Attorney General Brown backs OC deputies in pension dispute
September 2nd, 2008, 12:15 pm · 29 Comments · posted by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter
Attorney General Jerry Brown is filing a brief on behalf of Orange County deputies in a county lawsuit over supervisors effort to roll back deputy pension benefits.
“The deputy sheriffs put their lives on the line for us, and they deserve fair compensation for their hard work serving and protecting the people of Orange County,” Attorney General Brown said. “County Supervisors are not entitled to suddenly change their minds and decide to take away important pension benefits that the deputies bargained for in good faith.
“The hard-working men and women of the Orange County Deputy Sheriffs’ Department deserve far better treatment from the Board of Supervisors. Their families are counting on it.”
See Brown’s press release here.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Am I surprise??? Jerry Brown is pro union guy. He rather see tax payers broke than union members who got 95% of salary when they retire!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Glad that Brown can see through the personal vendetta that Moorlach has against the Deputies. Could not have been put any better ” fair compensation for protecting the people of Orange County” Moorlach needs to quit whinning.From my understanding is these deputies pay into this fund and have given up salary raises for their retirement. Join the dept and see if you can deal with the scum bags of this county.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I say do away with all pensions for government employee’s. let them have a 401k just like all the other hard working folks out there and don’t give me the standard BS about cops or fire fighters putting their lives on the line, they chose that line of work and wanted to do it, we should not fund their tee times and them being about to watch oprah after the age of 50.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
“deserve fair compensation”…who decided what a “fair compensation” was?
“bargained for in good faith.”…who did the bargaining?
It sure wasn’t the taxpayers. The taxpayers are stuck with the bill, we had no say in it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Brown has it right. The unfortunate political games played by Moorlach and his group is an embarrassment to all thoughtful citizens of our great County.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Hey…I’ve never been a big fan of “moonbeam” Brown but I gotta agree with him on this one. Moorlach has an agenda and is wasting a TON of taxpayer dollars trying his best to take away what was bargained for in good faith by his predecessors.
And that moron Moorlach knows that he can’t win this one but he will still come out looking like the good guy who has tried to “protect” the taxpayer. Win/win for that boob, all the while wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars trying to prove a point that he can’t win.
Another glowing example of how screwed up our Bored of Stupervisors are….
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Martin’
How much has been spent on this law suit thus far?
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Well, count on having re-tread Jerry Brown run for governor. This is the first buy-out of the union vote in that campaign. You read it hear first!
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Whadaya expect from Gov. Moonbeam, bought and paid for by unions.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Hmmm, wasn’t Brown the Clown recently in Orange County trying to put pressure on a Hospital group to hold an election to unioniize without requiring the union (SEIU) to gather enough signatures to hold an election?
Let’s see if he actually addresses valid LEGAL issues when he files the brief. Hopefully, the judge who hears this case will have enough sense to see that he’s merely pandering to the public employee unions (like he’s done all of his political life).
To Wake Up: Let me up the ante. Brown is an embarrassment to all thoughtful citizens of our great state.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Wow- I am ashamed of the OC residence in opposition of Brown’s decision. Public safety employees have always been well compensated and they have always deserved it. This is one bill I dont mind paying. Our public safety and teachers deserve the best.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I just love it when Moorlach has to bite the big one!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Orange County’s Superspender Moorlach = District Attorney M. Aguirre in San Diego.
Playing with the tax dollars of others for personal and professional gain.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I always love to read comments by nitwits who wouldn’t have the courage or ability to be a peace officer or firefighter weigh in on salary and benefits. Our heros dedicate their professional lives to protect us. They deserve what they get and much more. If it’s tee times and Oprah after 50 then God bless them for making it that far.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
If it was negotiated then taken away. Good for them in getting it back.
If he opposite is true, Goodness, how much more compensation do they ‘fairly’ need after spending a couple of decades working for one of the highest paid departments, in some of the safest cities in the nation.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Finally their are evidence that mexican cops are more corupt than o.c. cops after the mexican pigs beat the oregon guy to death while still in handcuffs.CLOSE THE F-IN boarder
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Big Jim, let they have a 401k or IRA like the rest of us. Businesses are moving toward 401k’s because they can’t afford the pension benefits. Government employees need to do the same, we cannot afford generous pensions.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
We don’t need heroes who devour OUR quality of life including OUR reitrement in return for their service. I don’t need a firefighter to save my burning house or a police officer to arrest the person who robbed my house and then turn around and steal from me through the mechanism of government. There are plenty of other, unrecognized ,heroes who are not receiving any comparable benefit. What about the lowly salesman who bangs on doors to sell something which then creates jobs for people and taxes to pay for our public servants - without him we couldn’t even hire police or firefighters- does he deserve a comparable pension plan?
