San Francisco Fire Fighters v. City & County of San Francisco

San Francisco Fire Fighters, Local 798, International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO appeals from the judgment in favor of respondent City and County of San Francisco (City), entered by the San Francisco Superior Court following a court trial. This declaratory relief *116 action, brought on behalf of six members of Local 798 1 (appellants), was tried without submission of oral testimony, based upon the following uncontroverted facts.

Until November of 1976, the Charter of the City and County of San Francisco (Charter) provided separate, but virtually identical pension plans for City police officers and fire fighters. (§§ 8.559-8.559-13; 8.585— 8.585-13.)

On November 2, 1976, the voters of the City passed Proposition L, thereby amending the Charter with regard to pension benefits payable to new City employees, including police officers and fire fighters. 3 The effect of the amendments was to reduce substantially the pension benefits payable to those persons who joined either department on or after November 2, 1976. (§§ 8.586-8.586-14; 8.588-8.588-14.) Proposition L in no way modified the pension plans of those employees of either department who, prior to the…