I don’t subscribe to the Enterprise Record anymore, cause I’m a tight-ass bitch, and even 99 cents spent on bad rubbish is 99 cents too much. But, yeah, it’s the only real public forum we have – you don’t have to sign up for Faceblob, or Snitter – and at least Wolcott prints my letters. So I keep sendin’ ’em.
I got a response to a letter I sent a couple of months ago (?), from a guy named Kim Nott. He says we have to pay “the obligation”. I say, no, we don’t!
Kim Nott wrote, “Nobody is happy about our ever-increasing obligation to CalPERS. But given the legal constraints guided by the ‘California Rule’ it is just that. An obligation.”
The “California Rule”, was drafted by the unions and passed by the legislature without any input from the taxpayers. But Nott continues ” don’t be under any illusion that we can do anything at all but pay the bill CalPERS sends out.”
If City employees expect to get the generous pensions and benefits they demand, they need to make more reasonable contributions.. City council and management negotiate the contracts, and the deal with CalPERS, not the taxpayers.
The city is hiring a new city manager, but “sunshining” of salary and benefits prior to the approval of the contract is not required by any state law or by any internal policy of the City. The City of Chico “sunshine” requirements, implemented by council in 2008, apply only to our union groups.
So, “sunshine” does not apply to the taxpayers, nor do we have any say as to salary or benefits, but we’re “obligated” to pay?
Nott concludes, “if you don’t like our roads now you would be more displeased when maintenance money comes out of the budget to pay for the CalPERS obligation.”
Staff has willfully deferred maintenance for years, taking money out of every city fund to pay their CalPERS debt. But the deficit continues to grow due to overgenerous salaries and benefits.
Any new revenues would just be spit on the griddle.
Juanita Sumner, Chico CA
Chico Taxpayers Association 
I advise people to Not believe Kim Nott.
And here is something for Kim Nott.. (Not that he will like it, but the truth hurts).
https://economicprism.com/how-public-pensions-turn-cities-into-unlivable-hellholes/
Thanks Bob, good read!