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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 state pension funds, corporate pensions, milti-employer pension funds, social security and international trends. Now in its 15th year, PensionTsunami was founded by and is edited by Jack Dean. (Contact: JackDean-at-PensionTsunami-dot-com or 916-644-0688 or @PensionTsunami)

Latest Newsclips     last updated January 21 3:22pm PST

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

January 21, 2019

• San Diego County Prevails in Lawsuit Against Its Own Pension System (Jeff McDonald / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Vallejo, California Is No Longer Bankrupt, But Budget Gap Grows (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Social Change Is Outside the Role of Public Pensions (Anil Niraula / Reason)
• Federal Employees Get Perks Taxpayers Can Only Dream of (Kristin Tate / The Hill)
• Hawaii's Pension Fund Shortfall Climbs to $13.4 Billion ( Dave Segal / Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
• New York City Pension Staffers Are Chilling in Key West as Arctic Chill Hits (Susan Edelman / New York Post)

January 20, 2019

• San Diego's City Pension Fund Has No Business Giving Out 13th Checks (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / Stump)
• Reforms Urged to Control Exploding California Pension Costs (press release - Hoover Institution / Stanford University)
• The Public Pension Crisis (video - John Stossel / Facebook)
• 18,000 Texas Public Employees Make More Than $100,000 (Adam Andrzejewski / Forbes)

January 19, 2019

• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to Take Over Sears Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

January 18, 2019

• University of California Regents Had a Bad Q4 Surprise, Losing $9 Billion (Chris Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
• Manteca City Council May Chip Away at $145 Million in Liabilities (Dennis Wyatt / Manteca Bulletin)
• Fort Bragg, California's Pension Costs Expected to Reach $2 Million a Year by 2025 (Kelci Parks / Advocate News)
• New Jersey Considers Defined-Contribution Public Employee Pensions (Bonner R. Cohen / Heartland Institute)
• Massachusetts Taxpayers Foot Bill for Megabucks Pensions (column - Howie Carr / Boston Herald)
• How Should Phoenix Pay Off $4 Billion in Pension Debt? Voters May Get a Say (Jessica Boehm / Arizona Republic)
• Libertarian Group Joins Pension Reform Session, and Some Aren't Happy (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)
• Kentucky Pension Talks Need Consultant 'Without Preconceived Notions,' McGarvey Says (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)
• To Restore Their Pension, Plasterers Reduce Benefits (Don McIntosh / nwLaborPress.org)
• BLOG: Burypensions by John Bury
• BLOG: STUMP by Mary Pat Campbell
• BLOG: Pension Pulse by 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)
• UNSUSTAINABLE: Many Cook County Pension Funds Have More Retirees Collecting Than Workers Paying In (press release - Cook County Treasurer's Office)
• Follow @PensionTsunami on Twitter

January 17, 2019

• Los Angeles Teacher Strike: Pensions Are a Driver (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Billboard Encourages Picketing Los Angeles Teachers to Quit the Union (video - Fox News)
• University of California Assets Fell $9 Billion in Market Rout (Michael McDonald / Bloomberg)
• California: Record Spending as Tax Revenue Collapses by $5 Billion (Chriss Street / American Thinker)
• Financial Mismanagement of San Diego School Hurts Students the Most (Todd Maddison / Transparent California)

January 16, 2019

• Reform of Controversial DROP Pension Program Approved by L.A. City Council (Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• California: State Tax Reforms or State Tax Increases? (Dan Walters / CALmatters)
• Unions in La-La Land: The Los Angeles Teachers Strike Is a Flight From Reality (editorial - Wall Street Journal)$$
• California Pension Trustees Call for Disclosures of #MeToo Costs (Emily Chasan & John Gittelsohn / Bloomberg)
• Connecticut Needs to Defuse Its Retirement Debt Bomb (op-ed - David M. Walker / Hartford Courant)
• Nevada’s Public Pensions Are All Taxpayer Money (letter - Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• NEW BRIEF: Modernizing Social Security: Minimum Benefits (Eschtruth & Munnell / Center for Retirement Research)

January 15, 2019

• A Booming Economy Hasn't Put a Dent in Ventura, California's Pension Debt (Arlene Martinez / Ventura County Star)
• New CalPERS Board Member Has Serious Concerns About Private Equity Plan (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Newsom’s California Budget Pays Pension Debt (audio - Interview with Romy Varghese / Bloomberg)
• It Didn’t Fix the L.A. Teacher Strike, But Newsom’s Pension Idea Would Help Schools, Anyway (Ricardo Cano / Calmatters)
• Salary Increases Will Increase Pension Costs (letter #2 - Bob Bunnell / Marin Independent Journal)
• Should Pensions Own Utilities? Congress Has Considered It Before. (Liz Farmer / Governing)
• New York Lawmakers Are Kings of Double-Dipping (editorial - New York Post)
• MBTA Pension Crisis Should Be a Priority (Mark T. Williams / Boston Globe)
• Furloughed Federal Employees Are Still Paid More Than You (Ryan McMaken / Mises Institute)

January 14, 2019

• The Pension Fund Problem Just Got Much Worse (Aaron Bown / Bloomberg)
• California’s Budget 'Surplus' Ignores Crushing Debt Burden (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• New York Lawmakers Are Kings of Double-Dipping (editorial - New York Post)
• Massachusetts Pension Tension: Some Payouts Hit $350,000 (Joe Dwinell / Boston Herald)
• These Ukrainians Have a Pension Awaiting. But They Literally Must Cross a Minefield to Get It. (David L. Stern / Washington Post)

January 13, 2019

• Strike or No Strike, Pensions Problematic for Los Angeles Schools (Christopher Weber / Associated Press)
• California Budget Realities and the Coming Backlash Against the Democratic Party (Lee Ohanian / Hoover Institution)
• California's Gavin Newsom Uses Boom to Pay Down a $256 Billion Debt (Romy Varghese / Bloomberg)
• Windfall for California K-12 Schools, More Spending From Early to Higher Ed in Newsom's First Budget (Fensterwald & Stavely / EdSource)

January 12, 2019

• New Study Fails Basic Math in Teacher 401k v. Pension Debate (John Sullivan / 401k Specialist)
• Study: Pension Plans Generally Better for Teachers Than 401k-Style Accounts (Amelia Harper / Education Dive)

January 11, 2019

• Gov. Newsom Offers Some Relief for Schools Hit Hard by Doubling Pension Costs (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Gavin Newsom’s Budget Makes Big Down Payment on California Pensions (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• As Retiree Health-Care Costs Soar, Public Employers Turn to Private Insurers (Liz Farmer / Governing)
• Pennsylvania Pension Review Commission Releases Final Report (Jones Day)
• Final Report and Recommendations: Public Pension Management and Asset Investment Review Commission (pdf - Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
• The $22 Billion Question: Understanding Oregon's Public Employees Retirement System (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

January 10, 2019

• California’s Other Fiscal Time Bomb: OPEBs (Marc Joffe / CALmatters)
• California’s Massive Debt Should Caution Against Big Spending (editorial - Orange County Register)
• CalPERS Star Hire Elisabeth Bourqui Resigns Suddenly After Only Eight Months (blog - Yves Smith / Naked Capitalism)
• Recent Critiques of the Goings-On at CalPERS (blog - Naked Capitalism)

January 9, 2019

• Why Doesn't 'Transparent California' Post Elected Legislative Officials' Pensions? (Walt Gray / ABC 10)
• CalSTRS Board Approves $300 Million Campus Expansion (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• What's Worse Funded Than Teamsters' Central States? Chicago's Pensions (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• Fort Worth Launches Program to Educate Voters on $1.6 Billion Underfunded Pension Fund (WBAP-AM)
• Paducah Looking for Ways to Fund Employee Pensions (Thomas Capps & Chad Darnall / WPSD Channel 6)
• Even in a Good Year, Retirement System Underfunded (Steve Wilson / Mississippi Center for Public Policy)

