Pensions

Wendy Greuel And Eric Garcetti Have The Same Position On Pensions; So What's This Fight About?

When Wendy Greuel got the endorsement of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, it was quickly chalked up to her objections to pension cuts. Since then, there has been talk that she wanted to renegotiate those cuts; or maybe she didn't.The truth, however, is that Greuel and her opp ... More >>

Richard Riordan Backs Wendy Greuel As His Third Choice For Mayor Of L.A.

Former Mayor Richard Riordan has had a rough go of it in this year's mayoral campaign. First, he enthusiastically backed Austin Beutner, whose campaign fizzled on the launchpad. Then, he threw his clout behind a former radio talk show host, Kevin James, who lost in the March 5 primary. (In betw ... More >>

Mayoral Candidate Emanuel Pleitez Says L.A. Politicians Offering 'Band Aids' For Solutions, Unveils 'Seven-Point' Plan

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez rolled out a "seven-point" policy plan yesterday at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College near downtown, with more details to come during a citywide "policy tour" between now and the March 5 primary. Pleitez said too many city services have been cut " ... More >>

How Richard Riordan Blew $800,000 on a Failed Try at Pension Reform

In Mayor's Race, Jan Perry Vows to Speak Truth To Union Power

Now that the election is over, it's finally time to focus on the race for L.A. mayor. What? Too soon? Well, tell that to Councilwoman Jan Perry, who kicked off her campaign with a speech in which she vowed to speak truth to the powerful public employee unions at City Hall."The truth is that we ... More >>

Richard Riordan Pension Reform Plan One Step Closer To L.A. Ballot

See also: *Richard Riordan Pension Reform Surprise. Former Mayor Richard Riordan's effort to reform the city of L.A.'s exploding pension costs is one step closer to making the ballot. The City Clerk's office late yesterday announced that Riordan's proposed initiative has qualified for signature ga ... More >>

Wendy Greuel Stays Vague On Hot-Button Issues, While Mayoral Rivals Take Controversial Votes

The top contenders in the race for L.A. mayor have a lot in common, but there is one key strategic difference. As council members, Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry have to vote on issues that come up at City Hall. Wendy Greuel, the city controller, does not.And in the early stages of the race, Greuel has ... More >>

Richard Riordan Pension Reform Surprise

He throws a lightning rod into the 2013 Los Angeles mayoral race

Richard Riordan Starts Signature-Gathering Campaign to Slash L.A. City Employee Pensions, Warning 100 percent of L.A.'s Cash Will Soon Be Consumed By Pensions, Fire and Police

Long sounding the alarm for city employee pension reform, former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan is no longer waiting for the City Council and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to come up with the big fix. On Friday morning, Riordan will file papers with the City Clerk so he can start a signature-gathering cam ... More >>

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich Stands to Reap Windfall From Pension Lawsuit

​City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced Thursday that his office is suing Northern Trust, a firm that manages investments for the city pension fund, in an effort to recoup $95 million in market losses."I'm coming," Trutanich said. "We're coming. And we want our money back."If Trutanich prevails ... More >>

Gas Company Workers Enlist Occupy L.A. For Demonstration Downtown Today

Ed CarrascoOccupying L.A.​Updated at the bottom with a statement from the Gas Company. First posted at 12:18 p.m. The rightblogosphere has been alight with conspiracy theories about who's behind the Occupy movement that has swept the nation. And there have been some accusations here that if ... More >>

Measure G, Pensions: Election Results

​L.A. voters are strongly supporting a measure that would trim pension benefits for new hires in the police and fire departments. In early returns, Measure G is winning with 72% of the vote.This may have been one of the most confusing items on the ballot -- in part because Mayor Antonio Villaraigo ... More >>

Meg Whitman Won't Weigh In On Los Angeles Police And Fire Pensions

Ted SoquiMeg Whitman​Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor, declined to take a position Sunday on a proposed ballot measure that would cut pensions for L.A. police officers and firefighters.Whitman intends to tackle the state's pension woes by switching new employees to 401(k) plans. ... More >>

Meg Whitman "Whore" Controversy: Los Angeles Police Union Official Appalled

LAPPLScott Rate​The Los Angeles police union official who received the voicemail in which Jerry Brown or his aide called Meg Whitman a "whore" said Friday that he was appalled by the remark."I was absolutely appalled that he would make that type of disparaging remark about Meg Whitman," said Scott ... More >>

L.A. Bankruptcy Inevitable, Though Probably After Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Leaves To Become A Male Spokesmodel

See ya suckers! Have fun cleaning up the mess. ​Marc Lacter's column in Los Angeles magazine looks at whether the city of Los Angeles is headed for bankruptcy, and it's not pretty. His diagnosis: We're headed there, though probably not until after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa leaves office.

