POLITICS | My Opponent, Supervisor Steve Bennett, receives “supplemental pay” to reimburse him for pension contributions deducted from his paycheck

In their Op-Ed piece Published 8:29 a.m. PT May 28, 2019 titled:  Supervisors should contribute to pensions, they report:
https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/readers/2019/05/28/supervisors-should-contribute-pensions/1252181001/
” Recently, the Board of Supervisors laudably eliminated a loophole allowing for elected supervisors to receive compensation for serving on the Board of Retirement and Assessment Appeals Board.However, three supervisors continue to benefit from a lucrative “supplemental pay” that applies only to them, in clear violation of the intent of county ordinance 4253.

In 2001, the board adopted ordinance 4253, which set supervisors’ base salary at a level equal to 70% of the salary of a superior court judge. The ordinance stated, “It is the intent of the Board that the salary and benefits so provided is the entire compensation for Supervisors’ services….”

But that changed. 

In 2014, the board found a way to circumvent the governor’s statewide pension reform, which required government employees and elected officials to pay part of the cost of their retirement, by creating a “supplemental pay” that reimbursed supervisors for cost-sharing provisions required by the governor’s reform.

This is exactly what circumventing statewide pension reform looks like: Elected officials getting together and voting to reimburse themselves for pension contributions to let taxpayers foot the entire bill.

Over 8,000 employees work for the county, and yet only Supervisors Steve Bennett, Linda Parks and John Zaragoza receive “supplemental pay” to reimburse them for pension contributions deducted from their paychecks.”  (emphasis mine)

I need your help urgently to prevent this professional pension bandit from getting into the state Assembly and collecting yet another pension. Before August 5th I need to raise $ 13,410.00 dollars to get my CANDIDATE BALLOT STATEMENT printed for all 270,523 registered voters in both Ventura County and Santa Barbara County. (That’s less than 5 cents per voter)

If you believe, as I do that Steve Bennett is too expensive for taxpayers, then please make a kind and generous donation to my campaign. Mail-In Ballots go out in only 77 days. I need you now.

George, thank you for your continued support and your campaign donations.

Respectfully,
 https://www.coleforassembly.com/