The state's two major pension systems – the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the California State Teachers' Retirement System – readily release details about pensions paid to retired public employees.

That's why you might remember that the former executive director of the California School Boards Association, Scott Plotkin, was receiving an annual pension of $205,078 after he retired amid a financial scandal involving his compensation. CalPERS is auditing the financials behind his pension.

That's also why you know that Don Mette, retired Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District chief, makes $240,999 annually in his retirement. The district contracts with CalPERS for its pensions, and Mette's has been controversial.

We're a government town filled with retirees living off mostly well-earned pensions. While I don't know of a study showing the economic benefit to the region of those pensions, logic tells me it's pretty significant.

Yet it matters that pension payouts be open to public scrutiny – especially during tough economic times. A Bee analysis by reporter Phillip Reese last year revealed that the 80 largest city and county governments in California had $28 billion in unfunded liabilities in their pension plans. That's a problem – such costs force layoffs and cuts to programs.

As Bee reporters dug into pension issues last year, we hit a brick wall in our own backyard. The Sacramento County Employees' Retirement System, SCERS, refused to release the names and corresponding pension benefits of its members. We strongly believe the public has a right to that information, especially as the county considers more layoffs and deeper budget cuts.

The pension system felt it was a privacy issue. We pointed out that the public can't monitor such spending for fraud without tying pensions to people. And the reality is that pension fraud exists and it costs taxpayers money. We've reported on it.

In April 2010, the First Amendment Coalition joined The Bee as we filed suit to compel SCERS to provide pension details. Our goal was to protect the public's right to know, and in July Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner agreed the "public interest in disclosing this information outweighs any interest in keeping it secret."

SCERS didn't like that ruling, so it appealed. On May 11, a three-justice panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled in our favor – and yours.

On Thursday, the SCERS board decided not to appeal, though it is asking the court for more information before it releases documents we've requested.

The cost of this battle? For our lawyers alone, $150,000 that SCERS now must pay.

The Los Angeles Times wrote last week that our lawsuit will have widespread impact, forcing other reluctant pension funds to release similar information across the state. We hope so.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Reach Executive Editor Joyce Terhaar at (916) 321-1004.

• Read more articles by Joyce Terhaar