Public Pension and Retiree Health Benefits: An Initial Response to the Governor's Proposal

In this video, Deputy Legislative Analyst Jason Sisney discusses the LAO report "Public Pension and Retiree Health Benefits: An Initial Response to the Governor's Proposal."

The Governor's 12-point pension and retiree health plan would result in bold changes for California's public employee retirement programs. His proposals would shift more of the financial risk for pensions—now borne largely by public employers—to employees and retirees and would, in so doing, substantially ameliorate a key area of long-term financial risk for California governments. Despite the proposal's strengths, it leaves many questions unanswered, such as how his hybrid plan and retirement age proposals would work and how the state should cope with large unfunded liabilities already affecting the California State Teachers' Retirement System, the University of California Retirement Plan, and the health benefit program for state and California State University retirees. The Governor's proposal to increase many current public employees' pension contributions also raises significant legal and practical issues.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• pension
• retire
• retirement
• OPEB
• retiree health
• CalPERS
• CalSTRS
• UCRP
• 37 Act
• public employee