Board approves narrower pension charter amendment for June after wider proposal fails

San FranciscoBoard of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected a broader charter amendment to change employer retirement benefit calculations but approved a narrower compromise measure that will appear on the June ballot. The board voted 4-6 against item 13, a broader charter amendment, and later approved item 15 by a 9-1 roll call vote.

The approved measure would change how retirement benefits are averaged for new hires and other detailed provisions described in the charter amendment text submitted to the board. Supporters framed the measure as a compromise that would produce near-term savings for the city; opponents said the narrower proposal either did not target the main drivers of rising costs or risked shifting costs onto certain employees.

Supporters, including labor leaders and the Public Employee Committee, urged the board to place the compromise on the June ballot. Bob Muscat, chair of the Public Employee Committee, said labor groups had worked with…