January 8, 2019

• Cities Across Orange County Struggle With Law Enforcement and Fire Pensions (Spencer Custodio / Voice of OC)
• The Economy Is Booming. So Why Are So Many California Schools Broke? (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• Gov. Newsom Must Avoid Debt to Pay for His Bold Ideas (editorial - San Jose Mercury News)
• Mayor Thinks Unfunded Pension Liabilities Are Just Like 30-Year Mortgages (blog - Encinitas Undercover)
• Volatile Wall Street Sparks Concern Over Public Pensions, Taxes (Michael Gormley & Scott Eidler / Newsday)

January 7, 2019

• As California's New Governor, Gavin Newsom Needs to Address What No One Wants to Talk About (column - George Skelton / Los Angeles Times)
• Gov. Jerry Brown Cut Retirement Debt Bigger Than Pensions (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Sacramento’s Silliest Subsidy (David G. Crane / Medium)
• At Least 3 New Faces Will Join the CalPERS Board in 2019 (column - Adam Ashton / Los Angeles Times)
• CalPERS Beat Major Stock Indices in 2018, But Still Faces Shortfall Concerns (Mark Anderson / Sacramento Business Journal)
• Delay on Pay Hikes for Marin County's Top Brass Would Have Been Warranted (editorial - Marin Independent Journal)
• City of Industry Is About to Be Slammed Again by State of California for Lax Financial Oversight (Adam Elmahrek / Los Angeles Times)
• Rapid Pay Increases Are Driving L.A. Unified School District's Financial Woes (Todd Madison / Transparent California)
• Nevada Pension Fund Loses Bid to Keep State Employees’ Benefits Under Wraps (Margarida Correia / Pensions & Investments)
• Bipartisanship to Be Key to Change in Washington (Hazel Bradford / Pensions & Investments)
• Virginia Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Coal Miners' Pensions, Healthcare (WYMT)

January 6, 2019

• Jerry Brown’s Warning of 'Fiscal Oblivion' (editorial - Orange County Register)
• Was the World's Oldest Person (Recorded) a Fraud? (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)

January 4, 2019

• Pension Funds, Meet the 'Super Bubble' (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• California’s State and Local Liabilities Total $1.5 Trillion (Edward Ring & Marc Joffe / California Policy Center)
• Time for Nevada Public Pension System to Produce the Data (editorial - Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Pontiac, Illinois' Annual Levy to Go Up to Help Pay for Pensions (Paul Westermeyer / Pontiac Daily Leader)
• Illinois Must Pay $845 Million More to Pension Systems Next Year, Report Finds (Greg Bishop / Illinois News Network)
• Confiscated Dirty Money to Be Added to Russia's Pension Fund (The Moscow Times)

January 3, 2019

• #1 Threat Facing the Global Economy Today (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Pension Time Bomb Is Among 10 Challenges That Will Define Cities in 2019 (Patrick Sisson / Curbed)

January 2, 2019

• What the Stock Drop Means for Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• CalSTRS Funding Report Offers Hope for the Future (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Montebello School District Won’t Explain $782,000 Payout to Former Superintendent (Transparent California)

December 31, 2018

• Gov. Brown Leaves Again With California Pension Reform Pending (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Illinois Auditor General Pension Report: Everything's Fine (but Not Really) (Ted Dabrowski & John Klingner / Wirepoints)
• Coach Nick Saban Could Get a $2.4 Million Annual Pension, Courtesy of Alabama Taxpayers (Eric Boehm / Reason)

December 30, 2018

• As a Grocery Chain Is Dismantled, Worker Pensions Are Short Millions (Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post)
• Marsh Supermarkets' Lesson for Pensioners (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 29, 2018

• California Faces a Pension Showdown (Chriss Street / AmericanThinker)

December 27, 2018

• PensionTsunami Is Taking About 95% of the Week Off . . .
• California Is In Great Financial Shape -- And Headed For An Epic Crisis (John Rubino / GoldSeek)
• Newsom Must Deal With California's Pensions and DMV Fixes (editorial - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• A Moral Case for Illinois Pension Reform to Protect Retirees and Taxpayers (op-ed - Matt Paprocki / State Journal-Register)

December 26, 2018

• Can We Prevent the LAUSD Budget Crisis From Taking Down the California State Budget? (op-ed - John Moorlach / Orange County Register)
• L.A. Forecast: Pensions and Budget Will Be Clobbered by Poor Investment Returns (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• Sacramento School District Budget -- What a Mess. To Fix It, You Have Only One Side to Choose (column - Marcos Bretón / Sacramento Bee)
• Newsmaker 2018: Pension Crisis Threatened California's Local Governments’ Budgets (Nicholas Ibarra / Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• Pensions, Porn and a Sleepy DMV Worker -- Our top 2018 California State Worker Stories (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)

December 24, 2018

• A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR PENSION REFORMERS: Video of Oral Arguments on Cal Fire v. CalPERS on Dec. 5 (Supreme Court of California)

December 21, 2018

• HAPPY HOLIDAYS! PensionTsunami will be taking next week off. We'll be back on January 2.
• The Financial Context of the Imminent California Supreme Court Decision on the 'California Rule' (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• Jerry Brown Predicts 'Fiscal Oblivion' if Pensions Are Off Limits for Government Employers (Adam Ashton & Amy Chance / Sacramento Bee)
• 80% of Mattoon, Illinois' Tax Levy Revenue Will Go to Pensions (Rob Stroud / Journal Gazette)
• Pension Tension: Vermont's Underfunded Retirement Obligations (column - John Walters / Seven Days)
• Suck It Up, Buttercup. No One Will Be Happy With Multi-Employer Pension Fixes (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)

December 20, 2018

• The States Where Pensions Are Safe — and Where They're in Trouble (Alessandra Malito / MarketWatch)
• Things Fall Apart: Pension-O-Sphere Update - Kentucky, MEPs, and More (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Kentucky Lawmakers Abandon Special Session Without Voting on Pension Bill (Desrochers, Cheves & Brammer / Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Each Chicagoan Owes $140,000 to Bail Out Chicago Pensions (Mike Mish Shedlock / Mish Talk)
• Emanuel’s Call for a Constitutional Amendment Shouldn't Be Narrowly Construed (Ted Dabrowski & John Klingner / Wirepoints)
• US Corporate Pensions Will Likely Miss Return Assumptions (Michael Katz / Chief Investment Officer)
• Do Cases Questioning Mortality Tables Used to Determine Defined Benefit Plan Benefits Indicate a New Trend? (Rebecca Moore / PlanSponsor)

December 19, 2018

• CalPERS Investment Returns Are in Negative Territory (Chris Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
• Skyrocketing Public Pensions, Long Injury Leaves and Big Bills for Taxpayers: Inside L.A.'s DROP Program (Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• Eye-Popping Los Angeles Pensions Have Taxpayers Scrambling to Cover Costs (Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News)
• Gov. Bevin Calls Special Session of Kentucky Legislature to Pass New Pension Bill (Ryland Barton / WFLP)
• Corporate Pension Buyouts Likely to Be Bolder, if Not Bigger, in 2019 (Warren Rojas / Bloomberg Law)

December 18, 2018

• In Los Angeles, Massive Payments to Retirees Don't Even Count as 'Pensions' Any More (Scott Shackford / Reason)
• Outlook 2019: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Still Searching for Fix for Crisis (Bloomberg Law)$$
• How a Serial Killer Kept Receiving $3,600 a Month From Oregon's Pension Fund While in Prison (Noelle Crombie / The Oregonian)

