Federal investigators have subpoenaed records related to the retirement benefits given to presidents of San Diego's employee unions. The subpoena requests all documents and communications related to presidential leave. KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma has more.
Presidential leave allowed presidents of the labor unions to receive a pension based on both their city and union salaries. Firefighter union President Ron Saathoff, who received the benefit, also sat on the pension board.
City Attorney Mike Aguirre says the benefit was a quid pro quo for the pension board's waiver of a balloon payment by the city to the retirement system in 2002. He says the subpoena suggests investigators are homing in who was involved in creating the special benefit for union presidents.
Aguirre: "A lot of that came out of pension board attorneys. There were attorneys in this office who participated in that. But it also looks like it's getting tied much deeper much more directly into the collective bargaining process that took place in 2002."
Aguirre said he plans to take court action next week against an undisclosed union president next week. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
