Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Proposition B, which ratified a pension-related change city leaders made last year.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, 58 percent of voters supported the measure.
Sworn officers who work for the city but were not part of the police force were absorbed into the Los Angeles Police Department as a cost-cutting move. Those officers, who are tasked with guarding and patrolling city property, facilities and buildings, now have the option to switch from their civilian pension plan to the public safety pension plan.
The City Council placed Proposition B on the ballot to seek voter approval to allow officers who switch to the public safety plan to purchase, at their own expense, retirement credit for the work they've already performed. The allowance cannot be made without approval from voters and the measure will not result in additional costs to the city, proponents said.
However, opponents had claimed that the city’s pension system is a major contributing factor in Los Angeles’ current debt and there would be no guarantee that the Proposition B wouldn’t in fact end up costing taxpayers.
City News Service contributed to this report.
