California Government Employee Pension Reform Initiative (2014)

Not on Ballot
This measure was not put on an election ballot

A California Government Employee Pension Reform Initiative (#12-0008) was approved for circulation in California as a contender for the November 4, 2014 ballot.

Its sponsors, however, did not submit any signatures to election officials by the deadline.

If the initiative had qualified for the ballot and been approved by the state's voters, it would have:

• Required all current and future public employees to pay annually at least half of the projected costs of their pension plan’s defined benefit.
• Required hybrid pension plans for new employees, composed of defined benefits, defined contribution, and Social Security.
• Required hybrid plans be designed to pay 75% of final salary after full career, capped at federal Social Security base.
• Increased the minimum retirement age for future law enforcement and firefighters to 52; for others, 57.
• Required 15 years service for new state employees to receive any retirement health benefits, and reduce the level of employer contribution to retirement health benefits.

Text of measure

Ballot title:

Reduces Pension Benefits for Public Employees. Initiative Constitutional and Statutory Amendment.

Official summary:

"Requires all current and future public employees pay annually at least half projected costs of their pension plan’s defined benefit. Requires hybrid pension plans for new employees, composed of defined benefits, defined contribution, and Social Security. Requires hybrid plans be designed to pay 75% of final salary after full career, capped at federal Social Security base. Increases minimum retirement age for future law enforcement and firefighters to 52, for others 57. Requires 15 years service for new state employees to receive any retirement health benefits, and reduces employer contribution."

Fiscal impact statement:

Note: The fiscal impact statement for a California ballot initiative authorized for circulation is jointly prepared by the state's legislative analyst and its director of finance.

"Over the next few decades, reduced state and local government personnel costs, offset by some potential additional expenses. The net effect would vary from one public employer to another based on how this measure is interpreted and administered, among other factors. In the long run (a few decades from now), depending on how this measure is administered, potential annual savings in state and local government personnel costs of a few billion dollars per year (in current dollars), offset to some extent by increases in other employee compensation costs."

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in California

• Thomas W. Hiltachk submitted a letter requesting a ballot title on March 14, 2012.
• A ballot title and summary were issued by California's attorney general's office on May 7, 2012.
• 807,615 valid signatures were required for qualification purposes.
• The 150-day circulation deadline for #12-0008 was October 4, 2012.
• No signatures were filed by either filing deadline.

External links

Suggest a link

• Letter requesting a ballot title for Initiative 12-0008

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This article about a California ballot proposition is a sprout.