Your Pension and Health Care Watchdog 60 Years of Dedicated Service to L.A. County Retirees Jan/Feb 2018 Vol 53-1 LACERA Warns Retirees of Scam Calls President’s LACERA is warning retirees that some pension systems in California have reported that scammers have been making phone calls to members saying Message they owe money to the fund. by Dave Muir The scammers employ fear tactics, telling retirees they must send money The year 2018 is special at through prepaid credit cards in order to receive their pension. LACERA has RELAC as we commence our not had any reports from its members about this type of scam, but wants 60th year of dedication and to make members aware just in case they receive a similar call. excellence in representing Be assured that even if a caller claims to be from LACERA and the caller our members and ID appears authentic, it’s fraudulent because LACERA never calls to ask protecting retiree benefits. for money. As I reported in the last edition, RELAC was suc- In the case of a legitimate overpayment (or underpayment), LACERA will cessful in getting its endorsed candidates elected mail a letter with details pertaining to your specific situation. Please call to the three retiree positions on LACERA’s boards LACERA at (800) 786-6464 if you receive any suspicious communication. of retirement and investments. Les Robbins will be serving on the Board of Retirement, J.P. Harris will take office as the alternate retired member on the RELAC Board Elects Officers for 2018 Board of Retirement, and I will take over for Diane Sandoval on the Board of Investments. Our three- The RELAC Board of Directors has elected Dave Muir year terms will begin on Jan. 1, 2018. Les, J.P., and to serve an unprecedented fifth consecutive term as I will be a powerful force, ready to assist RELAC's president. members with any issues that may arise at LACERA. Other officers for 2018 are Brian Berger, vice president; Greg Also in January, RELAC will be honoring Bill de Walia, treasurer; and Mary K. Rodriguez, secretary. la Garza and Diane Sandoval, both of whom are Muir, who was chief counsel for LACERA when he retired retiring from representing County retirees on the in 2009, has been a RELAC director since 2011. He was LACERA boards after an incredible number of years elected in 2017 by retired County employees to serve as of faithful and dedicated service. Diane served their representative on the LACERA Board of Investments on the Board of Investments for 12 years, and Bill and had served prior to that as the alternate retiree served on the Board of Retirement for 15 years. representative on the LACERA Board of Retirement. Words cannot describe what a huge service Diane and Bill have provided to the County’s retirees. And Berger, a 32-year County employee who was director of they’re not done yet. They continue to serve on special services with the Department of Children and RELAC’s Board of Directors, Bill since January 1999 Family Services when he retired in 1999, was also former and Diane since March 1999. Without them, RELAC head of the Animal Care and Control Department and would not be the great association it is today. acting chief deputy to Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. He became a member of the RELAC Board in June 2017. Thanks to all our readers for your membership and support. A special thanks to the nearly Walia, who will be serving his second term as treasurer, 500 retirees who joined us as new members in joined the RELAC Board in 2003 and served as president November and December. in 2009 and 2010. He has been vice president for the past four years. Walia was personnel officer for the Public Works RELAC remains well-positioned to continue to Department when he retired in 2000. serve and protect you. Our finances are in excellent shape, with a sizable war chest that can be used to Rodriguez, RELAC Board secretary since 2012, retired as a fight any threats to our benefits. LACERA manager in 1996 and has been a RELAC director since 2007. She also chairs the Program and Recreation As we launch into the new year, RELAC’s directors committees. join me in extending our sincere best wishes to all our readers for a healthy and happy 2018. Bill de la Garza rounds out the Executive Committee as immediate past president. He is the only other president YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT KEEPS who served five terms, but they were not consecutive. He RELAC STRONG AS YOUR PENSION AND was president from 2001-2002, then again in 2011-13. De HEALTH CARE WATCHDOG. la Garza, deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation when he retired in 1991, joined RELAC in 1999. News From LACERA Great Picnic, Great Fun by JJ Popowich by Evelyn Gutierrez Assistant Executive Officer Special Events Committee Photos by Evelyn