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Do not fill this in! ===Pension scandal=== On July 12, 2010, it was revealed that former Sheriff [[Mike Carona]] received over $215,000 in [[pension]] checks in 2009, despite his felony conviction.<ref>{{cite news |last=Esquivel |first=Paloma |title=Convicted Orange County Sheriff Collects $215,000 Pension |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 9, 2010 |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/09/local/la-me-oc-pension-20100709 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525063255/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/09/local/la-me-oc-pension-20100709 |url-status=live}}</ref> A 2005 state law denied a public pension to public officials convicted of wrongdoing in office, however, that law only applied to benefits accrued after December 2005. Carona became eligible for his pension at age 50, and is also entitled, by law, to medical and dental benefits.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Does Mike Carona Get a $200,000 Pension? |newspaper=Orange County Register |date=August 21, 2013 |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/carona-173698-office-law.html |access-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084235/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/carona-173698-office-law.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Assembly Bill No. 1044 |publisher=Legislative Counsel: State of California |url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/asm/ab_1001-1050/ab_1044_bill_20050922_chaptered.pdf |access-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084237/http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/asm/ab_1001-1050/ab_1044_bill_20050922_chaptered.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> It was noted that the county's retirement system faces a massive shortfall totaling $3.7 billion unfunded liabilities, and Carona was one of approximately 400 retired Orange County public servants who received more than $100,000 in benefits in 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lester |first=John |title=California Disgraced Sheriff Pension Retirement |url=http://www.newsoxy.com/world/disgraced-sheriff-pension-13760.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716163500/http://www.newsoxy.com/world/disgraced-sheriff-pension-13760.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 16, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2016 |work=newsoxy.com |date=July 12, 2010}}</ref> Also on the list of those receiving extra-large pension checks is former treasurer-tax collector [[Robert Citron]], whose investments, which were made while consulting psychics and astrologers, led Orange County into bankruptcy in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martinez |first=Edecio |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disgraced-sheriffs-pension-215000-after-witness-tampering-conviction/ |title=Disgraced Sheriff's Pension $215,000 After Witness Tampering Conviction |work=CBS News |date=July 12, 2010 |access-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-date=November 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106185413/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/disgraced-sheriffs-pension-215000-after-witness-tampering-conviction/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Citron, a Democrat, funneled billions of public dollars into questionable investments, and at first the returns were high and cities, schools and special districts borrowed millions to join in the investments. But the strategy backfired, and Citron's investment pool lost $1.64 billion. Nearly $200 million had to be slashed from the county budget and more than 1,000 jobs were cut. The county was forced to borrow $1 billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/01/17/obit-citron-orange-county-bankruptcy/1842401/ |title=Man Blamed for Orange County Bankruptcy Dies |date=January 17, 2013 |website=USA Today |access-date=February 20, 2018 |archive-date=February 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221042554/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/01/17/obit-citron-orange-county-bankruptcy/1842401/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility filed a lawsuit against the pension system to get the list. The agency had claimed that pensioner privacy would be compromised by the release. A judge approved the release and the documents were released late June 2010. The release of the documents has reopened debate on the pension plan for retired public safety workers approved in 2001 when Carona was sheriff.<ref name="latimes.com">{{cite news |last=Esquivel |first=Paloma |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oc-pension-20100709,0,5477333.story |title=Convicted Orange County sheriff collects $215,000 pension |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 9, 2010 |access-date=July 22, 2010 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210233806/https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-oc-pension-20100709-sl-storylink.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Called "3 percent at 50," it lets deputies retire at age 50 with 3 percent of their highest year's pay for every year of service. Before it was approved and applied retroactively, employees received 2 percent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.porac.org/3percent@50.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000830101102/http://www.porac.org/3percent@50.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 30, 2000 |title=Peace Officers Research Association of California |publisher=Porac.org |access-date=July 22, 2010}}</ref> "It was right after [[September 11 attacks|Sept. 11]]," said Orange County Supervisor [[John Moorlach]]. "All of a sudden, public safety people became elevated to god status. The Board of Supervisors were tripping over themselves to make the motion." He called it "one of the biggest shifts of money from the private sector to the public sector." Moorlach, who was not on the board when the plan was approved, led the fight to repeal the benefit. A lawsuit, which said the benefit should go before voters, was rejected in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2009 and is now under appeal.<ref name="latimes.com" /> Carona opposed the lawsuit when it was filed, likening its filing to a "nuclear bomb" for deputies.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page