With just 400 to 450 words for our weekly State Worker column, most of what we learn each week never sees print. Column Extras give you some of the notes, the quotes and the observations that inform what's published.
Our column in today's Bee looks at rumors bouncing around the Capitol that Gov. Jerry Brown is about to unveil a public pension agenda, call for legislative hearings between legislative sessions and then push the issue early next year as a carrot for Republicans he might need to woo for some sort of tax vote.
A persistent rumor we didn't mention: Brown will announce his proposals before the Legislature adjourns on Sept. 9. Several labor sources said that they believed the governor might even try to ram through public pension legislation before the session ends next week. Here's how the administration shot that down:
On Wednesday morning, when we decided to write about the buzz we were hearing, we let the governor's office know. Gill Duran, Brown's press secretary, said in a Wednesday afternoon e-mail, "We don't plan to introduce anything before the end of the session." In a follow-up phone conversation he repeated that nothing about pension reform -- not even a gubernatorial wish list of alterations -- would be announced before session's end.
We also talked with Duran about what Brown might propose. He didn't disclose any details, but he did note that Brown has talked about specific ideas in the past.
Here are three links with details about Brown's earlier pension positions:
Gubernatorial campaign website:Jerry Brown 2010
Press release, Mar. 31: Governor releases 12-point pension reform plan
Capitol Alert: Senate Republicans make list of requests public
PHOTO: Gov. Jerry Brown leaves a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting on June 21 after budget talks. Hector Amezcua / Sacramento Bee.
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