Supervisors OK Ballot Measure for Voter-pproved pension hikes
Posted by: Scott W. Graves | 07/30/2008 1:58 PM
Supervisors OK ballot measure for voter-approved pension hikes
Plan bars future boards from sweetening public workers' benefits
By Peggy Lowe
SANTA ANA - Orange County supervisors diluted their own power Tuesday by approving an initiative that would require voters to OK any increases in public workers' pensions.
Despite criticism by one supervisor that it was "posturing over substance," the board voted unanimously to place a plan on November's ballot that would bar future boards from sweetening county employees' retirement benefits. The plan won't change current formulas, but amends the county's charter to require a vote of the people on any pension hikes.
Supervisor Chris Norby, who voted against a benefit increase for the majority of county workers in 2004, said the initiative was political posturing and comes ten years too late. The plan sends a message that supervisors can't trust themselves to do the right thing, he said.
"Do we really want to vote to save ourselves from ourselves?" Norby said.
Still, Norby and Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who was also critical of the plan, voted for it. The issue is popular with many voters and is a priority for the Lincoln Club, the powerful group of wealthy Orange County Republicans.
Read the Rest of the article at the OC Register, here.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-plan-public-2108395-employees-benefits#
Plan bars future boards from sweetening public workers' benefits
By Peggy Lowe
SANTA ANA - Orange County supervisors diluted their own power Tuesday by approving an initiative that would require voters to OK any increases in public workers' pensions.
Despite criticism by one supervisor that it was "posturing over substance," the board voted unanimously to place a plan on November's ballot that would bar future boards from sweetening county employees' retirement benefits. The plan won't change current formulas, but amends the county's charter to require a vote of the people on any pension hikes.
Supervisor Chris Norby, who voted against a benefit increase for the majority of county workers in 2004, said the initiative was political posturing and comes ten years too late. The plan sends a message that supervisors can't trust themselves to do the right thing, he said.
"Do we really want to vote to save ourselves from ourselves?" Norby said.
Still, Norby and Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who was also critical of the plan, voted for it. The issue is popular with many voters and is a priority for the Lincoln Club, the powerful group of wealthy Orange County Republicans.
Read the Rest of the article at the OC Register, here.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-plan-public-2108395-employees-benefits#
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
"Supervisor Chris Norby, who voted against a benefit increase for the majority of This initiative is political posturing and comes ten years too late. The plan sends a message that supervisors can't trust themselves to do the right thing,Do we really want to vote to save ourselves from ourselves?" - Supervisor Chris Norby voting against the initiative before he voted for it.
Seems like the OC-BOS is quickly becoming irrelevant...
Well when you consider that it was actually enacted by this same legislative body (different members at the time) and one of those members has gone on to be an Assemblyman, (actually I think his was the tie breaking vote that actually enacted the higher retirement rate) perhaps the current BoS thinks that sometimes there needs to be policing by the people that are supposed to be running the county. That, in case Coto doesn't remember, would be the Taxpayers.
Seems like the logic offered by Lady may be mixing apples and oranges yielding pineapples – good call!