Election for SDCERA Board of Retirement General Member Seat to be Held on May 7

On May 7, an election will be held for an Active General (Non-Safety) Member seat on the San Diego County Employees Retirement Association (SDCERA) Board of Retirement. All Active (Non-Safety) County and Superior Court employees are eligible to run for this seat and vote in the election.

If you want to run for the Active General Member seat, candidate nomination information will be available at the County Registrar of Voters (ROV) office, located at the County Operations Center, beginning on Friday, March 8. Candidate nominating petitions must be signed by at least 40 Active General Members and be submitted to the ROV office no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 5.

The successful candidate will serve a three-year term on SDCERA's Board of Retirement beginning July 1, 2019. The Board of Retirement is SDCERA's governing body, responsible for the administration of retirement benefits and the investment of Trust Fund assets.

  Election Schedule

March 8	Nominating Petitions available at ROV
April 5	Nominating Petition filing deadline at 5:00 p.m.
April 23	ROV distributes ballots to all SDCERA General Members
May 7	Election Day: Final day to return ballots to ROV
May 10	ROV certifies election winner
July 1	Term begins for General Member Board Member

Board approves cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retired Members

At its February 21 meeting, SDCERA's Board of Retirement approved cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Retired Members.

Members with retirement dates on or before March 31, 2019 will have the following COLAs applied to their monthly benefit effective with their April 2019 payment:

Tier I, Tier II and Tier A	3.00%
Tier B, Tier C and Tier D	2.00%

The COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the San Diego area, which increased 3.37%. The COLAs applied this year are the maximum allowed for their respective tiers. The remainder of the CPI, in excess of the maximum allowable COLA, will be added to the Members' COLA bank to be used in future years when approved COLAs are less than the maximum allowed.

SDCERA Staff Recognized For Service

SDCERA held its annual Employee Recognition Luncheon on February 13. At the luncheon, the following SDCERA staff were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Member service and operational excellence.

Employees of the Year

The Employee of the Year Award recognizes exemplary performance by SDCERA staff based on their calendar year 2018 contributions to SDCERA's mission, goals and values. Member Communications Manager Jerry Fafaul (above left) and Chief Benefits Officer Jim Lery were the 2018 Employees of the Year.

Rising Stars

The Rising Star Award recognizes SDCERA's emerging leaders whose professionalism and professional achievements reflect exceptional support of SDCERA Members and the organization's mission. From left: Member Services Specialist Karen Johanson, Member Services Specialist Kahei Inglis, Disability Unit Manager Alyse Berger and Active Benefits Manager Long Mai were recognized as 2018 Rising Stars.

The Why Award

SDCERA's Why Award recognizes SDCERA staff who display intellectual curiosity and commitment to process improvement by examining why we operate the way we do. SDCERA's Investment Division staff (from left: Assistant Chief Investment Officer Tom Williams, Investment Executive Assistant Stephanie Massey and Chief Investment Officer Stephen Sexauer) received the 2018 Why Award for asking why investment management fees were not better aligned with SDCERA's investment goals.

Running the Numbers: SDCERA's Retirement Benefit Calculator

Wondering what your SDCERA retirement benefit will be? Fire up the Retirement Benefit Calculator to see how your age, service credit and final average compensation combine to calculate your retirement benefit.

Your age factor is determined by your age at retirement. Service credit is the time you have been an SDCERA Member. Final average compensation is based on either your highest one year of earnings (Tier I and Tier A) or your highest three years of earnings (Tier B, Tier C, and Tier D).

Changing any of these factors will affect your benefit. Plug a few scenarios into the calculator and discover how your retirement date can change your benefit.

Are your Beneficiary Designations Current?

Make sure your SDCERA beneficiary designations are up-to-date because your beneficiary(ies) are entitled to receive certain SDCERA benefits upon your death. If you've married, divorced, or had children, update your beneficiary information by completing a Beneficiary Designation form and submit it to SDCERA. Have questions or need assistance? Contact SDCERA's Member Service Center at 619-515-6800.