FACT: The average public pension in California is $25,000 a year. 80% of public employees such as nurses, school employees, college professors, and child protection workers who retire receive less than $2,500 a month in retirement benefits.[/quote]
All very good points, CAR …
In my experience with non-sworn, non-professional county government workers, their average pension varies from about $600 to $1300 mo for those who retired PRIOR to March 2002 and about $800 to $2000 mo for those who retired AFTER March 2002. (Those employees retiring AFTER March 2002 have a much higher contribution rate.) The lower end applies if the employee decided to take benefits early. Full retirement age is 62 (age 60 for post 3/02 retirees).
There are MANY MORE non-professional workers who keep the wheels of gov’mt turning than there are “chiefs” (who have MUCH higher pensions). Most “midmanagement” positions were done away with between 1998 and 2002. As those incumbents retired (either voluntarily or with a 2-yr “service credit” carrot placed before them), their (mostly redundant) positions were simply not replaced and never will be.
edit: Here’s the (very interesting) ’06/07 Grand Jury Investigative Report on SDCERA.
