Pension Reform on San Diego Ballot

The San Diego city clerk has certified a pension reform measure for the city's June 2012 election.

The initiative would push most future city employees into a 401(k)-style retirement plan instead of defined benefit pensions.

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association, which gathered petition signatures to have the measure added to the ballot, said it will leverage all its resources in the campaign for the comprehensive pension reform ballot measure now that

"We have never had a better opportunity to achieve real, lasting reform in the city of San Diego's pension system and put the city on the road to restoring its financial health," said Lani Lutar, president and chief executive of the Taxpayers Association. "Although the strength of the signature gathering tells us that San Diego voters support our reform efforts, we know the initiative will be subject to strong opposition from government labor unions."

The ballot measure would lead to several changes, the association said, including ending pension spiking; requiring city employees to pay a fair share of their pension costs; moving all new employees except police recruits into a 401(k)-style retirement plan; requiring complete and full online disclosure of pension payments to city retirees; and removing the veto power employees have over pension reforms.

The measure is expected to be a key issue during the 2012 mayoral primary. Mayor Jerry Sanders, who will be termed out of office, and City Councilman Carl DeMaio, who is running for mayor, helped write the initiative. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who has Sanders' endorsement, and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher also support it, according to published reports, while U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, the lone Democrat running for mayor, opposes it.

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California
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