Fremont Pensions: What Retirees Are Receiving

More than 1,800 retired school and city employees in Fremont are collecting pensions, dozens of them receiving more than $100,000 a year.

The retirement compensation is part of a list posted by the San Jose Mercury News and other newspapers.

The CalPERS list was unveiled as the state Legislature last week approved a pension reform bill that is now on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

Among other reforms, the legislation raises the retirement age for most new employees from 55 to 67 to receive full benefits. It also eliminates so-called "double dipping" and caps the pensions of highly paid retired workers.

In the Fremont Unified School District, there are 1,822 retirees listed who are receiving CalPERS pensions.

At the top is retired district superintendent Milton Werner, who was earning $21,000 a month when he retired after working for 30 years in the district. Werner collects $14,100 a month in pension, or more than $168,000 a year.

Next is Beverly Chernoff, who retired as the director of certificated personnel after 43 years of service in the district. She was earning $13,100 a month when she stepped down. She now collects $12,600 a month in pension.

There are 14 retirees listed who collect more than $10,000 a month, or more than $120,000 a year. Two of those retirees are receiving slightly more in pension than they did in salary in their final year of employment.

At the bottom of the list, there are 102 retirees listed who receive less than $1,000 a month.

Some employees are collecting CalPERS pension from more than one agency. Teachers also don't receive Social Security benefits.

Dr. James Morris noted the district has a large number of retirees because it's the largest employer in the city with 3,600 workers and it's had employees retiring for decades. The minimum retirement age is 55.

The city of Fremont has 655 retirees on the list.

The retiree collecting the most is former police department employee Robert O'Brien. He was paid $15,600 a month when he retired after working 33 years for the city. He now collects slightly more than that in pension, receiving $16,100 a month, or about $193,000 a year.

Right behind is Gregory Gerhard, who receives $16,000 a month. Gerhard was being paid $14,600 a month when he retired after 30 years of service with the city.

In all, there are at least a dozen retirees who are collecting pensions higher than their salary when they retired, presumably because they are receiving benefits from more than one public agency.

There are also 41 retirees listed who are collecting at least $10,000 a month, or $120,000 a year.

On the flip side, there are 102 retirees listed who receive less than $1,000 a month.

Brian Stott, the city's human resources director, said employees have paid into the system for years and their retirement is based on a formula that includes longevity and salary.

He noted that under a new bargaining agreement with employee groups some workers are paying more than 14 percent of their salary into retirement.