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Welcome

The oncoming wave of public pension debt is even bigger than it seems. The purpose of this website 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. Now completing its tenth year, PensionTsunami.com was founded by and is edited by Jack Dean. (Contact: JackDean(at)PensionTsunami.com or 916-644-0688 or @PensionTsunami)

Latest Newsclips     last updated January 29 4:55am PST

Each day's headline summary is e-mailed to subscribers.

January 29, 2015

• Kern County, California Declares Fiscal Emergency Amid Plummeting Oil Prices and Increasing Pension Costs (James Burger / Bakersfield Californian)
• Public Employee Pension Costs a Growing Expense for Manteca, California (Dennis Wyatt / Manteca Bulletin)
• A RESPONSE TO KEITH BRAINARD OF NASRA: Are Public Pensions Actually in a Crisis? Or Is It Just a 'Math Issue'? (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• California's State Pension Funds Improve Performance, But Members Are Living Longer (Wayne Lusvardi / CalWatchdog)
• Report Card for Teacher Pension Plans: Unfunded Liabilities Total $499 Billion (blog - Susan Mangiero / Pension Risk Matters)
• READ THE REPORT: 'Doing the Math on Teacher Pensions: How to Protect Teachers and Taxpayers' (National Council on Teacher Quality)
• What's Ahead for California's Public Employee Health Benefits (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Sacramento’s 'Wall of Debt’ Grows Dangerously High; Unfunded Liabilities Now Stand at Nearly $2.3 Billion (editorial / Sacramento Bee)
• On Autocracy and Ignoring California's Public Pension Plans' $240 Billion Shortfall (letter - Santa Clarita Valley Signal)
• Louisiana Teachers Retirement System Gets C- Grade, Study Says (Jessica Williams / The Times-Picayune)
• Louisiana Public Employees' Pensions Can't Be on Cruise Control (column - James Varney / The Times-Picayune)
• Louisiana Teachers Retirement System Won't Be Studied, State School Board Decides After Objections from Unions (Jessica Williams / The Times-Picayune
• TO RECEIVE EACH DAY'S HEADLINE SUMMARY IN YOUR EMAIL, CLICK HERE
• Public Sector Unions Gain Power, Lose Popularity, Says Economist (Nancy Thorner / Heartland Institute)
• Supreme Court Rejects Presumption of Health-Benefit Vesting, Calling for Analysis Under Ordinary Contract Principles (blog - Ronald Mann / SCOTUSblog)
• Illinois Pension Ruling May Not Impact Chicago Case, Attorney Says (Karen Pierog / Reuters)
• An Interest-Rate Increase Is Necessary for the Financial Health of Pension Plans (editorial - Pensions & Investments)
• We Need to Look at Our Public Retirement System in New Hampshire (op-ed - Bill Dermody / Concord Monitor)
• New Hampshire Retirement System Reform Needed Now; Current Defined Benefit Program Is No Longer Affordable (letter - Seacoast Online)
• West Virginia’s Long Road to Fiscal Soundness (Hoppy Kercheval / Metro News)
• Why Christie Shouldn’t Win (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PhillyDeals: Thriving in a Place That Forgives, or Forgets (column - Joseph N. DiStefano / The Inquirer)
• Property Tax Levy Dipping for Portland, Oregon's Public Safety Pension and Disability Fund (Maxine Bernstein / The Oregonian)
• Congressmen Propose Dumping House Pension Program; Taxpayers Fund Retirement for Millionaires (blog - Scott Shackford / Reason)
• 1 in 3 Receiving Federal Disability Insurance Benefits Have a Mental Disorder (Ali Meyer / CNS News)
• PENSION PULSE: Soros Warns Pensions on Hedge Funds? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)
• UNSUSTAINABLE: New York City Has More Retired Cops Collecting Pensions Than Active Cops on the Streets (op-ed - Nicole Gelinas / New York Post)
• UNSUSTAINABLE: Chicago Has More Retired Cops Collecting Pensions Than Active Cops on the Streets (Nancy Mathieson / WirePoints Illinois)
• SEARCHABLE DATABASE of California Public Employees' Pay and Pensions (TransparentCalifornia.com)

January 28, 2015

• Waning Birth Rate Will Increase Financial Stress on California (commentary - Jerrold H. Jensen / Visalia Times-Delta)
• California Gov. Jerry Brown and Public Employee Unions Set to Tangle Over Health Insurance Costs (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)

January 27, 2015

• Underfunded Public Pensions: Tackling an 'Invisible' Crisis (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)

January 26, 2015

• California's Public Sector Pay: Transparency and Perspective (column - Jon Coupal / Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association)
• How Paid Sick Leave Has Been Unhealthy for California's Public Employee Pensions (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Pension Costs Hobble Police Hiring as San Diego Seeks Boots on the Street (Toluse Olorunnipa / Bloomberg)

January 25, 2015

• FOR WEEKEND VISITORS -- SUNDAY:
• Deadline Looming for San Bernardino's Bankruptcy Exit Plan (editorial - Press-Enterprise)
• Is Deficient Recruiting the Real Reason for Police Understaffing in San Diego? (Ed Ring / UnionWatch)
• Detroit Workers, Retirees Filing Briefs in 8 Appeals of City’s Bankruptcy Plan (Diane Bukowski / Voice of Detroit)
• How Will Illinois' High Court Rule on Pension Reform? (Paul Merrion / Crain's Chicago Business)
• Chicago's City Lawyers Predict 'Catastrophic Outcome' if Pension Reform Is Overturned (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• New Hampshire House Speaker Creates Pension Reform Study Group (Concord Monitor)
• Hedge Fund Chief: 'Sorry' for Losing It All (column - Mitch Tuchman / Forbes)

January 24, 2015

• FOR WEEKEND VISITORS -- SATURDAY:
• California Court Upholds Constitutionality of Public Employee Pension Cuts (Kenneth Ofgang / Metropolitan News-Enterprise)
• Police and Firefighters Battle in Salinas, California Battle Skyrocketing Overtime Costs (Allison Gatlin / Salinas Californian)
• NOTE TO OUR VISITORS AND SUBSCRIBERS: Reduced Publishing Schedule This Week for PensionTsunami.com

