SPEAKER NOTES Dena Taylor

Transcription

1 RETIRED PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION Surf City Santa Cruz Chapter 009 October 2018 We are retired California public employees working together to maintain and improve the quality of the lives of our members by protecting and improving our retirement and medical benefits. General Membership Meeting Tuesday Oct. 2, 2018 Time: 11:30 Claire Rubach will be our speaker: Where did all our clutter come from? How to declutter positively. First lunch is free when you join! The Back Nine at The Inn at Pasatiempo 555 Hwy 17, Santa Cruz (take Pasatiempo exit) For reservations call Reservations must be made by Thur., Sept. 27 If you find at the last minute that you can t come, please call Pat. We are charged for no-shows! Sit-down lunch $15.00/person Roasted Chicken Breast, Seasonal Vegetables & Wild Rice Dessert: Lemon Bars SPEAKER NOTES Dena Taylor Jeanne Allen, Resource Specialist/Volunteer Coordinator for Senior Network Services, gave us an overview of this agency s valuable services, including HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program). Allen has been with SNS for 10 years, and the organization, a non-profit, has been going since Its mission is to promote independent living and a high quality of life. They have resources and information on housing, in-home help, caregiver support, money management, and other topics of interest to seniors. Check out their website: seniornetworkservices.org. HICAP is a national program which provides current information and assistance on Medicare, including community education, 1-on-1 counseling, and advocacy. Medicare 101 classes will be offered starting in October. You can go to the SNS website or call to register. There is no fee for HICAP s services; it is a volunteer-supported organization. Allen thanked our Chapter for supporting HICAP! Jeanne Allen also spoke about Medicare fraud, and the importance of destroying old cards, not giving out sensitive information over the phone, being aware of illegitimate equipment providers, and checking our Medicare Summary Notices and Explanation of Benefits forms for accuracy. Call the Senior Medicare Patrol at if you have questions or think you ve been a victim of fraud. The Essentials of Advance Directives for Healthcare Community Presentations by Hospice of SC County These presentations provide an overview on how an Advance Directive makes your healthcare decisions and end of life wishes known. Call to register. Tuesday November 6, 2018, Santa Cruz Downtown Public library, 11am noon Monday January 7, 2019, Scotts Valley Public library, 10:30am 11:30am Tuesday February 12, Hospice Office. 65 Nielson St. #121, Watsonville, 10:30 11:30am

2 Page 2 RPEA CHAPTER 9 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Bob Culbertson bculb@sbcglobal.net IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Mary Doherty maryatscruz@aol.com VICE-PRESIDENT Jo Paulson cappyjo@kalenda.com RECORDING SECRETARY Mary Doherty maryatscruz@aol.com TREASURER Steve Redfield sredfi3717@aol.com DIRECTORS Term Lynn McKibbin lynnmckibbin@cruzio.com Dena Taylor detaylor@cabrillo.edu Director vacancies Term Bill Philipps Philipps99@comcast.net Sue Pierce sapierce48@gmail.com Director vacancy COMMITTEE CHAIRS MEMBERSHIP: Bill Philipps HISTORIAN: vacant CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING! HOSPITALITY: Pat Pimentel HEALTH/INSURANCE: Lynn McKibbin LEGISLATION: Jerry Bowles NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Dena Taylor PROGRAM: vacant CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING! OUTREACH: Sue Pierce SUNSHINE: Mary Doherty AREA III ASST. DIR.: Bob Culbertson RPEA Chapter 9 website: Webmistress: Becky Taylor beckytaylortutor@gmail.com Treasurer s Report Steve Redfield Beginning Balance: $8, Ending Balance $7, FUND BALANCES General Fund $6, Investment Opportunities $1, TOTAL $7, Legislative Report Jerry Bowles The 2-year California legislative session ended on August 31 st. The Governor has until Sept. 30th to sign or veto the bills passed by the legislature. Two bills that RPEA supported have made it through to the governor s desk: AB-315 Pharmacy benefit management (pharmacies would have to submit their costs to the state) and AB-1912, protecting pensions when a Joint Powers Authority dissolves. One bill supported by RPEA has become law Assembly Concurrent Resolution 238. This measure would proclaim and acknowledge the month of June 2018 as Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Awareness Month in California and would reiterate the importance of annually recognizing Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Awareness Month in the state. SB 562, Healthy California Act, will be carried forward and have a new number. Our Chapter supports it. Stay tuned. There is a link to the statewide ballot propositions on our Chapter s website (go to Legislation). The proposition to divide California into three states has been removed. Our local legislators will be in their home offices until December. Go visit them! Jerry Bowles attended General Assembly as a member of the state Legislative Committee and as an alternate delegate for Chapter 9. This Chapter will reimburse Jerry for his expenses to attend GA as our alternate. Our regular delegates, Bob Culbertson and Lynn McKibbin, will be reimbursed for their travel by the state Association.

