Greetings 

Spring is here and COVID-19 vaccines are plentiful, folks are getting shots and schools are opening. I see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

March 2020 was our last General Member meeting at the War Memorial Building. It’s been all Zoom since then. While we’ve missed seeing our fellow REA members in person, I think we’ve continued to offer excellent speakers at our monthly virtual meetings. And despite COVID, we’ve also moved REA forward.

Your Board worked hard during the past year to roll out our new “Raising Our Profile” initiative. To respond to the negative news about pensions (which sometimes paints us retirees in a negative light), we’ve decided to respond with a long-term effort to increase the awareness of REA as a positive influence in our community. We’ve broadened our Mission to incorporate support not just for protecting our City pension, but also by advocating retirement security in both the public and private sectors. We also have furthered our partnership with the Voice of San Diego and have increased targeted contributions to other community causes to help implement this goal. This program has been directed by Dave Twomey, Vice President for Programs. Please see Dave’s article for an overview of what we accomplished for our first year.