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From Adam Ashton and Jeremiah kimmelmanCalmness
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This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.
The California Unions of Employees often invest big money – and the only money – in elections for places on board that guide the state The largest pension fundS
This summer, they raised $ 660,000 through an independent cost committee to support their preferred candidates in California civil servants’ retirement system by sending mail on their behalf.
But a different vein of money is poured into the races and it is likely that this will make this the most difficult elections for Kalper so far.
The money comes from a mix of mostly Construction and trade in the private sector Unions calling the Pension Fund worth $ 584 billion to favor trade union stores in their real estate and construction investments.
They support acting Jose Luis Pachekowho indicated during the meetings on board that he was open to more limitation agreements. Pacheco raised more money in direct contributions than any other Calpers candidate in history, withdrawing $ 184,000 with over $ 54,000 from the construction unions.
Its is two places to pick up and the vote is intended to be completed on September 29th. Pacheko defends his place against Troy JohnsonChallenger with support from the main unions in the public sector; and Sam Hasan AkkadA retired Caltrans engineer.
In the other race acting David MillerA longtime leader of the state’s work is facing a firefighter by Santa Monica Dominic in and retired manager of Pasadena Steve MermelS
“It is incredible to see this type of race that draws this type of money from people who are not part of the system,” says Miller, twice acting on the Kalper Board, who was previously the leader of the Union in professional engineers in the California government and who has benefited from the labor costs in his past campaigns.
About 1.7 million civil servants and pensioners have the right to vote in the election. Calper is controlled by the 13-member council. Six were elected by members and seven are either elected employees or are appointed by the governor or legislative power.
Average taxpayers cannot vote, but What happens in Calpers It affects how much money schools, local government agencies and the state can spend on public services. Calpers is considered insufficiently funded as its assets cost about 80% of what the system owes in time to its members. He defeated his goal of profit Last year, but when she misses, she charged government agencies more money to make up for the difference.
Too pink forecasts in the early 2000s made California sweeten pensions for their state workers, but then the big recession transferred the fund. He did not come out of this blow.
“Kalper is not well managed,” Mermel, a former city manager, said. “California is the fourth largest economy in the world, so wouldn’t you think that its public pension would be the envy of all other countries? But it’s not. It’s kind of like in the middle of the package.”
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“Money Calls” in the pension boards election
The dynamics of the competition are more complicated than the external persons.
The acting Miller and Challenger Johnson run like slate. They receive an elevator from the unions who sent mail, emphasizing their bonafids as public sector labor heads. Their independent cost committee is funded mainly by locals from the International Union of Services of Services and the Association of Employees in California.
The acting Pacheco and Challenger Bei runs on a competitive slate, although Bei does not have the type of direct contribution from trade unions that Pacheco received. They have support from public safety unions, as well as from guards retirement organizations that are critical of Calpers' investment strategies.
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Both coalitions - Alliance led by Seiu Support Miller and Johnson as well Police and Fireman Partnership Behind Pacheco and Bei - have created profitable campaigns in the past.
"It all comes down to who votes," says Johnson, who has worked in California schools for 33 years and has been involved in his union for more than 20 years.
Mermell and Akkad have less resources, but they could be ranked.
"Money conversations, I thought it was only in politics, not something like that," said Akkad, who receives political text messages from Calpers' competitive campaigns.
"It's a mess. And I'm glad I'm different from them," he said.
Pacheko declined to have an interview for this story. Bay said he was inaccessible because of work commitments.
Why does trade spend on Calpers
In a twist, the well -funded Seiu coalition behind Miller and Johnson previously supports PachecoS The same groups in 2021 spent $ 483,000 through an independent cost committee to help him remove former board member Margaret Brown.
Johnson, who is a leader in the same Union of the Public Sector who initially drives Pacheco, said the California employees association has gradually lost confidence in Pacheco and chose to break with it.
Brown is now president of a group called the Association of Public Officers in a pension, which approved Bei and Pacheco and bought signs for a campaign on their behalf.
Brown four years ago could not keep up with the expenditure of the Union against her. She raised about $ 47,000 this year. Pacheco, with the help of trade, has the most important to reach voters.
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Trade earlier this year sponsored a bill in the legislature that would have Prohibited Public Pension Funds from investing in construction companies that do not adhere to prevailing pay or apprenticeship programs. This would effectively increase trade unions, but would also limit the options of the pension fund when he hired contractors for his real estate participation in the amount of $ 66 billion. The bill did not receive a vote in a committee.
Trade also pressed Kalper to accept these rules independently through the "responsible fund policy", which forms about $ 1 billion annual expenses.
Confirmation of the policy without additional labor protection "will be lost the opportunity for Kalpers to use its market power to keep employers responsible and to raise the life of local construction workers and apprentices in California," said Jeremy Smith of the State Council for Construction and Construction Auctions to The Calpers in March.
The vote did not go on his way, with seven members confirmed the policy without additional labor protection and three voted against it. Pacheko was without voice. According to the recording of the meeting, he said some aspects of the policy "have reached short, with regard to the prevailing salaries, for example, the apprenticeship program."
In a written statement, Trades spokesman Brooke Patton said the unions supported Pacheco, as "he has shown a strong commitment to protect their hard-to-do pension savings and advocates for responsible policies of the contractor. He has demonstrated real respect for working people and we believe that it is more important than ever to be more important than ever.
This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.