3 Page 3 For Safety Sake From PG&E s website For public safety, it may be necessary for us (PG&E) to temporarily turn off electricity to customers who are served by PG&E electric lines that run through extreme fire-threat areas. We know how much our customers rely on reliable electric service and would only consider temporarily turning off power in the interest of safety when extreme danger conditions occur, and as a last resort. If we need to turn off power, we will attempt to contact customers in advance to ensure enough time to prepare. We will also provide updates until power is restored. Make sure PG&E has your correct contact information (landline, cellphone, ) by going to PG&E s website or calling Take these steps to prepare for wildfire season and/or earthquakes and a potential public safety power shutoff: Build or restock your emergency supply kit. Stock supplies to last a week, including flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash. Plan for any medical needs for you and your family. Talk with your doctor about planning for any medications that may need to be refrigerated or medical devices that require power. Store emergency water and food in portable containers. Have enough water and food to last a week. Store in portable waterproof containers in an easy-to-reach location. Identify backup charging methods for phones. Consider alternative charging methods such as portable battery packs for phones and other devices that require power. Print and store an emergency contact list outside of your phone. In the event your phone battery dies, make sure every member of your family has a copy of important phone numbers. Create and practice an emergency plan. Make sure everyone in your home knows what practicing your emergency plan several times. Evaluate your home. Install and replace batteries in smoke alarms and locate and know how to use fire extinguishers. Keep your gas tank full or your car charged. Gas stations rely on electricity to pump gas, so try to keep your gas tank full in case of an outage. If you have an electric vehicle keep it charged. Know how to open your garage door manually. Learn and practice opening your garage door using the manual release lever. Keep ice on hand to keep food cold. Freeze water in plastic jugs so you can use them to keep food cold during a temporary outage. Adopt-A-Family Christmas Project Sue Pierce At the October meeting we will start collecting money for the Volunteer Center's Adopt-A-Family Holiday Project. Other agencies give names of families who are in need to the Volunteer Center. Each family gives a wish list of items they would like such as toys, books, art and craft supplies, and sport items such as a soccer ball, as well as needed items such as clothing. The Volunteer Center also asks that gift cards for groceries and shoes be included. Our Chapter has been supporting the project for many years. We usually adopt two families with younger children. We will also collect money at the November and December meetings. If giving a check, make it payable to RPEA - Chapter 9. Won't make a meeting? Mail your check to RPEA - Chapter 9, P.O. Box 413, Capitola, CA This month s newsletter sponsored in part by: Courtesy of former Regional Transportation Commission executive director and RPEA member Linda Wilshusen, everydayprimate.org

4 Page 4 Biennial Report to the General Assembly by RPEA President Al Darby August 20, 2018 Over the past two years, RPEA has made great strides toward a more stable organization with respect to membership growth, budget control, advocacy successes and overall mission accomplishments. We suffered a great loss when our President, George Linn, passed away near the end of his second term. George had led RPEA to much greater financial stability, improved office efficiency and staff cohesion and expanded association advocacy efforts in the legislature, at CalPERS, and in other forums and in our relationship with statewide advocacy coalitions: SCORE, and Californians for Retirement Security (CRS). In addition, RPEA is supporting amicus briefs at the State Supreme Court to support retiree interests in their deliberations around the California Rule. I worked closely with George on these initiatives during his illness and led the efforts on many occasions when George was unable to participate in these activities. Membership has grown from 22,500 in July of 2016 to 24,500 in July of AMBIA continues to be the main contributor to membership growth, but our own efforts at chapter level and a recent statewide recruiting campaign brought in about half of the new members. Plans to enhance these efforts are in late-stage development digital marketing from AMBIA is expected to be introduced soon. Our website is scheduled to be updated within the next few months, along with an automated new member data entry system. During this period, advocacy attention shifted from ballot initiative pension threats to court decisions that have placed public pensions in jeopardy. We have joined with our coalition allies at CRS in working to preserve our pensions. As RPEA grows its membership, we must expand our influence, reach and clout as a major force in public pension defense. We have seen a potential change of heart in the press with a recent San Jose Mercury News report that says public pensions are vital to attract people to public service and public safety because it is the equalizer between higher private sector pay and retirement security for public workers. There is more work to be done in the area of public relations to raise public awareness about this issue. Our PR firm is busy finding ways to use this Mercury News article to improve the public's image of public workers and school employees. RPEA s lobbyist is always working to support RPEA objectives in the legislature and at CalPERS. We continue to struggle to improve chapter meeting attendance. Many external factors contribute to the lack of interest in meetings, such as traffic, infirmity and malaise related to pension security. Too many retirees believe their pension is safe and no advocacy work is needed. To improve chapter meeting attendance, assistance will be provided by the Director of Membership, Area Directors and their Assistants to spread the word regarding programs and speakers that draw members to meetings. Success stories in other chapters are good guides for struggling chapters. RPEA is growing again at a healthy rate. Our voice is heard at CalPERS and at the legislature. We must continue our strong efforts to build this Association into a force that gets even more attention at CalPERS and in the legislature to keep our pensions and health care safe. We must also support efforts at the national level to retain Social Security and Medicare at current benefit levels and improve benefits where possible. Internally, RPEA will continue to incorporate technological advances into the processes that support our administrative systems. Cost-saving work inside the office related to marketing and public relations will be enhanced through the expanded use of our graphics machinery. Our office is far more self-sufficient than at any time in the past.

