Bob sent me the following link, and I think this article is worth discussion:
“Imagine you are a donor to a non-profit organization whose board members receive gifts from employees to whom the board, without your consent, promises retirement benefits. Now the organization is asking you for larger donations to cover surging retirement spending but not disclosing the real reason more money is needed.
That describes the current situation in California as tax increases are proposed across the state to fund retirement promises never approved by voters and made by elected officials who receive donations and other political support from beneficiaries of the retirement promises.”
This is exactly how I feel about the pensions – I was never asked, and I never approved this scheme, but now they hold their hand out to me.
Furthermore, “The state already spends 60 percent more on servicing never-voter-approved retirement obligations than on voter-approved debt obligations…”
I already knew that CARD, for example, spends over half of it’s $8 million budget on salaries and benefits, more if you add in payments made toward their pension obligation. The voters/taxpayers have never been asked to approve the contracts, the benefits, or the “side fund pay-off’s”. Now we are being asked to approve a parcel tax which will be used to float a bond. We are not being asked to weigh in on the bond, the board can decide to go for a pension obligation bond and tie all the parcel tax proceeds up in paying the pensions.
I think this whole process amounts to embezzlement – they’ve admitted to deferring maintenance while making the payments on their pensions. They have their hands in our cookie jar, and we need to slam that lid down good.
“State legislators should require state and local governments, school districts and other public entities to submit retirement obligations to voters for approval and to provide truthful and full disclosure of the real reasons behind proposed tax increases.”
This would only happen if the taxpayers shut down these tax measures and show state legislators we are not going to pay for their mistakes. That is why it is so important to defeat the measures being brought forward locally by Chico Area Recreation District and the City of Chico. We have to stop the gravy train.
Write those letters now. You can write to the CARD board via Ann Willmann and city council via Debbie Presson and ask that your email be forwarded to your elected leaders. Ask that your comments are put on the record.
- letters@chicoer.com
- chicoletters@newsreview.com
- annw@chicorec.com
- debbie.presson@chicoca.gov
More from David Crane:
Chico Taxpayers Association 
This is exactly how I feel about the pensions – I was never asked, and I never approved this scheme, but now they hold their hand out to me.
Furthermore, “The state already spends 60 percent more on servicing never-voter-approved retirement obligations than on voter-approved debt obligations…”
I don’t understand why all the people paying taxes don’t feel this way. (Except of course, the special interests who benefit from what we are forced to pay.)
The people are woefully uninformed or if they know they are apathetic.
The other thing that is infuriating is the lying. CARD, the City Council and of course all the bureaucrats won’t even tell us the truth: that the tax increases are needed for the pensions. Instead they say we must have tax increases for maintenance, roads, etc., never telling us the reason is they’ve been siphoning off ten of millions of dollars over the years for bloated employee benefits like the ridiculous pensions.
And people don’t even realize they are being lied to or just don’t care.
Yes, it’s up to us to tell friends, co-workers, the person behind us in the bank or post office line, that grocery bagger who asks you how your day is going, etc. For every person who rolls their eyes and tries to ignore you there’s going to be someone who will engage, and then the cat is out of the bag.