The big national story was of course, the failed recall effort in Wisconsin. At least as important in practical terms, however, was the collateral damage the same day in votes in California as residents of San Jose and San Diego, two of the ten largest cities in the country, voted overwhelmingly to take away benefits of current public employees.
“Landslide victories on ballot measures to cut pension costs in two major California cities emboldened reform advocates, who said they expect a flurry of copycat initiatives and increased support for Gov. Jerry Brown’s long-stalled push to curb the state’s obligations to its employees.