Any day now, the California Supreme Court will rule on what may be one of the most significant cases affecting pension reform in California history. The case, CalFire Local 2881 vs. CalPERS, challenges one of the provisions of PEPRA(Public Employee Pension Reform Act) Governor Brown’s 2013 pension reform legislation. The plaintiffs argue that PEPRA’s abolition of purchases of “air-time,” where employees who are about to retire can make a payment in exchange for more years of service applied to their pensions, is illegal. They cite the “California Rule,” an interpretation of California contract law that requires any reduction in pension benefits to be offset by providing some new benefit of equal value.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Even though pension benefit formulas have been changed for new employees, and are now somewhat more financially sustainable, the California Rule prevents any significant pension reform for existing employees, even for work not yet performed. Changing pension benefit formulas for new employees, while helpful, are not enough. If the California Supreme Court overturns the California Rule, it will not affect the pension benefits that existing employees have earned to-date, but will allow changes going forward.
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