Not retiring

UCSD — The University of California has decided to take a closer look at hundreds of its pensioners who are double-dipping — receiving fat retirement checks while working as temporary employees at their old jobs, in many cases for bigger pay than they got before they retired. According to a report last week in the San Francisco Chronicle, which looked at a database of 1900 pensioners who are still on the university’s payroll, there are widespread abuses of the UC rule against rehiring pensioners for more than a year. The paper singled out Ruth Covell, who retired in September 2004 from the position of associate dean for capital planning at UCSD. Her job paid $165,000; she receives $151,000 in yearly retirement pay. But just a month later, she was rehired as an associate dean for programs and policy at the School of Medicine. “She has been very closely involved in the planning for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as the planning for the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building,” according to a post on a UCSD website. While still collecting her pension, Covell is being paid $71,000 a year to work part time. She has almost a year more to go on her contract. … Padres owner John Moores has just kicked in $6000 for Jerry Brown’s 2010 campaign for governor.