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Jill Ravitch
By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
An oversight by Sonoma County pension officials led Wednesday to the release of records showing District Attorney Jill Ravitch was receiving a pension from the county system.
If true, that would mark the county’s top prosecutor as a “double-dipper,” an ignominious label sometimes used to describe public officials simultaneously drawing two or more incomes from their government service.
But Ravitch, 53, isn’t in that club. Although she was receiving pension payments because of her past employment as a county prosecutor, Ravitch voluntarily suspended her monthly payments upon taking office in January.
“I believe it was the right thing to do,” Ravitch said in a phone message Thursday following publication of a story in The Press Democrat about the release of pension records.
“I will never be able to recoup what I have decided to forgo,” Ravitch said.
A retirement official confirmed Ravitch’s “suspended status” Thursday. An incorrect computer code in the pension system software put the district attorney on the list of those receiving benefits instead of reporting her suspended status, the official said.
Ravitch “has declined receipt of retirement benefits given her return to work at the County,” Elizabeth Andersen, the benefits specialist, wrote in an email. “The benefit payments are not deferred and will not be received at a later date.”
Before her election, Ravitch worked as a top prosecutor in the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office for 2½ years. She is not receiving a pension for that work.
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Wow, you people are being fooled. She suspended her pension payments because now she can SPIKE her retirement with her new higher earnings. LOL!!
Do some homework people. You should also ask about the back door hiring of her peeps or her less than civil rants in the office. She is losing the backing of her biggest supporters.
Graeme-for once I agree with you. The Press Democrat does look for dirt and management at the PD are in control, not necessarily the ones writing the articles.
As for Ravitch, the unions supported her and donated to her campaign. It is because she has a history of treating the employees under her fairly without bias. When compared to the last District Attorney, for the unions it was no contest.
So, see, unions are useful for something!
The Press Democrat is diligently looking for dirt on Ravich. The questions they ask are always toward this purpose. This story would have been a hit piece had not Ravich been able to immediately disprove it AND her proof was confirmed independently. Without both of those, the story would have run that Ravich was collecting a pension and a salary from the County — something that is illegal and would have got Ravich kicked out of office.
Who gave them this idea? I do not know. However, it’s not like there are professional writers and journalists on the Press Democrat staff. With the exception of Lowell Cohn, there’s not a single professional on the staff.
The assumption on the Press Democrat staff is always to assume the worst is true unless you can prove otherwise. Fortunately, Ravich was able to prove otherwise. Had the Press Democrat ran their original story — they could have been successfully sued — and that’s a very hard standard nowadays, but when faced with clear proof their story was false, to print it would have been a lawsuit. That’s the only reason the story came out the way it did.
@ Graeme Wellington I agree that Passalacqua’s good ‘ol boy clout is (still) far reaching ….but didn’t The Press Democrat endorse Ravitch? I’m not a big PD fan either—I can’t forgive when they ran those holiday pieces on the struggling families receiving public assistance accusing them of free-loading and then published them in open forums for the vultures to peck at.
@Judy…That’s probably not entirely true. She may have been allowed to buy back the 2 1/2 years from Mendocino to enhance her Sonoma Co pension.
The Press Democrat is hoping for a scandal and they will rip her a new one at the earliest opportunity. This story began as a hit piece — but then Ravich turned out to unusually ethical so they had to pivot — once they confirmed she wasn’t lying about it which was their default position investigating the story.
Since her election we’ve hardly heard a peep from the Press Democrat. Whhat happened to the cronys that Passalacqua hired as a lame duck? What happened to all the whiners in her office during the election? Has she silenced the critics with actual performance? Doing her job isn’t a story any more than a plane landing safely.
Behind the scenes, the Press Democrat is hoping for a hit piece. It’s just a matter of time before they decide to run something Ravich can’t immediately disprove and the Press Democrat will run the story about the “question” or the “issue” they pull out of the air. Wait for it.
@let’s be reasonable & jamal, Ravitch worked in the Son. Co. District Attorney’s office for something like 15 years prior to leaving and taking other positions. The 2 1/2 yrs you’re referring to was in Mendocino Co and doesn’t play a role in her Son Co pension at all. She earned that pension during her previous time in Son Co. According to this story, when she was elected and returned to the Son. Co. DA’s office she stopped taking that money because she didn’t believe it was right to be getting a pension from the county she was still (or again) drawing a salary from.
@Jalama – they must be leaving something out of this article – normally, you need to have worked at least 5 years to vest with a public agency, and you need to be at least 50 before starting to receive any pension. 5 years, retiring at 50 would normally give around a 10% pension.
Can you get a pension for working two and a half years?
Now may be the time to appoint District Attorney Ravitch to the SCERA board.
It could help quell any misgivings the public may have about how the retirement fund is managed.
Isn’t it nice that we have a couple of elected officials around here who understand that just because certain benefits are available doesn’t mean you have to use them for your own financial comfort?
I first saw this when Assemblyman Allen refused his state car allowance while all of the other area legislators used such a resource, I am equally impressed that Ravitch had the forethought and awareness to not be so selfish. Any public servant who portrays equal responsibility to these folks should be continuously recognized as smart and responsible public servants.
We really need to continue to find honest people to serve us in all elected capacities maybe then they can CLEAN UP THIS WHITE COLLAR PENSION CRAP! Make some room for those who break their backs to keep our county clean, safe and beautiful so that they can find a bit more financial stability in horrific economic times.
That, at age 53, she is eligible to receive a public pension should be the larger story.
One might argue for early retirement for police and fire fighters. But an attorney? I don’t think so.
I thank her for making the right decision. Now, like minded public officials should advocate pension reform so this kind of thing becomes impossible.
@ Money Grubber Well said!!
When Ronald Reagan was president and collecting his presidential salary, he was at the same time collecting his California state pension.
I’m impressed. Do we finally have an elected official not out to line her own pockets? Kind of hard to believe, but if true, kudos to Ravitch.
Fair and smart! Glad we elected her!
this may show some judgment, but I’m still waiting to be impressed by prosecutorial decisions coming out of her office.
I’m impressed. A woman with ethics and honesty.
In case anyone forgot, Jill was stonewalled in the early part of her tenure by the former DA Pasquala who refused to allow her to attend meetings prior to taking over and who also filled employee positions rather than allow her to do her own hiring.
She has done well despite that attempted sabotage by the former DA in his attempt to keep Sonoma County under his family thumb.