December 17, 2018

• Deep-In-Debt CalSTRS Also Has $9.8 Billion Surplus (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Some L.A. Pensions Are So Huge They Exceed IRS Limits, Costing Taxpayers Millions Extra (Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• READ: Final DROP Cost Neutrality Study 2018 (Segal Consulting)
• A Supreme Chance to Control California's Pension Costs (editorial - Press Democrat)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: That Could Never Happen Here (Lisa Benson / Press Democrat)
• LAUSD Revenues = $298,000 Per Teacher; Why Is So Little Reaching Teacher Staffing and Salaries? (David Crane / Medium)
• Pension Fund Managers Poured Into Emerging Markets Right as They Tumbled (Dion Rabouin / Yahoo Finance)
• 'Alpha Wolves in the Henhouse': California’s Multibillion-Dollar Private-Equity Boondoggle (Yves Smith / New York Magazine)
• Volcker Alliance Releases Second Annual Report on States’ Financial Condition (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Arizona-Style Pension 'Fix’ Won’t Work in Illinois (Rich Miller / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Emanuel Wants to Lead! Does Anyone Want to Follow? (column - Jim Dey / News-Gazette)
• Kentucky Is in a $43 Billion Pension Hole. Here Are Some Reasons Why (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)

December 16, 2018

• LAUSD Revenues = $298,000 Per Teacher; Why Is So Little Reaching Teacher Staffing and Salaries? (David Crane / Medium)
• Volcker Alliance Releases Second Annual Report on States’ Financial Condition (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 15, 2018

• Pension Fund Managers Poured Into Emerging Markets Right as They Tumbled (Dion Rabouin / Yahoo Finance)
• 'Alpha Wolves in the Henhouse': California’s Multibillion-Dollar Private-Equity Boondoggle (Yves Smith / New York Magazine)

December 14, 2018

• Unfunded Pension Liabilities, the Gift San Diego Keeps on Giving Itself (Will Huntsberry / Voice of San Diego)
• Jerry Brown Leaves California With $100 Billion Train Debt, as Texas Pursues Its Own Rail Boondoggle (Patrick Gleason / Forbes)
• Connecticut Wants You to View Your Neighbor’s Pension. Here’s Why (Lucas Laursen / Fortune)
• Illinois' Huge Public-Pension Problem Growing Larger (column - Jim Day / News-Gazette)
• Illinois Gets a 'D-Minus' for How It's Handling Pensions and Other Legacy Costs (Amanda Albright / St. Louis Post-Dipatch)
• Weed, Gambling, COLAs, and More Gambling (blog - Bill Bergman / Truth in Accounting)
• How Illinois' Suburban Fire Chiefs Collect Both Pensions and Paychecks (Jake Griffin / Daily Herald)
• Why Does Illinois Still Have Pension Double Dipping? (editorial - Daily Herald)
• History Shows Chicago Picked a Risky Time for a Pension Bond Sale (Danielle Moran / Bloomberg)
• Some Good News From Illinois on Public Pensions? (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• Kentucky Supreme Court Strikes Down Pension Reform Law (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)

December 13, 2018

• SLOW NEWS DAY TODAY . . .
• California Pension Benefits Hinge on State Supreme Court Case (Dan Walters / CALmatters)
• Emanuel Pushes Pension Fix to City Council, Including Legalized Marijuana, Casino, Constitutional Amendment (Byrne & Ruthhart / Chicago Tribune)
• Calling All Illinois Mayors: Join Emanuel's Pension Push (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: Rahm Emanuel's Pension Fix (Scott Stantis / Chicago Tribune)
• Defined Benefit Demise Continues (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• States Still Struggle With Legacy Costs, Says Volcker Report (Paul Burton / The Bond Buyer)$$

December 12, 2018

• Birmingham, Alabama's Pension Shortfall Puts Retirees at Risk (Erin Edgemon / AL.com)
• CalPERS Won’t Invest in Tobacco But Buys Marijuana Stock (Ed Lin / Barron's)$$
• Mayor Emanuel to Push for Constitutional Amendment to Solve Pension Crisis (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Chicago Mayor Wants to Legalize Marijuana, Open Casino to Deal With City's Pension Crisis (Aamer Madhani / Daily American)
• COLAs, Pot and Gambling: It's Not a Party -- It's Emanuel's Pension Rx (Greg Hinz / Crain's Chicago Business)
• New Proposal Could Save Fort Worth’s Failing Pension Fund (Jason Allen / CBS DFW)
• Fort Worth City Council Approves Pension Fund Fix (Fox 4)
• Michigan Lawmakers Expected to OK City Pension Debt Bill (Jackie Smith / Port Huron Times Herald)
• Multiemployer Solution Can’t Be Rushed (editorial - Pensions & Investments)
• Actually, Central States' Pension Plan Is Fully Funded (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• Saving Infrastructure and Pensions at Once? That's Ambitious (Brian Chappatta / Bloomberg)
• The DoD's Failed Audit Shows It Shouldn't Get a Bigger Budget (John Kristof / Real Clear Policy)

December 11, 2018

• San Francisco Chronicle: California’s 'Unsustainable’ Pension Promises Shouldn’t Be Kept (John Sexton / Hot Air)
• Yet Another Trillion-Dollar Unfunded Liability: Why California Is Burning (John Rubino / GoldSeek)
• Making a Fortune: 19 Million Public Employees Across America Cost Taxpayers Nearly $1 Trillion (Adam Andrzejewski / Forbes)
• Illinois' Pension Hole Is Now $133 Billion and Getting Deeper (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• Kentucky's County Leaders Push for Pension Separation (Jacob Dick / Messenger-Inquirer)
• What Happens to Retirees When the Money Runs Out? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

December 10, 2018

• Decision on 'California Rule' Will Impact Who Rules California (op-ed - Jon Coupal / Orange County Register)
• California’s Golden Pension Rights Need Fixing (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)
• Libertarian Wins Seat on Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Wants to Tackle California’s Public Pension Crisis Head-On (Matt Welch / Reason)
• California Supreme Court Hears Pension Reduction Case (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Illinois' Unfunded Pension Liability Climbs to $133.5 Billion (Karen Pierog / Reuters)
• Carterville Passes Largest Property Tax Hike in City History to Pay for Pensions (Vincent Caruso / Illinois Policy)
• How Silent Clout Worked Its Magic to Enrich a Daley Nephew’s Company (editorial - Chicago Sun-Times)
• Oregon's Pension Cost Problems Will Get Worse in 2021, Actuary Says (Ted Sickinger / The Oregonian)
• City Workers Got Pay Raises. The Hikes Boosted Cincinnati's Retirement Bill to $140 Million (Dan Horn / Cincinnati Enquirer)
• As Pension Costs Rise, Agencies Cut Jobs - Which Hurts Pension Funding (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)
• If Pension Overturn Sticks, Kentucky GOP Plans to Pass a Reform Anyway (Chris Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
• Report: Iowa Pension Fund Has $6.8 Billion in Unfunded Liabilities (William Petroski / Des Moines Register)

December 9, 2018

• California’s Golden Pension Rights Need Fixing (editorial - San Francisco Chronicle)

December 8, 2018

• Libertarian Wins Seat on Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Wants to Tackle California’s Public Pension Crisis Head-On (Matt Welch / Reason)

December 7, 2018

• The State Supreme Court's Chance to Reform the 'California Rule' (Joel Fox / Fox & Hounds)
• California Justices Question Attorneys in Key Pension Case (Sudhin Thanawala / Associated Press)
• State Supreme Court Justices Take First Crack at California Rule (Keeley Webster / The Bond Buyer)$$
• Sacramento School District, Unions Look to Reduce Health Costs in Face of Continued Budget Woes (Vincent Moleski / Sacramento Bee)
• Even Pension Loopholes Are Protected? Then Amend the Illinois Constitution. (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• Happy Birthday: The Solution That Never Was to Illinois’ Pension Crisis (Austin Berg / Illinois Policy)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: Crushing Illinois State Pensions Are Locked Into the State Constitution (Scott Stantis / Chicago Tribune)
• Daley Pension Debacle: Where Did $54 Million Go? (Tim Novak / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Postal Task Force Recommends Changing Employee Pay, Retirement (Jessie Bur / Federal Times)
• A Strong Texas Teacher Retirement System Is in Everyone's Best Interest (op-ed - Thomas H. Kreneck / Corpus Christi Caller Times)

