Former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla will be the guest speaker October 30, as the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association gathers for Breakfast Meeting at its new location!
FRIDAY, October 30, 2009 7:45 A.M. – SOCIAL
8:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. MEETING
The state of California is imploding financially. Due to term limits, we lost one of the “adults” who could work with both sides of the aisle AND who understands finance. We are fortunate in having the Hon. Joe Canciamilla as our guest speaker to talk about the state of the state and possible solutions.
RSVP:
Due to our new location, payment for all reservations made is essential. Reservations can be made by phone, e- mail or at www.cocotax.org. If you have questions, please call me at 925-228-5610 or e-mail me at krishunt@cocotax.org. Prepayment is greatly appreciated. Checks should be mailed to: P.O. Box 27, Martinez, CA 94553, payment can be made on line through Paypal on the CoCoTax website.
Join the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association for breakfast on September 25 as it hosts, John R. Graham Director, Health Care Studies, Pacific Research Institute, San Francisco, CA. The festivities begin at 7:45 and takes place at The Greenery, 5151 Marchbanks, Walnut Creek. Admission is $20.
The guest speaker will address: “The Thousand-Page Prescription: Is a Federal Take-Over the Cure for America’s Health Crisis?”
Mr. Graham is a noted analyst and author in the field of health care. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. He has read the 1000 pages of the Health care proposal and has analyzed it from the perspective of one who has specialized in this field. Come learn the good, the bad and ugly of the proposed health care changes and the other ways we could deal with this critical issue from a free market perspective.
The $100,000 Pension Club is making news. The $100,000 Club is the brainchild of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility. Over 5,000 members who receive pension of $100,000 or more from government entities that use the CalPERS pension system can be found at www.CaliforniaPensions.com.
For the curious, Concord has 15 members headed by their former City Manager, Ed James, at $167,180 per year. Walnut Creek has 10 members, with former police chief Tom Soberanes at $179,399 leading the pack. Richmond has 49 members headed by Charles Bennett, the former police chief, at $172,200.
The idea behind revealing those making over $100,000 is not to “out” anyone, but to call to the attention of taxpayers that some members of government (particularly safety) are receiving some very generous pensions. Of real concern are those granted pensions that actually exceed the amount they earned before they retired.
The blame (and solutions) to the pension problems are in the hands of elected officials. No one should blame the pensioners who are legally entitled to the amounts granted. Governments cannot continue to have people retire as early as age 50 and receive generous retirement benefits. This does not include all employees, but the drain on the system is becoming enormous.
The recent BART contract negotiations have revealed how that body’s compensation packages are out of control. Of the 3200 BART employees (many are part-time), 716 earn over $100,000, are guaranteed lifetime health benefits after working 5 years, and have their pensions paid for by BART. They can retire early as well. The BART board is correct in taking a hard line on the budget negotiations. This level of compensation is simply unsustainable.
The Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association released the names and amounts of those receiving pensions in excess of $100,000. There will be some familiar names on the list. Former sheriff captain, Donn Irwin, had sought to block the release of this information that had been requested by the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility. Full Disclosure: Executive Director Kris Hunt is on the Advisory Board of that group. The list of those receiving pensions in excess of $100,000 is attached. CCCOUNTY retirees over 100k by highest pension.
BACKGROUND
Former Deputy Sheriff Donna Irwin lost her bid to obtain a restraining order to stop the release of the names of those earning pensions in excess of $100,000 in the Contra Costa Employees’ Retirement Association. With the help of Howard Jarvis, the Contra Costa Times, the LA Times, and the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association, the information is now available. This court decision was a critical one for taxpayers because the judge was so clear in his opinion that this was public information that it should keep other retirees from filing similar actions. The list can be found at www.cocotax.org as well as attached to this document. By the way, Ms. Irwin is receiving $144,648 per year.
Former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla will be the guest speaker October 30, as the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association gathers for Breakfast Meeting at its new location!
SPECIAL THANKS TO PGE FOR SPONSORING THIS MEETING
Join the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association for breakfast on September 25 as it hosts, John R. Graham Director, Health Care Studies, Pacific Research Institute, San Francisco, CA. The festivities begin at 7:45 and takes place at The Greenery, 5151 Marchbanks, Walnut Creek. Admission is $20.
The $100,000 Pension Club is making news. The $100,000 Club is the brainchild of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility. Over 5,000 members who receive pension of $100,000 or more from government entities that use the CalPERS pension system can be found at 
The recent BART contract negotiations have revealed how that body’s compensation packages are out of control. Of the 3200 BART employees (many are part-time), 716 earn over $100,000, are guaranteed lifetime health benefits after working 5 years, and have their pensions paid for by BART. They can retire early as well. The BART board is correct in taking a hard line on the budget negotiations. This level of compensation is simply unsustainable.
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