State Retirement Plan Trustees

I am a police sergeant in Southern California and a 22-year member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. I want to thank you for your time and research in bringing this scandal to light (Feb. 2, 4). I read your articles with great interest, disappointment and disgust. The glib and hollow denials of conflicts and personal benefit by the board members were sad.

Sad, too, because retirement benefits are an enormous expense to taxpayers and to members. It is disconcerting to find out that many of the members of the board are living it up at the expense of ethical and responsible management of their “trust.” Through my local and state association, I will demand an investigation and accountability. Let the scoundrels pay for their own vacations!

CHRIS KELLER

West Covina

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The blatant conflicts of interest (overseas junkets, meals, hotel bills, golf fees, political donations, etc., paid by companies doing business with the state pension fund), apparently commonplace behavior for some “trustees” of CALPERS, absolutely take your breath away! Robert Carlson, the bureaucrat-lawyer who has been riding this gravy train for 27 years, is quoted as saying: “It takes a global perspective. . . . We can’t have a klutz on the board who is empty-headed” (Feb. 4).

Right! Apparently a “klutz” is the ordinary citizen who thinks this kind of behavior by custodians of the nation’s largest public pension fund is unquestionably immoral and probably illegal. These people are in a position to make the Orange County bankruptcy look like pocket change! Perhaps a state grand jury should be taking a hard look at the whole operation on behalf of the public employees.

GEORGE C. CANNON

San Juan Capistrano