December 6, 2018

• Promised Pension Benefits in California Can Be Cut, Jerry Brown's Attorneys Argue (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• California Supreme Court May Not Go Big on First Pension Case (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Oral Arguments Heard in Key California Pension Rights Case Affecting Marin (Richard Halstead / Marin Independent Journal)
• California High Court Signals Possible Agreement With State on Worker Pension Rollback (Bob Egelko / San Francisco Chronicle)
• California Supreme Court Considers Major Pension Dispute (Maura Dolan / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Jerry Brown’s Last Stand on California Pension Reform (Judy Lin / CALmatters)
• State Senator John Moorlach Monitors California Supreme Court Pension Hearing (Orange County Breeze)
• Controversial Los Angeles Police and Fire DROP Retirement Plan More Expensive Than Promised to Voters, Report Says (Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times)
• Palo Alto City Manager Turns Down Pay Raise That Would Spike Pension (Palo Alto Daily Post)
• Broward County Pension Recount (column - James Freeman / Wall Street Journal)$$
• A State-By-State Comparison of State and Local Government Debt (blog - Larry Littlefield / Saying the Unsaid in New York)

December 5, 2018

• California Supreme Court to Hear Pension Case Today (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• California Supreme Court to Hear Potentially Precedent-Setting Pension Case (Keeley Webster / The Bond Buyer)$$
• Should the State Supreme Court Reduce or Alter Pension Benefits for California Public Employees? (AirTalk - Larry Mantle, Host / KPCC Radio)
• LISTEN LIVE at 9:00 AM (Pacific) to a Webcast of the Supreme Court of California's Oral Arguments
• CASE INFORMATION: Cal Fire Local 2881 et al. v. California Public Employees' Retirement System et al.
• California Must Keep Its Promise to Our Public Servants, Says CalPERS' CEO (op-ed - Marcie Frost / CALmatters)
• Pensions Are Promises California Must Keep, Says Union Exec (op-ed - Dave Low / San Francisco Chronicle)
• Los Angeles City Council Considers Changes to Controversial DROP Retirement Program (City News Service / NBC 4)
• Public Sector Pensions Assume Record-High Investment Returns (Andrew G. Biggs / Forbes)

December 4, 2018

• Former Redlands City Manager Wants Lifetime Medical Benefits Worth $350,000 (Jennifer Iyer / Redlands Daily Facts)
• Belmont OKs Pension Strategy City to Frontload CalPERS Payments Resulting in Over $8 Million in Savings (Zachary Clark / San Mateo Daily Journal)
• Illinois’ Other Debt Disaster: $73 Billion in Unfunded State Retiree Healthcare Benefits (Ted Dabrowski & John Klingner / Wirepoints)
• Trump Keeps Ignoring the Biggest Economic Crisis of Our Generation (Kristin Tate / The Hill)
• GE Has Yet Another Problem: Pensions (Al Root / Barron's)$$

December 3, 2018

• Pension Costs Spike for Humboldt County Agencies (Shomik Mukherjee / Times-Standard)
• Pension Politics: Should States Be Investing in Controversial Companies? (Liz Farmer / Governing)
• How to Solve the Pension Crisis in Illinois (Thomas Lifson / AmericanThinker)
• Potential Impacts of Bailing Out Underfunded Pensions With Taxpayer Money (Peter Reagan / Newsmax)

December 2, 2018

• Illinois Supreme Court Tosses Law Aimed at Stopping Union Boss Pension Abuses (Ray Long / Chicago Tribune)
• Illinois Supreme Court Reaffirms Constitutional Suicide Pact; Rules Union Work Is Pensionable Salary (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)
• What Mayor Emanuel Should Say: Amend the Illinois Constitution (editorial - Chicago Tribune)
• The Pentagon's Massive Accounting Fraud Exposed (Dave Lindorff / The Nation)

December 1, 2018

• Thanks to Public Employee Unions, California’s Finances Are Collapsing (Bob Wickers / The Daily Caller)
• Public Employees Won't Recover Union Fees After Court Ruling (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• How to Make a Fortune in Public Education (James Freeman / Wall Street Journal)$$

November 30, 2018

• California’s Latest Pension Hubris (Steven Greenhut / The American Spectator)
• Why California Pension Changes Are Needed to Avert Financial Crisis (op-ed - Jan Goldsmith / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• How Local Governments Can Reform Pensions if the 'California Rule' Is Overturned (Ken Churchill / California Policy Center)
• Palo Alto City Manager Is in Line to Get a Pension-Boosting Raise Three Weeks Before His Retirement (Allison Levitsky / Daily News)
• Pension Reform Newsletter -- November 2018 (Zachary Christensen / Reason Foundation)
• INTERACTIVE WEBSITE: A Tool to Track the Financial Health of State Public Pension Systems (Pew Charitable Trusts)
• Proposals Could Further Erode Perceived Health of Public Pension Funds (Rebecca Moore / Plan Sponsor)
• Mayoral Candidate Bill Daley Opens Door to Commuter Tax to Help Fund Pensions (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• New Mexico Lawmakers Endorse Pension, Health-Benefit Reforms (Morgan Lee / Associated Press)
• Goldman Says Public Pensions Are Hunting for Investments Beyond the US (Katherine Chiglinsky & Amanda Albright / Bloomberg)
• Multiemployer Pension Plans Bailout Collapses Like a Flan in a Cupboard (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / Stump)

November 29, 2018

• A Pension Middle-Ground Beyond the 'California Rule' (op-ed - Scott Shepard / Orange County Register)
• California Doesn’t Have a Budget Surplus (Todd Royal / Fox & Hounds)
• Despite Court Challenge, California Pushes Forward With Retirement Program for All Workers in State (James Rufus Koren / Los Angeles Times)
• Nevada Supreme Court: State Pension Data Is a Matter of Public Record (Andrew Burger / Watchdog.org)
• US Pension Funds Turn to Riskier Real-Estate Bets (Heather Gillers / Wall Street Journal)$$

November 28, 2018

• Court Grants Intervention in CalPERS Action (Messing Adam & Jasmine)
• Multiemployer Pensions: Waiting for the Bailout Report (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• New Tax Bill -- Pension Parts (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

November 27, 2018

• San Francisco Pension Board Cuts Rate of Return to 7.4% (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Norridge, Illinois to Hike Property Tax by 35% to Cover Police Pension Costs (Pioneer Press)
• Calumet Park Outsources Fire Dept in 'Historic' Move That Could Trigger 'Chain Reaction' of Privatizations (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)
• EDITORIAL CARTOON: Pension Rehab (Eric Allie / Illinois Policy)

November 26, 2018

• Newsom Should Pay Down California's Huge Pension Debt (editorial - Mercury News)
• CalPERS Plans New Way to Invest in Private Equity (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Cal Expo Cop's Lawsuit Targets Union Lock on State Worker Paychecks (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• L.A. Teacher’s Union Can Avert a Strike and Help Kids. Here’s How (commentary - David Crane / Calmatters)
• Can Public Sector Union Power Ever Be Stopped? (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• Stung by Janus Decision, Public-Employee Unions Resort to Thuggish Tactics to Discourage Citizen Challenges. (Mark Pulliam / City Journal)
• Springfield, Illinois' Fire, Police Pension Costs Expected to Outpace Property Taxes Again (Crystal Thomas / State Journal-Register)
• Nevada Pension Reform Needed to Curb Ever Higher Costs (Thomas Mitchell / Mesqite Local News)
• NEW BRIEF: Stability in Overall Pension Plan Funding Masks a Growing Divide (Aubry, Crawford & Wandrei / Center for Retirement Research)

November 22, 2018

• We've Taken Off to Enjoy the Long Weekend . . . Happy Thanksgiving!
• The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving (Richard J. Maybury / Mises Institute)
• Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong (Maya Salam / New York Times)

