In a meeting on October 19, supervisors rejected major retirement changes for future LA County employees after SEIU 721 members and other county leaders said the facts don’t support the plan.
“LA County employees are working hard to provide the services that our County needs, and they aren’t getting rich with their retirement,” said SEIU 721 member Marlene Allen, a GAIN Services Supervisor. “I ask you to look at the big picture, consider the facts, and vote no on this motion.”
The plan from Supervisor Mike Antonovich was similar to one proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for state employees, and would have increased the minimum retirement age and the amount of money current and new employees contribute to their pension plans.
County Leaders Call Current Retirement Plan ‘Responsible’
But other county leaders defended the current retirement system as sustainable and responsible.
“We have a very responsible retirement plan,” CEO Bill Fujioka told supervisors. This year’s increase in pension costs “is due to losses in the market not because of the structure of the plan,” he added.
“I don’t think LA County needs pension reform,” said Supervisor Gloria Molina. “There are probably some fixes we can make, but overall we are doing a very good job.”
After meeting in closed session, the Supervisors referred the motion back to the CEO without taking further action.
“County workers want to be part of the solution to protect funding for our parks and programs, but this is the wrong way to do it,” said Allen.
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Public employees’ retirement is under fire across California from local leaders and candidates like Meg Whitman. Click here to read more