CSDREA Home Page - City of San Diego Retired Employees Association

The Association is a nonprofit association whose function is to provide strong dignified and responsible representation for the purposes of improving the economic benefits and the physical and social welfare of all retired City of San Diego employees, and all beneficiaries, including spouses, of the San Diego City Employees Retirement System.

Monthly meetings are normally held on the second Tuesday of each month, at 11 AM January through November, in the War Memorial Building in Balboa Park. At these meetings there is a general meeting in which association business is conducted and a program that is educational or entertaining, with subjects that are of interest to retirees. The December luncheon meeting is more social in nature and is normally held on the second Thursday of December.

For information on joining the Association, click here.

The General Meeting will be held on April 13, 2010 in the Recital Hall of the Palisades Building which is next to the Balboa Park Club. Our guest speaker will be Capt. Joel Roos, Deputy Commander of the Navy Regional Medical Center. Capt. Roos will explain the Navy Hospital's role in treating our wounded warriors. Click here for Capt. Joel Roos' biography.

The General Meeting will be convened at 11AM with the program beginning at about 11:30 and lasting until about 12:00-12:15. Luncheon for $8.00 will immediately follow. The April menu with reservation details will be posted in the near future.

<Click here for Future Programs and Guest Speakers>

This web site contains articles, reports and correspondence that were created by agencies such as the City of San Diego (including the city attorney), SDCERS, and others, including individuals.

The opinions of the authors are their own and not necessarily those of the City of San Diego Retired Employees Association.

Are Pensions Fair Game in Bankruptcy
February 15 - The Voice of San Diego reports that since last fall, talk of municipal bankruptcy has wormed its way back into public debate at the city of San Diego.
Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith decided they'd had enough. Last month, both dismissed the idea -- and Sanders used particular vigor -- by saying it distracted the city from its real financial problems. The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.

Retirement Board Meeting Update
January 27 - Patti Karnes attended the January SDCERS Board Meetings and has submitted her "notes' regarding the meetings in her usual complete and precise manner. Patti's notes can be seen in the Retirement Board Update section of the Members-Only area.

City Retiree's Health Care Benefit Safe
January 25 - The Voice of San Diego reports that fear not, retired San Diego city employees. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith says your health care benefits are safe. Goldsmith deemed that health care benefits for retired city employees are guaranteed or "vested," in the tome-like memorandum on pension and other retirement benefits he issued last week.

That means changes to the benefit could come only if the city gives retirees new perks that are comparable to ones it would take away The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.

Millions needed for city pensions
January 19- The SDUT reports that just when San Diego city officials thought they had closed a $179 million budget gap, another has opened up because more money will be needed to pay for employee pensions.
The city will have to contribute $231.7 million to the retirement fund in the fiscal year that starts in July. That’s up $19 million from the forecast used when the last budget gap was closed in December. The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.

Five in pension board case have charges dismissed
January 26 - The SDUT reports that a unanimous state Supreme Court dismissed criminal charges against five former members of the San Diego retirement board yesterday, but concluded that the case against a sixth member, former firefighters union leader Ronald Saathoff, could go forward.
The decision ended most of a legal battle that began nearly five years ago when District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis charged the six former board members with breaking the state’s conflict-of-interest laws. The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.

San Diego's Easiest Financial Fix Is Its Most Complicated
January 10 - The Voice of San Diego reports that if any issue characterizes the quagmire that muddies efforts to restore the city of San Diego's fiscal health, look no further than reform of retiree medical benefits.
Here it appears that the most complicated solution to the city's budget woes also could be the easiest to accomplish. There's little legal precedent and layers and layers of promises to un wind.. The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.

New Venue and Programs for CSDREA
December 17 - Dave Twomey, Vice President - Programs and his committee have proposed a new location for meetings starting in February and a new schedule of programs. Click here for details

Judge rules pension benefits violate city charter
December 16 - the SDUT reports that a Superior Court judge ruled that a contested pension benefit granted to the heads of San Diego's employee labor unions by the City Council in 2002 violated the city charter, court papers show today.
The San Diego Police Officers Association filed suit earlier this year in an effort to force the city to honor the so-called ``presidential leave'' benefit, which allowed the heads of municipal labor unions to combine their salary as city workers with their union pay for the purpose of calculating pension payments. The link to this story is in the "Press Articles" section of the Members-Only area.