Last week, the City of Gilroy denied this newspaper’s request for the names of police and fire employees who have retired with disability benefits.
The Dispatch’s request for the names of disability retirees stemmed from a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury investigation that alleges too many public safety employees in Gilroy are claiming the tax-free haven of a disability retirement.
In the past five years, 43 percent of Gilroy’s police and fire department retirees – six of 14 – have retired under disability provisions, which make the first 50 percent of their pensions exempt from state and federal income tax. Only Palo Alto had a higher rate, at 51 percent, while most of the other cities the Grand Jury investigated hovered between 26 and 30 percent.
The Grand Jury raised red flags with these findings: Either Gilroy’s public safety sector is an overly hazardous work environment, or a larger culture of abuse of the retirement system exists at the taxpayer’s expense.
The Dispatch followed up today with a formal request for the names of the six public safety disability retirees, per the Public Records Act of California.
The City formally disagreed with the Grand Jury’s finding, claiming the investigation wasn’t thorough enough to put the seemingly high percentage into context.
“The Grand Jury got it all screwed up,” said Mayor Don Gage.
Percentage-wise, Gilroy’s amount is higher, but City officials say six public safety disability retirees over five years – three police employees and three fire employees – isn’t something to make a stink about. Gage pointed at San Jose, which had 151 disability retirements in five years.
If the City denies the public records request, this newspaper will make an appeal with the City’s open government commission, a panel of Council members and citizens that focus on making the City transparent and open with their records.
