CSEA District B - Let’s Get Moving!
Roxie Allen, Director
Nell DaSilva, RPAC-South
Linda Blanchard, Assit. Dir.
Sharon Galliani, RPAC-North
February 2016
Plug Pulled on Pension Reform Measure
The Reed/DeMaio pension reform ballot
measure was pulled from the 2016 ballot and
will not go before voters until 2018.
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Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and
former San Diego city council member Carl
DeMaio, filed a ballot initiative in June 2015 that
would require any changes to pension benefits
for state and local government workers be preapproved by voters.They were also backing a
measure to limit government expenses on
retirement benefits.
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Reed’s reform backers think it’s a better bet to
wait until 2018 because there won’t be a
presidential election that year which will reduce
the number of casual voters.
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Another factor is the lawsuit of Friedrichs v.
California Teachers Association. The suit seeks
to eliminate fees charged to employees who are
not members of the union that represents them,
potentially curtailing the spending power of
public employee unions. The U.S. Supreme
Court heard oral arguments in the case in
January. A decision should be announced
sometime between March to June.
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If CSEA and other unions receive less money to
fight these pension reform measures, it will be
easier for Reed/DeMaio to pass their ballot
measures.
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However, some opponents of the measure
remain confident that Reed and DeMaio will
meet failure in the future.
"Chuck Reed and Carl DeMaio's extremist
attempts to eliminate retirement security for
millions of California's teachers, firefighters,
school employees and other public servants
failed because they were too extreme, would
have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, and
would have destabilized our state's two
retirement systems, CalPERS and CalSTRS,"
said Dave Low, executive director at the
California School Employees Association and
chairman of Californians for Retirement Security.
"We are skeptical that donors will have any
confidence in these two failed politicians who
have repeatedly bungled efforts to put their
poorly-written efforts to gut retirement security
for millions of Californians on the ballot. They
can be assured that any scheme they cook up
for 2018 will meet the same fate of their
previous efforts because we will fight it with our
full arsenal.”
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(Some information is from an article on January
19, 2016 by Kyle Glazier in the Bond Buyer)
Inside this issue:
Director’s Message
District B News
Stop the TPP
Sheriff’s IRS Fraud Alert
Death with Dignity Law
News You Can Use
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Director’s Message…
Happy New Year Everyone!
Wow! It’s already February.
Since only two members responded out of 150+
postcards mailed, we won’t be offering a handson training at our luncheons.
I chose not to run for District B Director again.
I’m actually taking a break to enjoy my
retirement more. The Director position will be
filled by appointment by CSEA Association
President Michael Bilbrey. See page 3 for more
information.
District B emails a quarterly newsletter to
members. Due to cost constraints, our
newsletter is printed only once a year and
mailed to members without an email address.
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District B Annual Meeting/Luncheons
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We have a busy year ahead of us, most
councils have meetings scheduled for the next
few months. Please send council meeting dates
to Nancy Malcolm
([email protected]) to add to our
CSEA District B Website.
Thursday, April 21, 2016 11am-3pm
Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center,
Rohnert Park - $16.00 per person
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Speakers:
Michael Bilbrey, CSEA Association President
Rob Feckner, CalPers Board President
Debb Jachens, Member Benefits Coordinator
Karen Mazzelli, CSEA Staff Attorney
Frank Polito, CSEA Director of Communications
Nan Brasmer, CARA Board President
Many councils are having guest speakers
present information to their members. I’m
compiling a list of speakers/organization
information that would benefit members. I hope
to have this list available for council presidents
by the end of February. If you have
suggestions, please send them to me at
[email protected].
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Thursday, April 28, 2016 11am-3pm
Oriental Buffet, Arcata - $12.00 per person
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Councils should be reviewing their council
Constitution and Bylaws during February/
March/April meetings. If a council is considering
any changes, there needs to be a first reading.
A second reading and vote on the proposed
changes happens at the next council meeting.
Councils that don’t have a Constitution and
Bylaws will receive a generic copy from me to
be completed at a council meeting. Remember,
the final copy must be sent to me with a copy of
your council minutes showing approval.