January 23, 2015

• Bankrupt San Bernardino to Impair Bondholders But Not CalPERS in Exit Plan, Says City Attorney (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• California's Public Pension Legal Costs Need to Be Public (op-ed - Michael Lotito & Bob Bunnell / Marin Independent Journal)
• See the California Capitol Region's 1,000 Highest-Paid Local Government Officials (Brad Branan / Sacramento Bee)
• LA 2020 and Voters Get the Bum's Rush From Herb Wesson and the Los Angeles City Council (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• Public Emloyee Pensions in Nevada Are Often Better Than Paychecks, New Analysis Shows (press release - Nevada Policy Research Institute)
• READ THE REPORT: 'Pensions in Nevada Are Often Better Than Paychecks' (pdf - Nevada Policy Research Institute)
• Kansas Governor's Pension Plans Would Boost Long-Term Costs (KWCH-TV)
• Billionaire Currency Trader George Soros Warns Against Investing Public Pension Money in Hedge Funds (David Sirota / International Business Times)
• Another Stupid Idea From New Jersey Pension Reformers (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PENSION PULSE: Taming New Jersey's 'Insatiable Beast'? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 22, 2015

• New San Jose Firefighters Will Receive Reduced Pensions Under Measure B (Matt Keller / KGO-TV)
• Debate Ahead Over Proposed Shift in Indiana's Pension Plan (Troy Kehoe / WISH-TV)
• Review of Dallas Police-Fire Pension Confirms Overvaluation of Real Estate (Steve Thompson / Dallas Morning News)
• So What’s the Plan for New Jersey's Public Pensions? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

January 20, 2015

• Sad End for CalPERS Private Equity 'Golden Years’ (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• A Swiss Lesson for San Diego County’s Public Pension Speculators (column - Dan McSwain / U-T San Diego)
• The Formidable Jerry Brown (Steven Greenhut / City Journal)
• How New Jersey Got Into This Pension Mess (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Public Pensions Watch: Why Are New Jersey Pensions So Screwed? (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• A Clause Worth Billions; As Illinois Struggles, Pension Systems Return to Court (Mark Fitton / Watchdog.org)
• Illinois Municipal Police and Fire Pensions to Go Up in Smoke? (column - Jim Nowlan / News-Gazette)
• The 'Tier 2′ Pension Mess in Illinois (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)

January 19, 2015

• FOR OUR M.L.K. HOLIDAY VISITORS:
• Orange County's Cities Still Face Significant Financial Risks Due to Underfunding of Pensions (Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• Gov. Jerry Brown Tackles California's $72 Billion Unfunded Retiree Health Liability (Redding Record Searchlight)

January 18, 2015

• FOR WEEKEND VISITORS -- SUNDAY:
• If Government Accountants Are Worried About the Financial State of the States, Taxpayers Should Be Petrified (Bob Williams / Huffington Post)
• The Other Debt Bomb in Public-Employee Benefits: $1 Trillion in Underfunded Health-Care Obligations (op-ed - Robert C. Pozen / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Pay for California's Retiree Health Care by Putting Government Workers in Obamacare (Joe Mathews / Fox & Hounds)

January 16, 2015

• Public Employee Unions vs. the Public (book review - Amity Shlaes / Wall Street Journal)

January 15, 2015

• California’s Exploding Public Employee Retirement Costs Threaten Our State’s Fiscal Future (op-ed - Chuck Reed / U-T San Diego)
• Thousands of California State Workers Are Hoarding Vacation Days (Will Evans / Center for Investigative Reporting)
• Top Lawyer for California Controller Benefits From Much-Criticized State Perk (Chris Reed / CalWatchdog)
• LAPD Makes Fresh Push for Higher Pay (James Poulos / CalWatchdog)
• Key Defendent in CalPERS Bribery, Fraud Case Appears to Have Killed Himself (Scott Sonner and Sudhin Thanawala / Associated Press)
• CalPERS Posts 18.4% Return on Investments in 2014 Fiscal Year (Marc Lifsher / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS’ Financial Health Improves (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Healthy Pension Plans Have 100% Funding (letter - Mary Pat Campbell / The Day)
• The 80% Pension Funding Hall of Shame: I Write Letters (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Expect No Leadership on New Jersey's Pension Issue (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

January 14, 2015

• BREAKING@2:00PM: Alfred Villalobos, Fixture in CalPERS Corruption Scandal, Apparently Committed Suicide (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• California Lawmaker Proposes Taxing Services to Pay for Pensions (Chriss W. Street / Breitbart California)
• CalPERS Reports Improved 2014 Finances, Investment Returns (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• State's Lawyers Argue Illinois Pension Protection Not 'Absolute' (Rick Pearson / Chicago Tribune)

January 13, 2015

• Remember That 'Temporary' Tax Hike for California Schools? Most Is Now Going to Public Employee Pensions (Steve Malanga / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Key Figure in CalPERS Bribery Case Is Too Ill for Trial, Lawyer Says (Dale Kasler / Sacramento Bee)
• Cross and Rutherford Are Illinois Electoral Losers, But Pension Winners (op-ed - Patrick Rehkamp / Chicago Sun-Times)
• LIVE RADIO TODAY: PensionTsunami's Jack Dean Will Be a Guest on the Andy Caldwell Show at 4:00 Pacific (KUHL-AM 1440 / Santa Maria)

January 12, 2015

• Gov. Jerry Brown Wants California's State Workers to Pay Ahead for Retiree Benefits (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Gov. Brown's Plan to Eliminate California's Retiree Health Care Debt (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• San Bernardino Sued for Favoring Pensioners Over Bondholders (Steven Church / Bloomberg)
• New Category of California Public Employees Tries to Sandbag Pension Fixes (Chris Reed / CalWatchdog)
• The Unions-Driven Crisis That Could Be Coming to a City Near You (Stephen Moore / Daily Signal)
• California Pension Reform 2016: The Website of the Coalition for Fair and Sustainable Pensions
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: Taking on the Illinois Pension Reform Challenge (Crain's Chicago Business / Illinois Policy)
• Detroit Fires Pension Fund Lawyer After Scandal (Christine Ferretti / Detroit News)
• Major Retirement Systems and Public Policy Proposals Graded by Actuaries (press release - American Academy of Actuaries)
• Britain's Bill for EU Membership Will Be Higher Than Expected Because of the Cost of Pensions for Brussels Officials (Bruno Waterfield / Telegraph)
• PENSION PULSE: On the Verge of Another Euro Crisis? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 9, 2015

• Bondholder Sues Bankrupt San Bernardino for Favoring CalPERS (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• Do Millenials Know That Public Pension Systems Need Reform? (Lance Christensen / California Political Review)
• California Pension Reform Should Include the Police (Carson Bruno / Real Clear Markets)
• CalFire Model Is Unsustainable, Not Just for Canyon Lake But for Cities Throughout California (Friday Flyer)
• Why Is the Los Angeles City Council Ignoring the Recommendations of the LA 2020 Commission? -- Part 1 (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• Nothing Exceptional About Bullying Tactics in New Jersey (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PENSION PULSE: An Insider’s View of Canada's Pension Debate? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 8, 2015

