Government pensions are a hot topic these days, with Gov. Jerry Brown last week proposing his own set of reforms and two more conservative plans submitted this week as potential ballot initiatives. The latter may spur passage of the former, some believe.
Locally, especially in election-crazed Rancho Palos Verdes (the site of a recently enacted pension reform plan), the topic has people debating passionately -- a sometimes spewing "facts" that aren't quite based in reality.
This week, a conservative pro-reform groups published a database of government works in California who make more than $100,000 in retirement. As the OC Register reports, the number of employees earning more than $100,000 in retirement has skyrocketed in recent years - climbing 563 percent since 2005.
To be clear, the folks that receive these big pension payments are a seriously small minority. But the numbers are worth a look.
In Rancho Palos Verdes, only one employee -- former City Manager Les Evans -- is on the list. There are two others from cities on The Hill.
There are some eye-poppers in El Segundo, which has its own police and fire departments. There are 38 former employees in the $100k club from El Segundo, including nine who make more than $150,000 per year.
Redondo Beach, with 49 employees on the list, also has some big numbers. Torrance, obviously a bigger city with a lot more employees than other South Bay municipalities, has 146 ex-employees on its list.
Not surprisingly, it's cities that provide their own public safety services that are on the hook for the highest number of $100k+ pensions.
