Pension initiative is put on hold

SACRAMENTO — A proposed ballot initiative intended to reduce public pension costs was put on hold Friday, when its main proponent said he would not pursue the measure after an unfavorable court ruling.

The move, by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, postpones a major battle over public workers’ pensions. The proposed measure would have allowed local governments to reduce retirement benefits for current employees.

Reed said the official description of the proposal, written by the attorney general’s office, inaccurately portrayed it in a negative light, hampering proponents’ ability to gather enough signatures to qualify it for the November ballot.

A state court rejected Reed’s attempt to change the description, leading the mayor to abandon the effort for now.

“Unfortunately, California’s pension problems are not going away and will only grow larger in the coming years,” Reed said in a statement. “That is why we remain committed to providing elected leaders with the tools they need to negotiate benefit changes and control skyrocketing costs.”

Reed and his allies said they would make another attempt to place their proposal on the ballot in 2016.

Their efforts have faced strong union opposition.

“We continue to believe that the bargaining table — not the ballot box — is the proper place to address the budget challenges facing our communities and state,” said a statement from Dave Low, chairman of Californians for Retirement Security.