November 21, 2018

• With an Unfunded Liability of $563 Million, Riverside Seeks to Educate Public, Gather Input on Pension Issue (press release / InlandEmpire.US)
• VISIT: Riverside's New Website to Bolster Public Awareness and Seek Possible Solutions to the 'CalPERS Challenge' (City of Riverside)
• Menlo Park City Council Studies Options to Address Rising Pension Costs (Kate Bradshaw / Almanac)
• Lawmakers Consider Multibillion Bailout for Troubled Pensions, Retirees (Erica Werner & Damian Paletta / Washington Post)
• Lawmakers Considering Multibillion-Dollar Bailout for Some Retirees With Failing Pensions: Report (Megan Keller / The Hill)
• Bailout Committee Trial Balloon (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

November 20, 2018

• Who’s Going to Pay for LA's Unsustainable Pension Plans? (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• Brown Nominee Won't Be on California Supreme Court to Hear Major State Pension Lawsuit (Horvitz & Levy)
• Divestment Will Burn Illinois' Firefighters' Pensions (op-ed - Jay Fisher / Daily Herald)

November 19, 2018

• As CalPERS Rates Climb, How High Can They Go? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Illinois Constitutional Pension Amendment Is Long Overdue (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)
• The PBGC & Single Employer Pension Plans (1): The Plans (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Unions File Lawsuit Against Puerto Rico Over Worker Pensions (Associated Press / The Tribune)

November 18, 2018

• GE Pensioners and Stockholders Contemplate the Unthinkable (Ken Kam / Forbes)
• The Pension Myth and the Financial Realities (Reshma Kapadia / Barron's)$$
• Pentagon Fails Its First-Ever Audit, Official Says (Idrees Ali & Mike Stone / Reuters)

November 17, 2018

• Fitch: State Pension Liabilities Now Top $1 Trillion (Andrew Burger / Watchdog.org)
• Voters Reject Candidates in 3 States Who Lobbied for Switch to DC Plans (Brian Croce / Pensions & Investments)
• The Law of Unintended Consequences: The Case of Proxy Advisory Firms (Wayne Winegarden / Forbes)

November 16, 2018

• What Upbeat California State Budget Forecast Omits: Giant Pension Debt (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Ridgecrest City Council Approves Refinancing CalPERS Unfunded Liability (Jessica Weston / Daily Independent)
• The Unsustainable Situation With State and Local Pension Liabilities (Bang for the Buck / Seeking Alpha)
• A Chicago Suburb's Rating Is Cut Four Notches Over Pension Burden (Yvette Shields / The Bond Buyer)
• Fort Worth City Council Tables Vote on Pension Fund Fix Until December (Alice Barr / NBC 5)
• Outlook for Kentucky Teachers’ Pension System Improving (Adam Beam / Lexington Herald-Leader)
• These US States Are Putting Their Bond Investors in a World of Hurt: IL, NJ, HI, and CT (Robert Pozen / MarketWatch)

November 15, 2018

• CalPERS Slashed Their Pensions. Now Loyalton's Retirees Are Trying to Get Their Money Back (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• California's Election Boosts Advocates of Higher Taxes (Dan Walters / CALmatters)
• Gov. Jerry Brown Names Legal Adviser Joshua Groban to California Supreme (Bob Egelko / San Francisco Chronicle)
• Public Pension Fund Return Assumptions Fall to All-Time Low (Michael Katz / Chief Investment Officer)
• Multiemployer Loan Program Will Not Help All, Analysis Says (Hazel Bradford / Pensions & Investments)
• The National Debt Is Coming Due, Just Like We Told You (Nick Gillespie / Reason)

November 14, 2018

• Wildfire's Destruction of the Town of Paradise, California Creates Uncharted Credit Territory (Keeley Webster / The Bond Buyer)
• Fitch Finds State Pension Liabilities Rose Faster Than Debt (Brian Tumulty / The Bond Buyer)$$
• California Voters Give Another Multi-Billion-Dollar Thumbs Up to School Bonds (Ricardo Cano / CALmatters)
• Better to Split Up Than Prop Up Troubled Multiemployer Pension Plans (Charles Blahous /
• Dallas Pension Fund Sues Actuary for Malpractice (Michael Katz / Chief Investment Officer)

November 13, 2018

• A Proposal: Restructuring Current Public Pensions Through Municipal Bankruptcy (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• 11 Los Angeles County Cities Passed Sales Tax Hikes -- In Many Cases By Large Margins (Chris Lindahl / Pasadena Star News)
• Two More Pension Plans Get MPRA Letters to Cut Benefits (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

November 12, 2018

• CalSTRS Wants to Avoid Another Rate Hike Delay (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• This California Supreme Court Case Could Ease Cities' Pension Crisis (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• California Voters Give Another Multi-Billion-Dollar Thumbs Up to School Bonds (Ricardo Cano / CALmatters)
• Public Pensions Could Become a Retirement Crisis for Everyone (Peter Reagan / Newsmax)
• Philanthropist Turned Governor: What Can J.B. Pritzker Do to Expand Opportunity in Illinois? (Caitlin Reilly / Inside Philanthropy)
• Voters Reject Candidates in 3 States Who Lobbied for Switch to Defines Contribution Plans (Brian Croce / Pensions & Investments)

November 11, 2018

• LAUSD at Risk of Going Broke Within Three Years (Laura Greanias / LA School Report)
• California Teachers Association Will Urge Statewide 'Solidarity Actions' to Support UTLA (Mike Antonucci / LA School Report)
• A 'Simple Fix' to Solve Public Pension Funding Woes? Think Again. (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• CalSTRS to Divest of Private Prison Companies (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)

November 10, 2018

• California's Voters Approve New Taxes and Reject Tax Repeal (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• California Supreme Court Sets Oral Arguments on Public Employee Pension Rights (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)

November 9, 2018

• The California Rule: State Supreme Court to Hear Brown Pension Reform Dec. 5 (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• The California Rule: Oral Argument Set for December 5 in Air Time Vested Pension Benefits Case (Messing Adam & Jasmine)
• The California Rule: Governor’s Pension Case One of Six on the California Supreme Court's December Calendar (Horvitz & Levy)
• Arizona Amends Its Constitutional Pension Protection Clause. World Doesn't End. (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)
• Kentucky’s Main Pension Fund for State Workers Was Already Frail. It Just Got Weaker (John Cheves / Lexington Herald-Leader)

November 8, 2018

• Venture Capital Investments May Be in Future for Two San Jose Pension Plans (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Arizona Voters Approve Prop 125, Allowing Changes to State Employees' Benefits, Pensions (Sarah Covey / KGUN 9)
• The Democrats Took the House; Here’s What That Means for Your Retirement (Alessandra Malito / MarketWatch)
• Bailout Committee Election Results (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

November 7, 2018

• Oroville, California Voters Approve Sales Tax (Risa Johnson / Chico Enterprise-Record)
• Politicization of CalSTRS Hurts Returns, Harms Retirees (op-ed - Christopher Burnham / San Francisco Chronicle)
• Nearly 80 Percent of Alton Property Tax Levy Consumed by Pensions (Vincent Caruso / Illinois Policy)

November 6, 2018

• Growth in California Teacher Pay Dwarfed by Soaring Health, Retirement Benefits (Robert Fellner / Transparent California)
• Riverside County Agencies Struggling With Cost Overruns: Report (Temecula Patch)
• The Growing Pension Black Hole Is Pulling Us All In (Olivia S. Mitchell / The Hill)

November 5, 2018

• $1 Billion Lawsuit Over CalPERS Insurance Rates Moves Forward With Trial Date (blog - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• California's State-Run Retirement Savings Plan Ready to Launch (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Pension Reform Newsletter - October 2018 (Zachary Christensen / Reason Foundation)
• GOLDEN OLDIE: Government Pension 'Millionaires' Outearn Private Sector (Gil Weinreich / ThinkAdvisor)

