Dear Editor,
Regarding former lawmaker Niello proposing a pension rollback initiative, we state workers have quite a span of incomes. Some of us take home less than $2,000 per month; that works well when you live with mom and dad, but most of us are adults. Can you imagine having that salary with three furlough days that we had for 18 months? It takes awhile to move up to a decent salary. Our pensions are not very good unless we work for 25-30 years with the state, and unless we have a decent salary to begin with.  
When you represent us, remember that we workers have little input in the (poor) management of the state. Don’t punish the working poor for the state’s inability to manage itself, for making selfish decisions, or for turning a blind eye all these years when waste, abuses, and nepotism is occurring. Small-time workers did not create these financial abuses, nor has anyone been interested in listening to us when we point them out. Our previous governor did not believe we had anything to say, and obviously neither do you.
But we are the people next door to you, the people who buy groceries and houses and pay rent – if we can afford to.
Phoebe Martone, state worker
Yuba City