Carmen Guerrero

Presentation to BOT by Paulette Johnson

Presentation to the VCCCD Board of Trustees
November 12, 2019

I’m Paulette Freedenberg Johnson and I worked at Ventura College for over 27 years. I’m not speaking for the Retiree exec (even though I know them pretty well), but as someone who communicates with many of the 700 retirees every day and hear how they feel about what you are doing here.

My goal is to represent them and make it clear that the retirees DO NOT support a change to CalPERS, and here’s why:

We know what’s in every contract since the first contract. There is someone in our group who served on every negotiation team…on both sides. Our group has a collective memory that you could never have, with membership that includes Chancellors, all Presidents, every manager, and every person who ever worked and retired from the District.

Do you think we have forgotten what we agreed to? What YOU agreed to?

We know more than you do right now…..because we’ve done the research and you haven’t. We know how all of your proposed plans compare to our existing ones and how and why they fall short.We know what other college districts think of CalPERS because we called them. We know the operational and financial weaknesses of CalPERS. We know why so many Districts are trying to get out of their contracts…..and how much it is costing them to do so. We know that the savings they promise disappear in practice….how Districts have to hire extra staff because CalPERS provides no access or support.

We know that it will cost you MORE to be with CalPERS and why. Do you?

We believe in our contract rights and the 2010 agreement and we are willing to go to the mat to protect them.

We have no problem opposing you with legal action if you do not honor your legal agreements with us. You cannot REWRITE our agreement….you cannot rewrite history.

You should not underestimate who you are dealing with:We are professionals, with experience, institutional knowledge, and deep connections in this community and throughout the entire state.

We know how to use media, news outlets, and the internet to bring our concerns to the public if we need to.

We have fought to earn our rights before, have put everything on the line for our contracts every single negotiation, and have been willing to take a stand when we need to. Fighting for our rights is a skill we forged our entire careers and we haven’t forgotten how to do it now.

Conclusion:

So what I’m telling you here is that we, all 700 of us, will oppose what you are trying to do here. We do not trust CalPERS and you shouldn’t either.

You would be wise to give us the opportunity to show you how this decision will be costly to the District in ways you apparently haven’t already discovered for yourself.

We are willing to help you understand what you’re getting all of us into. If you choose to ignore this offer, if you do not honor your agreements and contracts with the retirees, you will energize and mobilize 700 people against what you have done.

Paulette Freedenberg Johnson

Frank Bianchino’s Passing

With sadness, the VCCCDRA recently learned of the passing on October 6, 2019 of Frank Bianchino. Frank was a counselor and psychology professor at Moorpark College. He joined the college in 1977. Frank graduated with a bachelor of arts from St Francis College; a master of science from St John’s University, and a Ph.D. from U.S. International University. In the Fall 1995 term, a Viet Nam War class was team taught by Frank, Dan Brown, and Hugo Ekback that was featured in the L.A. Times article of August 26, 1995. The referenced article is archived and the web address cannot be shared, however you can search for it thru Google.

Please click the Funeral Program from the Mass of Christian Burial to view.

Retiree Benefits Committee Needs YOUR Feedback

Retiree Benefits Committee needs your feedback to protect our medical benefits ASAP

As you know, the District is attempting to change our medical benefits coverage. The Retiree Benefits Committee has spent weeks comparing the proposed plans to our existing coverage, and we have many serious concerns.

Please help us by going to the link below and checking if the medications you take or have taken are covered under the proposed plans.

Here’s how to do it:

Go to this link: https://www.optumrx.com/oe_calpers/prescription-drug-list

Choose a plan:
Click on the blue down arrow. Choose either:

PERS Select/Choice/Care PPO–Basic:
Retired, under 65
Retired, over 65, and have NO Medicare or Medicare A only OR
PERS Select/Choice/Care PPO-Medicare
Retired, over 65, and have Medicare A & B

Enter the drug name and see if your drug is there

Click on “Prescription drug list” at the top of the screen to return to the drug search page and look for a new drug

Send us an email at vcccdra@gmail.com and let us know either “they’re all there” or give us a list of missing medications.

Dorothy Mills’ Passing

With sadness, the VCCCDRA recently learned of the passing on January 22, 2019, of Dorothy Alice Johanson Mills. Dorothy worked at Moorpark College and Ventura College. She also enrolled at VC and took classes that lead to an AA degree in 1997.

