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Pension Reform

Public Employee Pension Reform Activity

glasses and text In an effort to continue to educate our members on issues surrounding public pension funds, we are periodically updating the Pension Reform Educational Section on the SCERA website.

Understanding SCERA Basics

The basic terms of the Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association (SCERA) retirement plan are contained in state statute—the County Employees Retirement Law, sometimes called CERL or the 1937 Act. The CERL (PDF: 1.74 MB*) is contained in the California Government Code (beginning at Section 31200). Some terms of SCERA’s plan are established by Resolution of the Board of Supervisors or affected by the provisions of the applicable Memorandum of Understanding. The basic terms of the SCERA plan are summarized in the Plan Summary.

*For Assistance with this document please contact (707) 565-8100.

California Public Pension Legislation 2011

A large number of bills have been introduced in this legislative session. How many will be enacted, if any, is unknown. Similarly, the final language of the bills can’t be known at this time.

  • For the latest legislative bill information, please refer to the California legislature’s website.
  • The State Association of County Retirement Systems posts legislative information relevant to CERL retirement systems.
  • For local bargaining unit issues, you may want to contact the appropriate employee organization, linked on the County website.

Legislation and other proposals can change frequently and the changes may not be immediately reflected on this website.

SCERA is monitoring the pending bills in the legislature and, as bills near finalization and implementation, appropriate communication with members will be provided. The Board of Retirement also stays informed about the legislative discussion through the State Association of County Retirement Systems (SACRS) which has a Legislative Committee that tracks pending bills and represents SACRS in providing input to the legislative process.

Governor Brown has proposed a twelve point pension reform plan that is being considered by a Joint Legislative Conference Committee on Public Employee Pensions. The California Legislative Analyst's Office has issued a report that analyzes the Governor's proposal.

Public Pension Overview

Research Paper Informational Resources on Public Pensions

Website Links to Informational Resources on Public Pensions

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