5 Page 5 Health & Insurance Lynn McKibbin HEALTH PLANS OPEN ENROLLMENT for 2019 opened on September 10 th and will close October 5 th! And for those (few) of you who do not use the online link at my.calpers.ca.gov you may call them at And speaking of going online, of worthy note in their PERSpective Fall Bulletin are some interesting Webinars to consider: Power of Attorney Oct 17 th, 11:00-11:15am; CalPERS Long Term Care Nov 14 th, 11:00-11:15am; Medicare and Your Health Benefits, Dec 12 th, 11:00-11:20. Tune in when you eat your brunch good way to exercise brain cells while you eat!! CONSUMER REPORTS OCT 2018 ISSUE headlines A New Cannabis Cure for Pain? with several pages of discussion of the dimensions of CBD. Large letter topics covered serve as an outline of the paper, including: CBD defined, Does CBD Improve Health?, Is CBD legal?, CBD is marketed to consumers in many forms, a GUIDE to other medications for pain relief, are CBD product claims proved?, Can consumers Legally buy CBD?, Should you trust online CBD products? and Cannabis Laws by State on a MAP. This is a mustread article for everybody to read and learn about new research of CBD. The only thing missing was the cool 2-page product rating, nutritional information and $ -- CBD did not get one of those! Another article about granola bars in the same issue DID get a chart for granola bars. Hmmmph. But how could they? Much is yet to be discovered over time as we eagerly study this little weed! Also in the same issue is another great discussion about What s Really in Your Meat? CRs analysis of data from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, a branch of the Dept. of Agriculture, suggests that banned or restricted drugs may appear in the US meat supply more often than was previously known. Great Job Consumer Reports! You are my hero! The Board of Directors of Surf -Santa Cruz Chapter 009 voted at our September board meeting to endorse Al Darby for the next two year term as President of the Retired Public Employee Association. Al has many years of experience on the RPEA State Board of Directors. Especially relevant is Al s experience as Vice President when he was called on to fill in for both President Ann McWherter and for President George Linn when they were unable to act due to health issues. Some of our Chapter board members have met Al either in Sacramento or at our annual picnic. We ve read his columns in the Association newsletter. We like what we ve seen and believe he will continue to act in the best interest of all RPEA members. President s Message Bob Culbertson Dear Surf City Chapter 9 members, our next lunch meeting will feature a speaker on "De -cluttering." I do not know about you but I have all kinds of important odds and ends that I have accumulated over the years. Unfortunately my wife has accumulated a lot of clutter, so much so that it is hard to find space in our house for my important stuff! I am hoping she can come to our next lunch to help her find ways to declutter. I hope you take a look around at your friends and significant others and invite them to our next meeting. I look forward to it and all the space it will create for those that need more room and less clutter. Your President, Bob C. P.S. I will also be able to give a first hand report on our General Assembly in Orange County.

6 Retired Public Employees Association of California-CH 9 PO Box 413, Capitola, CA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA CRUZ, CA PERMIT # 200 if you're not already receiving this newsletter via , please consider doing so! It will save our chapter considerable money each month by reducing the printing and mailing costs. Just let me know. We want to hear from you! Please your letters to the editor to me at detaylor@cabrillo.edu or send to RPEA, P.O. Box 413, Capitola CA SUNSHINE Mary Doherty Happy Birthday to all Chapter 9 members with birthdays in October And may the sun be out for all of you this month. Upcoming General Membership & Board Meetings Nov. 6 Volunteer Center (Tara Ireland) Dec. 4 Holiday Party The Chapter Board of Directors meets the last Tuesday of the month. Chapter members are invited to join us. Let a member of the Board know you would like to attend and get directions to the meeting. All the Directors names, phone numbers and addresses are located on page 2 of every newsletter. We send cards to members throughout the month. If you know someone who we should send a card to, please let me know at Book Exchange- Donation Program Sue Pierce Because I won't be at the October meeting, please don't bring books you want to donate. I will arrange for someone else bring books to take. It is okay to return books you took. Thanks. Tell your friends about RPEA! We are the voice of all CalPERS members, retired or still working. It is an organization that advocates for retirement security for all public employees. Anyone can join, and members receive discounts on various kinds of insurance and entertainment attractions. In our local Santa Cruz Chapter, members enjoy monthly luncheons, interesting speakers, and special BBQs and holiday parties. Get a friend or neighbor to join RPEA and you will get 10 free raffle tickets at the next meeting you come to. We have recruitment packets of information for you to give to anyone you think might like to join us. Membership Bill Philipps We now have 583 members. I have materials to hand out. I will be visiting Human Resources departments to reach out and introduce myself and our organization. If anyone needs information please contact me.