City of Los Angeles Survivor Benefit Program, Proposition D (March 2009)
A Los Angeles Survivor Benefit Purchase Program, Proposition D ballot question was on the March 3, 2009 ballot in the City of Los Angeles, California, where it was approved.[1]
Prior to the approval of Proposition D, a spouse or domestic partner of a retired Fire and Police Pension Plan member received a survivor benefit if such marriage or domestic partnership took place at least one year before retirement. However, no survivor benefit was available to a surviving spouse/domestic partner if that union was entered into after the retirement of a member of the pension plan. According to one study, 20 percent of police retirees marry after retirement.
Measure D changed this by allowing a member of the Fire and Police Pension Plan who forms a union after his or her retirement to provide a survivor benefit. The retired member, under Measure D, will pay the full cost of the benefit through a reduction in his or her monthly pension benefit.
- The election of this benefit by a member of the plan is be permanent.
- This option can only be taken once.
- The retiree who chooses this option will have to live for at least one year after choosing this benefit in order for the survivor benefits to kick in for his or her partner/spouse.
- Health benefits are not included in the survivor benefits.
Election results
| Proposition D | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 176,950 | 70.7% | ||
| No | 73,212 | 29.3% | ||
- These final election results are from the Los Angeles County election office.
Support
The Los Angeles Times endorsed a "yes" vote on Measure D, saying, "The Times acknowledges that pension plans are fraught with potential financial hazards for the city and therefore the taxpayers, so we swallow our irritation with such petty demands for voter attention. Charter Amendment D's costs will be allocated among those who benefit, and it ... should be approved."[2]
Ballot question
The question on the ballot:
| Proposition D: "Shall the Charter be amended to allow retired members of the Fire and Police Pension Plan to purchase, at their own expense, a survivor benefit for a spouse or domestic partner?"[3] |
See also
External links
- City of Los Angeles election department
- Sample ballot (scroll to page 45)
- League of Women Voters Pros/Cons of Measures A-E
Footnotes
- ↑ "City Of Los Angeles Election Results," May 3, 2009
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Changing the charter, For the March 3 ballot, The Times supports Charter Amendments A, C and D, but opposes E," February 22, 2009
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