Dorothy was very involved in Eastern Star being a member of both the Oxnard and Ventura chapters. She served as California deputy Grand matron in 1997. She also was part of the Red Hat Society.

Please use this link to read her complete obituary.

To return to the VCCCDRA website, click here.

The VCCCDRA Sponsored Don B. Medley Scholarship has been Established!

On Monday, October 14, 2019, Rene Rodriguez and Pat Gage, VCCCDRA’s President and Treasurer respectively, delivered a check to the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) in the amount of $20,500.00 towards the establishment of the VCCCDRA Sponsored Don B. Medley Scholarship. Combining this check with the $3,000 previously received directly by the VCCF from three VCCCDRA contributors, will bring the total amount for the scholarship to $23,500. This is enough to establish a $1,100 annually endowed scholarship beginning in June 2020. (The original goal was to obtain sufficient donations to establish a $500 annual scholarship.)

In addition, a password protected flash drive was also delivered. This flash drive contains the names of the 258 contributors with the amount each contributed and their home addresses in an Excel file, totaling the check amount of $20,500. The understanding is that this list will be used to send out a letter to each contributor for tax purposes. Each individual contribution is considered to be confidential information and only Rene Rodriguez and Pat Gage are privy to this information for accounting purposes.

Rene expressed his gratitude to Jim Rivera, Chief Compliance Officer, VCCF, for his help and the smooth transition that he has provided the VCCCDRA to get this scholarship established through the VCCF.

Pat Gage will be the primary liaison with the VCCF for any future contributions to the scholarship fund. Rene will continue serving as liaison to the VCCF on matters other than contributions until further notice from him or the VCCCDRA Exec Board.

Congratulations to the 258 founding contributors of the VCCCDRA Sponsored Don B. Medley Scholarship.

Rene Rodriguez’ Presentation to the Board of Trustees, Oct 8, 2019

Presentation to the Board of Trustees
By Rene G. Rodriguez, President,
Ventura County Community College
District Retirees’ Association
October 8, 2019

First, I would like to personally thank Board Chair Dianne McKay, Trustee Bernardo Perez, and Trustee Josh Chancer, with whom we have had a chance to meet, on a one to one basis, allowing us to voice the particular concerns that we have found to date with the CalPERS plans, as well as the CalPERS organization.
We look forward to meeting with Trustee Larry Kennedy, and Trustee Gabriela Torres, on a one to one basis, as soon as we can arrange a meeting, to bring them up to date on our current assessment of the District’s proposal.
I PARTICULARY wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Board, having recently learned that the Board plans to slow the process down
- To give all concerned the time to review, more adequately, the CalPERS plans, as well as the CalPERS organization.
- This will also give the Board, and the District Benefits Committees, an opportunity to explore other options, other than CalPERS, that will help the Board achieve its financial objectives, as well as maintaining its contractual obligations to retirees.
- Perhaps the Board can also look into why 30 school districts, city and county governments, have left the CalPERS insurance program over the past 3 years.
I would like to remind the Board, that during the many years that retirees were active employees, exercising their responsibilities as faculty members, classified employees and managers, that they often were willing to forego salary increases, sometimes over long periods of time, to make certain that we kept in place the quality healthcare program that we have enjoyed from the very beginning until the present time.
The meeting that the Chancellor had with the Retirees’ Association Executive Board on September 25, demonstrated to us, that the only way the plan being offered to retirees, the PERS Choice Supplemental Plan, can come up to the standard of healthcare insurance that we have now, is to buttress it up with promises of a short term reimbursement program. There is no time now to explain all the shortcomings of this band aid approach to our healthcare benefits.
For now, let me say that the Retirees’ Association looks forward to a fruitful dialogue with the District regarding our future healthcare benefits. Thank you.

To visit the VCCCDRA website, click here.

REMINDER: Retiree BBQ Beach Party, Tuesday, Oct 1st

From Marie Soo Hoo

DON’T FORGET the VCCCDRA BBQ/Beach Party on Tuesday, October 1. Click here to see attached flyer for details. IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT IN YOUR CHECKS YOU CAN PAY AT THE DOOR.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are needed to assist at our check-in tables, with the sale of raffle tickets & sales of tickets for drinks that are not included with meals. Any one able to assist with setup around 10 a.m. that morning is more than welcome!

Hope to see all of you there!.

