California Attorney General Kamala Harris has officially cleared San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed's pension attack ballot initiative for signature gathering.
To qualify for a public vote, Reed's proposed Consitution-altering intiative needs 807,615 signatures by the June 5th deadline.
The Attorney General's official description of the initiative clarifies that Mayor Reed's attack would "eliminate constitutional protections for vested pension and retiree healthcare benefits for current public employees, including teachers, nurses, and peace officers, for future work performed."
However, the official description also places bold emphasis on the supposed fiscal benefit of the initiative without clarifying the impact on retirement security for tens of thousands of current California state employees.
In a call with the press, Mayor Reed said that he felt the word "eliminate" was unfairly negative, and said that he would have to check with his advisers to see if he would pull the initiative or continue his campaign.
Read the full text of the initiative, courtesy of the Attorney General's office.