L.A. Times story on pension reform: Dumb de dumb dumb

March 11, 2013

By Chris Reed

The Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that public employee unions are suing to block some of the pension reforms that Gov. Jerry Brown got through the Legislature last fall.

“Advocates for the changes said the cuts were necessary to help reduce California’s mounting bills for retirement benefits, which are expected to cost many billions more in coming decades than the state and local governments have set aside for them. The pension law signed by Brown last year affects retirement systems at the city, county and state level.”

But the lengthy L.A. Times article — incredibly — fails to mention that the Brown administration is trying to block pension reform in San Diego, courtesy of Brown’s appointees to the state Public Employment Relations Board.

The reporter, Chris Megerian, is not someone whose track record I am familiar with. He’s not Evan Halper, employing the language issue-framing tactics recommended by a liberal professor, or Tiffany Hsu, butchering easy stories with lame interpretations.

But whatever Megerian’s background, isn’t it, yunno, news, that Jerry Brown’s adminstration whines about some lawsuits targeting pension reform while it pursues others?

Of course.