California Democratic lawmakers, Bob Hertzberg (Van Nuys) and Rob Bonta (Oakland), are pushing plans to eliminate California’s bail system and replace it with an algorithm-based program created by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. The very same group that spent $50 million on political candidates, a ballot initiative, think tanks, and research focused on ending government employee pension programs and moving them to a 401(k) style plan.
John Arnold became intrigued in public employees pensions after reading the anti-union book Plunder: How Public Employee Unions Are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation, by conservative writer Steven Greenhut. The Arnold Foundation created a pension litigation tracker page that highlights states that have allowed for the reduction and/or elimination of cost-of-living adjustments despite constitutional challenges.
In their desire to end California’s bail system, Hertzberg and Bonta are willing to hold their nose and turn their backs on public employees. All while the Service Employees International Union, National Education Association, Peace Officers Research Association of California, the AFL-CIO and other police, firefighters and teachers unions fight the Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s effort to eliminate government employee defined retirement plans.
Lowell Goodman, communications director for the southern California chapter of the Service Employees International Union wrote, “It’s the height of narcissism for a Texas billionaire who doesn’t have to worry about his retirement to come into California and try to meddle with the secure retirement of working-class people.”
The California Supreme Court’s Judicial Council also raised concerns with Hertzberg and Bonta’s bail elimination legislation because the language in Senate Bill 10 seems to provide a sole source contract to the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. “Further, the council is concerned that only the PSA-Court instrument developed by the Laura & John Arnold Foundation currently appears to meet the requirements of SB 10.” (emphasis added)
How many times will California Democrats continue to cross the picket line and vote to support the Laura and John Arnold Foundation’s work, so that the foundation can continue to fund anti-working class government pension programs?