Newsom Vetoes Bill Enhancing Public Safety Retirement Benefits

Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1383, which would have allowed public safety employees to retire two years earlier and potentially with greater pension benefits. The bill faced opposition from city and county governments, including Santa Rosa, who worried about rising pension costs. The measure would have raised the cap on annual pensionable earnings for all public employees.

The veto prevents a substantial financial burden on public funds. According to a legislative analysis, the bill would have required employers and employees to pay at least $282 million or more to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, not including costs for county managed retirement systems like the Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association.