Miguel Santana, L.A. City Budget Honcho, Issues Dire Warning Over Exploding Pension Costs

​The city of Los Angeles' budget honcho warned this week that municipal pension spending could end up taking up one-third of City Hall's annual costs if the retirement benefits aren't brought under control. "It's expected to grow to one-third of our budget in the next five years,'' said admin ... More >>

Tom LaBonge With The Quote Of The Day At City Council Meeting

Councilman Tom LaBonge​ During a discussion of reforming the city's pension system, Tom LaBonge notes that pension benefits were sweetened to keep LAPD competitive with other departments so L.A. could recruit and retain police. Then came this:

Salaries Gone Wild: Attorney General Jerry Brown Subpoenas Bell Salary Documents

Jerry Brown.​California Attorney General Jerry Brown on Monday "subpoenaed hundreds of employment, salary, and contract records from the city of Bell and its top officials" as part of a state investigation into the city's extraordinary salaries for top officials, according to an statement from ... More >>

What Ever Happened to 'Transparency' at L.A. City Hall?

L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti​L.A. City Hall watchdog and CityWatch columnist Jack Humphreville sounds the alarm today about the City Council's apparent lack of transparency when dealing with pension reform and the possible sale of the city's parking garages. "The sale of the cit ... More >>

Vallejo BK Offers Cautionary Tale to Cities, Unions

​Today's Times takes a look at Vallejo, which filed the second municipal bankruptcy in state history in 2008. In Los Angeles and in other cities, the current chatter about bankruptcy is largely about looming pension debt. The story notes that while a bankruptcy judge allowed Vallejo to redo its co ... More >>

Who's Right? Villaraigosa and Riordan, By The Numbers

​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Mayor Richard Riordan went to war this week over the city's fiscal future. In the Wall Street Journal, Riordan predicted the city will go bankrupt by 2014, and charged his successor with fecklessness in the face of a crisis.One of Riordan's claims was that ci ... More >>

Ex L.A. Mayor Riordan Says City Will Go Bankrupt

Former Mayor Richard Riordan.​Happy Cinco de Mayo, L.A! In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece dated May 5, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and co-writer Alexander Rubalcava state that " ... between now and 2014 the city will likely declare bankruptcy." They cite city forecasts that ... More >>

Getting It Wrong: The Budget Mess

Nine things L.A. could have done to avoid it

City Pension Funds Sitting On $11.5 Billion In Red Ink, City Hall Oblivious -- Report

​The city of Los Angeles might be facing a $400 million deficit, but a tide of red ink much larger than that confronts its pension funds, according to CityWatch LA. Combined deficits at the city's two major pension funds amount to a near state-of-California-sized budget hole: $11.5 billion. W ... More >>

Associate of Bush, Villaraigosa Pleads Guilty In Kickback Scheme (Felony Charge Of Helping To Make Crap Movie Pending)

Kickback money can be bad for the enviroment.​Holmby Hills' Elliott Broidy has been called "the mystery man of the Israeli economy," but he's had more friends than Tila Tequila, including President George W. Bush (whom he's hosted at his Westside home) and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigos ... More >>

Peddling Smart Growth

Call your project “smart” — even when it isn't — and get millions in public funds.

Serving Two Masters

City pension boards plan to pour a king’s ransom into urban real estate pushed by insiders like Henry Cisneros

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid

The Sopranos-like takeover of Tribune Co. could mean cement shoes for employees

Theater Union On a Rampage!

Lines in the Sand

Strikes threaten two local industries

Not So Young Frankeneisner

Eisner successor Robert Iger is more like Mel Brooks’ Igor

George and the Governator

So why do Californians despise Bush and embrace Arnold?

Tapping Pension Funds

DWP may end up giving less to workers’ retirement plan

Union Triage

The fight for hospital workers involves two unions against each other – and a health-care giant