Mayor Chuck Reed has suspended efforts to qualify a statewide ballot initiative to attack the retirement security of public workers in California. The measure would have changed the California Constitution to eliminate the constitutional protections for public workers, who have a vested right to their pensions.
Reed didn’t want the truth about his anti-worker efforts to reach the voters, but Attorney General Kamala Harris’s summary of the measure for the ballot was complete and accurate. So what did Reed do? He sued, of course. This is his MO – with Major League Baseball when they stopped the A’s from moving, with the Fair Political Practices Commission when they fined him for his illegal campaign activity, etc.
Yesterday, a judge in the lawsuit challenging the ballot language gave a preliminary ruling in favor of AG Harris, much to the chagrin of Reed.
The ruling dealt a serious blow to Reed’s already faltering efforts to get the initiative qualified for the ballot. As a practical matter, Reed did not have enough time to collect the signatures required to get on the ballot anyway.
The setback is one in a series for the outgoing Mayor of San Jose, which includes the continued deterioration of public safety in San Jose under his watch and the court striking down Measure B, the anti-pension measure he championed and which was the main legacy of his tenure in office.
While it’s a good day for public workers in California, San Jose has to wait out the toxic effects of Chuck Reed’s administration until we can elect a new Mayor in November.
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