From: Aram James
To: Binder, Andrew; Sean Allen; [email protected]; Shikada, Ed; Council, City; Gennady Sheyner; Emily Mibach; [email protected]; EPA Today; Braden Cartwright; [email protected] Subject: Source: Findlaw
Date: Monday, August 11, 2025 9:59:23 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
Further, the perceived storm of publicity SCERS posits seems overblown, or at least misdirected. Most people will understand that if a pension seems too generous, it is likely the responsibility of the public agency granting the pension, not the worker earning it under the prescribed formula. Thus, although some neighbors or others may become envious upon learning of a particular pension, the fact of such pension would not necessarily expose the member to public shame or abuse.
Source: Findlaw SACRAMENTO COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM v.
Sacramento Bee et al., Real Parties in Interest. (2011) | FindLaw https://share.google/dEXemPIhOehtEHk6o
From: Aram James
To: Shikada, Ed; Council, City; [email protected]; Emily Mibach; Gennady Sheyner; Diana Diamond; EPA Today; Braden Cartwright; [email protected]; Jennifer Morrow San José Spotlight Subject: Palo Alto huge Pers debt
Date: Sunday, August 10, 2025 12:09:08 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
While I couldn’t locate department-level CalPERS retiree counts (like retired police officers per city), here’s what emerged from available sources—especially focusing on Palo Alto, which had the most transparency:
The General Fund allocates a significant proportion—~60%—to essential services like police and fire
.
CalPERS & Pension Data Insights
Palo Alto’s CalPERS Pension Shortfall:
As of June 2022, the city’s pension shortfall reached $553 million, reflecting its unfunded accrued liability
.
The city was funding only about 63.8% of projected pension costs; with a city- funded reserve of $54 million, that improves funding to 67.3%
.
Payments in the most recent fiscal year: ~$16.5 million for current employees and ~$43 million toward closing the pension shortfall
.
Notably, the police and fire pension programs are projected to reach 90% funding by fiscal year 2037 (for police & firefighters) and 2034 for other city employees
.
Palo Alto’s Historical Pension Gap:
The city’s pension gap has steadily widened: from ~$250 million in 2014, climbing to ~$415 million by 2017, and then $456 million in 2018
.
At that time, the city had only 62% of needed funds for police and firefighters, and 66% for other employees
.
This gap remained a major financial focus in city budgets and reports .
Pension Structure in Palo Alto:
The city administers its operating budgets (including PERS contributions) via publicly available Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs) and long- range forecasts .
The General Fund allocates a significant proportion—~60%—to essential services like police and fire
.
Summary & Next Steps
Summary: We don’t yet have a clear count of retired police officers by city or department.
However, available budget data—particularly for Palo Alto—shows the city is wrestling with significant CalPERS pension liabilities, especially for police and fire services.