• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

2

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

3

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon

1

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

2

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

3

Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Financeprivate equity

California Proposes Law To Expose Private Equity’s ‘Secret’ Fees

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 29, 2016, 2:11 PM ET
Photograph by Ken James — Bloomberg/Getty Images

California’s public pension systems have at least $50 billion committed to private equity, and now a state legislator is asking for more transparency.

Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-8th District) has introduced a bill that would require public pensions to collect detailed information on fees paid to the private equity funds in which they invest ― both fees that are charged directly to limited partners like state pension funds, and also ones charged to the fund’s portfolio companies (which, indirectly, are taken out of pension pockets). The proposal would apply to all fund agreements signed beginning in 2017, and would require that the collected data be publicly disclosed at least once per year at an open meeting.

All of this comes after a series of revelations about how private equity firms essentially hide certain fees by shifting them to portfolio companies, plus a variety of other complicated schemes. The Securities & Exchange Commission has taken particular interest, reaching settlements with such firms as The Blackstone Group (BX), Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Lincolnshire Management. The Carlyle Group (CG) also disclosed in a recent regulatory filing that it is the subject of an SEC inquiry into its fee practices.

To be sure, all limited partners in private equity funds should demand robust fee information from their general partners. As I’ve written before, one way to better accomplish this would be to simplify and standardize the fund subscription agreements. So, to that end, I applaud what Cooley is doing.

My concern, however, is that this legislation is papering over a much larger problem: An apparent belief that California pension fund managers (and their attorneys) either lack the sophistication or time to fully understand the agreements they are entering into.

And this worry is only exacerbated by the fact that Cooley explicitly says that this new requirement will not come with additional financial resources for the pension funds, meaning that these staffers will have even less time to sniff out troublesome language. Yes, the private equity funds will now be required to submit data, but only an audit would determine if such data is invalid or being shaded (something that the pension systems already could, but do not, conduct of their PE relationships).

There also is a secondary concern that certain private equity funds would use this bill as an excuse for no longer taking public pension money from California, but we also heard that threat 10 years or so ago when the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System began disclosing fund performance ― and it mostly became a non-issue (in part because certain other states followed suit, which also could happen in this case).

Here is the proposed bill:

[scribd id=301250609 key=key-YJQUs10rCqgwc54KsfDa mode=scroll]

Assemblyman Cooley did not return Fortune‘s request for comment.

About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Mortgage rates today, June 9, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 9, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 9, 2026
3 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 9, 2026
Personal Financemortgage rates
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 9, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 9, 2026
3 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 9, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 9, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 9, 2026
3 hours ago
How Michael Saylor’s preferred stock gamble could trigger a death spiral for Strategy
InvestingFinance
How Michael Saylor’s preferred stock gamble could trigger a death spiral for Strategy
By Shawn TullyJune 9, 2026
3 hours ago
Best private student loans for grad school in June 2026
Personal FinanceLoans
Best private student loans for grad school in June 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
13 hours ago
AXA launches a new insurance and wealth platform for HNWIs as Hong Kong wealth surges past Switzerland
AsiaAXA
AXA launches a new insurance and wealth platform for HNWIs as Hong Kong wealth surges past Switzerland
By Nicholas GordonJune 8, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
Economy
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
By Jim EdwardsJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
Success
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
By Preston ForeJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
14 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
21 hours ago
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.