Hagman wears union label

Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, is the latest “conservative” Republican who often does the union bidding. Hagman has championed two bills that would greatly expand the disability presumption for union workers. In AB2253, he promoted the idea that if firefighters or peace officers get cancer it is presumed to be work related — even if the cancer is diagnosed 15 years after termination. He also championed AB2269, which would expand the heart-attack presumption for additional categories of peace officers up to five years after termination. In other words, if an aging former peace officer has a heart attack, it is by law a result of the job and taxpayers will pick up all the costs of treatment, disability and death benefits. The bill was sponsored by liberal Republican Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia, and was supported by Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo and Joel Anderson of El Cajon.

At least Democrats are honest about the fact that they are wholly owned subsidiaries of the public sector unions. These Republicans talk a good game about union influence and fiscal responsibility, but they keep making the state’s pension and workers compensation system worse because of their unquestioning support for anything public safety unions demand from them.

–Steven Greenhut