California Public Sector Unions Seek to Undo 2012 Pension Reform

The article argues that California's public sector unions are attempting to reverse the progress made by the 2012 Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). It highlights Assembly Bill 1383 (AB 1383), which would lower the retirement age for public safety personnel from 57 to 55 and increase pensionable salary limits. The bill passed the California Assembly with a 70-2 bipartisan majority and is now before the state Senate. The author contends that unions dominate the Democrat-controlled legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom, and that rolling back reforms would worsen California's volatile budget and unfunded pension liabilities, which have already contributed to municipal bankruptcies in Stockton and San Bernardino. The piece criticizes the lack of resistance to such expensive bills and warns that signing AB 1383 could damage Newsom's fiscal credibility in a potential presidential campaign.