Speakers:
Michael Bilbrey, CSEA State President &
CalPers Board Member
Karen Mazzelli, CSEA Staff Attorney
Frank Polito, CSEA Director of Communications
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You can contact me with any questions,
concerns, information, suggestions, etc.
I’m just an email [email protected] or
phone call away (707-631-1670).
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A postcard survey was mailed out to all District
B members who do not have an email address
on file with CSEA. Questions included interest
in creating an email address for CSEA,
accessing the CSEA, MyCalPERs, and
MySocialSecurity websites.
Let’s make 2016 an informative, fun, exciting
year!
…Roxie Allen
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District B News…
Wanted: District B Director
includes what’s up in other councils, providing
ideas for speakers, supporting members and
being a voice for council members at RUEB
meetings and other conferences.
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As some of you
know, I chose not
to run for the
District B Director
position again.
I’m taking a
break to actually
enjoy my
retirement. My
term in office
ends at the close of Conference on August 4,
2016.
!
The Retiree Unit Executive Board meets 5-6
times a year (September, November, January,
March, May, July). These meetings are held in
different areas of the state and last 2-3 days.
!
On a rotating basis Directors attend additional
conferences (CCS, CARA, ARA). We also attend
(on a rotating basis) CalPERS meetings, CSEA
State Board meetings and the CSEA Leadership
Initiative.
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!
Since no one else filed to run, the position will be
filled by appointment by CSEA Association
President Michael Bilbrey.
The best part of this job is the members. I have
met and made many new friends. I’ve enjoyed
every trip I have made to all council meetings.
I’ve learned some short cuts and some not-soshort cuts to get to different locations in our
District. I think that District B has the best
members in the State!
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Some of you have asked, “What do you do?”
Here’s my version of the job description.
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First, I suggest you read Policy 508.5, which you
can access on at www.CSEA.com/member
resources/policy handbook.
If you want additional information on the
responsibilities of the District B Director, please
give me a call at 707-631-1670. Remember if
nothing else, you will meet and make new
friends, see beautiful scenery and lots of critters!
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District B covers six councils from the Golden
Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. The six
councils are:
• Marin Council 5013
• Sonoma Council 5014
• Napa/Solano Council 5029
• Men/Lake Council 5020
• Humboldt council 5040
• Redwood Coast (Crescent City) Council 5011
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Please email ([email protected]) or call
President Bilbrey (408-433-1260) if you are
interested in the District B Director position.
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Each council holds a minimum of four meetings
per year (CSEA Constitution & Bylaws, Article
XIII, Section 7). Some councils have chosen to
hold more. As District Director, I attend the
majority of these council meetings.
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A huge part of this position is keeping members
informed about what’s happening in CSEA that
relates to retirees, as well active members. That
3
….Roxie Allen
District B News…continued
And the Granny Grant winner
from Council 5013 is… Jacey
Schram!
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Congratulations to
Marge Schram’s
granddaughter, Jacey,
receiving a $150 check
from RUEB and $62
cash from Council 5013
funds.
Marge Schram
receives the Granny
Grant RUEB
certificate for Jacey
from Council 5013
President Nancy
Malcolm.
CSEA Life Member
Leona Hatt passed
at the age of 91. Her
husband Steve
preceded her in
death 5 years ago.
They had no
children.
She and her husband
Steve spent countless
hours on his various campaigns.
!
Former staff member Suzanne Cassell worked
closely with Leona when she served as a
Regional Representative for Region 24. She
remembers Leona as a tireless CSEA activist
religiously holding her monthly RPMs for more
than 25 years. She was always available to
assist chapters and staff when needed.
Leona was awarded Life Membership in 1990.
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Leona will be greatly missed, but her memory
will live on because of her dedicated
involvement in CSEA.
4
Stop the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)
It’s a bad deal for seniors, people with disabilities, and Medicare!
I (Nancy Malcolm) found out about the Trans
Pacific Partnership (TPP) when I attended the
Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) Legislative
Convention in Washington, D.C. last July as a
delegate of CSEA.
TPP jeopardizes the government’s ability to list
and price prescription drugs in public programs,
like Medicare, which millions of seniors and
disabled people rely on. Foreign corporations
will be able to challenge Medicare if drug proving
affects their profits.
