Data shows big jump in $100,000-plus pensions
SAN DIEGO — The number of retired San Diego city workers collecting more than $100,000 annually in retirement has risen to 487 — a 71 percent increase from a year earlier, according to pension data released Tuesday by City Councilman Carl DeMaio.
DeMaio, who is considering a run for San Diego mayor next year, held a news conference at City Hall to release the 2010 payout information which he received from the city pension system in response to a public records request. He held a similar press briefing in October to release the 2009 pension payouts as he campaigned against a proposed citywide sales tax hike.
The totals presented by DeMaio include each worker’s annual pension plus their annuity from the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, a controversial program that allows workers to collect a pension and salary at the same time. At least one retired worker said it was misleading to lump the two separate benefits together and call it a six-figure pension.
DeMaio said the sharp increase in the number of $100,000-plus annual payouts to retirees is further evidence that past changes to the pension system have done little to rein in pension costs.
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