• The Average CalPERS Pension Is Up to 5 Times Greater Than Comparable Social Security Payouts (Robert Fellner / California Policy Center)
• California's Public Employee Retirement Pensions Akin to Daddy Warbucks (op-ed - Stephen Moore / Sierra Star)
• California Judges Fight for Bigger Pensions (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• California Courts Blew $30 Million on High Salaries, Other Costs According to State Audit (Kurt Orzeck / Law360)$$
• Pasadena Residents Outraged Over $6.4-Million Embezzlement Scandal (Frank Shyong / Los Angeles Times)
• REPORT: Reforming Government Pensions to Better Distribute Benefits; What Are the Options? (pdf - Richard W. Johnson / Urban Institute)
• OFF TOPIC: Time Capsule Buried in Boston by the Real 'Sons of Liberty' Opened After 220 Years (Joel Christie / Daily Mail)
• Illinois Auditor General Report Kicks Off Another Year of Pension Madness and Underfunding (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)
• Expect No 'Guidance’ on Pension Reform From Illinois Supreme Court (Mark Glennon / WirePoints
• Pennsylvania's Public Pension 'Ka-Boom' (editorial - Tribune-Review)
• Texas vs. California Update (blog - Lawrence Person / BattleSwarm Blog)
• PENSION PULSE: The Coming War on Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 7, 2015

• Four Shadows Fall Across California’s Budget (op-ed - David Crane / San Francisco Chronicle)
• Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed Returns to Real Estate Law (Joe Rodriguez / Mercury News)
• Rhode Island's Central Coventry Fire District Files for Bankruptcy (Ted Nesi / WPRI-TV)
• After Banner Year, Pennsylvania School Pension Fund Is Still Deep in the Red With a $35 Billion Shortfall (Eric Boehm / Pennsylvania Independent)
• Financially Troubled Fall River, Massachusetts May Need 'Bitter Medicine' Says New Mayor (Ted Nesi / WPRI-TV)
• How Did State/Local Public Pension Plans Become Underfunded? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• The 80% Funding Hall of Shame: Oh THOSE Experts Say (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Funding of S&P 1500 Pensions Plans Slipped 9% in 2014 (PlanSponsor)
• PENSION PULSE: Outlook 2015: A Rough and Tumble Year? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 6, 2015

• Gov. Brown's Final Inauguration: Will He Emphasize Fiscal Control or Far-Reaching Environmental Agenda? (Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)
• How Did State/Local Public Pension Plans Become Underfunded? (Alicia H. Munnell, Jean-Pierre Aubry & Mark Cafarelli / Center for Retirement Research)

January 5, 2015

• Public Employee Pensions a Middle-Class Crusher (column - Stephen Moore / Orange County Register)
• The University of California Is Raising Tuition to Fund Its Mismanaged Pension System (Lawrence J. McQuillan / National Review)
• Will Gov. Brown Propose Paying California Judges' Pension Debt? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• California Public Employees Accused of Lying and Theft Face Few Penalties, Says New Report (Steven Greenhut / Reason)
• READ THE REPORT: 'Investigations of Improper Activities by State Agencies and Employees' (pdf - California State Auditor)
• California’s Royals of Retirement Denial (column - Dan McSwain / U-T San Diego)
• For Some North Carolina Retirees, a Big Pension -- and Then Some More (Dan Kane and David Raynor / News & Observer)
• The Real Scandals of Pension Spiking in New Jersey (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• New Jersey Court Scraps Copayment Hikes for Public Worker Retirees (Martin Bricketto / Law360)
• Worst Pension Reporting of the Week in Illinois (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)
• PENSION PULSE: Engineering Your Alpha This New Year? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

January 4, 2015

• A FEW FINAL HOLIDAY HEADLINES -- WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION TOMORROW
• The Numbers Reveal the Magnitude of California's Unfunded Public Employee Healthcare Crisis (op-ed - John Chiang / Sacramento Bee)
• Study Reveals Greater Sacramento Area’s City Staffs Among California's Highest-Paid (Jorden P. Hales / Press Tribune)
• Retirement Will Be Painful for Most (John Seiler / CalWatchdog)

January 3, 2015

• A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5
• Report Shows California Public Employees Accused of Lying and Theft Face Few Penalties (column - Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)
• Union-Backed Private Investigators Accused of Tracking, Falsely Reporting DUI on California City Council Members (Joseph Weber / Fox News)

January 2, 2015

• A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5
• California Pension Reformer Chuck Reed Will Fight On (John Seiler / CalWatchdog)
• Stunning Data on Average Compensation for Municipal Employees in California (Thomas Lifson / American Thinker)

January 1, 2015

• HAPPY NEW YEAR! -- A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5
• Billionaire Frets About Public Pensions' Solvency (Marianne LeVine / Politico)
• State and Local Governments Face Massive, Growing Budget Gaps in 2015 and Beyond (Eric Boehm / Watchdog.org)
• Rhode Island Governor-Elect Raimondo Sees Pension Talks as Job One (Katherine Gregg / Providence Journal)
• Beginning Today, Changes Are Coming to Military Pensions (with video - Bridget Naso / NBC San Diego)

December 31, 2014

• A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!
• CalPERS Needs to Get Real (editorial - Orange County Register)
• California Judges Sue CalPERS Pension System Over Contributions (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• The California Initiative Reform That’s Most Needed (editorial - U-T San Diego)
• Time for California's Public Pension Funds to Make Steadier Investments (video - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)$$
• Chicago Pension Reform Litigation Extends to Second City Fund (Karen Pierog / Reuters)
• Illinois May Have Little Chance of Overturning Ruling on Pension Reform (Karen Pierog / Reuters)
• Fees and Expenses for Detroit Bankruptcy Hit Nearly $178 Million (Karen Pierog and Lisa Lambert / Reuters)

December 30, 2014

• A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!
• Union Spin Won’t Stop California's Public Pension Wrecking Ball (editorial - U-T San Diego)
• The Decision of Stockton and San Bernardino to Forego Pension Reform Is Dangerous (editorial - Riverside Press-Enterprise)
• Is More Education Money Helping California Schools, or Being Used to Fund Pensions or Rising Staffing Costs? (Annie Gilbertson / SCPR)
• The Treasury Dept's Pension Expert Discusses the Latest Plans for Improving Retirement Income Security (Frances Denmark / Institutional Investor)
• Erie, Pennsylvania's Pension Plans 'Distressed,' But Not at Crisis Point (Kevin Flowers / Erie Times-News)
• How Stingy Is NJPP’s Least Generous Public Pension Plan? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 29, 2014

