Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks withdrew a ballot proposal that would have given the Council some control over the Department of Water and Power's pension system after facing opposition from unions and fellow Council members. The head of the union for the Department of Water and Power said that the measure itself was bad move, and that the Council does not have a great track record for running pension systems. The retirement systems for public-safety and civilian workers are expected to constitute 1/3 of the city's budget if reforms are not made. Parks said that the measure would have allowed the council to reduce benefits for new hires, not take over the entire system. Parks himself is a beneficiary of the city's pension system, receiving $22,000 per month while also making $179,000 as a council member.
See "Union opposition quashes councilman's proposal on DWP pension", David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, October 26, 2010