January 2007
Correa, Dunn, and Umberg:  Three Fine Gentlemen!

The big news at the moment is that our First District Supervisor, Lou Correa, was elected to the state Senate (District 34).  It was a hard-fought victory for Lou, and the vote count had Lou behind by a few votes at the end of election day.  In time, the margin grew greater, but finally Lou erased his opponent’s lead and pulled ahead to win by more than a thousand votes.

During Lou’s past service in the State Assembly, and in his time as First District Supervisor, Lou has been a staunch advocate of public employee rights.

Now the First District seat is open.  A special election will be scheduled for February 6.

We must also bid adieu to two other unfaltering supporters of public employees, both of whom are now “termed out” of their offices:  Senator Joe Dunn and Assemblyman Tom Umberg.

All three of these gentlemen are well known around OCEA, and all have visited our headquarters as our guests.

We extend our best wishes to Lou as he assumes his new duties, and to Joe and Tom as they enter new phases of their lives.

November/December 2006
The Choice Is Yours!

Shortly before the recent November 7 election, OCEA mailed to its members a list of OCEA’s endorsements of candidates in that election. We realize that the choice of whom to vote for is a sensitive, personal issue. On the other hand, our Board of Directors believes it has a duty to review candidates for office, with a view toward how the candidates are expected to approach the interests of public employees.

With these criteria in mind, OCEA’s Board of Directors, as well as OCEA’s Political Action Committee, supports candidates—regardless of party affiliation—who support public employees.

We try to stay away from all other issues. For instance, as far as possible, we stay away from foreign policy issues, welfare, transportation, taxation, traffic laws, stem cell research, and many other causes. Also, we try to stay as local as possible. The races that impact us the most are those for our County Board of Supervisors. For decades, where necessary, we have taken an active role in those elections.

It is reflective of the political makeup of Orange County, that for the past half-century (at least), the members of our Board of Supervisors have always been conservative Republicans, with one exception. However, for the most part, they have understood the importance of an efficient County workforce, and one that is appropriately compensated.

Who is the exception? That’s an easy one: First District Supervisor Lou Correa, a democrat who has been a great friend of public employees for many years. When he was a member of the state Assembly not long ago, he worked hard as a member of the Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee, and championed many bills designed to aid public employees. It is no exaggeration to say that we would not have our present “2.7% at 55” retirement in six of our County units if it were not for Lou’s hard work in the state legislature.

There are few rights, if any, that are more personal than your right to vote. OCEA does not follow you into the voting booth. However, we do wish to inform you of the opinions of our elected leadership regarding certain candidates or measures that tend to be in favor of the interests of local public employees. After that, the choice is yours! 11/06

Rebuttal: The Moorlach election -- County union official responds to a column by editorial writer Steven Greenhut -- By Nick Berardino
General manager of the Orange County Employees Association -- 6/18/06

June 6 primary -- O.C. vote tallies. The latest vote totals on races and measures on Orange County ballots. -- 6/8/06

Angelides v. Schwarzenegger -- What to expect for the next 152 days. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Democratic rival, state Treasurer Phil Angelides wasted little time Wednesday in casting their nets across California for swing voters vital to winning the November election. -- 6/8/06

All about Phil: Angelides is strategist in own campaign -- Political pros chart the course of almost every major campaign in California. The state's top strategists increasingly are wooed and pursued as more and more candidates turn over the reins of their campaigns to these hired-guns. But not Phil Angelides. -- 5/11/06

Real conflict in governor's race: Perpetual war over business -- Over the next six months, Californians are likely to hear a lot from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and those who seek to succeed him about budgets, taxes, infrastructure and education - all very legitimate issues for gubernatorial aspirants. -- 5/8/06

Retirees' health-care cost is misunderstood piece of state-pension puzzle -- The responsibility to fund health-care costs for retirees who have devoted entire careers to state service is suddenly in the spotlight again. -- 3/23/06

Chrysler to Trim Health Benefits
Nonunion salaried workers and retirees will be affected. Ford also announces changes. DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group, facing a 4.5% increase in healthcare costs this year, said Wednesday that it would reduce medical benefits for salaried employees and retirees. -- 3/16/06

G.M. to Freeze Pension Plan for Salaried Workers -- General Motors announced significant changes today to its retirement benefits covering 42,000 salaried workers in the United States. -- 3/7/06

Taxpayers may face big blow for pensions -- Already facing deficits of more than $110 billion, public-employee pension plans in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the state have overestimated future investment income in a move that could imperil the systems and require taxpayer bailouts, former Mayor Richard Riordan and other financial experts warn. -- 3/3/06

Arnold to hit up Hollywood for millions in re-election -- At a time when he's trying to reclaim his outsider image, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking Hollywood and corporate insiders to donate up to $100,000 for his re-election campaign and the state Republican Party. -- 3/3/06

Confronting health costs of retirees: California must set aside billions to ease burden on next generation (Mercury News Editorial) -- Health benefits for retired state workers may engulf the next generation of state taxpayers unless legislators start now to address the legacy they've leaving. -- 2/27/06