November 2, 2018

• No Headlines Again Today Due to Family Illness

November 1, 2018

• No Headlines Today Due to Family Illness

October 31, 2018

• California's Next Governor Will Face Hard Fiscal Realities (John Moorlach / CALmatters)
• CalPERS Must Focus on Fiduciary Responsibility, Not Social Issues (Christopher Burnham / Fox & Hounds)
• See What California Police and Firefighters Earn in Each Community (Phillip Reese / Sacramento Bee)
• A Trillion Here, a Trillion There (Richard Colman / California Political News and Views)
• Truth in Accounting's Bill Bergman on Illinois' Fiscal Disaster (blog - Public Affairs With Jeff Berkowitz)
• Pity the Poor High-Income Highly-Taxed Chicagoans (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Is Your Risk Really Covered? Maybe Not (editorial - Pensions & Investments) $$
• MPRA 5500 Data (5): Funded Ratios (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PENSION PULSE: Wasting $4 Billion on the Caisse's Train? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 30, 2018

• More Than 100 California Local Governments Seek Tax Hikes to Meet Rising Pension Bills (Chris Reed / CalWatchdog)
• More California Cops and Firefighters Are Paying for Their Pensions. Is It Too Late? (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• Don't Buy the Make-Believe Promises on Sacramento's Measure U (op-ed - Craig Powell / Sacramento Bee)
• The Late Great State of Illinois (Andrew Ferguson / Weekly Standard)
• Chico Bets on Chicago Casino, Legal Marijuana to Help Solve Pension Crisis (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Pension Crisis Worries Mid-State Retirees (Nikki Junewicz / Fox 17 Nashville)
• PENSION PULSE: Are Global Stocks Cheap? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 29, 2018

• El Dorado County's Unfunded Obligation to CalPERS Exceeds $346 Million; Withdrawing from CalPERS Would Cost More Than $1 Billion (Mountain Democrat)
• No Large CalPERS Exit Fee for Charter Schools (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Measure I Won't Save Pasadena From CalPERS Debt (Hilary Norton & Paul Little / Law360)$$
• Statewide Races Shining Spotlight on Public Funds (Brian Croce / Pensions & Investments)
• California Judges to Get $15,000 Checks for Raises They Missed During Recession (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• If Southern California Cities Start Public Banks, Taxpayers Should Prepare for Massive Bailouts (op-ed - Marc Joffe / Orange County Register)
• Metro Cop Involved in NYPD Corruption Case Received Both Pension and a Salary After Retiring (Bruce Golding / New York Post)
• Nevada Supreme Court Gets Pension Records Decision Right (editorial - Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Mapping the Illinois $100,000 Club: 94,000 Public Employees and Retirees Cost Taxpayers $12 Billion (Adam Andrzejewski / Forbes)
• Public Enemy No. 1 in Illinois (editorial - News-Gazette)
• What Bill Daley Says His Brother 'Got Wrong’ as Chicago Mayor (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Twenty Fifth Multiemployer Pension Plan Falls (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Why Megyn Kelly’s Possible Eight-Figure Payday Matters (opinion - Helaine Olen / Washington Post)
• PENSION PULSE: The Worst October Since 2008? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 28, 2018

• If Southern California Cities Start Public Banks, Taxpayers Should Prepare for Massive Bailouts (op-ed - Marc Joffe / Orange County Register)

October 27, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: El Dorado County's Unfunded Obligation to CalPERS Exceeds $346 Million (Mountain Democrat)
• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: California Judges to Get $15,000 Checks for Raises They Missed During Recession (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)

October 26, 2018

• Pension Liability in Redwood City: Mum’s the Word on Ballot (column - John Horgan / Mercury News)
• Jerry Brown Awaits His Day in Court on California Pension Reform (John Fensterwald / EdSource)
• Moody’s: Schools Suffer as Unfunded Pension Liabilities Grow (Rupert Hargreaves / ValueWalk)
• California State Controller Betty Yee on the State's Pension Liabilities (interview - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• This Northern California Sheriff May Have Walked Off the Job But Is Still Being Paid (Ryan Sabalow & Phillip Reese / Sacramento Bee)
• Raises for California State Workers to Top $1.4 Billion This Year, LAO Says (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pension Funding Gap Widening Between Top and Bottom Funds (Chris Butera / Chief Investment Officer)
• Generalizations Do Not Show the True Picture for Public Pensions (Rebecca Moore / Plan Sponsor)
• NEW ISSUE BRIEF: 'Stability in Overall Pension Plan Funding Masks a Growing Divide' (press release - Center for State and Local Government Excellence)
• DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF: 'Stability in Overall Pension Plan Funding Masks a Growing Divide' (pdf - Center for State and Local Government Excellence)
• Illinois’ Botched Tier 3 Pension Reform: Zombie Legislation? (Ted Dabrowski / Wirepoints)
• Kentucky Pension Crisis: A Closer Look at What 'Frontline' Found (Tom Loftus / Louisville Courier Journal)
• Iowa Parties Tangle Over Fate of Pension System (Rod Boshart / The Gazette)
• Twenty Fourth Multiemployer Pension Plan Files to Cut Benefits (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PENSION PULSE: Risks to Canada's Retirement System? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 25, 2018

• WATCH: 'The Ticking Time Bomb of Public Pensions: What Happens to Retirees When the Money Runs Out?' (6 minutes - Caitlin Burke / CBN News)
• WATCH: 'The Pension Gamble' (55 minutes - Frontline / PBS)
• Public Pension Fund Governance: Who Are the Funds Being Managed For? (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• The Top Four Reasons California Is Unsustainable (Thomas Del Beccaro / Forbes)
• Konstantinos Roditis, Candidate for California Controller, on Pension Liabilities (interview - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• How States Have Tried to Close Their Pension Funding Gaps (Frontline - Marcia Robiou & Priyanka Boghani / PBS)
• In Kentucky, Sewers, Pensions and Protests (Frontline - Patrice Taddonio / PBS)
• 'We Won't Get Real Pension Reforms [in Illinois] as Long as Politicians Get Big Pensions Themselves' (Wirepoints)
• Facing Elections, Chicago's Aldermen Hope to Avoid Property Tax Increase for Pensions (Becky Vevea / WBEZ Radio)
• Don't Count Pensions Out Yet, PBGC Chief Says (Melanie Waddell / Think Advisor)
• PENSION PULSE: CAAT's DBPlus Helps Grow Membership? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 24, 2018

• Oroville, California Asking Voters for 1-Percent Sales Tax Increase Due to Pension Costs (Risa Johnson / Chico Enterprise-Record)
• Palo Alto Wants to Use More Realistic Assumptions About Pension Costs, But That Would Raise City’s Expenses (Elaine Goodman / Daily Post)
• Teachers’ Unions Appalled at the Idea of Paying Teachers Like Rock Stars (Steven Greenhut / California Policy Center)
• Miller Enlightens Supervisors About San Joaquin County’s Spiraling Pension Obligations (Roger Phillips / Stockton Record)
• San Francisco Pension Board Votes to Divest From Five Fossil Fuel Companies (Sophia Kunthara / San Francisco Chronicle)
• Chula Vista Police Department Officers Spent Work Time on Private Fundraiser (Voice of San Diego)
• Frontline Pension Gamble (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Politicians’ Deceitful Promise That Nobody Has Been Paying Attention to (John Stossel / Manhattan Institute)
• PENSION PULSE: OPTrust’s Safe Space for Innovation? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 23, 2018

• Sweet Contracts, Tricky Rules Help California Unions Hold on After Court Loss (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• Yes, Social Security Does Indeed Add to the Federal Deficit (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• The Student Loan Debt Crisis Is About to Get Worse (Riley Griffin / Bloomberg)
• Iowa Gubernatorial Debate on Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Are New Jersey Pensioners Funding a Pro-Trump Tabloid in Chase for Returns? (Marc Joffe / Reason Foundation)
• Pension News Explodes (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• How a Gang of Hedge Funders Strip-Mined Kentucky’s Public Pensions (Gary Rivlin / The Intercept)
• PENSION PULSE: Strip-Mining US Public Pensions? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 22, 2018

