Advocacy
California State Retirees has 90 years of experience representing the interests of state retirees. CSEA established the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) in 1931. Protecting the rights and benefits of retired state employees is our top priority. We strongly oppose legislation that threatens to undermine the extremely successful CalPERS system. We work with a highly influential and educated team to protect the rights of State Retirees.
Activities
Find a local chapter near you and start enjoying your retirement while staying connected to the issues that affect retirees. Our members are also active in their own communities. They participate in food drives, give student scholarships, work with charities, attend seasonal parties and so much more. Make a difference after retirement while having fun! Your peers are your best resource. Join us!
Member Benefits
Membership has its perks. Only our members are eligible for discount programs, ranging from recreational activities to legal services. You can even keep your CSEA life insurance and have your premiums deducted through your CalPERS pay warrant. If you are not a CSR member you are at risk of losing your benefits. Visit Member Benefits for details.
CSR Newspaper
The California State Retiree provides valuable information about issues affecting your pension and benefits and creates a sense of community for state retirees all over the state. Find out about services for retirees, read feature stories about other retirees like you, get a list of your chapter’s meetings to hear interesting guest speakers, find out about possible changes to your pension, medical benefits, pensions, partake in social activities, and be provided a low-cost lunch!
We take action and are your voice in the Legislature
California State Retirees (CSR) sponsor and support legislation that improves and protects the pensions and health benefits of retired state employees, without takeaways. We also rally against state ballot measures that are not in the best interest of our members. Join us for Lobby Day! The goal for Lobby Day is for you to unite with other CSR members and educate your legislators about the issues that affect your careers. We need to show up in more numbers than ever before to convey to lawmakers, the media, and the general public that we want our pensions and health care benefits to remain protected!
What we've accomplished:
- Helped pass AB 824, authored by Assembly Member Jim Wood. AB 824 makes it illegal for drug companies to engage in the practice of "pay for delay," where drug manufacturers pay generic drug makers to delay the introduction of lower-price medications. CSR featured AB 824 as a 2019 Lobby Day priority and urged members of the State Legislature to support this important bill to help address the drug cost crisis.
- Continually educate policy makers about our issues.
- Provide individual advocacy and assist members in reaching successful resolution of issues pertaining to pension and health benefits.
- Consistently serve as retiree representatives at monthly CalPERS Board and committee meetings, pivoting to virtual representation during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the retiree voice is heard.
- Helped to pass Proposition 162, the Pension CalPERS fund.
- Obtained a comprehensive vision plan for state retirees following an 18-year struggle. AB 2242 by Assemblymember, Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, established a voluntary, self-paid Vision Services Program (VSP) for retirees, effective July 1, 2007.
- Convinced the CalPERS board to add vision, hearing aid and chiropractic benefits to managed Medicare health plans.
- Gained thousands of dollars for retirees by making sure a new supplemental income program (Purchasing Power Protection Account) was implemented correctly.
- Kept health care premium increases to a minimum.
- Won the enhanced VSP Premier Vision plan for retirees that mirrors the active state employee plan, effective January 1, 2016.
- Worked with lawmakers and CalPERS to pass legislation giving retirees an ad hoc increase of up to 6 percent and reopened Tier I retirement.
- Convinced CalPERS to implement quality control measures for state health plans.
- Developed a Strategic Plan with goals and objectives to advocate for state retirees’ benefits; build and retain membership; communicate with and engage members; mobilize members; lead and support the organization at all levels.
- Consistently succeeded in fighting attacks on our defined benefit pension system and health care.
Political Action Committee
We take action and are your voice in the Legislature
Tired of attacks on your pensions and health benefits? We at California State Retirees take action and are your voice in the legislature. Joining the PAC is the easiest way for you to support candidates and issues that will benefit your health care benefits and pensions.
By joining the PAC today you are fighting to put legislators in the Capitol who will fight for retired state employees. You are also supporting California State Retirees sponsor and endorse legislation that improves and protects the pensions and health benefits of retired state employees, without takeaways. We also rally against state ballot measures that are not in the best interest of our members. We make our voices heard with both the candidates and individual endorsements.