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I’ve been involved with CARA, the official
California state affiliate of the Alliance for Retired
Americans. Find out more about CARA at
www.californiaalliance.org. I attend monthly
meetings in San Rafael at the Northgate Mall
Board Room the first Tuesday of each month.
TPP could tie the hands of future Congresses to
negotiate drug process under Medicare or enact
a Medicare drug rebate program, which would
save Medicare $121 billion over 10 years.
The TPP would expand the same failed free
trade policies to 12 other nations that have
already cost millions of jobs and shuttered tens
of thousands of factories across the US.
The TPP follows in the footsteps of other
unfettered free trade agreements like NAFTA
and CAFTA that have been supported by
corporate America and have cost America
millions of decent-paying jobs.
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The United States has
concluded negotiations on the
TPP trade deal, and on
November 5, 2015, President
Obama released the text of the
agreement. This started a 90day period for public review
before Congress can vote on this deal.
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Virtually every major union and environmental
organization in the US is against the deal. Major
religious groups are as well because they know
what it could mean for some of the poorest
people on the planet.
The agreement contains various provisions that
could affect drug prices for all Americans,
including seniors. These provisions would block
patent reform and jeopardize the government’s
ability to negotiate lower prices for drugs in
public programs like Medicare.
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Wall Street, corporate America and their
representatives in Congress will try to pass this
bad trade deal. This is our chance to make our
voices heard. Contact your local
Congressperson and urge them to vote NO on
the TPP. Call the Capitol Switchboard by using
this toll free number: 877-762-8762.
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The TPP contains a lengthy patent exclusivity
period for certain types of drugs including
special drugs used to treat cancer and arthritis.
This makes it more difficult for other companies
to manufacture the cheaper generic versions of
the drugs leading to higher costs for everyone.
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This is about the needs of the American people.
We need a new approach to trade in this country
- one that benefits working families and not just
the CEOs of multinational corporations.
The TPP gives multinational corporations the
ability to challenge laws passed in the US that
could negatively imp ace their “expected future
profits.” Example: a French waste management
firm suing Egypt for $1000 million for increasing
the minimum wage and improving labor laws.
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Let’s Get Moving is created quarterly
by Editor Nancy Malcolm and
District B Director Roxie Allen
to keep District B Retirees informed
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Phony "IRS agents" have been busy calling
residents with bogus stories about delinquent
taxes, imminent arrests & deportations, and
other false claims. !
• If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no
reason to think that you owe any taxes, call
and report the incident to the Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration at
1.800.366.4484.!
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“These scams are being seen in every part of
the country, and we urge people not to be
deceived by these threatening phone calls,” IRS
Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have
formal processes in place for people with tax
issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and
these angry, shake-down calls are not how we
do business.”
• You can file a complaint using the FTC
Complaint Assistant: choose “Other” and then
“Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves
someone impersonating the IRS, include the
words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.!
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Taxpayers should be aware that there are other
unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief)
that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.!
The IRS always sends a taxpayer !
a written notification of any tax due !
via the U.S. mail.
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The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant
against phone and email scams that use the
IRS as a lure. !
The IRS never asks for credit card, debit card
or prepaid card information over the telephone.
For more information or to report a scam, go to
www.irs.gov and type "scam" in the search box.!
Potential victims are threatened with deportation, arrest, having their utilities shut off, or
having their driver’s licenses revoked. Callers
are frequently insulting or hostile - apparently to
scare their potential victims.!
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The IRS does NOT initiate contact with
taxpayers by email to request personal or
financial information. This includes any type of
electronic communication, such as text
messages and social media channels. !
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The IRS also does NOT ask for PINs,
passwords or similar confidential access
information for credit card, bank or other
financial accounts. !
Potential victims may be told they are entitled to
big refunds, or that they owe money that must
be paid immediately to the IRS. When
unsuccessful the first time, sometimes phone
scammers call back trying a new strategy.!
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Recipients should NOT open any attachments
or click on any links contained in the message.
Instead, forward the email to [email protected].!
