Insight With Vicki GonzalezCALmatters Explains How Governor Brown's Pension Reform Plan Failed To Move ForwardNovember 3, 2016Gov. Jerry Brown was confident his-12 point plan could reform California’s pension crisis. Five years later, the state’s unfunded liabilities continue to pile up with little change. CALmatter’s Judy Lin explains why the plan failed to progress. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Jerry Brown Touted His Pension Reforms As A Game-Changer. But They’ve Done Little To Rein In CostsOctober 28, 2016The governor pushed for sweeping action in 2011 to close a funding gap and ease the burden on taxpayers. But lawmakers blocked his most ambitious ideas.
State GovernmentCalifornia Promised Public Employees Generous Retirements. Will The Courts Give Government A Way Out?October 20, 2016A case before the state Supreme Court could clear the way for reductions in public retiree benefits, which have become hugely expensive. But the outcome is “hard to predict.”
Insight With Vicki GonzalezCalifornia’s Pension Crisis: What Can We Learn From Illinois? October 13, 2016As California continues to navigate the shaky waters of funding billions in state pensions, Illinois could serve as an example of what to avoid. WBEZ’s Dan Weissmann and Cheryl Eason from CalPERS have different opinions on the comparison. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
State GovernmentWhen It Comes To Pensions, Illinois Is California's Ghost Of Christmas Yet To ComeOctober 10, 2016As California’s public-employee pension crisis grows—with taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars, and no clear plan for how to pay—other states are facing similar problems and have lessons to teach. Illinois is one of those states. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
How A Governor’s Bid To Exert Control Over California Public Pensions BackfiredOctober 7, 2016Gov. Pete Wilson tried to wrest key powers from the CalPERS board. A labor-led counterattack left the board more independent than ever.
State GovernmentWhy The Dot-Com Bubble Is Key To Understanding California’s Growing Public Employee Pension DebtSeptember 19, 2016The mounting debt California faces in covering public employees' pensions can be traced back to the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s — when the state chose to make these benefits a lot more generous. That decision proved to have lasting implications. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Insight With Vicki GonzalezExploring The Pension Crisis In CaliforniaSeptember 19, 2016When California lawmakers cut a deal to increase public employee pensions, the state had a very different economic climate. We’ll talk with LA Times reporter Jack Dolan about the pension gap and what he’s learned about it. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
The Pension GapSeptember 18, 2016It was a deal that wasn’t supposed to cost taxpayers an extra dime. Now the state’s annual tab is in the billions, and the cost keeps climbing.
California Pension Crisis: RichmondFebruary 8, 2017How are cities across California responding to the ballooning cost of pensions in the state? CALmatters Reporter Judy Lin explores a case study in Richmond where priority police and library services are already being cut. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Reporter Tells Stories Of California Retirees Struggling With PensionNovember 29, 2016In our ongoing series on California’s Pension Crisis, we hear the stories of some retirees who argue the benefits aren’t excessive. Reporter Sam Harnett guides us through the tales of three California retirees. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
CALmatters Explains How Governor Brown's Pension Reform Plan Failed To Move ForwardNovember 3, 2016Gov. Jerry Brown was confident his-12 point plan could reform California’s pension crisis. Five years later, the state’s unfunded liabilities continue to pile up with little change. CALmatter’s Judy Lin explains why the plan failed to progress. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
California’s Pension Crisis: What Can We Learn From Illinois? October 13, 2016As California continues to navigate the shaky waters of funding billions in state pensions, Illinois could serve as an example of what to avoid. WBEZ’s Dan Weissmann and Cheryl Eason from CalPERS have different opinions on the comparison. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Exploring The Pension Crisis In CaliforniaSeptember 19, 2016When California lawmakers cut a deal to increase public employee pensions, the state had a very different economic climate. We’ll talk with LA Times reporter Jack Dolan about the pension gap and what he’s learned about it. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