• A MINIMAL NUMBER OF HEADLINES WILL BE POSTED DAILY UNTIL WE RESUME NORMAL PUBLICATION ON JANUARY 5 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!
• New Accounting Rules Open Door on Public Pension Debts (op-ed - Bill Monnet / Marin Independent Journal)
• CalSTRS Bailout May Derail Local School Budgets (U-T San Diego)$$
• How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats: Paying for All Those Pensions Means Less Money for Parks and Schools (Daniel DiSalvo / The Daily Beast)
• Stockton Bankruptcy Looms Over California's Municipalities in 2015 (Wayne Lusvardi / CalWatchdog)
• Yuba County Judge Among Five California Judges Suing Over State Pensions (Harold Kruger / Appeal-Democrat)
• Illinois Risks Default if It Doesn’t Tackle Its Public Pension Crisis (editorial - Business Insider)
• Creating Your Own Convenient Narrative on New Jersey's Public Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 28, 2014

• A FEW HOLIDAY HEADLINES FOR PENSION REFORM FANATICS:
• Salary Info Shows Fruits of California Public Employee Union Muscle (column - Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)$$
• California's Public Employees Score Top Salaries (John Seiler / CalWatchdog)
• Study Sought on Privatizing Kansas Public Pensions (John Hanna / Sedgwick County Post)

December 27, 2014

• A FEW HOLIDAY HEADLINES FOR PENSION REFORM FANATICS:
• Union Power in California (op-ed - Steve Hunt / Victorville Daily Press)
• Before Retiring, US Rep. George Miller Breaks Ranks to Help Save Troubled Multi-Employer Pension Plans (column - Dan Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• The Pension Crisis Next Door: Scranton, Pennsylvania (op-ed - Stephen Moore / Investors Business Daily)
• Boise Firefighter, Police Pay Shows Need to Reassess Public Employee Compensation (op-ed - Floyd Whitley / Idaho Statesman)

December 26, 2014

• A FEW HOLIDAY HEADLINES FOR PENSION REFORM FANATICS:
• Elected Judges Sue CalPERS Over Pensions (Dave Tartre / Courthouse News Service)
• China to Reform Pensions by Asking Government Employees to Pay (Xin Zhou / Bloomberg)
• PENSION PULSE: China to Overhaul Its Pension System? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 24, 2014

• Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas -- We'll Be Back on Monday!
• Paying for the University of California's Pension Miscues (editorial - Orange County Register)
• Pension Reform Newsletter -- December 2014 (Lance Christensen / Reason Foundation)

December 23, 2014

• No Vested Right in Pension Multiplier, Says Wisconsin Supreme Court Majority (Joe Forward / State Bar of Wisconsin)
• State Budgets Show Improvement But Are Dogged by Pension, Medicaid Costs (column - Lou Cannon / State Net Capitol Journal)
• Promise Now, Pay Later: Credit-Rating Firms Resist Political Appeal of Public Pension Funds (Sutirtha Bagchi / Pensions & Investments)
• The Shocking -- But Not Surprising -- Moody's Report on New Jersey Pensions (Bob Williams / State Budget Solutions)
• Christie Interview Takeaways (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Lancaster, Pennsylvania Raises Property Tax to Fund Rising Pension Obligations (Tom Knapp / Lancaster Online)
• Erie, Pennsylvania's City Council Approves Property Tax Hike to Cover Increased Pension Costs (David Bruce / Erie Times-News)
• North Miami Beach Sues Police Retirement Board Reps Who Ignored Court Opinion on Pension Reform (Patricia Sagastume / Miami Herald)
• PENSION PULSE: The $800 Billion Leveraged Loan Blacklist? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 22, 2014

• Sentencing Postponed in CalPERS Bribery Case (blog - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Governor's Budget Will Try to Defuse California's Retiree Health-Care 'Time Bomb' (column - Steven Geenhut / U-T San Diego)
• Long-Term Health Care for 200,000 Retired State Workers Isn’t Funded (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)
• Tackling the Big Debt That California Lawmakers Let Balloon (blog - Ed Mendell / Calpensions)
• The Coming Public Pension Meltdown (op-ed - Stephen Moore / Washington Times)
• Costa Mesa Pension Reform Advocates Fight Back After They Claim Police Union Hired Team to Spy on Them (video - Sandra Mitchell / CBS Los Angeles)
• READ the Affidavit Filed by the District Attorney Regarding Spying by the Costa Mesa Police Union on Council Members Who are Pension Reform Advocates
• California State Government Still Faces Tsunami of Red Ink (editorial - U-T San Diego)
• 'Balanced' Pension Investment Fund Rife With Risks (Dan McSwain / U-T San Diego)$$
• Generous Los Angeles City Policy Rewards Workers Who Take Long Injury Leaves (Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• Police Unions Behaving Badly in California and Arizona (Lucy Morrow Caldwell / National Review)
• Wisconsin Supreme Court OKs Milwaukee County Cuts to Pension Benefits (Bruce Vielmetti / Journal Sentinel)
• Pension Litigation Case Heading to Illinois Supreme Court (Benton Evening News)
• Pension Board Addresses the Mayor of Marion, Illinois' Concerns of Fraud Among Disability Claims (Nick Mariano / The Southern Illinoisan)
• Scranton Taxpayers Also Disabled; Pension Reform Is Needed (editorial - Times-Tribune)
• Buffalo, New York: Cop Is Fired for Trying to Stop a Fellow Officer From Abusing a Suspect, Also Loses Pension (with video - Kendra Eaglin / ABC Buffa
• Math Dictates That Reform of Nevada's Public Pension Fund Is Imperative (op-ed - Victor Joecks / Reno Gazette-Journal)
• Rush to Enroll in DROP Pension Plan Comes as Jacksonville Police, Firefighters Worry About Benefits (David Bauerlein / Florida Times-Union)
• Governor Seeks Study of Big Kansas Pension Changes (KMBZ Radio)
• The State of Public Employment in 2014 (Heather Kerrigan / Governing)
• Sandusky Loses Appeal to Keep Pension (Mark Scolforo / Indiana Gazette)
• Retiring Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to Receive $6 Million Pension (Matt Snyder / CBS Sports)