We need one pension plan for all workers both public and private or no pension plan for anyone.
Vote yes on Measure J in November!
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I do not understand were the County tax payers have to pay into the pensions of public servants? The amount of $ going into OCERS is invested and over 7 billion dollars! If I’m correct did’nt the county borrow $ from OCERS to reduce the bankrupt county back in ‘93? Police and Firefighters deserve every penny! Sounds like a bunch of jealous wimps who do not have any balls to put their lives on the line!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:27 pm
BS, this should answer you question:
“Like pension systems throughout the state, Orange County is facing the prospect of lower investment returns, a surge in the retirement-age population and the increasing longevity of retirees. But the county has also contributed to the problem in recent years by offering pension plans considerably more generous than the state average, according to the state controller’s office. One package, for example, would allow Orange County public safety employees with 25 years of service to retire at age 50 with 75% of their pay, compared with 57% in the rest of the state”
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
Retired at 50 with full salary; ready for another job at the public trough with another pension. This makes retired police/fire the financial elite of the future doesn’t it?
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:05 am
Johnb, your comment was very effective; except that quotes which don’t include the source are suspect if not meaningless. Oh, and one other thing, it is totally false. The retirement benefit for peace officers is the same in virtually every California city and county. Easy to put up an argument when the facts don’t get in your way.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 am
For Johnb and others, your concerns are legitimate, especially for the future if the investment picture declines. But you’re directing your ire at the wrong group of people. The employee unions did not create this pension plan on their own. The Board of Supervisors and County Treasurer (oh, John Moorlach!), the County Counsel, state legislature and the then Ca. Atty General all had a part, and the Board and the Unions agreed to a contract, all under the existing laws at the time. Who decided what “fair compensation” was? All parties to negotiation. Who negotiated for the taxpayers? The Board. Blame them. Those in office in 2001 are gone? They quit, or get voted out etc. This might have been one of the reasons. How about that unneccessary bankruptcy in 1995? You know, the one where John Moorlach brow-beat the board into panic and they sold the investments at 8-10 cents on the dollar and declared bankruptcy, only to find two years later the derivitives in question did make money as originally projected? All of those Supervisors resigned, didn’t run again or otherwise fled.There is a pattern. The board screws something up and then flees when the heats on. Meanwhile, the employees keep on working. Even though Moorlach has once again screwed up the pension issue and wasted millions on HIS spiteful lawsuit, he has had one good idea. Future pension/compensation protocols are on the ballot in November, so vote.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
OCERS is 7 BILLION strong, does not sound like bad investments to me! OCERS has has a great track record with investments and will continue. OC taxpayers do not have to pay for the county employees, being 7 BILLION strong. Sounds like a lot of people crying wolf!, including Moorlach.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
OCERS makes payroll every month with great reserves, no deficits. Visit their website and they will tell you how a pension fund works, Moorlach won’t. The fund earns more than it pays out. Where’s the liability? Only if EVERYONE in the system retires tomorrow! Then, yes, there would be a deficit. Most employees don’t stay in the system long enough to qualify for benefits, and the safety people, police and fire, only live to collect 3-5 years on average. The actuaries, reviewed by Moorlach, showed the plan to be solid before it was approved. Now, he’s crying wolf again, wanting to be a hero in a phony crisis he manufactured.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
OCTaxpayer, they tried that in the USSR. How’d that work out? Heard of Social Security? How’s that working out? Not as well as the public employee pension systems, which not only have money (SS doesn’t), but make money. Maybe the public employee system should be the model and not bashed like a pinata.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I f you people have any brains whatsoever, you’ll continue to support your public safety employees and compensate them commensurate with the risks they take. Don’t listen to the poor man’s Michael Moore, also known as Supervisor Moorlach. He wants to renege on a contractual deal that was signed by both sides. He wants to deprive deputies of hard earned pension benefits, yet he doesn’t deprive himself of cheeseburgers and chili dogs.
Cops and sheriffs forego the higher pay of the private sector to have the superior benefits but lower pay of the civil service sector. That’s what I did as a young 22 year old and I’m glad I did.
I can recall my own brother jeering at my pay back in the eighties. Now he’s sniveling because my pension makes his look like beads and marbles the white man gives to Indians. You can’t have it both ways. Don’t get mad at the police because they have great benefits. They do without a lot of other things that some of you take for granted.
I earned that pension and corrupt tinhorn fatcats like Moorlach will die before they’re able to take it from me.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
No surprise here with Former Govenor, pro-union, ultra liberal, stick it to the taxpayers Brown. Wonder if he got a hefty contribution for the union to weigh in. He wants to run for Govenor agian and needs to start taking in the big bucks.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Hey, Robert, this is a blue state. Its liberal blue and salsa red, can’t change it.But the weather is great, ain’t it !