall Street Journal)
• Pension Reform Can't Wait for Canada's Economy to Improve (Craig Mcinnes / Vancouver Sun)
• PENSION PULSE: Another Freaky Friday? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

February 7, 2010

• California Highway Patrol Leading the Way on Pension Reform: A Small Step, But an Important One (blog - Paul Hatfield / Village to Village)
• CalPERS Needs to Get Honest With Its Facts (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• CalSTRS Expects Rate-Hike Tussle in Legislature Amid CalPERS' Woes (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Don't Look Now, But the Social Security Crisis Just Started (Allan Sloan / Fortune)
• Los Angeles City Pensions Since ERIP: The Facts, The Figures, The List (Ron Kaye / OurLA.org)
• Service Cuts, Tax Hikes Not the Only Options for California's Hurting Cities (editorial -Union-Tribune)
• Pension Hikes to Hit Taxpayers in Rialto, California (editorial - San Bernardino County Sun)
• '3 at 50' Plan Could Triple Rialto, California's Unfunded Pension Liability (Josh Dulaney / San Bernardino County Sun)
• Study of San Diego's Controversial DROP Pension Program Never Done (editorial - Union-Tribune)
• Scaling Back California's Unsustainable Public Pension Plans a Needed Step (editorial - San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
• Riverside County, California's Supervisors OK Early Retirement Program (Erica Felci / Desert Sun)
• Furlough Fever: Are Four-Day Workweeks the Beginning of a Permanent Trend? (column - Girard Miller / Governing Magazine)
• STUDY: State Pension Funds Fall Off a Cliff (American Legislative Exchange Council)
• The US Is Crashing and Burning, California Style (blog - James Hudnall / Big Journalism)
• Redefining Public Pension Benefits -- A National Trend (blog - Vanessa Allen / Milwaukee Public Policy Forum)
• New Jersey's Governor, Lawmakers Propose Sweeping Pension, Health Care Changes for Public Employees (Claire Heininger / Star-Ledger)
• Bipartisanship Is the Problem on New Jersey's Pension Reform (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Legislation Would Replace the Utah's Employee Pension System for Future State Workers (Robert Gehrke / Salt Lake Tribune)
• Bill to End Public Employee Defined Benefit Plans Under Consideration in Utah (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysiis)
• Thousands of Public Employees Rally at Utah's State Capitol to Protest Pension Reform Bills (with video - Sarah Dallof / KSL-TV)
• Pension Liabilities Weigh on Big 3 Automakers (David Shepardson / Detroit News)
• SPECIAL SUPER BOWL SUNDAY FEATURE: Pro Sports Don't Merit Public Funds (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)

February 5, 2010

• Bankrupt Vallejo, California Cuts Retiree Health Benefits But Not Pensions (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Initiative Drive Launched in Menlo Park, California to Cut City Pension Costs (Sean Howell / The Almanac)
• Forget Greece -- California Bond Spreads Have Soared Back to Crisis Levels (Vincent Fernando / Business Insider)
• Orange County Backtracks, Releases Deputy Sheriffs' Pension Deal Numbers (Jennifer Muir / Orange County Register)
• San Francisco's Pension System Bleeds Green (Melissa Griffin / San Francisco Examiner)
• Will San Francisco Manage to LOSE Money on Pension 'Reform'? (Joe Eskenazi / San Francisco Weekly)
• Reduced Pensions Proposed for New Bakersfield, California City Workers (KGET-TV)
• San Diego Will Put DROP Retirement Program to the Test (Helen Gao / Union-Tribune)
• New York's Teacher Pension Fund Lost $9 Billion Last Year While Costs Rose (blog - Kim Gittleson / Gotham Schools)
• Palos Park, Illinois Voters Defeat Police Pensions Tax Hike for Second Time by 67% ( Kevin Olsen / Regional News)
• Kansas Delays Payment to State's Pension Fund (Associated Press / NTV)
• Pension-Exchanges for IRAs and 401(k)s Would Strengthen President's Initiatives (column - Girard Miller / Governing Magazine)
• Department of Labor, Treasury Department Seek Public Comments on Annuities (Lydell C. Bridgeford / Employee Benefit News)
• How to Submit Public Comments on Annuities to the Department of Labor
• PENSION PULSE: Jobs Market Recovery Now Underway? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

February 4, 2010

• Voters in Bakersfield, California May Get to Reduce Pension Benefits for New City Employees (Gretchen Wenner / Bakersfield Californian)
• Mendocino County, California's Pension Debt Is a Serious Problem (op-ed - Ted Stephens, Wendy Pollitz, Antonio Andrade / Ukiah Daily Journal)
• Orange County, California Keeps Public in the Dark About Deputy Union's Pension Deal (Jennifer Muir / Orange County Register)
• Orange County Deputy Sheriffs' Union Could Still Win, Despite Spending $100,000 on Losing Candidate in Mission Viejo Recall (editorial - Orange County
• AWOL Candidates: How Would Brown, Whitman Handle Californa's Unaffordable Pension Benefits? Who Knows? (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Lompoc, California's Future Budgets Will Be Affected By Increased CalPERS Payments (Bo Poertner / Santa Maria Times)
• Nevada's Governor Seeks to Cancel Collective Bargaining With Schools Because the State Is Broke (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Economic Trends)
• PENSION PULSE: Wither Deflation? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

February 3, 2010

• CNN Covers Public Pension Crisis Plaguing Cities and States (video - CNN / CaliforniaPensionReform.com)
• Sparks Fly at CalPERS Forum Regarding the Cost of California's Public Pensions (Dale Kasler and Jon Ortiz / Fresno Bee)
• CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Members in Irvine, Huntington Beach and Garden Grove Schools (Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit the CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Searchable Database (CaliforniaPensionReform.com)
• Mayor of Mission Viejo, California Recalled By 118 Votes Despite Heavy Union Support (blog - Larry Gilbert / Orange Juice)
• Davis, California Gambles It Can Achieve Pension Reform Outside of Collective Bargaining Process (David Greenwald / Davis Vanguard)
• Six Elected Officials in Shasta County, California Will Begin Paying Into Their Pensions ( Amanda Winters / Redding Record Searchlight)
• Progressives Should Care About Pension Reform in San Francisco (op-ed - Jeff Adachi / Bay Guardian)
• Pennsylvania's Public School Employees Retirement System Faces a Pension Time Bomb (op-ed - R. Paul Baumgartner / The Reporter)
• 90% of Voters in Lake Forest, Illinois Pass Pension Advisory Referendum (Linda Blaser / Lake Forester)
• 86% of Voters in Barrington, Illinois Back Pension Reform Question (Eric Peterson / Daily Herald)
• Teachers' Unions, Along With Police and Firefighters, Are Adept at Spreading Fear (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Spain to Slash Pension Entitlement and Increase Retirement Age in Bid to Cut Deficit (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)
• PENSION PULSE: Global Pension Assets Hit $23 Trillion Mark (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

February 2, 2010

• California's Democrats Must Bend on Pay, Pension Concessions or Risk Taxpayer Backlash (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• Sweeping Reforms Needed for CalSTRS (editorial - Riverside Press-Enterprise)
• CalPERS Still Mired in Denial (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Is CalPERS' Projected Rate of Return Realistic? (blog - Edward Ring / CIV FI)
• Is Metropolitan Water District Trying to Avoid Public Scrutiny on Pay and Pension Negotiations? (Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• San Luis Obispo County's Top Two Sheriff Officials Are Double- and Triple-Dippers (Karen Velie / Cal Coast News)
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Leaders Confer on City's $600 Million Pension Problem (Rich Lord / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Bills Target New Hampshire's State Retirement System Costs (Robert M. Cook / Foster's Daily Democrat)
• Chicago Civic Group Launches New Website to Promote Pension Reform in Illinois (Steve Contorno / Chicago Sun-Times)
• PENSION PULSE: Pensions Filling the Infrastructure Gap? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

February 1, 2010

• Sparks Fly at CalPERS Forum on Public Pension Costs (Dale Kasler and Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• California's Elected Officials Must Educate Themselves About Pensions (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• San Francisco Must Confront Its Pension Debt (op-ed - Jeff Adachi and Alex Gersznowicz / San Francisco Chronicle)
• California Highway Patrol Union Exec Considers Lower Pensions for New Hires (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Declaring Independence From Unresponsive Government (op-ed - John Liscano / Napa Valley Register)
• CalSTRS Is $43 Billion Short (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club in Fullerton, Fountain Valley Schools (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit the CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Searchable Database (CaliforniaPensionReform.com)
• San Diego Mayor Says Bankruptcy Is Not an Option for City (op-ed - Jerry Sanders / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The Pension Scandal and Accountability at San Diego City Hall (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Prison Guards' Union Adds Insult to Injury As It Stiffs Taxpayers for $4 Million (column - Steven Greenhut / Orange County Register)
• CalPERS Sets Open-Door Policy for Pitches (Marc Lifsher and Stuart Pfeifer / Los Angeles Times)
• New York School Districts Face Higher Pension Payments ( Jenny Lee-Adrian / Poughkeepsie Journal)
• Massive Public Employee Layoffs Coming in New York City, California, Colorado, Everywhere (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Econonic Analysis)
• Colorado Springs Cuts Services as Pension and Health Care Costs for City Employees Soar (Michael Booth / Denver Post)
• Pensions Contribute to Financial Meltdown in Miami, Florida (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• New Mexico Public Employees Protest Against 2% Pay Cut (with video - Crystal Gutierrez / KQRE-TV)
• PENSION PULSE: Pensions Regain Faith in Hedge Funds? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 29, 2010

• 78% of California Voters View Public Pension Costs as a Problem According to a New Poll (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• READ the PPIC Poll; Pension Data is on Page 22 (pdf - Public Policy Institute of California)
• CalPERS, CalSTRS Funding Levels Plunge (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• California's Legislative Analyst Backs Governor's Plan to Cut California State Workers' Pay (Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• California Teachers’ Pension Fund $42 Billion in the Hole (blog - Travis Kiger / Friends for Fullerton's Future)
• Could California Really Default? (column - Steven Malanga / Real Clear Markets)
• Menlo Park, California Group Takes Step Toward Putting Pension Reform Initiative on November Ballot (Jessica Bernstein-Wax / Mercury News)
• Merced County, California Discontinues 5% Pay Bump for Departing Managers Who Give a Year's Advance Notice (Danielle Gaines / Merced Sun-Star)
• Pension Crisis Is Number One Problem Facing Atlanta, Georgia, Says Mayor (with audio - Charles Edwards / WABE Radio)
• Chicago Business Group Steps Up Drive to Limit Illinois State Pensions (blog - Greg Hinz / Chicago Business)
• Pensions to Be Reduced Monday by Up to 70% for Delphi Salaried Retirees (David Shepardson / Detroit News)
• PENSION PULSE: Pensions Look to Leverage Up? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 28, 2010

