Last week, Santa Clara County Judge Patricia Lucas issued a final Measure B verdict. A reader wondered in an email why we didn’t write about it. Fair point, which brings us to this update. The final decision in the landmark pension reform case that forced employees to contribute 16 percent more of their pay to retirement costs is similar to the tentative ruling trotted out in December, except for a couple details.

Police Chief Chris Moore is on the mend after having hip replacement surgery this week. Moore, who announced last month that he will retire at the end of January 2013, said in a telephone interview Friday that he expects to be back on the job by Oct. 22. He added that he has no plans to file for disability when he does retire.

The city charter sets out some basic tenants for public employee retirement, and Mayor Chuck Reed is often touted as a stickler for adhering to the charter. The question many ask is: What exactly does the charter say?

On Tuesday the Council will discuss the fiscal reform proposals that Mayor Reed has researched and constructed. It will not be not an ordinary city council meeting but instead a major discussion being held in big cities across the country. Last week, the Council had a study session regarding the City’s retirement system.  From my view, the presentation given by staff, which included the director of retirement services, Russell Crosby, was one of the best I have seen.  A step-by-step explanation of the retirement system was provided.