California high court upholds pension rollback

The California Supreme Court has upheld former Gov. Jerry Brown’s rollback of a retirement benefit that allowed public workers to pad their pensions.

But the justices on Monday avoided ruling on the larger issue of whether retirement benefits can ever be taken away once promised.

At issue in the decision was a provision of a 2012 pension reform law that eliminated the ability of public workers to pay for more years of service for a more lucrative pension when they retire.

Attorneys for a union argued that the change violated a long line of California court rulings that have made pension benefits for existing employees sacrosanct.

Brown’s office said the state Legislature had broad authority to change pension benefits for existing employees unless it clearly indicated it intended a benefit to continue.