City of San Diego Retired Employees Association
July 13, 2021
General Meeting Minutes
Meeting held via Zoom
President Dick Wilken greeted attendees and reminded them that the meeting was being recorded and would be posted on our YouTube channel. The minutes of the May 2021 meeting were approved.
Dick reported that over 1000 people attended the virtual Health Fair and that at least 50 people joined REA as a result of our flyer being included in SDCERS’ health care mailer. Also, new City hires are now a part of SDCERS; the stakeholders are working on accommodating the 5000+ employees who were hired under Prop B.
He also reported that the Board is planning for when we can begin holding in-person meetings. The Board – based, in part, on a survey of members – decided that attendees at any in-person events must be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Advocacy Committee will look into the options for our catered luncheons.
Cynthia Queen of SDCERS reported that there are several new Board members, including the daughter of retiree Mary Bush! Recent returns on investments are around 20%, and the City, Port District, and Airport Authority all made their full contributions to the system. Finally, she apologized for the glitch that caused REA dues to not be deducted from members’ pension checks; a postcard explaining the situation and its resolution will be mailed to all members.
PROGRAM
The program was Brian Schimpf, a docent at the USS Midway Museum. He gave a history of the ship, noting that it never saw action in WW2, and that when fully operational the ship had 4500 crewmembers (2500 of whom were support staff) and the galley served 13,000 meals daily. Schimpf explained design changes to the flight deck to accommodate jets, gave a history of the Battle of Midway, and told how the USS Midway became one of San Diego’s biggest tourist attractions.