• CalSTRS Underfunded by $42.6 Billion (Randy Diamond / Pensions & Investments - Free Registration Required)
• California's Government Agencies Have No Choice But to Target Public Employees' Pay and Pensions (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Riverside County, California Supervisors OK Early Retirement Program (Erica Felci / Desert Sun)
• Critical Vote Today for San Francisco Pension Reform (San Francisco Chronicle)
• CalSTRS' Chief Travels to Swiss Conference (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• California May Sue Prison Guards' Union to Recover $4 Million in Pay and Pension Reimbursements (Steven Greenhut / CalWatchdog.com)
• Cocoa, Florida Wrestles With $13.5 Million Pension Fund Deficit (Keyonna Summers / Florida Today)
• Wanted: Politicians Who'll Challenge Illinois' Public Employee Unions and Their Pensions (column - Dennis Byrne / Chicago Tribune)
• Colorado Lawmakers Approve State Pension Fund Rescue Plan (Steven Paulson / Forbes)
• PENSION PULSE: Private Equity to Gain from New Glass-Steagall? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 27, 2010

• How Public Servants Became Our Masters (cover story - Steven Greenhut / Reason Magazine)
• California's 2000% Pension Spike (blog - Matt Welch / Reason)
• Most US Union Members Now Work for the Government, New Data Shows (Steven Greenhouse / New York Times)
• CalPERS Retirement Forum This Friday to Feature Pension Change Advocate (blog - Jon Ortiz/ Sacramento Bee)
• San Diego's Public Pension Crisis Explained (video - NBC-TV / California Pension Reform)
• More Orange County Members of the CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Published (Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit the CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Searchable Database (California Pension Reform)
• El Dorado Irrigation District to Raise Water Rates 80% to Pay for Pension Increases (audio editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• Riverside County, California to Offer Early Retirement Incentive to 3,500 Despite $600 Million Pension Liability (Duane Gang / Press-Enterprise
• PENSION PULSE: Get Ready for More Upward Growth Revisions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 26, 2010

• California Reform Group Tilting at Pension Reform (Anthony Pignataro / CalWatchdog.com)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: CalPERS and the California Budget (D. Barstow / CalWatchdog.com)
• Five in San Diego Pension Board Case Have Charges Dismissed by State Supreme Court, But One Case Can Proceed (Greg Moran / Union-Tribune)
• Schwarzenegger Angles for Pension Reform in His Final Year As Governor (with audio - Julie Small / KPCC Radio)
• California’s Public Employee Pension Problem (blog - Jonathan H. Adler / The Volokh Conspiracy)
• CalPERS' Takes Half-Billion Dollar Loss on New York Real Estate Deal (blog - Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• New Jersey Senate Democrats Promise Pension Reforms to Deal With $34 Billion Undfunded Liability (Angela Delli Santi / BusinessWeek)
• Massachusetts Governor Taking Another Whack at a Pension Reform (Donovan Slack / Boston Globe)
• French President Promises Pension Reform This Year (Crispian Balmer / Reuters)
• PENSION PULSE: New Focus at Quebec's Public Pension Fund? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 25, 2010

• California Gov. Schwarzenegger's Budget Plan Puts Unions in the Cross-Hairs (Shane Goldmacher / Los Angeles Times)
• Public Employee Unions and Their Pensions Are Sinking California (op-ed - Steven Greenhut / Wall Street Journal)
• Public Pension Costs Hit California's Big-City Budgets: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Analyzing the Growth of California's State and Local Personnel Costs (blog - Edward Ring / CIV FI)
• California's State and Local Budget Woes Driving Plans to Cut Government Pensions, Health Care (John Howard / Capitol Weekly)
• Why Is California Broke? (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• The United States of Debt (Kurt Badenhausen / Forbes)
• America's 10 Biggest Cities: A Debt Report Card (Interactive Slide Show / Forbes)
• The Global Debt Bomb (Daniel Fisher / Forbes)
• Orange County, California's Deputy Pension Deal Is First Step on Right Path (editorial - Orange County Register)
• Rialto, California Scrambles to Fund New Public Employee Pension Costs (Josh Dulaney / San Bernardino Sun)
• Plan to Roll Back Los Angeles' Retirement Benefits Is Dead -- For Now (blog - David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times)
• Monterey, California and Other Area Cities Take Another Look at Reducing CalPERS Costs (Zachary Stahl / Monterey County Weekly)
• San Jose, California's City Council Must Reform Pension Boards (op-ed - Pat Dando / Mercury News)
• Shasta County, California Does More Than Talk About Public Employee Pensions (editorial - Redding Record Searchlight)
• Lemon Grove, California Too Quick to Seek Sales-Tax Hike: Cut Pension Costs First (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Our Kids Will Inherit Pension-Bond Debt (op-ed - Bill King / Houston Chronicle)
• Michigan Legislators Take on Public Employees' Pay and Benefits (Chris Christoff / Detroit Free Press)
• Hard Times Hit States -- And Journalists Who Cover Them (op-ed - Neal Peirce / Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• New Jersey Pension Plums: Gov. Corzine Helped Pals Tack on Benefits Before He Left Office (editorial - Star-Ledger)
• Want to Scare the Geese Away? Show Them New Jersey's Pension Debt (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• The Fiscal Fear Factor in Illinois Is Increasing by the Day (op-ed - James Warren / New York Times)
• Pension Fund Main Topic for Springfield, Missouri City Council ( Kolr-Tv)
• The Disappearing Private-Sector Jobs (op-ed - Robert Higgs / Investors Business Daily)
• PENSION PULSE: Awakening Japan's Sleeping Giant? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)
• PENSION PULSE: Pensions Pouring Money Into Emerging Market Debt (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 22, 2010

• Regarding Pension Reform, California Legislators' Priorities Deserve Questioning (op-ed - David Crane / San Jose Mercury News)
• Speaker of California Assembly Says Pensions and More Should Be 'On the Table' in Fox TV Interview (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pension Crisis Finally Making the Front Page (Joel Fox / Fox & Hounds Daily)
• California's Pension-Grabbing Public Employees (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• California Is In a De Facto State of Bankruptcy (column - Jon Coupal / Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association)
• Settlement of San Diego SEC Pension Case May Be Near (Greg Moran / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• What Is Your State's Unfunded Pension Obligation Per Capita? (Interactive Map / Forbes)
• A Majority of American Labor Union Members Now Work for Government (Michael G. Franc / National Review)
• PENSION PULSE: Public Pensions Falsifying Investment Returns? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 21, 2010

• Orange County, California Deputy Sheriffs' New Pension Deal Increases '3@50' Retirement Age to 55 for New Hires (Jennifer Muir / OC Register)
• California Public Employee Pension Reform Initiatives OK'd to Collect Signatures (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• San Diego Is Already Bankrupt -- They Just Don't Know It Yet (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Laguna Beach, California Swallows Tough Pill to Pay $10 Million Debt to CalPERS (Claudia Koerner / Orange County Register)
• Former CalPERS Board Member Villalobos Claims He Mistakenly Listed Parsky as Nonprofit's President (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• A Tale of Two CalPERS (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Indio, California's Proposed 'Golden Handshakes' for City Employees Draw Comment (Xochitl Peña / Desert Sun)
• California Has Biggest Unemployment Fund Shortfall in Nation (blog - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pensions, Managers Falsify Investment Returns (column - Edward Siedle / Forbes)
• Underfunded State Employee Pension Systems Threaten Financial Health of States, Says Report (American Legislative Exchange Council)
• READ THE REPORT: 'State Pension Funds Fall Off a Cliff' (pdf)
• Crying for Help on the New Jersey State Pension (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Borrow, Freeze Spending to Eliminate Illinois' $83 Billion Pension Liability, Says Think Tank (Kathleen Foody / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• All 6 GOP Gubernatorial Candidates in Illinois Back Going to a Two-Tier Pension System (blog - Illinois Review)
• Evanston, Illinois Faces 47% Increase in City's Contribution to State Pension Fund (Mary Helt Gavin / Evanston RoundTable)
• PENSION PULSE: Is Private Equity Staging a Comeback? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 20, 2010

• Orange County Pension Board Refuses to Divulge Retirees' Info -- Again (Tony Saavedra / Orange County Register)
• CalPERS' Investments Underperform in 2009 (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Unfunded Public Pensions and Health Benefits Dig States' $3 Trillion Hole (column - Orin S. Kramer / Bloomberg)
• Stopping Taxpayer Funded Unions (blog - Edward Ring / CIV FI)
• Finishing the Job of Pension Reform in San Diego (op-ed - Carl DeMaio / Daily Transcript)
• Kill the Old Model / San Diego's New Pension Tab Shows Need for Vast Changes (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Fixing San Diego's Public Pension System While Avoiding the Courts (Landon Bright / San Diego News Room)
• A Bankrupt L.A.? No Way (editorial - Los Angeles Times)
• White House Concessions to Unions on Health Care Plan Excise Tax Is Criticized (Employee Benefit Advisor)
• Retiree Annuities May Be Promoted by Obama Aides (Theo Francis / Businessweek)
• West Virginia Eyes Multi-Decade Approach to $7.8 Billion Funding Shortfall in Retiree Costs (Lawrence Messina / BusinessWeek)
• Baltimore County, Maryland Adopts Weak Pension Reforms for Elected Officials (Mary Gail Hare / Baltimore Sun)
• PENSION PULSE: All-Out War on Public Pensions Brewing in Canada? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 19, 2010

