The 2025-26 Budget: Concession Bargaining

May 19, 2025 - The first is payment towards the “normal cost, ” which is the amount of money that actuaries determine (based on actuarial assumptions like expected investment returns on assets) must be contributed to prefund the benefit earned by employees today.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5047

Savings Plus Program: An Optional Retirement Benefit for State Employees

Mar 14, 2017 - In addition, these employees have no rights to the money they contributed to the retiree health trust fund over the course of their state career —potentially tens of thousands of dollars —or any of the earnings gained on these contributions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3616

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6 (Corrections)

Sep 7, 2023 - The normal cost is the amount of money that actuaries determine must be set aside for the benefit employees earn today so that the contribution and any future investment returns on that contribution are sufficient to pay for the benefit after the employee retires.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4800

The 2019-20 Budget: California Spending Plan—Other Provisions

Oct 17, 2019 - Under the state ’s current policy to pay for retiree health benefits, (1)  the state and employees each contribute an amount of money —established as a percentage of pay through the collective bargaining process —to prefund the benefits employees earn today and (2)  the state pays the costs of the benefit for current retirees on a pay-as-you-go basis.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4101

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Units 1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21

Jan 10, 2017 - Because the state ’s retiree health benefit is the same for an employee earning $30,000 as it is for an employee earning $100,000, the amount of money needed to prefund the benefit represents a larger share of a lower-income worker ’s salary.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3520

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 7 (Protective Services and Public Safety)

Aug 8, 2019 - The department indicates that having a canine unit on site will allow for the department to better ensure the health and safety of all individuals at the site, many of whom take legally prescribed drugs that could adversely interact with illicit drugs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4085

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 12 (Craft and Maintenance)

Jun 27, 2025 - However, the benefit earned by the employee is based on their full (not reduced) salary. Accordingly, during furloughs, the state systematically underfunds its pensions —contributing to larger unfunded liabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5060

The 2017-18 Budget: Governor’s CalPERS Borrowing Proposal

May 16, 2017 - Introduction The state has large unfunded liabilities associated with retirement benefits earned by state employees. A recent decision by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) board will require the state to contribute more money each year to pay down pension liabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3673

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 8 (Firefighters)

Jan 23, 2017 - Payroll is affected by (1) the number of people employed by the state and (2) the amount of money these employees earn. CalPERS assumes that payroll will grow each year by 3  percent. When payroll grows faster than 3  percent, the state ’s pension unfunded liabilities grow, resulting in higher annual costs for the state to pay off a larger unfunded liability.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3534

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 6

Jun 14, 2019 - Part of the state ’s contribution goes towards the “normal cost ” —the amount of money that actuaries determine is necessary (combined with assumed future investment earnings) to pay the cost of pension benefits that employees earn in a given year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4078