Apparently, Jerry Brown isn’t the only one who doesn’t understand why he did not get the endorsement of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

In the taped message he inadvertently left on a Protective League answering machine, Brown aides referred to Meg Whitman as a “whore” who got our endorsement, implying that she traded a public safety "carve out" on pension reform, for the League's endorsement. Media and others have jumped on that assumption as the reason we endorsed Meg Whitman. Wrong!

Brown was clearly uninformed as to how the pension system in Los Angeles works. As a charter city, Los Angeles has its own pension system and enacts its own pension formulas. Any changes in police pensions, such as the tier increase in 1998 that was actively supported by former Mayor Richard Riordan, have to be approved by voters in the City of Los Angeles.

Meg Whitman is not a resident of Los Angeles or a member of any governing body in the City of Los Angeles. If elected Governor, she would have no say in any changes to the pension formulas in the City of Los Angeles.

The reason Meg Whitman received our endorsement is because of her positions on issues of public safety. She has stated that she is committed to fully fund public safety and she is a lifelong supporter of the death penalty. When we endorsed her, we clearly stated that Whitman understands that jobs, the economy and budgets are the key issues affecting the future of the California. We have serious concerns about Attorney General Jerry Brown’s budgetary management skills and believe Whitman is better suited for the economic challenges facing California now.

The facts are this: The LAPPL interviewed both candidates, posed a series of questions to both and based on the candidate's responses as they related to public safety and law enforcement, made a decision. It is true, Whitman has proposed offering only 401(k) defined-contribution pensions to new state employees while letting police and fire personnel continue to receive defined-benefit pensions, but that will NOT impact Los Angeles police officers.

Neither Meg Whitman nor Jerry Brown can affect the pensions of police officers in Los Angeles, now or in the future. What they can do is have a great impact on public safety throughout the state—including Los Angeles.

"Paid for by the Los Angeles Police Protective League PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or committee controlled by a candidate".