• Will California Gov. Jerry Brown Get the Chance to Defend Pension Reform? (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• The Ticking Pension Bomb (Steven Malanga, Daniel DiSalvo & John Stossel / City Journal)
• End This Myth About Public Pensions (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)
• California's Local Governments Seek New Levies Despite $4 Billion Property Tax Surge (column - Dan Walters / Napa Valley Register)
• Nevada High Court Rules for Public Access to Pension Records (Natalie Bruzda / Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A Graduated Income Tax in Illinois Really Is a Pension Tax to Fund the Retirement of Public Employees (Hilary Gowins / Crain's Chicago Business)
• How Will Governor Candidates Tackle Illinois’ Big Pension Problem? (Doug Finke / Peoria Journal Star)
• Pretty Low in New Jersey (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Massachusetts State Police 'Shouldn't Be Destroying Any Payroll Records,' Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Says (Gintautas Dumcius / MassLive)
• Don't Panic About Our Falling Birth Rate -- Yet (Tiana Lowe / Washington Examiner)
• PENSION PULSE: PGGM Questions Over-diversification? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 21, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Nevada High Court Rules for Public Access to Pension Records (Natalie Bruzda / Las Vegas Review-Journal)

October 20, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: End This Myth About Public Pensions (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)

October 19, 2018

• All Orange County Public School Districts But One Bleed Red Ink (op-ed - John Moorlach / Orange County Register)
• California Public Employees Vote Against Pension-Fund Activism (Paul S. Atkins / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Current State of California Pensions Is 'Irresponsible' Says State Treasurer Candidate Greg Conlon (Sam Levin / Daily Californian)
• Election Day Nearing for Voters in Lodi for 1/2 Cent Sales Tax Measure L (Kurt Rivera / ABC 10 News)
• SEC Commissioner Warns: A Retirement Crisis 'Tsunami' Is Approaching (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• If Republicans Won’t Confront Entitlements, Who Will? (column - Michael R. Strain / Bloomberg)
• Divestment Follies: Going After Facebook.... Again (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• County Pays Down Pension Liability, Saves Nearly $30 Million Over the Next 20 Years (press release - Coconino County, Arizona)
• Standard & Poor’s Raises Warning Flags About Budget and $10 Billion Pension Borrowing (Fran Spielman / Chicago Sun-Times)
• Local Governments Struggling With Pension Dinged by Credit Rating Agency (Greg Bishop / Illinois News Network)
• Fairfax County May Cut Pension, Retirement Benefits for Some Workers (Max Smith / WTOP)
• Ohio Public Employees Lowers Return Assumption to 7.2% (Rob Kozlowski / Pensions & Investments)
• States Must Do More to Address Other Post-Employment Benefit Liabilities (Lucius McGeHee / The Bond Buyer)
• PBGC on Sears (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• PENSION PULSE: PGGM Questions Over-diversification? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 18, 2018

• Why Are California's Local Governments Asking Voters to Approve More Taxes? Pension Costs (op-ed - Dustin Weatherby / Bakersfield Californian)
• This November, Will California Voters Approve $3.6 Billion Per Year in New Taxes? (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• Conference November 5: 'How to Address Illinois' Constitutional Pension Crisis' (DePaul University)
• Sears and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: Who's Bankrupting Whom? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Worries About Deficits Go Out the Window (Marc Joffe, Spence Purnell & John F. Kunze / Reason Foundation)
• There Is No Party of Fiscal Responsibility Any More, Says Former US Comptroller General David Walker (Megan Henney / Fox Business)
• PENSION PULSE: CPPIB and the Caisse Focus on EMs? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 17, 2018

• It's a slow day for pension crisis news . . .
• Property Tax Surge Reveals the Truth: Local Tax Hikes Are All About Pensions (column - Dan Walters / Sacramento Bee)
• City of San Diego to Seek US Supreme Court Review of Ruling Against Move to DC Plan (Arleen Jacobius / Pensions & Investments)
• Good Work if You Can Get It (column - John Damschroder / Fremont News-Messenger)
• Russian Pensions and the Risk of War (Leon Aron / Wall Street Journal)$$
• PENSION PULSE: Canadian Pensions Cross ESG Threshold? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)
• 5500 Day After – Central States (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)

October 16, 2018

• California Supreme Court Justices Take Rare Step of Recusing Themselves (Associated Press)
• California Supreme Court Recuses Itself in Judicial Raises Case (Bonnie Eslinger / Law360)$$
• Illinois Gubernatorial Debate on Pensions – Number 2 (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Providence, Rhode Island School Bus Driver Strike Ended Yesterday (Sam Read / NBC 10 News)
• Companies With Newly Flush Pensions See Chance to Unload the Risk (Tatyana Shumsky / Wall Street Journal)
• PBGC Statement on Sears Bankruptcy Filing (press release - Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation)
• Sears' Bankruptcy, the PBGC's Debt and Your Retirement (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• PENSION PULSE: Has the Market Topped Out? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 15, 2018

• The Economy Is Booming. Why Do So Many of California's Central Valley Cities Want to Raise Taxes? (column - Ryan Lillis / Sacramento Bee)
• 'LA Works' Pension Cuts Are Reduced, Ex-CEO Charged (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Santa Monica Council Candidates Tackle $461 Million in Pension Debt, City Hall Pay -- Part II (Santa Monica Lookout)
• Lake Forest, California Breaks Out the Champagne Ahead of Becoming Debt-Free (Alicia Robinson / Orange County Register)
• What Percentage of Public Pension Income Is From Investment Returns? or Contributions? (blog - Mary Pay Campbell / STUMP)
• Public Pensions Help the Whole City, Not Just Retirees (op-ed - Sherry S. Chan / Crain's New York Business)
• GOLDEN OLDIE: Those 'Pensions Grow the Economy' Studies Are Propaganda (op-ed - Andrew G. Biggs / Denver Post)
• New York City Workers' Pension Funds Hinge on Mayor De Blasio's Environmental Stand (Matthew Chayes / Newsday)
• Illinois Gubernatorial Debate on Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• October Rout Will Test Pensions' Wall Street Crash Protection (Gregory Zuckerman / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Pension Fund Outlook Brightens in 41 States (Danielle Moran / Bloomberg)
• Sears Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (Lillian Rizzo & Suzanne Kapner / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Sears Goes Bankrupt, Mired in Debt and Deserted by Shoppers (Rick Green & Dawn McCarty / Bloomberg)
• PENSION PULSE: A Jittery Week on Wall Street? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 14, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Meet the 50,000 Retired California Public Employees Who Receive Annual Pensions of $100,000+ (California Policy Center)

October 13, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Lake Forest, California Breaks Out the Champagne Ahead of Becoming Debt-Free (Alicia Robinson / Orange County Register)

October 12, 2018

• As Pension Costs Go Up, California Cities Turn to Voters for Tax Increases (Imran Ghori / The Bond Buyer)
• Is Port Hueneme Sales Tax a 'Pension Tax'? (Arlene Martinez / Ventura County Star)
• California Supreme Court Pension Case Argument Anticipated for Early November (Messing Adam & Jasmine)
• San Diego Will Appeal Costly Pension Ruling to US Supreme Court, Citing Former Mayor's Free-Speech Rights (David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Exposed: Sacramento Bee Goes After Naked Capitalism Blog … Why? (Tony Butka / CityWatch LA)
• Until Transparency - No on Measure E (letter - Frank Palermo / Folsom Telegraph)
• Who Are San Francisco's Highest-Paid Public Employees? (Emily Hoeven / San Francisco Business Times)
• Chicago Mayor Puts $10 Billion Pension Borrowing Plan on Hold (Greg Hinz / Crain's Chicago Business)
• Quincy, Illinois Fire and Police Pension Costs Rise (Doug Wilson / Herald-Whig)
• Oregon Gubernatorial Debate on Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• As State Agencies Privatize Jobs, 'Orphaned' Pension Debts Threaten Kentucky Taxpayers (John Cheves / Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Bigger Social Security Checks in Store for 2019 as Inflation Rises (Lydia DePillis / CNN)
• A Sears Bankruptcy Could Cause One of the Biggest Pension Defaults Ever (Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune)
• The Great American Pension Heist (C.S. Hagen / HPR)
• 'Red Zone' Multiemployer Pension Plans May Never Recover Without Congressional Help, Segal Consulting Maintains (Lee Barney / PlanSponsor)
• PENSION PULSE: The Pension Dashboard? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 11, 2018