• Californians Should Prepare for a Complex Fight Over Public Pension Initiative (editorial - Monterey County Herald)
• Public Employee Pay, Perks and Pensions Driving Up California's Deficit (Troy Anderson / Contra Costa Times)
• Prudent Pension Reform for Los Angeles City Employees (editorial - Los Angeles Times)
• Fresno County, California's Expensive Public Pension Lesson (editorial - Fresno Bee)
• Millions Needed for San Diego's City Pension Fund (Helen Gao / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• CHART: Growth in San Diego Pension Fund's Liabilities (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• New Field Poll Finds 95% of California's Voters Have Gloomy Outlook on Economy (John Marelius / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Illinois Enters a State of Insolvency (Paul Merrion, Greg Hinz and Steven R. Strahler / Chicago Business)
• Illinois Careening Toward Bankruptcy, Says Report (Andrew Greiner / NBC)
• Illinois Careens Towards Bankruptcy; Governmental Collapse Coming (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• PENSION PULSE: $58 Billion Public Pension Time Bomb in Canada? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 18, 2010

• Tentative Deal With Orange County, California Deputies Calls for Second Pension Tier for New Hires (Jennifer Muir / Orange County Register)
• Contra Costa County's Mistaken Pension Policy Cannot Be the Basis for a Vested Right (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• City of San Diego's Pension Payment Balloons (Liam Dillon / voiceofsandiego.org)
• San Diego's Pension Costs Are 'Completely Unsustainable' Says Councilman Carl DeMaio (column - Scott Lewis / voiceofsandiego.org)
• Pension Benefits and Retiree Healthcare Sit Like a Ball and Chain Around San Diego's Ankle (column - Steve Francis / San Diego News Network)
• Pensions, Unfunded Retiree Health Costs Are Big Part of San Diego's Long-Term Budget Problem (editorial - Union-Tribune)
• Read the Actuarial Report on San Diego's Pension Fund (pdf)
• Public Employeee Unions' 'Cadillac' Health Care Plans Would Be Exempted From Proposed Tax (editorial - Wall Street Journal)
• Public Employee Unions Are Helping to Keep California in Such Sorry Shape (column - Steven Greenhut / Orange County Register)
• CalPERS Finds 'Governance' Begins at Home (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• At CalPERS, A Revolving Door of Fees for Influence (Craig Karmin / Wall Street Journal)
• Firms Large and Small Cashed in on CalPERS Deals (Walter Hamilton and Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Should Reveal Names of Firms That Won't Disclose Placement Agents (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• PENSION PULSE: Milking the CalPERS Cash Cow (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 15, 2010

• California's Unsustainable Public Pensions Must Be Pared Back (editorial - Riverside Press-Enterprise)
• California's Yuba, Sutter and Colusa Counties Have Tens of Millions in Unfunded Pension Liabilities (Ben van der Meer / Appeal-Democrat)
• Novato, California Looks for Ways to Ease Pension Load (Brent Ainsworth / Marin Independent Journal)
• San Francisco's Pensions and Benefits Bleed City's Budget Dry (editorial - San Francisco Examiner)
• El Dorado Water District Should Rescind Excessive Pension Benefits Approved in 2004 (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• Nevada City, California Trims Pension Packages for Future Employees (Kyle Magin / The Union)
• Riverside County, California's Courts to Offer Early Retirement (Duane Gang / Press-Enterprise)
• Indio, California Proposes Early Retirement Plan for City Employees (Xochitl Peña / Desert Sun)
• Stanislaus County, California Will Join Lawsuit to Help Defend Retirement Board's Money Transfer ( Garth Stapley / Modesto Bee)
• 'Double Dipping' a Common Practice Among Government Employees in Mountain View, California (Daniel Debolt / Mountain View Voice)
• Middlemen Got $125 Million-Plus From Investors for Arranging CalPERS Deals (Marc Lifsher, David Zahniser and Stuart Pfeifer / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Reveals Middlemen Paid $125 Million to Win Fund's Business (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• California's Credit Rating Cut by S&P Amid Budget Deficit (William Selway and Michael B. Marois / Bloomberg)
• Taxpayers: the Chopped Liver of California's Budget Debate (column - John Coupal / Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association)
• Market Losses Worsen West Virginia's Pension Liabilities by $2 Billion (AP / Charleston Gazette)
• A Brief Quiz on POBs -- Pension Obligation Bonds (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Shortfalls for US Cities Could Reach $56 Billion (Lisa Lambert / Reuters)
• PENSION PULSE: The Great Transition? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 14, 2010

• Contra Costa County: Can Errors in Calculating Public Pensions Force Repayments? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Public Employee Unions Balk at Obama's Plan to Tax Their Generous Healthcare Benefits (Kyle Olson / BigGovernment.com)
• 2010 Pension Investment Outlook (column - Girard Miller / Governing Magazine)
• PENSION PULSE: The Unluckiest Country (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 13, 2010

• Will Contra Costa County Retirees' Pensions Be Cut? (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Pension Reform Advocate Chris Norby Easily Wins Special Election for California Assembly Seat (Martin Wisckol / Orange County Register)
• Public Pensions Face $2 Trillion Deficit (Douglas Mcintyre / Daily Finance)
• Debt Crisis Looms for US Public Finances (Ambrose Evans-Pritchard / Telegraph)
• Japan Airlines Wins Approval to Cut Pensions by 30 Percent (Lindsay Whipp / CNN)
• PENSION PULSE: Kill or Tax Wall Street Bonuses? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 12, 2010

• Short-Term Contract, Long-Term Pension Gain for Retired Contra Costa County Administrator (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• Contra Costa Retirement Association Denies Responsibility for Pension Spiking (blog - Halfway to Concord)
• Contra Costa County Pension Board Gets Earful From Retired Public Employees (Rick Radin / Contra Costa Times)
• Soaring Pension Costs: Should Workers Pay More? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Eye of the Public Pension Storm Is In California (blog - Bill Tufts / Fair Pensions for All)
• Reform Public Pensions to Protect Taxpayers (editorial - Saint John Telegraph-Journal)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: Reform Public Pensions to Protect Taxpayers (Saint John Telegraph-Journal)
• PENSION PULSE: Electoral Backlash Over Pension Reform in Canada? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 11, 2010

• City Manager of Simi Valley, California Says Pensions 'Are Not Sustainable' (Anna Bakalis / Ventura County Star)
• Fullerton, California's Retiring Finance Director Says 'Voters Have to Reduce Retirement Benefits in 2010' (Barbara Giasone / Orange County Register)
• Orange County Taxpayers Association Calls for Structural Reform of Future Benefits for Deputy Sheriffs (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Soaring Pension Costs: Should Workers Pay More? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• AFL-CIO Boss Bites Back on Proposed California Pension Reform (Martin Wisckol / Orange County Register)
• California's Gov. Schwarzenegger's Calls for Pay Cuts and Increased Pension Contributions by Employees (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS to Disclose Details About Intermediaries' Roles in Pension Fund's Investments (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• San Diego's Easiest Financial Fix -- Its $1.3 Billion Healthcare Liability -- Is Also Its Most Complicated (Liam Dillon / Voice of San Diego)
• San Diego County Treasurer and Assessor Get Raises (Jeff McDonald / Union-Tribune)
• CalSTRS $100,000 Pension Club Members in Anaheim, Brea School Districts Highlighted (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Fullerton, California's $100,000 Pension Club -- Educrat Edition (blog - Travis Kiger / Friends for Fullerton's Future)
• Public Servants, Public Masters (blog - Charles Krakoff / Emerging Markets Outlook)
• The Other Public Sector Pension Problem (blog - Matthew Yglesias / Think Progress)
• Maintaining Pension Solvency (blog - Edward Ring / CIV FI)
• California's Dismal State: 'We Are Doomed' (blog - Steven Greenhut / CalWatchdog.com)
• California's Economy Is Being Suffocated by Public Unions and the Weight of Government (column - George Will / Washington Post)
• CalPERS and LACERS -- Dealing With Uncertainty and Pension Rates of Return (blog - Paul Hatfield / Village to Village)
• Author Greenhut Gives Background on Fullerton's Pension Politics During C-SPAN Appearance (blog - Travis Kiger / Friends for Fullerton's Future)
• New Website on California State Government Launched by Pension-Reform Advocate Steven Greenhut (Melanie Turner / Sacramento Business Journal)
• Ballot Issues Attest to Voter Anger in California (Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times)
• Curb Ohio's Public Employee Pension Costs (editorial - Toledo Blade)
• Maryland's Pension Deficit Numbers Are 'Horrific, Terrifying' Says Legislator (Hayley Peterson / Washington Examiner)
• Vermont Panel Releases Plan to Cut Pension Costs (Molly Walsh / Burlington Free Press)
• Illinois Pays Pension Bond Premium as Budget Fix Eludes State (Michael McDonald and Michael Quint / Bloomberg)
• PENSION PULSE: How the Teamsters Beat Goldman Sachs (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 8, 2010

• What Caused Willie Brown to See the Light on California's Public Pensions? (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Labor Boss Bites Back on Pension Reform in California (blog - Martin Wisckol / Orange County Register)
• Los Angeles City Public Employee Unions Urge Pension Reform, Not Cuts (Torrance Daily Breeze)
• California's Governor Urges Pension Reform, But Without Initiative Threat (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Are Pension Woes Causing CEOs of California's Counties to Retire? (Robert McDonald / New Times)
• 2010 Public Pension Reform Resolutions (column - Girard Miller / Governing)
• The Looming Public Pension Disaster (blog - Matthew Yglesias / Think Progress)
• The Coming Crash for Illinois' State Pensioners (John Biver / Champion News)
• The Thing That Needs Retiring in New Jersey Is the Public Pension (column - Alfred P. Doblin / Record)
• PENSION PULSE: When the Bond Market Goes Boo? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 7, 2010

• ‘We Are About to Get Run Over By a Locomotive,’ Says California's Governor Regarding Pension Issue (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Public Employee Pensions Are Crippling California, Says Reform Activist Marcia Fritz in TV Interview (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Gov. Schwarzenegger Includes Pension Fix in California 'State of State' Address (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Time for 'Pig-And-Pony' Type Deal on Pensions, Says Schwarzenegger (blog - Andrew Mcintosh / Sacramento Bee)
• California's Legislative Analyst Assesses Ballot Initiatives Proposing to Cut Pension Benefits (blog - Andrew Mcintosh / Sacramento Bee)
• Errors Boost Pension Payouts for Some Retirees in San Jose, California (John Woolfolk / Mercury News)
• Underfunded Public Pensions as 'Stranded' Costs? Two Trillion Dollars? (blog - Kenneth Anderson / Volokh Conspiracy)
• Governor Says: 'New York Runs Like a Payday Loan Operation' (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysiis)
• PBGC Assumes $21.7 Million Pension Liability of Bankrupt Retailer Eddie Bauer ( Darrell Hughes / Wall Street Journalj
• PENSION PULSE: Hedge Funds Going 'Mom & Pop'? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 6, 2010

