Judge Orders Release of County Retirees' Benefits

PUBLIC INFORMATION — The Modesto Bee and two other
petitioners have won their lawsuit to force the Stanislaus
County Employees’ Retirement Association to release information on which retirees are receiving the most generous pensions, reports Ken Carlson.

In a decision released Thursday,
Superior Court Judge Hurl Johnson ruled that the pensions paid to
retirees in the StanCERA system are public information.The Bee
sought the names and pension amounts of those getting $100,000 or more
per year. Also joining in the suit in Stanislaus County court were the
California First Amendment Coalition and the California Newspaper
Publishers Association, which asked for the names and pensions of 2,757
retirees and beneficiaries.

The Bee filed suit in late August after the StanCERA board voted to
reject its July 8 Public Records Act request. The board oversees the
retirement system for employees of the county, Ceres, the courts and
five special districts.