Contra Costa Taxpayers Association » contra costa

OPEB – Symptom of a Larger Problem

Kris Hunt — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:33:57 +0000

OPEB – Symptom of a Larger Problem
Friday, September 24
7:45 a.m., Social
8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Meeting
$20.00 includes breakfast buffet

MONTHLY MEETING $20

LOCATION
HYATT SUMMERFIELD SUITES 2611 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill. Located just off 680 behind the monument.

Our guest speaker this month will be Gary Craft, founder and principal of Craft Consulting. Many of you are familiar with Gary’s work on the Contra Costa OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) analysis he did a couple of years ago. That issue has fallen off the front page in the wake of the revelations about the city of Bell and the members of the $100,000 pension club, but it is still there.

Gary will be using his vast business and economic knowledge to give us his perspective on government problems/solutions in his speech “OPEB – Symptom of a Larger Problem.”

RSVP
Payment for all reservations is required. Early registration is suggested due to limited seating. 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.

Joe Canciamilla speaks to Breakfast Meeting, Oct 30

Kris Hunt — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:13:07 +0000

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.

IMPORTANT — NEW LOCATION — CLICK FOR MAP
HYATT SUMMERFIELD SUITES 2622 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill. Located just off 680 with plenty of parking.

COST:
$20.00 Includes full breakfast buffet.

SPECIAL THANKS TO PGE FOR SPONSORING THIS MEETING

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.

$100,000 Pension Club in the news

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:57:50 +0000

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.