City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
February Meeting Minutes by Treasurer Brad Jacobsen
President Mike Bresnahan reminded attendees to pay attention to the Zoo’s parking regulations – not the City’s – because we are using the Zoo’s parking lot to attend meetings at the War Memorial Building. He reported that the Board is monitoring developments around paid parking in Balboa Park, and that we will continue to meet there for the near future.
Mike informed attendees that representatives from SDPEBA will be present at future meetings to answer questions about benefits that SDPEBA offers. He also informed attendees that the REA Board will be conducting a member survey by email.
Natasha Collura of SDCERS reported that SDCERS is migrating its email address from.ORG to .GOV.
PROGRAM
The program was Steve Thomas, who gave a presentation on the electrical power grid. He began with a history of the 1890s battle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison over whether AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current) was preferable and that Westinghouse’s AC won. He pointed out that in the 21st century, DC is favored by electronic devices.
He also spoke about alternative energy sources and the impacts of hybrid and all-electric vehicles on state gas-tax revenues.