November 3, 2016
Gov. 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.
October 28, 2016
The 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.
October 20, 2016
A 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.”
October 13, 2016
As 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.
October 10, 2016
As 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.
October 7, 2016
Gov. Pete Wilson tried to wrest key powers from the CalPERS board. A labor-led counterattack left the board more independent than ever.
September 19, 2016
The 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.
September 19, 2016
When 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.
September 18, 2016
It 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.
February 8, 2017
How 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.
November 29, 2016
In 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.
November 3, 2016
Gov. 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.
October 13, 2016
As 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.
September 19, 2016
When 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.