December 19, 2014

• Creditor to Oppose San Bernardino Bankruptcy Plan That Favors CalPERS (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• Costa Mesa Councilmen Who Advocated Pension Reform Say Families Hurt by Private Investigator Misconduct (Jordan Graham / Orange County Register)
• Grover Beach, California's Police Chief to Double-Dip Into Taxpayer Funds (CalCoastNews)
• Study Reveals Cops Are the Most Obese Workers in America (Tim Macfarlan / Daily Mail)
• Los Angeles' Politicians Long on Promises … Short on Where the $$ to Pay for Them Are Coming From (Jack Humphreville/ CityWatch LA)
• Ten Fiscal and Financial Stories Ignored by Illinois Media in 2014 (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)
• America’s Greece? Illinois Risks Default if It Fails to Tackle Its Public-Pension Crisis (The Economist)
• Public Employee Unions Launch Legal Challenge to Chicago Pension Reforms (Yvette Shields / The Bond Buyer)
• Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu's Pension Will Be $48,000 a Year, Starting at Age 62, Says National Taxpayers Union (Bruce Alpert / Times-Picayune)
• Corporate Pension Changes Passed as Part of Controversial Spending Bill (Frances Denmark / Institutional Investor)
• New Pension Reforms Could Help Prevent the Next Taxpayer Bailout—So Why Are Some Unions Up in Arms? (Rachel Greszler / Daily Signal)
• READ Congressional 'Multi-Employer Pension Reform' Bill That Will Allow Cuts to Retiree Benefits (pdf - 160 Pages / House of Representatives)
• Pension Deal in $1.1 Trillion Budget Bill Hits Retired Women Hard (Joel Himelfarb / Newsmax)
• PENSION PULSE: Mass Looting of U.S. Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 18, 2014

• Affidavit Shows Cop Union Targeted Pension-Reformer Foes in Costa Mesa (column - Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)
• Costa Mesa Police Wanted Detectives to Target Pension Reformers on City Council, Emails Show (Jeremiah Dobruck / Los Angeles Times)
• No Bonus for Double-Dipping City Manager in Santa Ana, California (Adam Elmahrek / Voice of OC)
• The Crisis Hits Home: Illinois’ Local Governments' Pension Problem (Ted Dabrowski / Illinois Policy)
• Most Generous New Jersey Pension (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Pennsylvania Pension Reform Is Needed (Terrie Morgan-Besecker / Scranton Times-Tribune)
• Even With Stock Market's Rise, Many Pension Funds Haven't Recovered From Recession (Liz Farmer / Governing)
• PENSION PULSE: Madam Chairman, Are You Serious? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 17, 2014

• California’s Unfunded Healthcare Obligation to Retired State Government Workers Hits $72 Billion (Manteca Bulletin)
• California State Controller's Proposal Would Pay Down Retiree Healthcare Costs (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Stockton and Detroit Exit Bankruptcy Leaving Public Employee Pensions As-Is (Lance Christensen and Victor Nava / Fox & Hounds)
• Pension Time Bomb Ticks as Disclosure Rules Toughen: Muni Credit (Darrell Preston / Bloomberg)
• Court Records Detail Costa Mesa Police Union's Ties to Private Investigators (Jordan Graham / Orange County Register)
• San Diego County Pension Fund's Retreat From Risk Avoids $100 Million Loss (James Nash / Bloomberg)
• Long Beach Councilman Who Receives a City Pension Will Waive His Council Salary (Eric Bradley / Press-Telegram)
• Unions Sue to Stop Chicago Pension Overhaul (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Chicago Public Employees, Retirees and Unions Sue to Overturn Pension Reform Law (Morgan Winsor / International Business Times)
• Not to Quibble With the Oracle, But … (editorial - Truth in Accounting)
• Scranton, Pennsylvania Has No Re-Examination Clause for Employees Who Are Granted a Disability Pension (Terrie Morgan-Besecker / Times-Tribune)
• Institutional Investor Magazine Has Strange Bedfellows on 'Top 40' List of Pension Notables (Ian Donnis / Rhode Island Public Radio)
• Some Pension Checks Are Vulnerable Under New Law (column - Terry Savage / Huffington Post)
• 4 Ways Congress Just Screwed Up Pensions (Ann Brenoff / Huffington Post)
• Federal Law Is Altered to Allow Reducing Multi-Employer Pension Payouts (J. D. Heyes / Global Research)
• PENSION PULSE: 1998 All Over Again? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 16, 2014

• Ubiquitous Contra Costa County Pension Spiking Spreads Across All Income Levels (column - Daniel Borenstein / Contra Costa Times)
• California Police Unions Use Ugly Tactics to Shut Down Pension Reform (Steven Greenhut / Watchdog.org)
• California’s Cities Aren’t Alone – Unions Trample Finances in Scranton, Pennsylvania (Mike Shedlock / UnionWatch)
• California Public Employees' Overtime Pay Surges (column - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• California State Senator Seeks to Require CalPERS Trustees to Ignore Their Fidiuciary Responsibility and Divest Coal (Michael Marois / Bloomberg)
• Investment by San Francisco Pension Official Raises Questions About Favors (David Sirota / International Business Times)
• Doubling of Pensions Helped Tank Scranton's Nonuniform Pension Plan (Terrie Morgan-Besecker / Times-Tribune)
• An Easier Fix to Growing Teacher-Pension Debt (press release - Sys-Con Media)
• DOWNLOAD THE REPORT: 'How Late-Career Raises Drive Teacher-Pension Debt' (Edunomics Lab / Georgetown University)
• Colorado's Local Governments Could Be in Trouble Over Pension Fund Accounting (Sherrie Peif / Greeley Tribune)
• Kansas Governor Proposes Using Pension Money to Cover Budget Gaps Created by His Tax Cuts (David Sirota / International Business Times)
• Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch Outlines Pension Reform, Retirement Savings (St. George News)

