Ashley Dunning and Peter Mixon Quoted on Impact of California Public Pensions Rulings

An eAlert by Ashley Dunning and Peter Mixon examining recent rulings in the public pensions sector in California was referenced extensively in The Bond Buyer article, “Courts In California Still Sorting Out Public Pensions Rulings” (subscription required). The article examines multiple lawsuits filed against public pension systems to challenge the California legislature’s 2012 public pension reforms that are still being considered by California courts. It highlights how in November of 2020, the California Supreme Court denied two requests for depublication of the First Appellate District’s ruling in Marin Association of Public Employees v. Marin County Employees’ Retirement Association, and the impact of that decision.

Quoting from the eAlert by Ashley and Peter, the article goes on to say, “Marin County was the first published decision of a lower court of appeal upholding the constitutionality of amendments that the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013, (PEPRA), made to the definition of ‘compensation earnable,’ [which is used to calculate retirement allowances], in the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937.”

Additionally, the articles states that Ashley and Peter noted, “The High Court’s decision to keep Marin County published means that the courts will be able to draw on this additional legal analysis to assist them in their resolution of the constitutional issues that are presented, along with the guidance of the Alameda decision itself…”