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By Neil Rubenstein
Observer Columnist 

Transparent California releases data CalPERS, Pensions and Public Pay

 

November 14, 2019



Transparent California, California’s largest public pay, and pension database said recently nearly 900 percent increase in CalPERS benefits dwarfs economic growth, taxpayers’ ability to pay. The total pension benefits promised by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Increased 886 percent from 1987. 2016 – a rate 21 times greater than the cumulative increase in the states’ population, according to a just-released analysis from Transparent California.

California Economic Metrics Growth from 1987-2016

Promised CalPERS pension benefits 886%

Total Personal Income 331%

Total State Tax Collections 311 %

Median Household Income 121%

Inflation 119%

Population 41%

“Elected officials’ willingness to take on such massive debt, not the fact that the stock market sometimes goes down, is the root cause of California’s pension crisis.

From the archives, it was just about 15 years ago that many in our neck of the woods were debating whether the Los Angeles Police Department should merge with the Los Angeles Airport Police. The majority voted to keep separate the departments.

News from the Sandy Segal Youth Health Center. The Annual Meeting will be November 21, 2019 in the Media Room in the high school library.

From the Peach State (Georgia) a drug charge has been dropped against a Georgia Southern quarterback, Shai Werts, after a white substance identified as bird poop on his car’s hood tested negative for cocaine.

Firefighters in the Gillette, Wyoming area are concerned over the longer of wildfires could increase after a wet spring and summer weather.

Rumor has it that City Councilman Daniel Lee has been talking to everyone with two ears and a Sacramento/Los Angeles County title for their support. Supposedly Daniel is checking out Holly Mitchell and Herb Wesson’s campaign for Second District County Supervisor – Mr. Lee cannot afford the loser. Now it gets exciting because Mayor Butts in Inglewood would be fantastic as an Assemblymember. It all boils down to where the lines are drawn.

The beauty industry has come a long way since the days of arsenic scrubs and lead based face creams. Earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found asbestos in eye shadow, foundation and other makeup products. The FDA has long called for stronger oversight and now maybe Congress will be willing to pass legislation.

President Trump rescinded Obama’s executive order. In the name of National Security, Sergeant Rubenstein will come out of retirement and for $450,000 will teach bayonet science to the police.

In Topeka, Kansas, the states’ highest court declared for the first time the Kansas constitution protects abortion rights.

In 1983 Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first Black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the challenger.

What ever happened to the City of Santa Monica as it fights to keep at large voting? We all realize such court battles over council elections could test state law. We need council districts to stop certain people from trying to take over city government here in Culver City.

Have you heard the crazy rumor floating all over our beautiful city? Sherlock Holmes Rubenstein is working feverishly to obtain the facts for a future column.

Jekyll Island authority is seeking input on its plans to replace the current monument that tells the story of the slave ship. The exhibit will feature the 1858-1859 voyage. The Wanderer was decommissioned in 1865, converted to merchant use and lost off Cuba in 1871.

If you plan to be in Washington D.C., you should plan to tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The U.N War Crimes Commission records include about 370,000 pages of documents collected between 1943 and 1949 and are now digitized.

An experimental method in immunotherapy shows full regression in a metastatic patient as noted in the medical journal “Nature Medicine.” See the June 4, 2018 issue. The patients’ cancer has not returned after 22 months of treatment.

Oh my, oh my. I see the political season has really warmed up. Even in Georgia, the Washington Examiner Political Summit at the beautiful Sea Island resort had a full house listening to these speakers: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Karl Rove, General John Kelly, Judge Ken Starr, Congressmen Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes and Senators Perdue and Marsha Black back on October 24-27.

 

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