As part of his reforms to cut costs, California Governor Jerry Brown is proposing raising the retirement age to 67 from 55. Brown says that the change is necessary for financial reasons, and due to the fact that workers live longer. The change would not affect fire fighters, police officers or others with physically demanding jobs. The average retirement age for teachers in California is 62, and the teachers union says that it may hurt future hiring, since the changes would apply only to new workers. Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri have also proposed raising the retirement age as a way to cut costs.
See "California's Retirement-Age Increase Puts State in Rare Company", Christopher Palmeri, San Francisco Chronicle, October 30, 2011