The 2025-26 Budget: Concession Bargaining

May 19, 2025 - The California Public Employees ’ Retirement System (CalPERS) determines how much money must be contributed each year to fund the pension benefit. There are two components of the total contribution to CalPERS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5047

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 2024-25 Budget: Proposition 2 Debt Payment Proposals

Mar 20, 2024 - Supplemental Pensions Payments Employers May Contribute Any Amount of Money Above What Is Required. Pension boards determine —either according to actuarial standards or statutory requirements —how much money employers must contribute to the pension system each year to address any existing unfunded liabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4887

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 5 (Highway Patrol)

Aug 23, 2024 - As a pension system matures, its cash flow changes from a positive cash flow (more money coming into the system than is being paid out to beneficiaries) to a negative cash flow (more money is being paid out to beneficiaries than is coming into the system).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4920

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

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 16 (Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists)

Jul 14, 2025 - The agreement also specifies how much of the time may be worked remotely at a location other than the employee ’s worksite. In the case of DSH, the full two hours may be taken remotely if approved by the supervisor.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5064

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 9 (Professional Engineers)

Jun 27, 2025 - Under state law, vacation or annual leave is considered a form of wages that is vested when earned. As such, employers cannot adopt a “use it or lose it ” policy for earned employee vacation and annual leave whereby unused vacation or annual leave above a certain level is forfeited at the end of the year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5061

The 2023-24 Budget: Total Compensation Studies

May 24, 2023 - For example, the retirement benefits earned by state employees varies significantly depending on an employee ’s date of hire. A compensation study should compare wages but also should attempt to quantify the value of most of the ancillary benefits earned by employees in an effort to compare the value of total compensation earned by employees.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4773

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Units 10 (Professional Scientists) and 18 (Psychiatric Technician)

Sep 9, 2025 - The study found that the state’s total compensation earned by the two smaller occupations, chemists and epidemiologists, is above market levels by 15 percent and 23 percent, respectively. …But Largest Occupation Compensated Below Market.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5073

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 13 (Stationary Engineers)

Jun 24, 2022 - The agreement ’s stated purpose of this effort is to increase diversity in Unit 13 and retain skilled labor; however, the agreement provides no specifics on how these goals might be achieved or measured.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4607