This report examines how the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) has impacted California’s public safety workforce since its enactment in 2013. Through an analysis of pension reforms, staffing data, vacancy rates, overtime expenditures, and emergency response times, the report demonstrates how the creation of a two-tiered retirement system has made it increasingly difficult for agencies to recruit and retain qualified peace officers and firefighters. The report highlights the real-world consequences of chronic understaffing on both public safety professionals and the communities they serve, while also outlining AB 1383 as a targeted, fiscally responsible solution to modernize PEPRA, strengthen recruitment and retention efforts, and help address California’s growing public safety staffing crisis.
Peace Officers Research Association of California