Santa Clara (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Patricia Lucas on Monday shot down a voter-approved measure in San Jose that cuts workers’ pensions, but said that the city of San Jose could trim workers’ salaries to achieve the desired savings, the Sacramento Bee reported on Tuesday. The ruling by Judge Lucas comes at a pivotal time as cash-strapped California cities continue to scrutinize pensions as a potential target for cost-cutting. The bankrupt city of San Bernardino has indicated that it might try to slash its annual contribution to CalPERS. Meanwhile, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed — who championed the ballot initiative, Measure B, that was the subject of Monday’s ruling — is pushing for a separate, statewide public vote that would give state and local government agencies the right to impose cuts to pension plans for existing workers.
