City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
February 10, 2023
General Meeting Minutes
Vice-President for Advocacy Mike Bresnahan welcomed members. He gave an update on REA’s Image Enhancement Initiative and made two announcements: That REA’s membership has reached an all-time high of 1754, and that the March 8 tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden was sold out.
Jessica Taylor of SDCERS reported that all 1099 forms have been mailed out and members should have received them; they can also be downloaded from the SDCERS webpage. She also reported that all voting material for the vacant retiree representative seat on the SDCERS Board have been mailed out. It is important to keep the letter, as there is a unique validation number on each letter that is required in order to vote.
PROGRAM
The program was Efren Lopez of the SD County Water Authority who apprised REA members of the status of water supplies in the region. He informed members that the Authority consists of 24 water agencies throughout the county, representing 3.3 million users, and that 65% of water usage in the County is residential. With regard to the drought, he stated that San Diego has been planning for drought conditions for 30 years, engaging in water conservation efforts that showed a 40% drop in water use since 1996 despite population growth. Nevertheless, we still need to conserve water despite recent increases in precipitation and statewide snowpack levels. He informed members that speakers from the Authority are available to address water conservation issues with HOAs and other groups, and that information is also available at www.WaterSmartSD.org.
The presentation is available for view at REA’s website.