December 15, 2014

• CalPERS Numbers Tell the Story (editorial - Press Democrat)
• How Far Will Cop Unions Go to Halt California Pension Reform? (column - Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)
• Pension Cost Avoidance Created Multi-Billion Dollar Gaps in California's State and Local Pension Funds (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS: Extra Contributions by Government Employers Can Yield Big Savings (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• A Ranking of the 40 Most Influential Players in US Pensions (Robert Teitelman / Institutional Investor)
• Pensions and Bankruptcy Claimants (blog - Susan Mangiero / Pension Risk Matters)
• Congress's Pension Bill Seen as Model for Cuts in Other Troubled Retirement Programs (John D. McKinnon / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Investors, Just Say No to Illinois, New Jersey and Puerto Rico Muni Bonds (Marilyn Cohen / Forbes)
• New Jersey: Pension Guru Predicts (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Healthy Florida State Pension Fund May Still Face Reform (Lloyd Dunkelberger / Daytona Beach News Journal)
• Scranton Has Highest Disability Pension Rate in State of Pennsylvania (Terrie Morgan-Besecker / Times-Tribune)
• Pension Seizure Law Affects Nearly 200 Pennsylvanians (Mark Scolforo / NBC Los Angeles)
• Poor Economies Mean Relatively More Public Employees (Hannah Hoffman / Statesman Journal)
• 'Gas-Guzzling' Oregon Pension Fund Drains Effectiveness of Tax Dollars (column - Dan Lucas / Statesman Journal)
• Public Pensions Visualization: How Bad Is It? (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Court Sides With State of New Hampshire on Pension Fund Contributions (Gary Rayno / Union Leader)
• Pension Politics: New Hampshire Needs Leadership (editorial - Union Leader)
• Pension Reform 'Concept' Flips Memphis City Council Script (Bill Dries / Memphis Daily News)
• Online Petition Urges Tennessee Valley Authority to Replenish Its Pension Fund, Which Has a $4.8 Billion Shortfall (Dave Flessner / Times Free Press)
• Scenes From a Nation Unwilling to Face Its Bureaucrat-Pension Crisis (blog - D. Dowd Muska)
• Zambia: Increased Retirement Age Meant to Secure the Welfare of Public Service Workers (Lusaka Times)
• PENSION PULSE: Did Congress Just Nuke Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 14, 2014

• California Pension Reform - Part 1 (editorial - Fox Los Angeles)
• California Pension Reform - Part 2 (editorial - Fox Los Angeles)
• Multi-Employer Pension Reform Could Cut Benefits for Many Current Retirees (Jim Gallagher / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Multi-Employer Pension Plans: Why Participant Benefit Cuts Over a PBGC Bailout? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 13, 2014

• Congress Poised to Allow Cuts to Private Pension Payouts (Evan Halper / Los Angeles Times)
• Christmas Bonuses for Uniformed Retirees Weaken New York City’s Pension Funds (Maria Doulis / Citizens Budget Commission)
• Chicago Prepares for Pension Payment Spike, Creates Account to Set Aside Funds (blog - Ted Ballantine / Pension360)

December 12, 2014

• Pension Reform Is a Must if California Is to Avoid Bankruptcy (column - Craig Cannon / The Reporter)
• California's School Districts Want to Highlight Retirees' Costs (John Fensterwald, Laurie Udesky and John Fensterwald / EdSource)
• District Attorney Arrests Investigators Who Tried to Ensnare Pro-Pension Reform Councilmen in Costa Mesa (Adam Elmahrek / Voice of OC)
• District Attorney Says Private Investigators Illegally Tracked Costa Mesa Councilmen (Jordan Graham / Orange County Register)
• Incoming San Jose Mayor's First Order of Business: Settle Feud With Cops Over Pension Reform (Mike Rosenberg / Mercury News)
• Hawaii Takes Small Steps on $20 Billion Unfunded Pension and Healthcare Liability (Cathy Bussewitz / Associated Press)
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s Pension Mess (column - Allysia Finley / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Alaska's Looming Retirement Fund Problem Shifts to New Administration (Pat Forgey / Alaska Dispatch News) /
• The Cost of Illinois’ Broken Pension Systems: Per-Employee Retirement Contributions 4 Times the Private Sector (Ted Dabrowski / Illinois Policy)
• The 401(k) Killed Off Defined-Benefit Pensions (Evan Applegate / Bloomberg)
• Washington’s Pension Non-Bailout: A Fix for Multi-Employer Plans That Doesn’t Hit Taxpayers. Really. (editorial - Wall Street Journal)$$
• 'Insane' Pensions and Perks for Military Brass Questioned by Congress (Tom Vanden Brook / USA Today)
• Congress Says It Has to Cut Pensions to Save Them (Peter Coy / Bloomberg)
• Congress' Backroom Pension-Cutting Deal Is Even Worse Than Expected (column - Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times)
• Barnes & Noble Continues Efforts to Close Defined-Benefit Pension Plan (Benjamin VanMetre / Illinois Policy)
• PENSION PULSE: Is This Time Really Different? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 11, 2014

• California's Unfunded Public Pension Liabilities Are Staggering (editorial - Hanford Sentinel)
• New York Sent Pension Checks to Cop for 28 Years After His Death (Jonathan Bandler / Journal News)
• US House Spending Bill Would Allow Pension Benefit Cuts (Rebecca Moore / Plan Sponsor)
• Congress Eyes Move to Cut Pension Benefits (John W. Schoen / CNBC)
• Teamsters' Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. to Congress: Kill the Omnibus Bill (Matthew Boyle / Big Government)
• Why Reform of Nevada's Pension Fund Is Imperative in 2 Charts (Victor Joecks / Nevada Policy Research Instutute)
• States Are Borrowing Money Like Crazy Just to Fund Basic Services While Accumulating Enormous Pension Debt (Jason Cote / Nebraska City News-Press)
• New Jersey Pension Funds Sue Gov. Christie for Non-Payment (Mark Lagerkvist / Townhall)
• New Jersey Pension Boards’ Complaint Against Gov. Christie (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund Board Decides to Pay Out Holiday Bonuses to Retirees (David Bauerlein / Florida Times-Union)
• The 80% Pension Funding Hall of Shame: Experts Say ... (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)

December 10, 2014

• BREAKING @ 7:00PM: Detroit Emerges From Nation's Largest Municipal Bankruptcy (Tina Susman & Michael Muskal / Los Angeles Times)
• $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill Includes a Reduction in Benefits for Retirees in Distressed Multiemployer Pension Plans (David Espo & Andrew Taylor / AP)
• Police Unions in America (Ed Ring / UnionWatch)
• Milpitas Fire Union Members to See $3-Million Pay Increase Over Two Years (Ian Bauer / Milpitas Post)
• Public's Right to Know Undercut by Some Pension Systems (editorial - Herald Dispatch)
• Pension Reform on Trial in Rhode Island (column - Allysia Finley / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Welcome to Illinois, the Deadbeat State (Gerald Skoning / Wall Street Journal)$$
• With Unsustainable Pension Costs, Dupage County, Illinois Looks to Save $80 Million With Local Gov't Consolidation (Nancy Mathieson / Wire Points)
• The Cost of Illinois’ Broken Pension Systems: Per-Employee Retirement Contributions 4 Times the Private Sector (Illinois Policy)
• Kentucky's Pension Problems (editorial - Courier-Journal)
• Breaking News: New Jersey Gov. Christie Sued Today (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Public Pension Choices: Visualizing the Sources of Bad Experience (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• PENSION PULSE: OPA! Another Greek Black Swan? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 9, 2014