Daniel Weintraub: Next crisis: Health care for retired public workers -- For decades, California's state and local governments have been promising their workers health insurance in retirement. But those same governments have never set aside money to pay for these benefits or even bothered to tally up how much that promise might cost future taxpayers. -- 2/23/06

Spend windfall on state budget deficit, analyst says -- Californians are earning so much personal income these days that the state is likely to take in $2.3 billion more in tax revenue than Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted when he released his budget in January, the Legislature's nonpartisan budget advisor said in a report released Wednesday. -- 2/22/06

Open seats foreshadow election drama, Filing begins today for June primaries -- Political junkies, rejoice. The next major election cycle starts its steady turn today, as candidates for a whole slew of federal, state and county posts can officially begin tossing their hats into the ring. -- 2/13/06

Kennedy May Be More of a Liability Than Help to Gov. -- This probably was not what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had in mind when he signed up Democrat Susan Kennedy to be his chief of staff. You've got to wonder, however, what exactly he was thinking. It looks like yet another case of political naivete. -- 2/13/06

Nissan Will Cut Benefits for Retirees -- The Japanese automaker will curtail healthcare and pension programs for its U.S. workers. In a first for a Japanese automaker, Nissan Motor Co. is curtailing its retiree health insurance and pension programs in the U.S., saying it needs to cut costs to "remain competitive." -- 2/7/2006

Pinching Pensions -- Bad news about pensions, like Google's latest acquisition or the gnomic pronouncements of Alan Greenspan, is a hardy staple of the financial pages. If it's not IBM or Verizon or some other relatively healthy company announcing changes (read: cutbacks) to its plan, then it's a company in a struggling "old economy" industry such as steel or airlines that is unable to pay all the retirement benefits it has promised. -- 1/30/06

When Your Pension Is Frozen... -- I.B.M. announced earlier this month that it would freeze its pension plan. Since then, other companies have made similar disclosures, including Alcoa; Sprint Nextel; Northwest Airlines; Armstrong World Industries, a maker of floor coverings; Wolverine Tube, a copper tubing manufacturer; and Milliken & Company, which produces textiles and chemicals. -- 1/26/06

Stakes High in Senate Race -- O.C. Supervisor Correa challenges Umberg for the state seat's primary. The district is half Democratic, half GOP. Orange County Supervisor Lou Correa's announcement this week that he will run for the state's 34th Senate District seat sets the stage for a heated June 6 primary showdown with fellow Democrat Tom Umberg, an assemblyman. -- 1/25/06

Deals So Sweet They'll Kill Us -- Worried about your 401(k) tanking in your golden years? You should become a cop. Ticked off about your company yanking healthcare benefits in retirement? Get a teaching job. If you hadn't already noticed, while the rest of us watch our retirement benefits shrivel up and blow away, public sector retirement deals are sweeter than ever. And we're footing the bill. -- 1/24/06

More than 3,100 Wal-Mart workers got state health aid -- More than 3,100 Wal-Mart employees in Washington were benefiting from state-subsidized health coverage throughout 2004 — nearly double the total for any other company, according to two confidential state reports. -- 1/24/06

Forecast: More Pension Freezes on the Way -- 1/17/06

Budget counts on growth -- The $125.6 billion budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed this week predicts California companies will enjoy a robust surge in pretax profits during the next two years. Economists warn, however, that a cooling housing market or rising energy prices - or both - could darken corporate California's otherwise bright outlook.-- 1/13/06

Schwarzenegger's budget proposal: Spending on the rise -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday proposed a $125.6 billion state budget that would shower a windfall of new revenue on schools, public works projects, debt repayment, prisons, and children's health care while cutting programs that serve the poor. -- 1/11/06

The Governor's 2006-07 Budget Summary -- 1/10/06

Arnold steers down middle -- In proposing a $222 billion public works improvement - and spending - blitz that would reshape California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week began a delicate political balancing act with few allies at a time when he needs them most. -- 1/9/06

State of the State Language -- 1/6/06

Overview of the Governor's "State of The State" address: Overview l Projects -- 1/6/06

One lawmaker tries to keep pension issue alive -- Keith Richman clearly is a man who doesn't give up easily. But the Republican assemblyman from Northridge might simply be ahead of his time in trying to bring attention to one of the biggest policy problems of the era: public employee pensions. 1/3/06

Unions, state ready to talk? -- Fresh off a special election season in which public employees found themselves targeted as a prime issue, the state's 177,126-strong rank-and-file work force is about to become the focus of another struggle steeped in political overtones. 1/3/06

Group: Let tax pay for bond -- A coalition representing road builders and union workers on Wednesday tossed a new element into the public discussion about a big infrastructure bond for next year's ballot: a recommendation that a 30-year, quarter-cent sales tax increase help pay for it. 12/22/05

Pension funds focus on execs' high pay -- Arguing executive pay is out of whack with the long-term financial health of some of the nation's largest corporations, major pension funds are prodding federal regulators to compel companies to spell out details of management compensation packages.12/22/05

Health care plan for workers worries mayor -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom reiterated his concerns Wednesday about pending legislation that would require businesses in the city with 20 or more employees to provide health benefits to their employees. 12/22/05