Fletcher: I'll Cut Management Pay as Mayor

Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, said Monday that if elected mayor, he will immediately apply provisions of a pension reform initiative, and other restrictions, on municipal management employees.

Fletcher, whose mayoral opponents include Councilman Carl DeMaio, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Rep. Bob Filner, unveiled a plan he called "CPR Plus," referencing the pension reform measure that will go before voters in the June primary election.

He said he expects the proposition to pass but then get tied up in court. Also, the implementation of the initiative's provisions will have to be discussed with labor unions. The combination means it might take a long time to take effect.

The measure calls for most new employees to be given 401(k) plans instead of being enrolled in the debt-ridden pension system. It would also limit for five years the type of compensation that can eventually be used to figure a worker's retirement payout.

There would be no such delays for new management employees, Fletcher said.

He said he would immediately, if elected mayor:

-- give 401(k) plans to all new management employees, even before it is required for non-management workers;

-- place a cap of $99,999 annual compensation that can later be used by management employees in figuring pension payouts;

-- reduce management compensation by 10 percent and limit their base salaries for five years; and

-- making changes to overtime rules.

He said his plan is derived from his experience as a Marine, where the commanding officer sets the culture for his unit.

"They lead by example, never asking of someone else something they are not willing to do themselves," Fletcher said. "As mayor, I will bring that same type of leadership and accountability to City Hall."

-City News Service