Marie Soo Hoo

UPDATE FOR DUAL COVERAGE RETIREES

From Gary Johnson, Chair of the VCCCDRA Benefits Committee

On Wednesday, September 25, 2019, the Chancellor and Katy Lyon (District Benefits Analyst) came to our Executive Board Meeting to discuss and clarify District proposed changes to our benefits. We discussed the issue of Dual Coverage Benefit changes, and the Chancellor clarified as follows:

Both persons will be able to retain their own separate memberships if they choose (a departure from our previous understanding).
Couples will not be able to have primary and secondary coverage on each person’s benefit plan (as we now have), because proposed plans do not allow for coordination of benefits.

Although it is good news to hear that our individual benefit rights will be maintained, loss of coordinated benefits could result in substantial financial impact for Dual Coverage retirees.

We will continue to raise this issue with the District and secure written commitment to item l), and challenge or find a viable alternative to the loss of coordinated benefits as in item 2).

REMINDER: Please provide your information as requested in the post of September 24, 2019. Use this link to read that particular post.

Contribution Form, Don B. Medley Scholarship

This is the LINK for the contribution form.

From Rene Rodriguez, President, VCCCDRA

SUBJECT: Last Call for Those Wishing to Make a Contribution to Become a Founding Member of the Don B. Medley Scholarship

Dear VCCCDRA Retirees,

In mid-October, circa October 15, we will be writing a check to the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) for all receipts of contributions made by retirees for the VCCCDRA Sponsored Don B. Medley Scholarship.

This is one last call for those wishing to make a contribution to become a founding member of this scholarship. (Please use the link for the contribution form provided at the beginning of this post.)

From the reports that Jim Rivera from the VCCF has made to me of contributions made directly to the VCCF combined with the contributions that I have received todate, the total amount is enough now to establish a $1,000 annually endowed scholarship. Please note that all contributors will be receiving a letter directly from the VCCF from information that I will be providing to Jim, acknowledging a retiree’s contribution for tax purposes.

I am humbled by the generosity of fellow retirees and how quickly we were able to raise the necessary funds, actually doubling the amount of our original goal. Almost half of the retirees contacted have made a contribution, and the contribution amounts have varied from $20 to $5,000 (neither is a typo). This just exemplifies that those who contributed gave what they could.

My sincerest congratulations to all retirees who have been able to make a contribution for your grandiose support of the VCCCDRA’s first scholarship.

Rene G. Rodriguez
President, VCCCDRA

Rene Rodriguez’ Presentation to the Board of Trustees, Sept 19, 2019

Regarding the Proposed CalPERS Choice Supplemental Plan for Retirees

My name is Rene Rodriguez, president of the Ventura County Community College District Retiree’s Association.

I understand that the Board has called this emergency meeting to decide on whether to declare an impasse in negotiations with the AFT.

This seems quite abrupt to retirees, since the Exec Board of the retirees only first met with the Chancellor on the subject of healthcare on July 15, or about two months ago. We considered that meeting an informational meeting on a proposal that the Chancellor was favoring involving CalPERS.

However, on September 5, just 14 days ago, retirees received an email from the Chancellor, stating more definitely, that the District was proposing entering into an agreement with CalPERS to purchase medical benefits in July of 2020. And through this same email, we learned that this change would require

that all Medicare eligible Tier I and Tier II retirees enroll in Medicare parts A and B, and
that retirees would be covered by a CalPERS Medicare Supplement Plan.

The leadership of the Retirees’ Association requested information regarding CalPERS, before it could adequately notify retirees about what this proposal was about, and we never received all of the requested information, even though the Chancellor promised it to us.

The Board of Trustees cannot possibly agree that retirees have had adequate time to study and digest a major change in their health benefits, particularly when not all the requested materials have been provided to give the Retirees’ Association leadership adequate time to inform the general membership about this impending change.

However, the Retirees’ Association leadership has learned enough from the materials received thus far, that a change to CalPERS would necessitate the District to breach contract and settlement agreement language, namely,

If the District tries to force Tier I retirees to accept a supplemental plan and NOT the same plan as active employees, and
If the District tries to force Tier I retirees to enroll in Medicare when they are not required to do so.

Retirees were once the exceptional employees that you have come to expect of all faculty, classified and administrative staff, who have helped make the three colleges and this District the premier institutions that they are today. We deserve the same consideration now, as retirees, that the Board once accorded us as active employees.

Thank you.