City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
May 10, 2022
Board Meeting Minutes
NOTES: All votes were unanimous unless otherwise noted
The meeting was held via Zoom
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Dick Wilken at 9:15am.
Board Members Present: Jim Baross, Mike Bresnahan, Chris Brewster, Shirley Hall (at 9:30), Joan Hernandez, Brad Jacobsen, Abby Salaiz, Mary Ann Stepnowsky, John Tsiknas, Dave Twomey, Dick Wilken, and Janet Wood
Guests Present: Karen Butler, Stacey LoMedico
AGENDA: There were no additions or changes to the agenda.
MINUTES: The minutes of the April 2022 Board meeting were approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Abby reported that there was an expenditure of $1900 for the Read Across America event. Also, the dues increase will go into effect this month.
M/S/C to accept the April 2022 Treasurer’s Report.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: John reported that we are still in the market’s correction mode but are improving. The appreciation for the Russell 3000 is 40.08% and for the Money Market it is 2.96%. The total value of the fund is $316,094.
RETIREMENT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE’S REPORT: Charlie reported by email that this Friday is the Board meeting. COLA is on the agenda. Inflation was calculated for 7% this year. COLA is capped at 2%. We will be getting a 2% increase in July. Most members will have 5% added to the COLA bank. Also on Friday’s agenda is the selection of the new Board President.
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ITEMS:
1) Dick reported on his periodic meeting with Gregg Rademacher. Work on integrating post-Prop B employees into SDCERS is going well; final calculations should be done by the end of June.
2) Dick also reported that Angela Colton has replaced Julio Canizal as Director of Risk Management.
3) Dave reported that our next Image Enhancement Initiative event will be a Virtual Food Drive from June 6 to June 24, with a goal of raising $5K.
4) Stacey reported that there are four more scheduled volunteer opportunities. After those, focus will be on getting back to our “Lunch Bunch” crew at in-person meetings.
5) Mike reported that the Audit Committee met and all is well with our books.
6) Dick reported that Karen Butler agreed to serve as a Board Advisor.
ACTION ITEMS:
None
ADVOCACY COMMITTEE REPORT
1) Stacey informed the Board of three external benefit programs that we could use to encourage membership in REA. In summary, these are:
- Day Tripper tours would offer a $15 discount to REA members for a 90-day trial period beginning June 1.
- SDSU’s OSHER would offer a 15% discount rate to REA members beginning in Fall 2022.
- BenefitHub has many discount opportunities, some in conflict with benefits that SDPEBA offers.
The access codes to all three would be in the “Benefits” tab on our website. Any could be canceled by the vendors if there is an apparent lack of response from members. Our “Benefits” page will continue to promote benefits offered by SDPEBA with the three newcomers as additional/subsidiary benefits.
M/S/C to offer REA members participation in Day Trippers, SDSU’s OSHER, and BenefitHub
2) Mike reported that an REA member requested that we lobby the City Council to increase our COLA to keep up with inflation. The Advocacy Committee discussed the matter and noted that 2022 is the first year of high inflation and that most other systems pay our current 2%. He also pointed out that asking for a significant increase in our COLA is contradictory to our Image Enhancement Initiative.
M/S/C to decline to take action on the request to propose an increase in retirees’ COLA to the City Council
Dick and Mike will draft a response to the member.
3) There was discussion about returning to in-person meetings beginning July 12. Practicalities included: new Covid variations on the increase and possibly getting worse; many people are attending other events unmasked; seating can allow for distancing; the luncheon can be boxed meals or servers plating buffet meals.
M/S/C (11-1-0) to resume in-person meetings and lunches in July.
It was noted that a prior action of the Board remains in place which will requires proof of vaccination and masks optional.
4) It was decided to hold an informal Board in-person get-together on June 14, after a cleanout/reorganization of our lockers in the War Memorial Building. Several Board members expressed their regrets at not being able to attend.
5) Chris Brewster announced that due to an extended vacation and the absence of a Zoom participation option, he regrets that he will be unable to attend meetings between June and October.
The next Advocacy Committee meeting is Thursday May 26, at 9:30am via Zoom.
OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership: No report
Newsletter: Deadline for the next issue is April 19 at 8:00am.
OTHER RETIREE/ACTIVE EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION REPORTS
Retiree Issues Task Force (RITF): No report
Retirement Security Roundtable: No report
MEA: Jim reported that MEA is informing its post-Prop B members of their retirement options.
Other Retired Public Employee Associations: No report
PROGRAMS: No report.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:35am.
Respectfully submitted,
Brad Jacobsen
Secretary