• Los Angeles Pensions Are 'Unsustainable' Says City Official; Ballot Measure Being Considered to Scale Back Benefits (blog - California Pension Reform)
• CHART: Los Angeles Pension Costs Expected to Double Over Next Four Years (Los Angeles Times)
• Newspaper Reports on Pension History Distorted, Says Former Orange, California Administrator (blog - Tony Saavedra / Orange County Register)
• 53 of Costa Mesa, California's City Employees Opt for Early Retirement (mona Shadia / Daily Pilot)
• The State of California's Sorry State (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The Growing Divide Between Public and Private Sectors (commentary - Paul Jacob / Common Sense)
• Cleveland, Ohio's Public Employee Unions Have One Week to Accept Pay Cuts or Face Layoffs (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trends)
• PENSION PULSE: OTPP Buys AIG's Canadian Mortgage Business (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 5, 2010

• Will Governor Schwarzenegger Back a Pension Reform Initiative? (blog - California Pension Reform)
• State and Local Public Pensions Plans Are on a Path to Failure (editorial - Washington Post)
• US Public Pensions Face $2,000 Billion Shortfall (Francesco Guerrera and Nicole Bullock / Financial Times)
• Pension Disaster Makes States and Cities Into Financial Basket Cases (blog - Edward Harrison / Credit Writedowns)
• What Happens When California Defaults? (blog - Bill Watkins / New Geography)
• Redding, California's Public Pension Costs Will Continue Upward Spiral (Scott Mobley / Record Searchlight)
• Redding, California's Business Groups Could Say, 'We Told You So' on Pension Costs (blog - Mark Beauchamp / Record Searchlight)
• California's Girds for Deficit Fight as Borrowing Costs Soar (William Selway / Bloomberg)
• Schwarzenegger Needs to Finally Make Good on His Promise to End 'Crazy Deficit Spending' (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pension Woes Loom Over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ( Adam Brandolph / Tribune-Review)
• Change Pennsylvania's Public Pension System or Prepare for Catastrophe (commentary - Thomas J. Gentzel / Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Ilinois: Splurge. Borrow. Repeat. (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• Illinois to Sell $3.47 Billion in Pension Obligation Bonds (Michael McDonald and Jeremy R. Cooke / Bloomberg)
• School Bills Are Due, But State of Illinois Can't Pay; Let the War on Public Unions Begin (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Analysis)
• Pensions -- New Jersey Governor-Elect's Signature Issue (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Proposal to Increase Springboro, Ohio's Contribution to Teacher Pension Fund Jeered (Anthony Gottschlich / Dayton Daily News)
• CHART: Ohio School Districts Face Double-Digit Increases in Teacher Pension Costs (Dayton Daily News)
• Connecticut Municipalities Tackling Public Employee Pension Costs, Switching to Defined-Contribution Plans (Bill Luekhardt / Hartford Courant)
• PENSION PULSE: Hot Hedge Fund Trades of 2010? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 4, 2010

• Will Former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown Support a Pension Reform Initiative? (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Steven Greenhut's Appearance on C-SPAN's BookTV Is Now Online (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Public Employee Unions Are Killing California (blog - Conn Carroll / Heritage Foundation)
• A Six-Step Recovery Program for California (column - Jon Coupal / FlashReport)
• Court Ruling on Furloughs May Backfire on California's Public Employee Unions (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• If Furloughs Go, State Workers Fear Layoffs Could Be Next (Andrew Mcintosh and Steve Wiegand / Sacramento Bee)
• Arnold, Forget Furloughs: Lay Off 25,000 California State Employees by Noon (blog - Eric Hogue / Hogue News)
• What Did Redding, California Do With Its Pension Money in the Gravy Years? (Scott Mobley / Record-Searchlight)
• Retired Fat in El Cajon, California (Matt Potter / San Diego Reader)
• Vallejo, California Eyes Tax Vote, Bond Freeze to Escape Bankruptcy (William Selway / Bloomberg)
• California Will Face Deeper Fiscal Pain, More Budget Cuts in 2010 as Recession Keeps Its Grip (Judy Lin / Los Angeles Times)
• Nobody Gets Fired Except Governors in Recessions (column - Joe Mysak / Bloomberg)
• Not One Nickel for California (Ralph Alter / American Thinker)
• Ohio's Pension Reform Fight Has the Makings of a War (Laura Bischoff / Dayton Daily News)
• Pension War in Ohio: Greedy Police and Fire Unions Ask for Still More (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Feds Probe Detroit, Michigan Pension Fund Deals (Jennifer Dixon / Free Press)
• Pension Disaster Closes in on Pennsylvania (Gary Wecksblatt / Intelligencer)
• Why the Lambs Are Silent in Union County, New Jersey (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Colorado's Pension Fund's Proposed '2/2/2' Plan Is Hopelessly Unsound (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• PENSION PULSE: Outlook 2010: Black Swans or Black Sloths? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 1, 2010

• It Looks Like a Happy New Year for You — If You’re a Public Employee (blog - California Pension Reform)

December 31, 2009

• PENSION PULSE: Oh Dear, CalPERSfornication Goes Global! (blog - Leo Kolivakis)
• Methuen, Massachusetts Not Able to Pay Pension Money DueToday; Retirement Board Threatening to Sue (J.J. Huggins / Eagle Tribune)
• Raise Taxes or Cut Services? Public Pensions at Issue in Lake Forest, Illinois (GazeboNews.com)
• Taxes Are the Wrong Solution for Too Much Public Spending (column - James McCusker / Daily Herald)
• Mississippi's Governor Says State Workers Should Pay More Pension Costs (Molly Parker / Clarion Ledger)

December 30, 2009

• CalPERS: It's Time to Clean House (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Pension Crisis About to Hit California's Cities and Counties (column - Thomas Elias / Ventura County Star)
• Public Employees Have It Too Good (commentary - Steven Greenhut / Nogales International)
• Wall of Silence Surrounds Police Officers in California (Tony Saavedra and Brian Joseph / Orange County Register)
• Imbalance of Power Throughout California Disservice to Public (editorial - Orange County Register)
• New CalPERS Ethics Policy Restricts Board Members' Contacts (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Weighs Appeal on Furlough Ruling (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Clark County, Nevada Finds Spiraling Cost of Employees 'Unsustainable' -- Average for Firefighters Is $199, 678 (Joe Schoenmann / Las Vegas Sun)
• Michigan Lawmakers Push for Public Employees to Contribute More Toward Their Health Insurance Costs (Monica Scott / Grand Rapids Press)
• Pension Reform Tops Wish List for Peoria, Illinois (Catharine Schaidle / Journal Star)
• Springfield, Missouri Council Subcommittee Recommends 9-Member Pension Board (Amos Bridges / News-Leader)
• Vermont Teachers' Union Says 'Don't Cut Pensions to Fill Budget Gap' (WPTZ-TV)
• Flight 253 Becomes an Excuse to Unionize Airport Screeners (editorial - Wall Street Journal)
• SHAMELESSLY OFF-TOPIC: Is Aviation Security Mostly for Show? (commentary - Bruce Schneier / CNN)
• Qwest to Save About $220 Million by Cutting Retiree Death Benefits (Andy Vuong / Denver Post)
• Falling Interest Rates to Drive Up US Corporations' Pension Costs Next Year (Bob Tita / Wall Street Journal)
• Canada Taking Hard Look at Cutting Back Generous Federal Employee Pensions (Daniel Leblanc and Bill Curry / Globe and Mail)
• PENSION PULSE: A Crisis in the Making in Canada? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 29, 2009

• CalPERS Rapped for New Website That 'Spins' Information (blog - California Pension Reform)
• California's Attorney General, Legislature Should Investigate CalPERS' Investment Choices (op-ed - Walter Coombs, Ralph Shaffer / Press-Enterprise)
• Sacramento County, California to Cut Retiree Health Subsidy (Robert Lewis / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pensions Have Become California's Next Fiscal Crisis (Chris H. Sieroty / PublicCEO.com)
• New Jersey Lawmaker Wants to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Pensions for Non-Government Employees (Elise Young / Herald News)
• PENSION PULSE: CPPIB Joins ADIA to Bid on EDF Energy Assets (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 28, 2009

• PBS NewsHour Spotlights California's Public Employee Pension Crisis (blog - California Pension Reform)
• Pension Spiking Stinks at the Contra Costa County Sanitary District (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• $3.1 Billion Pension Liability Among Orange County's Negatives During Past Decade (column - Brian Calle / Orange County Register)
• California's Governor Seeks President's Help for Deficit Relief (Michael B. Marois and William Selway / Bloomberg)
• California Asks Rest of Nation's Taxpayers to Help Pay for Its Unbalanced Budget (blog - Trader Mark / Fund My Mutual Fund)
• $24,000 Monthly Salary for Butte County, California's New Chief Administrative Officer Is Hard to Digest (letter - Chico Enterprise-Record)
• How CalPERS Strategy Backfired (Arleen Jacobius / Pensions & Investments)
• Los Angeles County Employees' Pension Fund Becomes Home Builder in Florida (James Thorner / St. Petersburg Times)
• Real Estate Developer CIM Lands in California Pension-Fund Spotlight (Stuart Pfeifer and David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times)
• Observations on the GAO Report of $535 Billion in Unfunded OPEB Debt (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• As Slump Hits Home, Cities Downsize Their Ambitions (Conor Dougherty / Wall Steeet Journal)
• No Magic Bullet to Solve Evanston, Illinois' $158 Million in Pension Liabilities (Mary Helt Gavin / Evanston Roundtable)
• New Jersey's Governor-Elect Promises Public Pension Review (AP / Asbury Park Press)
• New Teachers in New York Scramble to Get Into Better Pension Plan Before Year's End (Michael Gormley / Fresno Bee)
• Senate Votes to Raise Federal Debt Ceiling by $290 Billion to $12.4 Trillion ( Washington Post)
• PENSION PULSE: Christmas Lessons From a Tsunami Survivor (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 25, 2009