• Kern County, California's Unfunded Pension Liability Tops $2 Billion (James Burger / Bakersfield Californian)
• The Truth About 'The Truth About Firefighter Retirement Benefits' (David Brown / UnionWatch)
• Demographic Changes Threaten Pensions: New CalPERS Report Finds Fewer Workers and More Pensioners (column - Steven Greenhut / U-T San Diego)
• New Pension Numbers: A Banner Year, But Los Angeles Still Billions in the Hole (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• Los Angeles on the Hook for Humungous $10 Billion Infrastructure Repair Bill (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA
• Retired Costa Mesa Police Chief Takes No. 2 Job at Port of Los Angeles Force (Jeremiah Dobruck / Los Angeles Times)
• Termed-Out Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach Looks Back on Two Decades of Fiscal Reform (Heidi Cuda / Public Sector Inc.)
• Could Illinois Municipal Bankruptcy Be Next Addition to State’s Dismal Financial Outlook? (Andrew Schroedter and Patrick Rehkamp / Reboot Illinois)
• Struggles Continue for Many Illinois Pension Funds (Yvette Shields / Pensions & Investments)
• 24/7 Wall St. Survey Crowns Illinois Worst-Run State in the Nation (Kevin Hoffman / Reboot Illinois)
• Former Detroit Treasurer and Two Others Convicted of Pension Fraud (Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal)
• No Escape From Pension Math in Pennsylvania (Romy Varghese / Bloomberg)
• Pennsylvania Ex-Supreme Court Judge Involved in Porn Scandal Receives $11,000 Monthly Pension (Mark Scolforo / Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Corporate Pension Liabilities Consume Asset Gains (Michael Giardina / Employee Benefit News)
• Public Pensions Are at Risk Worldwide, Says OECD Report (John W. Schoen / CNBC)
• PENSION PULSE: Canada Finds Key to Pension Fund Investing? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 8, 2014

• San Luis Obispo Supervisors Approve a $2.4 Million Handout to County Employees (editorial - Cal Coast News)
• California Is Copied as Other States Seek to Set Up Retirement Plans for Private Sector (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• CalPERS Retirees Collecting Pensions Will Soon Out Number Current Employees (John Seiler / CalWatchdog)
• Gov. Brown, CalPERS Will Face Off in 2015 Over Pension Padding (James Poulos / CalWatchdog)
• The Public Pension Buck Stops ... Where? San Diego County's Fund Has the Nation’s Most Highly Leveraged Portfolio (Dan McSwain / U-T San Diego)
• California Releases Updated City, County Financial Data (Barrett Newkirk / The Desert Sun)
• Costa Mesa, California Police Chief's Pension Is Near $185,000, Officials Say (Jeremiah Dobruck / Daily Pilot)
• Congress Sends President Bill to Cut Former Nazis' Social Security Benefits (Richard Lardner / Associated Press)
• Next Up: Illinois Municipal Bankruptcies? (Better Government Association / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Why Illinois Pension Reform May Be Constitutional (Joe Cahill / Crain's Chicago Business)
• Little Optimism for Illinois Pension Reform Appeal (Meaghan Kilroy / Pensions & Investments)
• Illinois Pension Warnings Still Go Unheeded (column - Scott Reeder / Journal-Courier)
• Illinois Retiree Attorneys: No Need to Put Pension Case on Fast Track (Kurt Erickson / The Southern)
• No Illinois Pensions for Felons (editorial - Belleville News-Democrat)
• Pennsylvania Needs Municipal Pension Reform Now (op-ed - Seth Grove and Keith Greiner / Lancaster Online)
• A Note to Pennsylvania Lawmakers: True Reform Wouldn't Be Jumping the Gun (editorial - Lancaster Online)
• Pennsylvania Must Address School Employee Pensions, Too (op-ed - Brenda Becker / Lancaster Online)
• New Jersey’s Pension System Debt Hits $170 Billion; Shortfall Doubles Under New Accounting Standards (Mark Lagerkvist / New Jersey Watchdog)
• Underwhelming Response to New Jersey's Pension Underfunding Revisions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Iowa Pension Fund's Financial Health Improves, But Is Still Short $5.5 Billion (William Petroski / Des Moines Register)
• Sounding the Alarm on Pension Reform for Nevada (column - Glenn Cook / Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• South Dakota Pension Fund Being Watched Closely (Bob Mercer / Rapid City Journal)
• South Carolina Public Employees Lose Pension Reform Appeal (Hilary Russ / Reuters)
• Arizona's Public Workers, Employers to Pay Less for Pension Plan (Craig Harris / The Republic)
• Federal Debt Has Soared Above $18 Trillion (blog - J.D. Tuccille / Reason)
• Congress Docks Pensions for Senior Pentagon Brass (Tom Vanden Brook / USA Today)
• Congress Could Soon Allow Pension Plans to Cut Benefits for Current Retirees (Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post)
• Immediate Multiemployer Pension Reforms Urged (Hazel Bradford / Pensions & Investments)
• Taxpayer Bailout of Underfunded Pension Plans (blog - Susan Mangiero / Pension Risk Matters)
• Multiemployer Pensions, Social Security, and Public Pensions: Choices Have Consequences (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Machinists' Union Slams Congress Over Sneak Attack on US Pension Law (press release - International Association of Machinists)
• Quebec Passes Pension Reform Bill (Benefits Canada)
• PENSION PULSE: Hurdles For Hedge Funds? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 5, 2014

• Social Security to Become Insolvent Far Earlier Than Expected (Monica Sanchez / Media Research Center)
• Big Changes Ahead for Public Defined Benefit Pension Plans (Rebecca Moore / PlanSponsor)
• California Cities Need a Solution to Pension Mess (op-ed - Matthew D. Covington / Sacramento Bee)
• On Its Own, San Bernardino Continues to Struggle (editorial - The Sun)
• Pension Increase? San Joaquin County Heeds Study, Acts Accordingly (editorial - Stockton Record)
• 20 Years After Orange County Went Bankrupt, Changes Prevent a Repeat (column - Teri Sforza / Orange County Register)
• California State Controller Adds Latest City, County Figures to Open Data Site (Lake County News)
• Texas vs. California Update (blog - Lawrence Person / BattleSwarm Blog)
• Monmouth, Illinois Slated to Hike Property Taxes to Fund Pensions (Benjamin VanMetre / Illinois Policy)
• New York State United Teachers' $380 Million Pension Woe (RiShawn Biddle / Dropout Nation))
• A Strategy for Pensions at Risk of Extinction (Floyd Norris / New York Times)
• PENSION PULSE: The Biggest Risks For Stocks in 2015? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 4, 2014

