The Shasta County Board of Supervisors sent a letter opposing Assembly Bill 1383 after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the public-pension legislation Sept. 20.
In the Sept. 29 letter to Newsom, the county said it was not seeking further action on the veto. Instead, the board said it wanted to formally record its opposition and its concerns about the bill’s potential fiscal and policy effects on public agencies, including Shasta County.
The letter says AB 1383 would have increased the pensionable compensation cap, prospectively lowered the retirement age for public safety members from 57 to 55 and added a fourth safety tier with a 3% at 55 formula, subject to bargaining. The board argued those changes would increase state and local pension obligations and undermine reforms under the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act.
The county also said the bill could create immediate financial strain, reduce money available for salary increases and add pressure to recruitment and retention efforts. It warned that employees’ contributions to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System could rise for some workers if the legislation increased the plans’ normal cost.
The letter presents those impacts as the county’s fiscal and policy concerns; it does not include a dollar estimate or an independent cost analysis. It is signed by Board Chair Chris Kelstrom, and the letterhead lists all five supervisors. The document does not state a vote tally or identify how individual supervisors voted.
The board said future changes to public-employee retirement benefits should provide sustainable benefits while maintaining the fiscal stability of local services and fairness to taxpayers and employees.