Gutierrez and Linda C. Hopkins In my last article, I shared that Gregg Rademacher RELAC’s October picnic was a great event. Great food, had retired and that Robert Hill had been appointed great weather and great music by The Bobby Z Band. interim chief executive officer. I’m pleased to report, as predicted, the transition has gone smoothly and A special thanks to Colleen MacKay, superintendent LACERA is continuing to provide the same great of the Whittier Narrows Nature Center, for the great wildlife exhibit, which included a red-winged hawk reliable and timely service that we have always and an adorable owl. A big thanks to everyone who provided to our members as we fulfill our mission to Produce, Protect, and attended and those who line-danced all the way Provide the Promised Benefits. home! Speaking of service, our staff throughout LACERA are preparing for the The Special Events Committee has already begun annual retirement season that we affectionately call “March Madness.” planning for the 2018 October picnic, which will be December through March is our “March Madness” period because this is a special RELAC 60th anniversary celebration. the time of year most members plan on retiring in order to take advantage of any cost-of-living Increase (COLA) that goes into effect in April. While we expect to handle this annual rush of visits and calls without any noticeable delays, please be patient with us as we work to get to each and every person who calls or visits. November and December are also a very busy time for our Financial and Accounting Services Division and our Communications Division. Every year these two divisions work together with our external auditors to produce the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). Both of these reports share our financial performance for the most recent fiscal year (LACERA operates on a July – June FY calendar). The CAFR includes four main sections—financial, investment, actuarial, and statistical. The PAFR is a brief overview brochure that provides the highlights of the fund’s performance over the last fiscal year. Each December the Communications Division mails the PAFR along with our two professionally written and designed newsletters, PostScript and Spotlight, to all of our members (currently more than 165,000 people). We also include a handy payday calendar for our retirees that features both direct deposit and check mailing dates. Providing the PAFR to our members gives them a snapshot of LACERA from the previous fiscal year, highlighting the funding ratio, asset allocation percentages, additions and deductions of the pension fund, quick-hit stats of our global accomplishments, and a listing of our board members. Members who would like a copy of the entire CAFR can find the electronic version on lacera.com in January 2018. The beginning of the year is when I like to take care of some general housekeeping and share some annual reminders. First is the annual reminder that we mail the 2017 1099-R form around Jan. 30. Please allow five to 10 business days for the mail to reach you. The 1099-R forms will also be available to you on our member-only section of lacera.com – My LACERA – generally by the first or second week of February. If you need a copy of the 1099-R, I highly recommend you obtain one through My LACERA if you can. It is often quicker than calling and asking us for a copy – of course, you can still do that any time. This is also a good time of year to look over your information and make sure everything is up to date. LACERA allows you to change your address, direct deposit, tax withholding instructions, and submit beneficiary updates online. If you've moved or are planning to move – please make sure you update your address with LACERA. Keeping your address current with LACERA ensures there are no untimely interruptions in your benefits. I also encourage everyone to look at their beneficiary designations and make sure they are up to date and reflect your wishes. While not all beneficiary designations can be changed once you retire, it is still very important that you keep us informed of any address or phone number changes for your beneficiaries. Well, that's it for this month. Until we chat again. I wish each of you the best health, happiness, and as much fun as you can get as you enjoy your retirement. 2 RELAC NEWSLETTER • JAN/FEB 2018 RELAC Board Thanks Diane Sandoval and Bill de la Garza For Efforts to Protect Retirees’ Pensions and Benefits The RELAC Board of Directors RELAC Matters wishes to thank Diane Sandoval and Bill de la Garza for their RELAC Reaches Out to Its dedication in protecting retirees’ pensions and health care benefits Older Members by their combined 27 years of by Alice Prouty, Chair service on the LACERA Boards of Outreach Committee Retirement and Investments.