• San Luis Obispo County’s Six-Figure Pension Club Continues to Grow Along With $500 Million Unfunded Liability (Josh Friedman / Cal Coast News)
• California Must Fix Its Public Pension Funds’ Unfunded Liabilities (editorial - San Mateo Daily Journal)
• Few Rules Mean Hefty Payouts for Some California Public Employees (Joanna Lin / Center for Investigative Reporting)
• California’s Public Payroll Database Falls Short on Transparency (Joanna Lin / Center for Investigative Reporting)
• How We Analyzed California’s Public Employee Compensation Data (Joanna Lin / Center for Investigative Reporting)
• INTERACTIVE DATABASE: Payday California (Center for Investigative Reporting)
• Bankrupt San Bernardino Has Paid $6 Million Legal Fees, Millions More Expected (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• Firefighters Lose Bid to Sue Bankrupt San Bernardino in State Court (Tim Reid / Reuters)
• Labor Advocate Left Out Key Details in Op-Ed on Mayor Reed's Pension Reform (letter - San Jose Mercury News)
• Funding Ratio for Connecticut Public Employee Pension Fund Falls to 41.5% (Christine Stuart / CT News Junkie)
• Moody's Says New Jersey's Pension Funds Will Run Dry in Ten Years (Adam Shapiro / Fox Business)
• Explaining New Jersey's GASB Funding Ratio Drop (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Big Mistake: New Chicago Treasurer to Divert Pension Money to Economic Development (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)
• The Jacksonville Pension Deal -- a Mirage or an Oasis? (column - Ron Littlepage / Florida Times-Union)
• Do State and Local Pensions Need Federal Regulation? (Alicia H. Munnell / MarketWatch)
• New Illinois Law Automatically Enrolls 2.5 Million Private Sector Workers in Retirement Plans (Greg Hinz / Crain's Chicago Business)
• Lame-Duck Congress Nears Last-Minute Vote on Sweeping Pension Reform (Cole Stangler / In These Times)
• PENSION PULSE: Fall of the Bond King? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 3, 2014

• The Real Reason Behind a Proposed Tuition Hike at the University of California (Steven Greenhut / City Journal)
• Public Pension Funds for Illinois and California Hold 75% Risky Investments (op-ed - Andrew G. Biggs / Wall Street Journal)$$
• California’s New, Big, Nonpartisan Political Tent (Ed Ring / UnionWatch)
• Gov. Jerry Brown and CalPERS on Course for Another Pension-Law Collision (column - Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Key Pension Question Unanswered in Stockton Bankruptcy Ruling (op-ed - Thomas D. Elias / The Reporter)
• More Police Officers for Salinas, California Means More Pension Debt (letter - The Californian)
• A Pyrrhic Pension Victory: Illinois Public Workers May Pay Dearly for a Court Decision to Overturn Retirement Reforms (Steven Malanga / City Journal)
• The Real Culprits in Illinois’ Pension Disaster (column - Charles Chieppo / Governing)
• Rhode Island Pension Reform Lawsuit Will Go to a Jury Trial (Hilary Russ / Reuters)
• Rhode Island Judge Denies Request to Reinstate Disability Pension of Providence Firefighter Caught Pumping Iron (Tim White / WPRI-TV)
• Hialeah, Florida Has a $28 Million Pension Fund Shortfall (with video - Carlos Suarez / WPLG-TV)
• Memphis Weighs Two Pension Reform Measures (blog - Ted Ballantine / Pension360)
• Volatile Market Poses Risk to Public Pension Returns (video - Adam Shapiro / Fox Business)
• Congress Wants to Strip Nazis of Their Social Security Benefits (Betsy Woodruff / Slate)
• PENSION PULSE: The Royal Airline Pension Shaft? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 2, 2014

• California's Pension Issues Must Be Top Priority (editorial - San Mateo Daily Journal)
• Petaluma, California’s Unfunded Pension Liability Has Ballooned to $74 Million (Elizabeth M. Cosin / Argus-Courier)
• Chico, California's Second Police Chief in a Row Retires Early With a Fat Pension (Melissa Daugherty / Chico News & Review)
• University of California's President Walks Tightrope Between Pension Costs and Tuition Hike (column - Ron Leuty / San Francisco Business Times)
• Newport Beach, California Adopts 19-Year Payment Plan for Employee Pensions (Megan Nicolai / Orange County Register)
• Newport Beach City Council Votes to Pay Off CalPERS Pension Liability Faster (Hannah Fry / Daily Pilot)
• New Jersey Comes Clean on Pension Numbers; Will Illinois? (Mark Glennon / WirePoints)
• Few Options Remain as Illinois Local Governments Confront Budget-Busting Pension Obligations (Robert Steere / Illinois Policy)
• Illinois Can Make a Comeback, Says Economist Steven Moore (Nancy Thorner / Heartland Institute)
• The 80% Pension Funding Hall of Shame: An Illinois Ex-Governor Who Should Know Better (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Pennsylvania's Leaders' Pay Raise Is No Merit Increase (editorial - Pocono Record)
• Time for Florida Pension Reform (editorial - Tampa Bay Tribune)
• Pension Tension: New Research Dispels Old Notion That Public Employees Make Less Than Private Sector Peers (editorial - Nashua Telegraph)$$
• SEC Raises Pressure on Borrowers as Leniency Ends: Muni Credit (William Selway / Bloomberg)
• Canadian Unions Strike, Shut Down Port Over California-Style Pension Reform Plan (Jon Ortiz / Sacramento Bee)
• Requesting a Public Hearing on Public Pension Actuarial Practice (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Fight Brewing Over Social Security Benefits for Illegal Immigrants (Brian Hughes / Washington Examiner)
• PENSION PULSE: New Jersey's Pension GASBing for Air? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

December 1, 2014

• Vallejo First to Test No Pension Cut in Bankruptcy (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• The PBGC: A Federal Guarantee Is Sure to Go Broke (op-ed -: Alex J. Pollock / Wall Street Journal)$$

November 30, 2014

• FOR HOLIDAY WEEKEND VISITORS -- SUNDAY:
• California's Pension Debt Cloud (column - Steve Williams / Hesperia Star)
• Three Fiscal Issues the California Legislature Should Address (op-ed - David Crane / Sacramento Bee)
• California's Defined Pension Pitfalls (letter - Orange County Register)
• Illinois’s Pension Absurdity: A Judge Rules That All Benefits Are Forever, No Matter the Public Cost (editorial - Wall Street Journal)

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