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If you get a phone call from someone claiming
to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:!
! If you know you owe taxes or you think you
•
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More information on how to report phishing
scams involving the IRS is available on the
genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.!
might owe taxes, call the IRS at
1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that
line can help you with a payment issue, if
there really is such an issue.!
6
California Passes Death-With-Dignity Law
On October 5, 2015, California became the fifth
state to allow terminally ill patients to end their
lives using doctor-prescribed drugs when
Governor Jerry Brown signed a controversial bill
that was pushed through the state legislature
during a special session.
Weeks after its defeat, the measure was brought
back to the state legislature as part of a special
session intended to address funding shortfalls for
the state’s health insurance program for the poor.
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The law includes safeguards to protect patients
against forced death. They must be able to take
the medication themselves, with the approval of
two doctors and after several written requests. The
law also requires two witnesses to the death, only
one of whom can be a relative.
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In a letter to lawmakers, Brown said he considered
arguments from both sides, and consulted a
Catholic bishop, two of his doctors, friends and
former classmates. And he tried to put himself in
terminal patients’ place.
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This article is by Jon Schuppe and Associated
Press and originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
“I do not know what I would do if I were dying in
prolonged and excruciating pain,” Brown wrote. “I
am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to
be able to consider the options afforded by this
bill. And I wouldn’t deny that right to others.”
Lost your Medicare card?
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Social Security is
excited to offer another
convenient online
service that you can use
with your my Social
Security account.
Previous versions of the bill had failed despite
lobbying from the mother of Brittany Maynard, a
29-year-old California woman with brain cancer
who moved to Oregon to end her life and
campaigned for more lenient right-to-die laws.
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In a video recorded days before Maynard took lifeending drugs, she said no one should have to
leave home to legally kill themselves under the
care of a doctor. Her mother, Maynard’s mother,
Debbie Ziegler, testified in committee hearings,
carrying with her a large picture of her daughter.
If you are a Medicare
beneficiary and you have lost, damaged, or need
to replace your Medicare card, you can now easily
order a replacement Medicare card using your
online my Social Security account.
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Even if you are not currently a Medicare
beneficiary, please share this news with family and
friends who might benefit from this new service.
If you are still working, don’t forget to use your my
Social Security account to view your yearly Social
Security Statement and verify the accuracy of your
earnings record and obtain updated estimates of
your future Social Security benefits.
Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana have
preceded California in allowing doctors to
prescribe life-ending drugs. Two dozen or so other
states have introduced similar measures this year,
but California is the only state where one passed.
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Opponents, including religious groups and
advocates for people with disabilities said the
measure legalized premature suicide, defying the
will of God and putting terminally ill patients at risk
of forced death.
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Getting a Medicare replacement card is another
convenient service that is only a few minutes away
with your my Social Security account. Help us
spread the word about the many benefits available
with a my Social Security account at
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
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Supporters argued that the new law applied only
to people who were terminally ill and were not
depressed or mentally impaired.
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Join the Retiree Unit!
RUEB President
Ron Duva says,
“Tell your friends
to join the
Retiree Unit!”
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The CSEA Retiree Unit
continues to grow due to retirees speaking with
their retired coworkers about joining the unit.
Anyone who is retiring and wants to keep all
CSEA benefits needs to sign up for the Retiree
Unit. Benefits include discounts for movie
tickets, aquariums, amusement parks, candy,
adventure shows, zoos, and more!
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Call 866-487-2732 to request an application or
you can download it from www.csea.com. It only
costs $3 per month to retain access to all
benefits.
Member Benefits = Savings!
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CSEA has discount tickets for movies,
aquariums, amusement parks, candy, adventure
shows, food, zoos and more.
!
The most convenient way to purchase tickets is
through the CSEA store at www.csea.com/store,
or by phone with your credit card at
866-487-2732.
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You can also obtain one-on-one Medicare
assistance/counseling from Debra Hoffman at
United Insurance Partners (UIP) 800-707-2360.
This service is available to both active and
retired
members.
There is NO
CHARGE for
this service!
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California School Employees Association
2045 Lundy Avenue
San Jose, CA 95131