PPOA Retiree Liaison
LASD retired
jschallert@ppoa.com
As we learn more about the “state” of California, or the state this state is in, it is clearer and clearer that many policies and laws passed in the past 10 years don’t work as intended. There is finally a good chance that Proposition 36 may pass. I encourage you all to read it and support it. It addresses some, but not all, of the failings of Proposition 47, which everyone reading this knew would not work out. Please read that and tell your family and friends to vote for it. This November, it’s yes on Prop 36 and no on another DA Gascón term!
The LASD is in a real employment mess. The profession has lost the attraction of our youth these days, and other agencies are offering tens of thousands of dollars in signing bonuses. One Southern California agency is dangling a $100,000 bonus. We are already well behind other agencies like LAPD, when you consider they have the DROP program and their pension system is not subject to the Public Employee Pension Reform restrictions like LACERA. It will be very hard for our new members to retire at the same ages we did — 65 will be the new 55. Sheriff Luna has a huge mountain to climb if he wants to fix the staffing issues. Academy classes used to be 75 to 100, and now they are happy if they get 40.
Many people have left California immediately upon retirement, and I am not sure if taxes or politics play into that decision. It’s for sure not the weather. My Idaho friends can brag all they want, but come on, the Beach Boys didn’t sing about Idaho weather! With that said, I would appreciate an email from retired PPOA members who moved out of state telling me why they left. I’m guessing the top reasons may include any of these:
- Political/crime trends
- Income tax
- Other (you tell me, and I will write about it in an upcoming issue)
Please send me an email at jschallert@ppoa.com with your answers to that question. I would love to hear about it and share the feedback in Star & Shield.
The Blue Cross cap is still considered one of the largest concerns of retirees until they are able to enroll in Medicare. I am hopeful but not encouraged this will be addressed by the County and the Coalition of County Unions in the next round of contract negotiations.
As the summer comes to a close, I hope that many of you were able to travel and enjoy your retirement to the fullest. Don’t put off until later what you can still do today.
It’s also time for a reminder to:
- Schedule that overdue colonoscopy
- Get your skin checked for cancer
- Oh, and walk 45 minutes a day!
Thank you all for the emails; I appreciate the feedback and suggestions.