• A Holiday Declaration (commentary - Paul Jacob / Citizens in Charge)
• An Unconventional Savior Is Born (editorial - Orange County Register)
• Have a Great Christmas Weekend! We'll Be Back on Monday, December 28

December 24, 2009

• US Local Government Pension Costs Exceeds $530 Billion, Says GAO Report (Tom Ryan / Reuters)
• Will Pensions Bankrupt Your School District? (Kurt Eisele-Dyrli / District Administration Magazine)
• The Temptations of New Yorks' $126 Billion Pension Fund (editorial - New York Times)
• Four Retiring Cops in Parsippany, New Jersey Share $900,000 in Sick, Vacation Pay ( Eugene Paik / Star-Ledger)
• Future New York Teachers Avoid State's New Pension Plan (Associated Press / WCAX)
• Nebraska Department of Labor Pension Fund in Tough Financial Spot (Nancy Hicks / Lincoln Journal Star)
• Detroit's Police, Fire Retirees Call for a Voice in Their Pension Funds (Jennifer Dixon / Detroit Free Press)
• Troubled Trucking Firm to Seek $1 Billion TARP Bailout for Pension Fund (Nick Carey / Reuters)
• PENSION PULSE: Betting on Big Rise in Yields? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 23, 2009

• Petaluma, California's Pension Time Bomb (editorial - Argus-Courier)
• CalPERS' Pension Payoffs (editorial - Riverside Press-Enterprise)
• Pennsylvania's Pension Plans a Ticking Time Bomb (editorial - Delaware County Daily Times)
• Massachusetts Municipalities Facing Pension Tsunami (editorial - Newburyport Daily News)
• Increases in Health Premiums for West Virginia's Public Employees Are Unavoidable (editorial - Wheeling News-Register)
• Atlanta's Mayor-Elect Creates Panel to Reform Public Pensions (Eric Stirgus / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Utah Cops' Pension Benefits Extended to Some in Desk Jobs (Robert Gehrke / Salt Lake Tribune)
• 4 Big Mortgage Backers Swim in Ocean of Debt (Mary Williams Walsh / New York Times)
• PENSION PULSE: CPPIB Goes Christmas Shopping? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 22, 2009

• Public Pension Tapeworm Gnaws at California's State and Local Budgets (editorial - Orange County Register)
• Cities in San Joaquin County, California Look at Trimming Public Pensions (Daniel Thigpen / Stockton Record)
• Orange County Retirement System Again Denies Pension Records Request (blog - Tony Saavedra / Orange County Register)
• The Firefighter Longevity Myth Surfaces Again (blog - Chris Reed / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• CalSTRS Lying Low, Set to Explode (blog - Travis Kiger / Friends for Fullerton's Future)
• Looking Twice at Pension Double-Dipping (column - Girard Miller / Governing Magazine)
• Beware the Taxpayer Bailout of Underfunded Teamsters Pension Funds (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Massachusetts' Pending Pension Costs Show Dire Need for Benefit Changes (editorial - Gloucester Daily Times)
• Public Employees in Muskegon County, Michigan Are Also Feeling the Pain of Uncertainty in Depressed Economy ( Lynn Moore / Muskegon Chronicle)
• New York Goes Broke, Pension by Pension (column - Susan Edelman / New York Post)
• Massachusetts Municipalities Facing Pension Tsunami (editorial - Salem News)
• PENSION PULSE: Mercer's Little Alaska Problem? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 21, 2009

• CalPERS Earnings Fall Behind Other Pension Funds (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• CalPERS Probing Investment Advisor's Ties to Middleman ( Evan Halper and Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Outcry, Budget Strains Spur Talk of New Retirement Limits for Employees of Stanislaus County, California (Ken Carlson / Modesto Bee)
• San Diego Should Consider Ending Most Retiree Health Care Benefits (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Francisco Mayor, Supervisor Propose Pension Reforms (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)
• Steven Greenhut's Book Exposes Clout of Government Unions (column - Jon Coupal / Orange County Register)
• Purchase a Copy of 'Plunder!' by Steven Greenhut Online Now
• What Recovery? Budget Deficits Get Worse for States ( Ron Scherer / Christian Science Monitor)
• Pennsylvania's Pension System Is Unsustainable and in Need of Reform (editorial - Scranton Times-Tribune)
• Pennsylvania's Public Pension Time Bomb Still Set to Explode in 2012 ( Marl Scolforo / York Daily Record)
• Kentucky Lawmakers Waffling on Pledge to Shore Up State's Pension Fund ( Beth Musgrave / Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Japan Air Asks Retirees to Accept Pension Cuts (Makiko Kitamura / Bloomberg)
• PENSION PULSE: The Problem With Economics? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 18, 2009

• California's Public Pension Crisis Fueled by Bad Data, Unfounded Fears (Tony Saavedra and Brian Joseph / Orange County Register)
• CalPERS OKs 'Smoothed' Pension Payment for State; Battle Lines Drawn (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Week's Events Show California's in Big Trouble (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Los Angeles Pension Funds Sitting on $11.5 Billion in Red Ink, City Hall Oblivious -- Report (blog - Dennis Romero / L.A. Weekly)
• CalPERS Hikes Health Premiums for Long-Term Care Policies (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Board Blasts Delays as Computer Upgrade's Cost Rises (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Report Questions $100,000+ Pension of Democrat in Gloucester County, New Jersey (Jonathan Tamari / Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Make Rhode Island's Public Employee Pensions Safe for the Long Term (column - Tom Ward / Valley Breeze)
• Redefine New Jersey's Public Employee Pension Eligibility Guidelines (editorial - Gloucester County Times)
• PENSION PULSE: Canada's Pension Debate (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 17, 2009

• CalPERS Avoids Giving State $1 Billion Rate Increase Shock (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Kern County, California's Public Pension Fund Liability Is Now $1.2 Billion (James Burger / Bakersfield Californian)
• San Diego Pension Reformers Heartened by Judge's Ruling That Says Benefits Can Be Rolled Back (blog - Ned Randolph / SanDiego.com)
• CalPERS Board Election Is Another Loss for Public Employees' Union (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• California Bonds Fail on Advice Bill Lockyer Couldn’t Refuse (Michael B. Marois / Bloomberg)
• Forecast by New Research Center Suggests California Debt Default Is Likely (blog - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Pension Disaster Closes in on Pennsylvania's Public Schools (Gary Weckselblatt / Intelligencer)
• 59% Say Average Government Worker Earns More Than Average Taxpayer (Rasmussen Reports)
• Misusing Knowledge to Expand Government Power (column - Michael Barone / Washington Examiner)
• PENSION PULSE: Follow-Up on PSP's 2009 Annual Public Meeting (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 16, 2009

• CalPERS: Pensions and Partying Like It's 1999 (column - David Crane / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Los Angeles' $11.5 Billion Pension Albatross Is Costing Its Citizens Mega-Bucks (blog - Jack Humphreville / CityWatchLA)
• Judge Rejects Special Pension Benefit for San Diego Union Presidents (Greg Moran / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Ballot Initiative Could Cut Retirement Funds for Sacramento Employees (Kathleen Haley / Sacramento Press)
• Charter Amendment Would Revamp San Francisco's Pension and Retiree Health Care Systems (Heather Knight and Rachel Gordon / San Francisco Chronicle)
• San Francisco's Public Employees Would Be Forced to Raise Their Pension Contribution Under Proposal (J. Sabatini / San Francisco Examiner)
• California Must Cool It With the Credit (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• New Jersey Bill Would Allow Local Governments to Delay Paying Contributions Into Pension System (Katherine Santiago / Star-Ledger)
• No Course Correction on New Jersey State Pension Fund (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Rhode Island's $7 Billion Pension Pickle (editorial - Providence Journal)
• Pensions After Only 20 Years of Service -- Yet Another Insanity of Rhode Island Government (blog - Monique Chartier / Anchor Rising)
• Anatomy of a Teachers Contract: Blueprint for an Illinois Taxpayer Mugging (blog - Bill Zettler / Championnews.net)
• For Federal Employees, 6-Figure Salaries Have Exploded During Recession (Dennis Cauchon, USA Today)
• PENSION PULSE: Pension Fund Sues Goldman Board? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 15, 2009

• Pittsburgh Ponders 'Fair Share' Tax on Tuition to Fund City's Pensions (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• California's Unfunded Retiree Health Care: Can the $118 Billion Debt Be Cut? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• California Politicos Bewail Rising Burden of Debt (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Davis, California's Firefighter Contract Allows for No Period of Public Vetting (David Greenwald / People's Vanguard)
• Pension Reform Is Goal of New City Task Force in Escondido, California (David Garrick / North County Times)
• Work for the City, Live in the City: Those Who Enjoy Taxpayers' Largesse Should Share the Risks (editorial - North County Times)
• CalPERS Needs to Operate Realistically (editorial - Fresno Bee)
• Former Folsom Prison Guard Ordered to Pay CalPERS $244k for Fraud (Sam Stanton / Sacramento Bee)
• Real Estate Bankruptcy Will Cost CalSTRS Its $64 Million Investment (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Says Pension Fund Is Up $40 Billion Since March Low (Mark Calvey / San Francisco Business Times)
• Newton, Massachusetts Takes Stock of Hefty Public Pensions, Including Six Over $100,000 (Calvin Hennick / Boston Globe)
• As the Economy Sank, Virginia Public Pension Payments Soared (Aaron Applegate and Mike Saewitz / Virginian-Pilot)
• When Part-Time Virginia Lawmakers Land Full-Time Government Jobs, Pensions Soar (Aaron Applegate and Mike Saewitz / Virginian-Pilot)
• New York City Union Urges Educators to Exploit Loophole to Reap Pension Benefits (Brendan Scott / New York Post)
• Pennsylvania's School Pension Costs to Increase 72 Percent (Sarah Hofius Hall / Times-Tribune)
• '06 Law at Core of Tumult Over West Virginia's Retiree OPEB Costs (Lawrence Messina / Associated Press)
• PENSION PULSE: Moody's Cuts CalPERS', CalSTRS' Rating (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 14, 2009

