San Francisco DA Increasing Salary Nearly 60 Percent by Double-Dipping

Most of the coverage of abuse or waste within the public pension system focuses on rank-and-file state workers enjoying lavish retirement pay or benefits, often claimable at a relatively early age (and thus more expensive). As a story out of San Francisco reminds us, however, elected officials can be just as culpable. From the Bay Citizen:

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13vBB)

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13vBB)

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13vBB)

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/13vBB)

While San Francisco's District Attorney George Gascón publicly supports pension reform, he is quietly receiving a sizable pension from the Los Angeles Police Department, The Bay Citizen has learned.

Gascón, who is running for a full term as District Attorney, earns a salary of $216,776. He also receives a $125,000 annual pension from Los Angeles Police Department pension.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.t

Here's the rub: what Gascon is doing is perfectly legal under current law. And as Gascon's spokersperson notes, he paid into the pension fund during 28 years as an LAPD employee.

That latter argument would be much more persuasive if LAPD had a defined-contribution plan. Instead, it has a defined-benefit plan, where pensions can run as high as 90 percent of final year salary for officers who've been on the job for 33 years or more (Gascon's rate, with 28 years of service, is somewhat lower). That leaves taxpayers to make up the shortfall in pension guarantees, even if the recipient is making over $200,000 a year in another taxpayer-funded job. That's a particularly acute problem for a city like Los Angeles, where 1/3 of the city's budget is estimated to be flowing towards pension costs by 2015.

Gascon is not really the villain here. The people who designed this profligate system, however, are.

San Francisco DA Increasing Salary Nearly 60 Percent by Double-Dipping

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