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SAN FRANCISCO— It’s time to get the special interest money out of the electoral process. Free and Equal (F&E) and Taxpayers United of America (TUA) released lifetime pension payouts for San Francisco area government retirees.
Taxpayers United of America and Free and Equal today revealed government employee pensions for the San Francisco and Alameda area. California is the 13th state in a nationwide tour for the two organizations.
“The highest lifetime pension payout in 13 states thus far comes from Alameda County at $17.8 million. How much money are bureaucrats willing to bilk taxpayers for before they take action?” asked Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President and Founder and Chair of Free And Equal.
“We are here to tell politicians that we are uniting reformers across the spectrum to throw anyone out of office who who makes deals with special interest and we are building the nationwide tool to support the movement. We will be releasing our Nationwide Database for Pension and Electoral reform in the coming days.”
“While residents across the bay area face crushing taxes, falling home values, and high unemployment, Governor Brown maintains favor with the union leaders by seeking a deal to cut government employee pay by 5%, increase taxes, and leave the pension problem untouched. This is the kind of deal that got us into this mess and yet here Brown is, making his own deal, selling out constituents to save face with union bosses who support him.”
Tobin continued, “For example, Gary Thuman, retired Alameda County employee, collects an annual pension of $396,102. His estimated lifetime payout is $17,824,590*.”
“Heather Fong, retired San Francisco government employee, has an annual pension of $280,350, with an estimated lifetime payout of $11,858,810*.”
“Retired San Francisco government teacher, Mae G. Chan, has a lifetime estimated payout of $9,634,319* based on an actual annual pension of $240,557.”
View pension amounts below:

• Alameda County Gov Teachers Top 100
• Alameda County Gov Employees Top 100
• San Francisco County Gov Teachers Top 100
• San Francisco CA City Gov Employees Top 100
• California State Assembly Top 20
• University of California Top 100

“California’s government pension systems are crushing middle class Californians. Replacing defined benefit pensions for all new government hires with social security and 401(k)s would eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions. If current government employees would just increase their pension contributions, they would preserve their pension benefits. We need a stable system that is fair to both taxpayers and beneficiaries or pension checks will stop coming.” Added Tobin, who attended Thursday’s Pacific Research Event that examined public pensions.
*TUA submits FOIA requests for actual pensions. Since personal information is not available, lifetime pension payouts are estimated based on retirement at 55, life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590), and 3% COLA.

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FRESNO— Governor Brown only missed his budget by about $16 billion and still hasn’t connected the dots between the crisis and the government employee pensions.
While residents across Fresno County face crushing taxes, falling home values, and high unemployment, the governor maintains favor with the union leaders by seeking a deal to cut government employee pay by 5%, increase taxes, and leave the pension problem untouched. This is the kind of deal that got us into this mess and yet here Brown is, making his own deal, selling out constituents to save face with union bosses who support him.
Taxpayers United of America (TUA) and Free and Equal (F&E) today revealed government employee pensions for the Fresno area. California is the 13th state in a nationwide tour for the two organizations.
“Many government retirees make more in pension payments than private sector taxpayers make in salaries, stated Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President and Founder and Chair of Free And Equal. “The California economy and the public pension systems are in serious trouble. Taxpayers struggle to save for their own retirement and fund the public pension system. Government retirees should be concerned that their pension payments will continue.”
Tobin continued, “For example, James J. Greenwood, retired Fresno County employee, collects an annual pension of $317,113. His estimated lifetime payout is $13,841,965*.”
“Peter G. Mehas, retired Fresno government teacher, has an annual pension of $241,807, with an estimated lifetime payout of $9,357,934*.”
“Retired Fresno government employee, Al Rush, has a lifetime estimated payout of $7,852,896* based on his actual annual pension of $191,768.”
View pension amounts below:

• Fresno County Gov Employees Top 100
• Fresno County Gov Teachers Top 100
• Fresno CA Gov Employees Top 100
• California State Assembly Top 20
• University of California Top 100

“California’s government pension systems are crushing middle class Californians. Replacing defined benefit pensions for all new government hires with social security and 401(k)s would eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions. If current government employees would just increase their pension contributions, they would preserve their pension benefits. We need a stable system that is fair to both taxpayers and beneficiaries or pension checks will stop coming.” Added Tobin, who will be attending Thursday’s Pacific Research Event that will examine public pensions.
“The pension crisis is the number one budgetary problem for cities, counties and states across the country. A nationwide movement is under way to shift the dialogue to action. We are collaborating with the leaders of pension reform, in working to avert the collapse that will result from inaction. We will be launching our nationwide database for pension and electoral reform in the coming days. This online database will provide a repository of information on elections: the names, the money and the agendas.”
“Many politicians lack the courage to do what’s in the best interest of taxpayers. The many pension groups that have formed are working to help enhance the citizens’ groundswell that wants true electoral reform.”
*TUA submits FOIA requests for actual pensions. Since personal information is not available, lifetime pension payouts are estimated based on retirement at 55, life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590), and 3% COLA.

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PLEASANT HILL— Governor Brown only missed his budget by about $16 billion and still hasn’t connected the dots between the crisis and the government employee pensions.
While residents across Contra Costa County face crushing taxes, falling home values, and high unemployment, the governor maintains favor with the union leaders by seeking a deal to cut government employee pay by 5%, increase taxes, and leave the pension problem untouched. This is the kind of deal that got us into this mess and yet here Brown is, making his own deal, selling out constituents to save face with union bosses who support him.
Taxpayers United of America (TUA) and Free and Equal (F&E) today revealed government employee pensions for the Contra Costa area. California is the 13th state in a nationwide tour for the two organizations.
“Many government retirees make more in pension payments than private sector taxpayers make in salaries,” stated Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President and Founder and Chair of Free And Equal. “The California economy and the public pension systems are in serious trouble. Taxpayers struggle to save for their own retirement and fund the public pension system. Government retirees should be concerned if their pension payments will continue.”
Tobin continued, “For example, Craig Bowen, retired San Ramon Valley Fire District employee, collects an annual pension of $295,428. His estimated lifetime payout is $12,097,777*.”
“Hye Kyung Kim, retired Contra Costa government employee, has an annual pension of $291,168, with an estimated lifetime payout of $13,102,560*.”
“Retired Contra Costa County government teacher, Daniel M. Smith, has a lifetime estimated payout of $8,366,522* based on his actual annual pension of $197,790.”
View pension amounts below:

• Contra Costa County Gov Employees Top 100
• Contra Costa County Gov Teachers Top 100
• California State Assembly Top 20
• University of California Top 100

“California’s government pension systems are crushing middle class Californians. Replacing defined benefit pensions for all new government hires with social security and 401(k)s would eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions. If current government employees would just increase their pension contributions, they would preserve their pension benefits. We need a stable system that is fair to both taxpayers and beneficiaries or pension checks will stop coming.” Tobin, who will be attending Thursday’s Pacific Research Event that will examine public pensions.
“The pension crisis is the number one budgetary problem for cities, counties and states across the country. A nationwide movement is under way to shift the dialogue to action. We are collaborating with the leaders of pension reform, in working to avert the collapse that will result from inaction. We will be launching our nationwide database for pension and electoral reform in the coming days. This online database will provide a repository of information on elections: the names, the money and the agendas.”
“Many politicians lack the courage to do what’s in the best interest of taxpayers. The many pension groups that have formed, are working to help enhance the citizens’ groundswell that wants true electoral reform.”
*TUA submits FOIA requests for actual pensions. Since personal information is not available, lifetime pension payouts are estimated based on retirement at 55, life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590), and 3% COLA.