• California's Public Employee Pensions: Pay Now or Pay Later (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• Contra Costa County's Notice Bonus Balloons Top Execs' Pensions (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• Vote in Oceanside, California Shows Pension Issue Is Hot Button (column - Michael Stetz / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California's Cities Feel Budget Pinch as Well (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Unfunded Pension Debt Could Sink Pacifica, California (blog - Lionel Emde / Pacifica Riptide)
• New Retiree OPEB Benefits Funding Scam: 'Insurance Arbitrage' (column - Girard Miller / Governing)
• San Diego Councilman Criticized on Use of City Pension Data (Craig Gustafson / Union-Tribune)
• CalPERS Employee Wins Seat on CalPERS Board of Directors (Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Winner of CalPERS Board Election Wants Investment Change (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Shared Sacrifice Doesn't Apply to Some Honchos in California's State Government (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• A Government Pension That's Lasted 271 Years (column - Declan McCullagh / CBS News)
• Expand a Bankrupt Medicare? Are Members of Congress of Both Parties Psychopaths or Sociopaths? (blog - Alan Bock / Orange County Register)
• Pennsylvania Teachers' Pension Fund Will Blow Up in 2012 (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Illinois' State Finances Going Over the Edge (editorial - Champaign News-Gazette)
• PENSION PULSE: Economist Paul Samuelson, Dead at 94 (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 11, 2009

• MWD Rejects Controversial Union Contracts Containing 25% Pension Boost -- Again (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Mini-Medicare Proposal Could Solve Retired Public Employee Health Benefits Problems (column - Girard Miller / Governing)
• CalPERS, CalSTRS See Long-Term Credit Ratings Lowered (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Retired Husband and Wife in Stanislaus County, California Have Combined Public Pensions of $343,000/year (letter - Modesto Bee)
• Reader Feedback on Column Titled 'Do Charges That Public Employee Pensions Are Too Rich Add Up?' (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Plunder! -- New Book Exposes How Public Employees Abuse Pensions (column - Jon Coupal / Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association)
• 'Plunder!' Author Steven Greenhut's Book Signing Is Recorded by C-SPAN (Art Pedroza / Orange Juice Blog)
• Purchase a Copy of 'Plunder!' Online Now
• New York Governor Signs Tier V Pension Reform Bill (Reid Epstein / Newsday)
• Pension Reform in New York Could Save Taxpayers Billions of Dollars (with video - WBNG)
• New York's Local Leaders Call Pension Reforms Just a First Step in the Right Direction (video - WBNG)
• PENSION PULSE: PSP's 2009 Annual Public Meeting? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 10, 2009

• Public 1, Unions 0: Recall Election Results in Oceanside, California Show Voters' Mood on Public Pensions (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Do Charges That Public Employee Pensions Are Too Rich Add Up? (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• 'The Numbers Are Really Almost Unimaginable' Says Pennsylvania Teachers' Pension Board Member (Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazaette)
• PENSION PULSE: Has Bubble Ben Shown His Hand? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 9, 2009

• California's San Joaquin County and Its Cities Aim to Reform Public Employees' Pensions (Tracy Press)
• Local Governments Nationally May Have to Report Billions in Unfunded Pension Liabilities (blog - Tony Saavedra / Orange County Register)
• Value of CalPERS' Real Estate Holdings Has Fallen 48.7% in a Year (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• West Virgina' Taxpayers on the Hook for $7.8 Billion in Unfunded Pension Liabilities (editorial - Charlston Daily Mail)
• Financial Crisis Hits Pension Systems in Europe and Central Asia According to a World Bank Report (eGovMonitor.com)
• PENSION PULSE: World Bank Sounds Alarm on Pension Crisis (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 8, 2009

• California Needs to Stop Defined-Benefit Pensions for Public Employees (commentary - Adam Summers / Reason Foundation)
• Retirement Benefits: CalPERS’ Changing Role (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• 'Plunder!' -- New Book Exposes Power of Unions and Their Abuses of Public Pension Sytems (column - Jon Coupal / Flashreport)
• Purchase a Copy of 'Plunder!' Online Now
• Join 'Plunder!' Author Steven Greenhut Thursday Night for a Book Signing Event in Orange, California
• New Jersey Headed Toward 'Pension Train Wreck' ( John Froonjian / Press of Atlantic City)
• View the Searchable Database of New Jersey's Public Employee Pensioners ( Press of Atlantic City)
• Pennsylvania's School Pension Costs to Rise by 25% - Part 1 ( Greg Hayes / Williamsport Sun-Gazette)
• Pennsylvania's School Pension Costs to Rise by 25% - Part 2 ( Greg Hayes / Williamsport Sun-Gazette)
• PENSION PULSE: Seeking Alternatives in Hunt for Yield? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 7, 2009

• Are Big Public Pensions to Blame for California Cities' Budget Woes? (with video - Laura Anthony / KGO-TV)
• Governor to Give CalPERS More Funds Than It Asked for (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Feds Investigate Ex-CalPERS Officials’ Possible Link With Fallen Financier (Dale Kasler/ Sacramento Bee)
• Tough-On-Crime Stance Empowered Public Safety Unions and Emptied California's Pocketbook (Brian Joseph and Tony Saavedra / Oc Register)
• New York Takes Small But Important Step in Pension Reform (editorial - New York Times)
• Kentucky Legislature Inflates Its Own Pensions (editorial - Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Should Michigan Tax Pensions? (Chris Christoff / Detroit Free Press)
• Pension Pulse: No Way to Run an Economy? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 4, 2009

• California Group Pushes for Pension Reforms (Andrew Ward / The Bond Buyer)
• Redding, California's Pension Expenses Will Cost an Extra $1 Million Over Next Two Years (Scott Mobley / Record Searchlight)
• Public Employers Can No Longer Afford to Pay Employees' Share of Pension Costs (column - Girard Miller / Governing)
• Former L.A. Pension Board Member Pleads Guilty in New York Pension Fund Corruption Case (Marc Lifsher and David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times)
• Beverly Hills, California to Review Pension Reform Effort (Abbey Hood / Beverly Hills Courier)
• Follow-Up on California Gubernatorial Candidate Whitman Talking About Public Employee Pensions (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• States Take on 'Double Dipping' Retired Employees (Daniel Carty / CBS News)
• 27,479 Florida State Employees -- Including Governor -- Get Free Health Insurance (Beth Reinhard and Marc Caputo / Miami Herald)
• West Virginia Pension-Relief Bill Signed Into Law Will Allow Cities to Close Plans to New Hires (Herald Dispatch)
• Arizona's Public Pension Funds Will Require More Money From Employees, Employers or Both (Russ Wiles / Arizona Republic)
• New Jersey Losing $22,000 a Day With Swap for Bonds Never Sold (Dunstan McNichol / Bloomberg)
• PENSION PULSE: Santa Rally or Rally of a Lifetime? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 3, 2009

• California's Budget-Busting Public Employee Pension Costs: Is There a Fix? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• San Diego's Budget Is Reduced Yet Growing Because of Pension Costs (Liam Dillon / voiceofsandiego.org)
• Newport Beach, California Has More Than 30 Retirees in the $100,000 Pension Club (Brianna Bailey / Daily Pilot)
• Let's Take Investigation of Stanislaus County's $100,000 Pensions Even Further (column - John Michael Flint / Modesto Bee)
• Fresno, California's Retirement Board Should Reveal High-Pension Identities (editorial - Fresno Bee)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• California Gubernatorial Candidate Whitman Talks About Public Employee Pensions (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• 3,650 Employees at University of California Earn More Than $200,000/year (Fermin Leal / Orange County Register)
• Ousted Councilman in Rosemead, California Collecting Unemployment Benefits (Rebecca Kimitch / San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
• California Shows the Way -- Down (editorial - Orange County Register)
• What's Wrong With California (blog - The Chinese Capitalist)
• New York Raises Pension Requirements to Save $48 Billion (Michael Quint / Bloomberg)
• New York Legislature Passes Bill on Pensions, But Critics See Only Half Steps (Danny Hakim / New York Times)
• New York Passes Pension Reform Legislation Creating a New Tier V (press release)
• New York Pension Reform Bill Not All It's Cracked Up to Be (blog - E.J. McMahon / NY Fiscal Watch)
• States Act to Curb 'Double Dipping' (Brad Heath / USA Today)
• South Dakota's Public-Pension Trustees Calling for $368 Million Cuts in COLAs, Double-Dipping (Bob Mercer / Daily Republic)
• Englewood, New Jersey's Workers to Start Pitching in for Health Benefits (Giovanna Fabiano / The Record)
• Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Tightens Eligibility for Retiree Health Benefits (Elaine D'Aurizio / The Record)
• Should Employees of Homer, Alaska Pay a Share of Their Health Insurance? (Ryan Long / Homer News)
• Massachusetts' Public Sector Pay and Pensions Need an Overhaul (editorial - Eagle-Tribune)
• Minnesota's Public Pensions Full of Challenges (Mark Haveman / Finance and Commerce)
• PENSION PULSE: New York Takes a Bite Out of Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 2, 2009

• Unions Try to Force Vote on 'Dead' Pension-Hiking Contracts at Metropolitan Water District (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• San Diego Mayor 'Cranky' About Bankruptcy Option (Liam Dillon / voiceofsandiego.org)
• Resolve Ongoing CalPERS Mess (editorial - Fresno Bee)
• Public Employee Pensions Put Fresno, California's Financial Solvency at Risk (editorial - Fresno Bee)
• Fresno, California's Pension System Is Broken, but Beware the Solution (column - Bill Mcewen / Fresno Bee)
• Pay and Pension Smoke and Mirrors in El Segundo, California (blog - The Gundo Blogger)
• Long Beach, California's Council Begins Looking at Pension Reform (Paul Eakins / Press-Telegram)
• Negotiations May Hold Key to Contra Costa County's Pension Crisis (Rick Radin / Contra Costa Times)
• Contra Costa County Faces Pension Tsunami (blog - Greg Fielding / Danville Area Real Estate Trends and Analysis)
• The Late, Great State of California (column - Richard Reeves / Real Clear Politics)
• Millions Spent on Payouts to Retiring New Jersey Employees, Report Says (Chris Megerian / Star-Ledger)
• New Jersey's Governor-Elect Says Lobbying Groups Should Forfeit State Pensions, Health Benefits (Elise Young and John Reitmeyer / Star-Ledger)
• North Hampton, New Hampshire's Pension Costs to Go Up in 2012 Due to $3.4 Billion Shortfall in State's Fund (Shir Haberman / SeacoastOnline.com)
• Convicted Illinois Governor Should Be Denied His Pension (editorial - Rockford Register Star)
• PENSION PULSE: Are Public Sector Pensions Better? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 1, 2009

