Today is the day that Shawn Nelson takes the 4th District Supervisor seat vacated by Chris Norby. Nelson will fill the unexpired portion of Norby’s term, which will end with the year. Nelson will jump right into things when he takes his oath first thing at today’s Board meeting. Next week Nelson will have his first major vote, the approval of county budget.
I certainly hope Mr. Nelson has taken the time to review the discussion that transpired during the budget hearings earlier this month. While it was clear that Nelson would be seated once the vote count was completed, Nelson managed to pull a similar stunt to his performance in Fullerton regarding budget reduction hearings earlier this year when he cut out of those hearings to attend a fundraiser for his Supervisor campaign. Nelson did not attend the two session budget hearing at all. My best guess its that when he votes on the 29th, he’ll just wing it.
Norberto Santana, Jr. over at Voice of OC raised an interesting question about Shawn Nelson and whether or not he will accept a county pension once he takes office.
Under a little-known — and not publicized — state law, each county supervisor has to actually decide to opt into the county’s pension system to get the same benefit most employees do. Read More.
I always thought that Supervisors and other County elected officials were automatically enrolled in the county pension plan. With the new hybrid pension plan available as an option the elected official has to make an affirmative decision. Supervisor Nelson will be the first Supervisor that will need to decide to either stay out of the retirement system, or join by choosing the 2.7% @ 55 benefit or the hybrid plan. By statute a newly elected Supervisor or other officer like Treasurer-Tax Collector would need to ask to be enrolled in the pension plan at the time they enter the payroll system. That is what tripped up Moorlach. At the time he became Treasurer-Tax Collector, he opted in to the system. Santana points out in his article the an elected official, and all county employees for that matter, have the option at termination to cash out of the plan all together. I wonder what Moorlach will do when that time rolls around?
I look forward to hearing about what Nelson decides to do.
I’m sure when Shawn elects to do so his friends at Fullerton’s Lowest Common Denominator blog will applaud it.
How many andwhich specifically of the other supes have taken the 3% at 50? How did NOrby, Moorlach, Nguyen, Bates and Campbell choose? Im gona take a stab in the dark here and guess that they took the more Lucrative option which is what they like to rail against in their Tea Bagging Rhetoric at events. Can you discover and verify which Supes took which option?
The Voice of OC story has details on this; Bates appears to be the only member of the Board of Supes passing on the pension plan.
So then Campbell, Nguyen, and Moorlach ll atak the sam pension that OCEA Members get and they want to take it away from them? Why isnt this blog attacking these three on that point? Doesnt Nguyen owe OCEA Bigtime for paying her legal bills or something?
iM SORY MY KYBOARD is awierd it makes it leave out letters even though I have pressed the keys.
with due respect Henry (try replacing the batteries if your keyboard is wireless or using a can of AirDuster to fix the keyboard), we write about what we can write about. The Voice of OC reported that Campbell, Nguyen and Moorlach are taking the pensions. Perhaps you should emial each of them and ask why it’s OK for the Supes to take a county pension while trying to “reform” pensions for other county workers.