In San Bernardino County, future pension increases for employees may end up needing a vote of the people. That’s because the Board of Supervisors voted to ask the county staff to draft a proposed ballot initiative that would set such a requirement.
The split-vote, however, had implications past simply future employee pensions. The immediate impact that proposing such an idea will have on ongoing labor negotiations remains unclear. Two supervisors voted against the ballot measure because they were wary of how it could play during discussions with some of the county’s labor unions.
The county’s labor unions responded not at the negotiation table, but on the streets. They have announced they are funding their own ballot initiative and petition drive to change the Board of Supervisors into a part-time establishment. Also included in that measure would be a reduction in the size of the supervisorial office budgets from $6 million total to just $250,000 per district.
From the Victorville Daily Press:
On a split vote Tuesday morning, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors directed staff to draft a ballot measure that would require voter approval for any future pension increases for county employees. A few hours later, the county Safety Employees’ Benefit Association announced it was funding an effort to reduce the Board of Supervisors to part-time status.
The pension ballot measure would prevent any increases in retirement benefits for county employees, legislative officials and elected officials without voter approval. It would make exceptions for cost-of-living adjustments.
Read the full article here.