• California's Debt-Filled Future (editorial - Orange County Register)
• California's Public Employee Gain Is the Reason for Higher Education's Loss (blog - David Crane / Fox & Hounds Daily)
• CalPERS $100,000 Pension Clubs in Stanton, Tustin, Westminster, Yorba Linda (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• San Diego Should Seek Restructuring of Current Public Pension Obligations (blog - Jon Fleischman / FlashReport)
• CalPERS Board Member Should Be Fined, Watchdog Agency Says (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Board Member Faces $12,500 Fine (blog - Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Board Member Agrees to Pay $12,500 Fine to Settle Contribution Dispute (Jim Christie / Reuters)
• Cook County, Illinois Retirees Concerned About Underfunding of Pension Plan (with video - Kevin Roy / ABC7)
• Citizens of Illinois and the US Need to Know About the Public Pension Crisis (letter - Daily Herald)
• Convicted Former Illinois Governor Ryan's Pension Case Carries Complications (editorial - Herald & Review)
• Iowa's Public Employees Should Pay More for Their Health Care (editorial - Des Moines Register)
• Underfunded Pension Plans Are Shaping Up as a Headache for Companies and Taxpayers Alike (Colin Barr / Fortune)
• PENSION PULSE: Pension Tension on the Rise? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 30, 2009

• Some Public Employees Put Frosting on an Already-Sweet Pension Deal (column - Steven Greenhut / Orange County Register)
• Pre-order Steven Greenhut's Forthcoming Book on Public Employee Pensions: 'PLUNDER!'
• California Debt May Be Half a Trillion Dollars (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• Fresno, California's Public Employee Pensions Fuel Fiscal Problems (George Hostetter / Fresno Bee)
• System Leaves Taxpayers on Pension Hook (editorial - Bakersfield Californian)
• Massive Pension Spiking Uncovered in Contra Costa County (blog - Halfway to Concord)
• Pension Reform Talks on Long Beach, California's Agenda (Paul Eakins / Press-Telegram)
• Lafayette, California's City Manager Urges Caution on Setting Up Police Department (Jonathan Morales / Contra Costa Times)
• Pension Funds Profit From Job-Cutting Buyouts (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• California Pay Panel's Pension Puzzle (Jim Sanders / Sacramento Bee)
• Kentucky Legislators' Pension Costs to Skyrocket by 460% in Next Budget (Stephenie Steitzer / Courier-Journal)
• Anger at Public Employee Pensions in Baltimore County, Maryland Likely to Last and Dominate Campaign Next Year (Mary Gail Hare / Baltimore Sun)
• Louisiana Pension Fund Sues Over $5 Million in Madoff Losses (Bill Lodge / The Advocate)
• Public Employees Doing Very Well, Thank You (blog - Rick Moran / American Thinker)
• The FDIC Goes Bankrupt (blog - Faisal Humayun / beyouranalyst.com)
• Growing Number of Retirements Put Pressure on Teachers' Pension Fund in British Columbia (Janet Steffenhagen / Vancouver Sun)
• PENSION PULSE: Putin for Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 27, 2009

• CalPERS $100,000 Pension Clubs in Placentia, Santa Ana, and South Orange County Water District (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• Los Angeles Analysts Project $1-Billion Budget Gap by 2013, Driven Partly by Escalating Pension Costs (Phil Willon / LA Times)
• Ex-San Diego Firefighter Union Chief Suing City Over a Retirement Benefit (Greg Moran / SD Union-Tribune)
• Contra Costa County's Pension Costs to Climb 77% or More (blog - Halfway to Concord)
• Pennsylvania School Board Chief Says Hike in Pension Fund Contributions 'Will Bankrupt District and State' (Rachael Conway / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• North Carolina Counties, Cities May Have to Contribute More to Pension Funds (Ray Gronberg / Herald-Sun)
• Mo Debt, Mo Debt, Mo Debt -- Trillions in Unfunded Pension Liabilities (blog - Behind Blue Lines)
• International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board Publishes Paper Addressing Sustainability of Public Finances (WebCPA)
• Read or Download the Report on the Long-Term Sustainability of Public Finances (pdf)
• Members of Congress Get Bounty of Benefits (Bob Keefe / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• PENSION PULSE: Is Dubai's Sovereign Risk Overblown? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 26, 2009

• Los Angeles Faces $1-Billion Deficit by 2013; Budget Chief Calls for Pension Reforms (blog - Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)
• Los Angeles' Budget Gaps May Force Dramatic Changes, Including Reducing How Much It Spends on Pensions (Jim Christie / Reuters)
• CalPERS' Piece of Budget Woes Gaining Attention (John Howard / Capitol Weekly)
• CalPERS Probes Oversight of Two Outside Hedge Fund Advisors (Evan Halper and Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Reportedly Severing Ties With Investment Adviser Blackrock After Heavy Losses in New York Apartment Deal (Jim Wasserman / Sacramento Bee)
• PENSION PULSE: California Rumblings? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)
• The Impact of Union Control -- Collapsing Economy and Fewer Firefighters in Costa Mesa, California (blog - Mark Bucher / Unplug the Political Machine)
• Lafayette, California City Manager Urges Caution on Police Services Study Due to Rising Pension Costs (Jonathan Morales / Contra Costa Times)
• Connecticut to Sue Rating Firms for 'Reckless' Work (Caroline Salas and Matthew Leising / Bloomberg)
• House to Hold Hearing on Delphi Pensions (William K. Alcorn / Vindicator)
• Wave of Debt Payments Facing US Government (Edmund L. Andrews / New York Times)
• HOLIDAY BONUS: The Real Story of Thanksgiving (pdf - Richard J. Maybury / Ludwig Von Mises Institute)

November 25, 2009

• Public Servants Are Now Our Masters (column - Nicholas Wishek / Orange County Register)
• Plundering California: How Public-Sector Unions Brought the State to Its Knees (blog - Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Why Did Board Pay Los Angeles Community College Head $428,000 to Leave? (blog - Andrew Khouri and John Guenther / Neon Tommy)
• Age (i.e., Pensions) Trumps Youth in University of California Tuition Dispute (column - Yasha Levine / Truthdig)
• Budget Problems Especially Daunting for Local Governmemts Saddled With Pension Liabilities (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Francisco's Pension System Must Be Redesigned (commentary - Jeff Adachi / San Francisco Chronicle)
• CalPERS Lost $1 Billion on Blind Purchase (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• CalPERS' President Sees Need for Pension Reform (op-ed - Pasadena Star-News)
• Video Interviews With CalPERS Board Candidates (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Board Member Settled Fraud Lawsuit Linked to City Corruption Probe (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Needs to Investigate Itself (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)
• Mississippi's Governor Looks at Cutting Increasingly Expensive and Overly Generous Public Pensions (editorial - Northside Sun)
• An Illinois State Pensioner That Thinks He's Blameless for Public Pension Mess (blog - Warner Todd Huston / The Union Label)
• In Crazy New Landscape for Banks, Taxpayers Are the Big Losers (column - Shahien Nasiripour / Huffington Post)
• PENSION PULSE: Will Pensions Ever Recover? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 24, 2009

• Plundering California: Public-Sector Unions Have Brought the State to Its Knees (column - Steven Greenhut / City Journal)
• CalPERS' President Takes a Pop at the $100,000 Club, But Sees Need for Pension Reform (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS $100,000 Pension Clubs in Newport Beach and Orange (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• Sutter County, California's Pension Debt Growing (column - Pat Miller / Appeal-Democrat)
• California's Debt Burden Climbs Higher (Kevin Yamamura / Sacramento Bee)
• Another California Crisis: Unemployment Fund Facing $7.4 Billion Deficit (Denis C. Theriault / San Jose Mercury News)
• Wheeling, West Virginia's Police and Fire Pension Liabilities Still Total $53 Million (Casey Junkins / the Intelligencer)
• US Must Wake Up, Face Growing Debt Nightmare (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)
• PENSION PULSE: Can We Dodge the Fiscal Bullet? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 23, 2009

• CalPERS Delays Contribution Rate Hike for Local Governments and Schools a Year (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Derailing California's Public Pension Gravy Train (column - Steven Greenhut / Orange County Register)
• CalPERS $100,000 Pension Clubs in Mesa Cosolidated, Mission Viejo, Moulton Niguel - (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• Calculation Error Inflates Pensions in Contra Costa County, California (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• Ex-L.A. Pension Fund Chief Rented From Company Seeking Funds (David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times)
• Public Employee Unions Behind Wasteful Recall Campaign in Oceanside, California (op-ed - David Shore / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Bankruptcy Is an Option for San Diego, Says Mayor's Fiscal Task Force (Liam Dillon / Voiceofsandiego.org)
• Read the Draft of the San Diego Mayor's Task Force Report (pdf)
• Redding, California's Proposed Ballot Measure an Effort to Stave Off Escalating Pension Costs (Scott Mobley / Redding Record Searchlight)
• Paying Full Pension Costs for Redding Employees Once Seemed a Good Idea (Scott Mobley / Redding Record Searchlight)
• Attempt to Pull Out of CalPERS Pension Plan Can Be Costly (Scott Mobley / Redding Record Searchlight)
• Revamping Public Pensions: Stanislaus County System Isn't Sustainable (editorial - Modesto Bee)
• Revamping Public Pensions: CalPERS Doing Poorly, Too (editorial - Modesto Bee)
• Palin Drones on About Everything But Alaska's Tanking Pension Fund (blog - John Bury / Star-Ledger)
• Pennsylvania's Pension Tsunami: 2001 Pension Deal Will Hit Taxpayers in Wallet (Bob Bauder / Beaver County Times)
• Oregon's PERS Board Not Inclined to Alleviate Impact of Increased Employer Contributions (Ted Sickinger / The Oregonian)
• Ohio Sues Credit Rating Agencies Over Pension Fund Losses (David Segal / New York Times)
• Japan Airlines Seeks to Cut Pension Payouts by 40% to Avoid Bankruptcy (Reuters)
• Can We Save Social Security? (Gary Weiss / Parade)
• PENSION PULSE: Illusion of Prosperity? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 20, 2009

