California Republican lawmakers have called for a vote by a pension committee on Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to curb retirement benefits.
The letter from Senate Republican leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, and Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Hills, and a member of the Joint Legislative Pension Conference Committee, invited the Democratic governor to testify in support of his reform plan unveiled in October that has been introduced as legislation by Republicans.
"California's state and local pension debt is hundreds of billions of dollars and growing every day," the letter said. "We hope you will join us to demand immediate legislative action on your 12-point pension plan."
In October, Brown proposed a 12-pronged plan that included equal pension contributions for all employees and employers. Outside of public safety, it raises the retirement age to 67 for new hires and creates a "hybrid" defined-benefit plan for new employees.
At the time, state finance director Ana Matosantos said the plan would save California between $4 billion and $11 billion over a 30-year period as it is phased in and provide similar savings for local governments.
Brown's proposal does not address the state's current unfunded pension liability, which some have pegged at around $80 billion. Academic studies have put the total pension-funding gap for all public workers in California as high as $500 billion.
