(December 23, 2020, 10:12 AM EST) -- LOS ANGELES — In light of a recent state Supreme Court ruling, a California appellate court on Dec. 15 affirmed its previous ruling that the purpose of a pension reform statute enacted to prevent abuse of the system by public employees justified the reduction of benefits to a retired fire department employee convicted of running an offshore gambling ring during work (Tod Hipsher v. Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, et al., No. B276486, Calif. App., 2nd Dist., Div. 4, 2020 Cal. App. LEXIS 1184)....