• Bakersfield, California TV Station Airs Report on the Impending Pension Reform Initiative Battle (blog - California Pension Reform)
• CalPERS Performance Claims Deserve SEC Scrutiny (column - Edward Siedle / Forbes)
• CalPERS Exec Disputes Naysayers on Its Ability to Recoup Losses (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Los Angeles Pension Board Member Directed Funds to a Firm With Ties to His, Documents Show (David Zahniser / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Board Members Endorse New Lobbying Rules (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Who Needs Placement Agents, Anyway? (column - Girard Miller / Governing)
• California Lawmakers Must Share in Sacrifice (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• 90% of Fullerton, California School District's Unrestricted Budget Goes to Pay and Benefits (blog - Travis Kiger / Friends for Fullerton's Future)
• Employees of Ramona, California's Water District to Start Contributing 1% to Their Pensions (Karen Brainard / Ramona Sentinel)
• Palo Alto, California Cuts Managers' Benefits as Revenues Fall (Gennady Sheyner / Palo Alto Online)
• Despite Market Turmoil, Alaska Considers Risky $2 Billion Pension Bond Strategy (Pat Forgey - Juneau Empire)
• Massachusetts Gubernatorial Candidate to Unveil Plan to Cut Pension Abuse (column - Hillary Chabot / Boston Herald)
• New York Governor Extends Retirement Buyout Deadline (Rick Karlin / Times Union)
• Your Congressman's Padded Retirement Plan (David Freddoso / Washington Examiner)
• Executives Took $350 Million in Pay as PBGC Took Over Company Pensions Plans (Holly Rosenkrantz - Bloomberg)
• Social Security Age Must Be Increased (op-ed - William R. Tompkins / the Reporter)
• PENSION PULSE: Pension Reforms: Can Canada Lead the World? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 19, 2009

• CalPERS Chief Weighs Public Reprimands (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• California Needs $20.7 Billion More to Balance Next Budget (Kevin Yamamura / Sacramento Bee)
• Danville, California Should Start Its Own Police Force Based on Pension Costs, Consultant Says (Eric Louie / Oakland Tribune)
• Mississippi's Governor Calls for Revamping Overly Generous Retirement System (editorial - Greenwood Commonwealth)
• As Pensions Dried Up, Four Firms Paid Top Execs $49.5 Million (Matt Kelley / USA Today)
• Over Half the Jobs 'Created' by Obama's Stimulus Are Government Jobs (commentary - Paul Jacob / Comon Sense)
• PENSION PULSE: New Normal for Retirement Benefits? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 18, 2009

• CalPERS $100,000 Pension Clubs in La Habra, Laguna Beach, Los Alamitos (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• Pension Reformer Chris Norby Is Top Vote-Getter in Special Election for State Assembly in Orange County, California (Orange County Register)
• Special Election: Voter Wants No Games, Goes for Norby (blog - Daniel Langhorne / OC Register)
• Mendocino County, California Not Answering Questions on Pension Debt (letter - Ukiah Daily Journal)
• Pension Plan Moves Forward in Special Session of West Virginia Legislature (Herald Dispatch)
• Baltimore County, Maryland Citizens Testify in Force for Pension Reform (blog - Ann Miller / Examiner)
• National Debt Now Tops $12 Trillion (Mark Knoller / CBS News)
• Convicted Former Congressman William Jefferson Still Eligible for Congressional Pension (with video - Maya Rodriguez / WWL-TV)
• Nonprofit Pensions, Another One-Two Punch (column - Marina Park / San Francisco Chronicle)
• PENSION PULSE: Pensions at Risk? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 17, 2009

• Stanislaus County, California's Retirement Fund to Release Pension Information This Week (J.N. Sbranti / Modesto Bee)
• Fresno, California's High Police Pension Info Will Not Be Made Public, Says Board (George Hostetter / Fresno Bee)
• CalPERS Board Votes to Tighten Disclosure Rules for Middlemen (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Should CalPERS Board Hear Sales Pitches? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Visit 'The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club' Searchable Database
• Newspaper Editorial Boards Unload on CalPERS Over the Weekend (blog - California County News)
• California's Troubled Public Pension System Looms Large (column - Dan Walters / North County Times)
• California Is Overregulated, Overtaxed, and Just Plain Over (column - J.P. Freire / Washington Examiner)
• Can't Reform Public Pensions This Way: The Rhode Island Example (blog - John Bury)
• Ban Government Employee Unions (editorial - Washington Examiner)
• PENSION PULSE: Tighten Disclosure Rules for Middlemen? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 16, 2009

• CalPERS Realty Deals and Image Take a Beating (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS in Deep Financial Trouble (column - Dan Walters / Orange County Register)
• Public Employees Must Share the Pain (editorial - Grand Rapids Press)
• Weak Companies Triple Risk for PBGC to $168 Billion in Fiscal 2009 From $47 Billion a Year Ago (Kim Dixon and John Crawley / Reuters)
• Private Sector Health Insurance Customers Face Big Premium Increases (Christina Rogers / Detroit News)
• Sunoco to Freeze Defined Benefit Plan, Phase Out Retiree Medical Benefits (Fred Schneyer / Plansponsor)
• Pitney Bowes to Freeze Two Defined Benefit Pension Plans (Douglas Appell / Business Insurance)

November 15, 2009

• Are CalPERS' Hands Clean? (editorial - Los Angeles Times)
• Get to the Root Cause of the CalPERS Mess (editorial - Sacramento Bee)
• Ignorant Arrogance: CalPERS Should Apologize, Not Proselytize (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Public Pensions Loom as Big Issue (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS' Troubles Mirror Issues for Many Public Savings Systems (Tom Petruno and Stuart Pfeifer / Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• Lake County, California's Employees to Receive $700 Stipend Thanks to CalPERS 'Premium Holiday' (Elizabeth Larson / Lake County News)
• California Democrat Reads Riot Act on Pension Reform to Fellow Democrats in State Capitol (blog - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Worst-Case for California's Budget Deficit Next Year? $25 Billion (Denis C. Theriault / San Jose Mercury News)
• California Braces for New State Budget Gap (analysis - Jim Christie / Reuters)
• 'New York Must Declare a Financial Emergency' Over Growing Budget Gap, Says Manhattan Institute (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend A
• Actuaries Are Betraying Public Trusts (blog - John Bury)
• Illinois Governor Hopefuls All Agree Pension-Funding Issue Can't Be Pushed Aside (Doug Finke / State Journal-Register)
• Pennsylvania Lawmakers Have Generous Taxpayer-Funded Pension Plans (Robert Swift / Republican Herald)
• New Mexico's Political Appointees Double Dip -- Deep -- Into the State's Pockets (Trip Jennings / New Mexico Independent)
• Alabama Board Proposes Teachers Pay More for Pensions and Benefits (video - Alison Flowers / WRBL-TV)
• Jefferson County, Alabama Sues JP Morgan Over Sewer Bond Debt (Peggy Gargis / Reuters0
• Medicare Paid $47 Billion in Suspect Claims Last Year (Hope Yen / Ap)
• Feds Ignored Medicare Scam Warnings for Years (Kelli Kennedy / Tampa Tribune)
• PBGC's Deficit Nearly Doubles to $22 Billion (Bloomberg News / Los Angeles Times)
• Bailouts of PBGC and FHA Are Coming (blog - Mike Shedlock / Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• PBGC's Deficit Worries Experts (Associated Press / Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• PENSION PULSE: Risks Rising at the PBGC? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 13, 2009

• The CalPERS $100,000 Pension Club in Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Irvine (Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Lawsuit in Santa Barbara: A Test of Pension Trustee Protection? (blog - Ed Mendel)
• PENSION PULSE: Beta Boosts CPPIB's Q2 FY2010 Results (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 12, 2009

• CalPERS Probes Loan to Build Deal Maker's Mansion (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• Outraged Over Sacramento Top Cop's Pension? Blame the System (column - Marcos Breton / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS President Endorses Legislation to Curb Investment Abuse (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Tuolumne County, California's Public Agencies Brace for Pension Reform (analysis - Walt Cook / Union Democrat)
• California Among 10 States in Deep Fiscal Trouble, Report Says (blog - Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis)
• Read the Report 'Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril'
• Burying Our Children and Grandchildren -- Unless They Flee Illinois -- In Still More Pension Debt by the Billions (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• Double-Dippers Will Cost Utah's Pension Fund $900 Million in Coming Decade (Robert Gehrke / Salt Lake Tribune)
• Without Reform, Public Employee Pension Costs Will Be Ruinous to Lynn, Massachusetts (Thor Jourgensen / Daily Item)
• PENSION PULSE: Caisse Lagging Its Peers? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

November 11, 2009

• The CalPERS $100,000 Club: Will It Break the Bank? (video - CBS Channel 13 / Sacramento)
• The CalPERS $100,000 Club: Will It Break the Bank? (transcript - CBS Channel 13 / Sacramento)
• Powerful Clients Boost Ex-Board Member's Career Hawking Investments to CalPERS (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Outraged Over Sacramento Top Cop's Pension? Blame the System (column - Marcos Breton / Sacramento Bee)
• Time for California's Public Employees to Give a Little Bit (letter - Tracy Press)
• Denver, Colorado's Mayor Talks About State's $27.5 Billion Unfunded Pension Liability (Gene Davis / Denver Daily News)
• West Virginia Must Cut Public Employee Benefits, Just as Private-Sector Employers Have Done (editorial - Charleston Daily Mail)
• Proposal Would Raise Iowa's State and Local Government Pension Contributions in 2011 (Jason Clayworth / Des Moines Register)
• Montana's Public Employee Pension Funds Sit in a Deep Hole After a Bad Year (Charles S. Johnson / Billings Gazette)
• New Jersey Senator Set to Introduce Pension Reform Bill to Stop Double-Dipping (Star-Ledger)
• Detroit, Pensions and Securities Lending: Cops, COPS and Swaps (blog - Natalie Cohen / the Public Purse)
• Chicago Firefighter Fights Fire With Arson, Then Collects Pension (column - John Kass / Chicago Tribune)
• Lockheed Martin's Pension Plan Is a Financial WMD (blog - Anthony Alfidi / Seeking Alpha)
• PENSION PULSE: A Fair Value Shake-Up? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

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