Antonovich Calls for Study of Pensions : Government: Supervisor’s request is in response to changes in the system that could cost millions by boosting the retirement funds of hundreds of employees.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich on Tuesday called for an examination of Los Angeles County’s retirement policies in response to a published report about changes in the county pension system that could cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year by boosting the retirement pay of hundreds of senior employees.

“Because of questions that have been raised, this is an opportune time for conducting a full examination of the county’s policies and practices,” Antonovich wrote in a motion submitted Tuesday.

Antonovich, who like the other supervisors and senior managers stands to gain from the pension changes reported by The Times, said he wants the inquiry to be conducted by the county’s Productivity Commission.

Antonovich’s motion will be considered next Tuesday by the board along with Supervisor Gloria Molina’s proposal to rescind the pension rules.

“(Molina) is taking a hard-line approach,” said Robert Alaniz, an aide to Molina.

Alaniz said Molina opposes the study proposed by Antonovich because it “is just going to delay things.”

The Productivity Commission was established in 1982 to advise the board on policies and programs to improve efficiency. Ten of the commission’s 17 members are appointed by County Chief Administrative Officer Richard B. Dixon, who initially recommended adoption of the pension rules.

Antonovich proposed that the study “include a detailed background on the development of these programs and their retirement impact, an examination of all relevant legal requirements and a comparison with comparable private and public plans.” Antonovich said he wants the commission “to report back to the board as soon as possible.”

The pension changes, which experts say could cost the county as much as $50 million annually, were implemented over the last several years with little public discussion and no study of their effect on the financially troubled county, The Times reported. Unlike the vast majority of other counties, Los Angeles now requires that certain fringe benefits--such as car and medical insurance allowances--be counted along with salaries when retirement pay is calculated.

Some changes eventually will benefit most of the county’s 85,000 employees, but the Board of Supervisors and top county managers will derive the largest gains in retirement income. Dixon’s annual pension would increase by about $25,000 as a result of the changes he recommended to the supervisors.

The pensions of most supervisors would increase by at least several thousand dollars a year. Officials said Kenneth Hahn, who is leaving office this year after four decades, would receive a pension of $126,442 a year, compared to his current salary of $99,297.