Nearly a decade after Tarlochan Sandhu took a part-time job helping various cities complete their budgets, the retiree is facing a nearly $660,000 bill from CalPERS — California’s largest public pension system — after courts determined he ran afoul of state post-employment rules.
The California Third District Court of Appeal ruled last week that Sandhu, of Fremont , should not have received pension benefits from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System while he worked as a finance and accounting professional for several California municipalities.
Now, depending on whether he appeals the decision, Sandhu could be on the hook for paying CalPERS back for the pension benefits he received while he was working. Last year, CalPERS informed Sandhu he owed the agency over half a million dollars unless he retires again, which will result in a reduced overpayment due to the agency…