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Two State Teachers Board Appointees Win Approval From Senate Committee

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 00:00 CST

By Gilbert Chan, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jan. 26--With little fanfare and no opposition, two of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees to the state teachers' retirement board won a key endorsement Wednesday from the Senate Rules Committee.

Roger Kozberg and Jerilyn Harris are now poised to receive Senate confirmation as trustees of the $132 billion California State Teachers' Retirement System, the nation's third largest public pension fund.

The Rules Committee, led by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, voted 4-0 to recommend confirmation to the Senate, which could act as early as next week. Sen. Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, was absent.

Kozberg and Harris, who sailed through the 40-minute hearing and earned praise by their local senators, would be Schwarzenegger's first appointees to gain legislative backing for the influential pension fund board. Three other gubernatorial nominees await Senate review.

"He (Kozberg) has served both Republican and Democratic administrations. You couldn't find a better appointee for this post," said Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City.

Kozberg, a longtime Beverly Hills insurance executive, has been chairman of the California Transportation Commission and board president of the California Science Center.

Harris, a middle school and high school science teacher for 20 years in Ukiah, also has served on state boards, including as a chairwoman of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which handles disciplinary hearings.

Wednesday's hearing was a stark contrast to a year ago when five previous Schwarzenegger appointees found themselves embroiled in political controversy.

Schwarzenegger removed four of the nominees after they opposed his proposal to replace the state's traditional pension program. Senate Democrats then ousted his other appointee.

The shake-up left trustees shorthanded as they began grappling with a number of crucial issues, including a strategy to bridge a $24 billion long-term funding gap.

The pension issue resurfaced last month as a sharply divided board voted against a hybrid pension system proposed by Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Northridge.

Harris and three other new Schwarzenegger appointees abstained, saying they wanted more time to evaluate the Richman plan. Kozberg was absent.

Harris and Kozberg said Wednesday that their confirmation would help stabilize a board that saw a revolving door of new faces in 2005. Both cited the shortfall as a top issue this year.

"We've got to at least stop that from growing," Harris said. "We have this huge amount of money ... we're going to have to come up with. I'm afraid that it will be painful."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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