ACERA’s Office Remains Closed, With Expanded Phone Hours
ACERA’s office remains closed to the public in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Phone Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Email Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm send us an email here
Office Hours: Office is closed to visitors
Ready-to-Retire Counseling Appointments: Schedule one here
Explanation of California’s Supreme Court Decision in 2012 “Vested Rights” Lawsuit
On Thursday, the California Supreme Court published a decision in litigation that started in 2012 over changes to the state pension law affecting “legacy members” of ACERA and two other county retirement systems.
Legacy members generally are those who have entry dates into ACERA membership prior to January 1, 2013, which was the effective date of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). This case relates only to legacy members who retired on or after January 1, 2013.
California’s Supreme Court Published a Decision Today in 2012 “Vested Rights” Lawsuit
The decision has been published by the California Supreme Court in litigation that started in 2012 over changes to the state pension law affecting “legacy members” of ACERA and two other county retirement systems.
Legacy members generally are those who have entry dates into ACERA membership prior to January 1, 2013, which was the effective date of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). This lawsuit relates only to legacy members who retired on or after January 1, 2013.
Announcing ACERA’s New Website
We are excited to announce ACERA’s new website! We’ve redesigned it so users across all devices will get a similar experience. We’ve also spent a lot of time streamlining information and trying to make things easy to find.
Note: ACERA’s website isn’t supported on Internet Explorer, which is a discontinued web browser. Please use Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Google Chrome. Download Chrome for free.
California’s Supreme Court Heard Oral Arguments Today in 2012 “Vested Rights” Lawsuit
On May 5, 2020, California’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments in litigation that started in 2012 over changes to the state pension law affecting “legacy members” of ACERA and two other county retirement systems. Legacy members generally are those who have entry dates into ACERA membership prior to January 1, 2013, which was the effective date of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). This lawsuit relates only to legacy members who retired on or after January 1, 2013.
New Limited Phone Hours
Due to limited staff resources during the public health order, ACERA is taking calls during the limited hours of 8:30 am – 5 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Outside of those hours, you may leave a voicemail or email us. We will do our best to respond within one business day.
Phone Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30am – 5:00pm
Email Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm
Office Hours: Office is closed to visitors
Information for Retirees Considering Returning to Work in Critical Positions for Alameda County, Alameda Health System, or Other ACERA Participating Employers
UPDATE 8/18/2021: Governor Newsom has suspended by executive order and until further notice, the restriction on retired annuitants working more than 960 hours per fiscal year for one of ACERA’s participating employers. Please review the current restrictions and duration limits on our Working After Retirement page.
A Message From CEO Dave Nelsen
ACERA Members and Employers,
As the world confronts the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), I wanted to update you on how ACERA is responding. I also wanted to address the impact COVID-19 has had on the economy and on ACERA’s investment portfolio—and reassure you that your retirement benefits are safe.
A Message to Members Regarding the Recent Financial Market Activity
Recent events, including the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, have caused a downturn in financial markets. ACERA would like to reassure our members that your benefits are secure and are guaranteed by California state law. Your lifetime retirement allowance is not tied to investment returns, but is calculated based upon your years of service and salary. At ACERA, we invest for the long term, and anticipate that our returns may fluctuate from year to year. However, it’s our long term average earnings that drive the funding of the plan.
ACERA Is Monitoring the COVID-19 Coronavirus Situation
ACERA is monitoring the COVID-19 coronavirus situation. Our offices currently remain open, though in order to practice the social distancing that health officials are recommending, we ask you to limit visits to ACERA to only those that are absolutely necessary. We are happy to assist you via phone or email—see below.
We ask that if you are ill and/or have a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, that you reschedule your visit to ACERA. We recommend you stay home, self-quarantine, and contact your healthcare provider for advice and for testing for COVID-19 infection.
March 12 Medicare Transition Seminar Cancelled
The County has issued guidelines for mass gatherings in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and is recommending cancelling small events where possible. As such, ACERA has cancelled the March 12 Medicare Transition Seminar in order to reduce coronavirus risk for our members.
You can view the seminar PowerPoint presentation here:
ACERA Medicare Transition Seminar Presentation
Additionally, ACERA will offer a video recording of the seminar by the end of the week. Check this page for updates.
ACERA 1099-Rs Will Be Mailed in January 2020
Update: 1099-Rs mailed on January 23, 2020.
Members in retired status, as well as survivors of ACERA members, will receive their 1099-Rs in January. ACERA reports income to payees on IRS form 1099-R. The 1099-R forms for 2019 will be mailed to all payees no later than January 31, 2020. Form 1099-R should be filed with your 2019 tax return.
How Your Contribution Rates (and Your Employer’s) Changed For This Year
Each year, ACERA’s actuary calculates the contribution rates that employees and employers must contribute to ACERA’s fund by law in order for us to have enough funds to pay out all the benefits we owe to current retirees, future retirees, and other qualified recipients like beneficiaries.
We’ve received a few questions about contributions recently, so here are some answers to common questions about the retirement fund contributions.
2019 ACERA Board Election Results
The Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association held an election from November 14, 2019 through December 18, 2019 for three seats on the ACERA Board of Retirement for the calendar years 2020 through 2022:
- THIRD MEMBER representing the General Members,
- SEVENTH MEMBER and ALTERNATE SEVENTH MEMBER representing the Safety Members,
Votes for the Board of Retirement election were counted on December 19, 2019 at the Registrar of Voters (ROV) office.
ACERA and the Potential PG&E Shutoff Advisory
Mon 10/28/2019 4:57 PM
ACERA continues to plan to be open during its regular business hours.
Fri 10/25/2019 3:07 PM
PG&E has planned an emergency public safety power shutoff starting Saturday, October 26 at 5 pm to preemptively mitigate wildfire risks. This shutoff could affect approximately 57,000 customers across the Bay Area.
ACERA and the Potential PG&E Shutoff Advisory
Fri 10/11/19 11:32 AM
ACERA is open during regular business hours.
Thu 10/10/19 8:33 AM
ACERA is open during regular business hours.
Wed 10/9/2019 9:43 PM
PG&E has created an alternate website for shutoff news, which includes a potential outage map. ACERA’s office building is not within the outage zone, so we’re anticipating being open on Thursday.
A Postcard With Incorrect Last Names Went Out to ACERA Members
A postcard advertising our Summer 2019 Retiree Lake Merritt Wellness Walk was mailed this week to local addresses, and the address file we used contained an error. The error resulted in the postcards going to the correct addresses with the correct first names, but the last names are all printed incorrectly on the postcards because they got shifted in the address file that the printer used.
Notice of Election 2019 For ACERA Board of Retirement
Voting Begins
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Your ballot will arrive by mail
Voting Ends
Return your signed ballot to the Registrar of Voters no later than
Wednesday, December 18 at 5:00 p.m. PST
for your vote to be counted.
Notice of Election
An election will be held from NOVEMBER 14, 2019 through DECEMBER 18, 2019 to elect the
California Supreme Court Issues Decision In Cal Fire Pension Case
The California Supreme Court issued a decision this week in the Cal Fire case which ACERA has been following closely.