CalPERS Holds Off on Placing Pension Database Online
CalPERS recently announced that it planned to put a database of retirees’ names and pension amounts on its website this month. Retirees, retiree organizations and employee groups quickly responded with a wave of objections, such as the concern that the database would be misused by identity thieves and scam artists to prey upon elderly pensioners. The retiree organizations also indicated that they would ask the legislature to limit public information regarding pensions.
CalPERS then announced on July 10 that it was delaying release of the pension database “pending the outcome of legislation being introduced by various retiree organizations that would limit what retiree data is publicly releasable under law.”
Under current law, the names and pension amounts of retired public employees can be disclosed in response to a California Public Records Act (“CPRA”) request. When CalPERS receives a CPRA request for such information, CalPERS is obliged to provide it. CalPERS is not required by law to put a searchable database on its website. Social security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, and health information are private and cannot be disclosed in response to a CPRA request.
Author: Anne Yen
