Newport Beach lifeguards to have generous pensions scaled back

[The Northerner]

Public pressure over their compensation packages has prompted Newport Beach lifeguards to bow to pressure from city leaders who sought to scale back their generous pension benefits.

The City Council on Tuesday is slated to approve a new contract with full-time lifeguards that would provide lower pension benefits for new employees and would require current guards to contribute more to their retirement costs, the Daily Pilot reported.

Newport is one of the coastal California cities clawing back lifeguard pension benefits. As local governments grapple with mounting retirement bills, officials have looked to the guards' "public safety" pensions as one place to trim.

"We're happy about the outcome for the taxpayer," said Councilwoman Leslie Daigle.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/06/newport-beach-to-scale-back-generous-pensions-for-lifeguards.html

[xphile]

1. So basically they used the excuse of public pressure to steal from the lifeguards? n/t