• It's a slow pension news day . . .
• California Supreme Court Pension Case Argument Anticipated for Early November (Messing Adam & Jasmine)

October 10, 2018

• Thanks to Skyrocketing Pension Costs, Putting More Money Into Santa Ana's Police Budget Doesn't Help (Norberto Santana Jr / Voice of OC)
• CalPERS' $460 Million Investment: California Firefighters Make It Hard to Break Up With Russia (Natasha Doff & John Gittelsohn / Bloomberg)
• Unusual CalPERS Investment Strategy Misfires 30 Years Later (Newser)
• Thousands of Southerners Planted Trees for Retirement. It Didn’t Work. (Ryan Dezember / Wall Street Journal)$$
• Newport Beach Council Incumbents Are Getting Pension Obligations Under Control (letter - Bob McCaffrey / Daily Pilot)
• City of Santa Clara Subject of CalPERS Investigation (Carolyn Schuk / Silicon Valley Voice)
• New 'Zombie Index' Helps Illuminate Risks Facing Taxpayers (blog - Bill Bergman / Truth in Accounting)
• Pennsylvania Pensions in Jeopardy (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• True Debt, Pension, Healthcare Payments Would Consume Half of Illinois' Revenue; Bankruptcy Option Needed (Mark Glennon / Wirepoints)
• BREAKING: Local 805 Gets Letter to Cut Benefits; SMW Sends Letter (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• A Comprehensive Federal Budget Plan to Avert a Debt Crisis (Brian Riedl / Manhattan Institute)
• PENSION PULSE: PSP Acquires Forth Ports? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 9, 2018

• Peralta Community College's Outrageous Retirement Debt Bond Scheme (editorial - San Jose Mercury News)
• Election 2018: Pension Crisis May Be Quietly Driving Local 'Hotel Tax’ Measures (Nicholas Ibarra / Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• 140-Hour Average Workweek Boosts Firefighter's Compensation to More Than $1 Million Over the Past Two Years (Robert Fellner / Transparent California)
• California Taxes: The Sky Is the Limit (Jack Humphreville / CityWatch LA)
• California Gubernatorial Candidates Spar in Only Pre-Election Debate, Fail to Touch on Pension Reform (Maria Dinzeo / Courthouse News)
• CalPERS Quickie: President Pushed Off the Board Due to ESG Over Pension Security (blog - Mary Pat Campbell / STUMP)
• Yuba City Takes Proactive Approach to CalPERS (Appeal-Democrat)
• PBS to Air 'The Pension Gamble' on October 23 (FRONTLINE)
• Pepperdine Forum on Public Pensions (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Oregon's Pension Fund: Here's How Many People Get $100,000-Plus Pensions (Ted Sickinger / The Oregonian)
• Oregon's $22 Billion Pension Hole: How Did We Get Here? (video - The Oregonian)
• Climate Change, Country Clubs, and Connecticut's Unfunded Pension Liabilities (Christine Stuart / CT News Junkie)
• PENSION PULSE: Rate Rise Signaling Market Trouble? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 8, 2018

• Will CalPERS Finally Focus on Returns? (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• CalPERS President Loses Her Board Seat (Randy Diamond / Chief Investment Officer)
• Taxpayers Again Take California Fiscal Hit (Larry Wilson & Susan Shelley / Los Angeles Daily News)
• On Pension Fund Divestment: Teachers Should Consider 5-10% Reductions in Their Pensions (letter - CALmatters)
• Potential Crash Worse Than 2008? Unfunded Pension Liabilities Could Be to Blame (op-ed - George Landrith / Daily Caller)
• A Thoughtful Reminder of Another Pension Landmine (blog - James A. Bacon / Bacon's Rebellion)
• Fixing Public Pensions With Private Creativity (Joel Naroff / Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Connecticut Candidate for Governor: Tapping Pension Funds Is Risky -- Doing Nothing Is Worse (Keith M. Phaneuf / CT Mirror)
• Oregon Pension Fund's Pain Increases as Election Nears (editorial - Bend Bulletin)
• Blaming the New Jersey Supreme Court (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Dodging Kentucky's Pension Crisis Won't Fix It (column - Jim Waters / Richmond Register)
• Arizona Voters Saved Public Safety Pensions; Prop. 125 Would Do the Same for Corrections Officers (op-ed - Brian Tobin / AZ Central)
• How Public Employee Benefits (Beyond Pensions and Health Care) Compare to the Private Sector's (Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene / Governing)
• Western States Multiemployer Pension Benefit Cuts Finalized (Hazel Bradford / Pensions & Investments)
• UK: The Extinction of Defined-Benefit Pension Plans Is Almost Upon Us (op-ed - Frederick Vettese / The Globe and Mail)
• Putin's Botched Pension Reform (Andrei Movchan / Project Syndicate)
• PENSION PULSE: Rate Rise Signaling Market Trouble? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 7, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Potential Crash Worse Than 2008? Unfunded Pension Liabilities Could Be to Blame (op-ed - George Landrith / Daily Caller)

October 6, 2018

• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: Will CalPERS Finally Focus on Returns? (editorial - San Diego Union-Tribune)
• WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: On Pension Fund Divestment: Teachers Should Consider 5-10% Reductions in Their Pensions (letter - CALmatters)

October 5, 2018

• CalPERS President Loses Board Seat to Policeman (blog - Ed Mendel / Calpensions)
• Shakeup at CalPERS Board: Cop Unseats Pension Fund's President in Election (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• CalPERS Board President Is Ousted in Election, Losing to Corona Police Officer (John Myers / Los Angeles Times)
• Worried About CalPERS? Three New Laws Could Protect Workers, Governments. (column - Adam Ashton / Sacramento Bee)
• Public Pension Funding Crisis: Who Was Jeremy Gold and Why Should You Care? (Elizabeth Bauer / Forbes)
• New Jersey Pension for a Felon (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Ready for a Government-Run 401(k)? (Nevin E. Adams / NAPA)
• PENSION PULSE: The Global Bond Rout? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 4, 2018

• Outrageous Public Employee Pay Is the Cause of California's Bad Roads (Steven Greenhut / The American Spectator)
• San Diego Spending $100,000 for Estimate of How Costly August Supreme Court Pension Ruling Could Be (David Garrick / San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Pensions Now Depend on Bubbles Never Popping (But All Bubbles Pop) (blog - Charles Hugh Smith / Of Two Minds)
• Taxpayer Advocate Says Pensions Are 'Bankrupting' Illinois (Steve Tarter / Journal Star)
• FASB Changes to Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure Requirements (commentary - David Davala / Pensions & Investments)
• Putin Signs Controversial Pension Age Law (The Moscow Times)
• PENSION PULSE: CPPIB and OTPP Bet on Mexican Toll Roads? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

October 3, 2018

• California Firefighter Who Made $327,491 in 2017 Asks Us to Support Higher Taxes (Edward Ring / California Policy Center)
• Report by State Senator Moorlach Finds 2/3 of California’s 944 School Districts Bleed Red Ink (FullertonWatch)
• Go to Jail, Collect Your Pension (James Coll / City Journal)
• Pension Problem Has No Easy Solutions (editorial - the Times)
• Pension Discount Rate and Investment Rate Are Not the Same Thing (Richard F. Keevey / NJ Spotlight)/
• A Nepotism Hire for Director of the PBGC? (blog - John Bury / Burypensions)
• Russian Senate Passes Contentious Pension Age Hike Bill (The Moscow Times)
• PENSION PULSE: The CAQ and the Caisse? (blog - Leo Kolivakis)

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