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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

▪ George Patton

​MAY GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
PRESENTATION BY MY SENIOR HEALTH PLAN

RESDC is proud to announce our first in-person General Membership Meeting since February 2020! We hope to see you there for a great presentation on May 25th!

When: Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

Time: Beverages and light refreshments will be available at 11:00 a.m. Speakers will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Place: SDCERA Board Room, 2275 Rio Bonito Way, #200, San Diego, 92108.

Our program will be hosted by our partners at the San Diego County Employees Retirement Association (SDCERA) and will include a presentation from RESDC affiliate, MySeniorHealthPlan.com/crcea.

Pete Blasi from My Senior Health Plan will highlight how they work exclusively with the Medicare-eligible population to ensure that retirees are not paying too much for health insurance premiums. My Senior Health Plan provides a FREE review of all your Medicare insurance options, including those available in San Diego County.

A message from MySeniorHealthPlan.com: “Are your getting the most out of your Medicare insurance retiree plan? My Senior Health Plan has been assisting RESDC members to save in health care costs for many years by comparing Medicare insurance plans. Best of all, our service is FREE of charge! Attend our May 25th presentation to learn more or call to schedule an appointment today at (877) 255-6273!”

RSVP Required: To learn more about this presentation, including registration, visit: www.resdc.net/events or you can call our office at: (619) 688-9229. □

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

By Chris Heiserman

Another longtime member of the RESDC Board of Directors has “retired” again from a veritable lifetime of public and volunteer service. Frank Bittner, our Treasurer for many, many years has left the Board to spend more time with his wife and family. Frank joined the Board in 1992 and was our longest serving veteran Board Member. We applaud his tenure and huge contributions in helping RESDC grow into the popular, progressive advocacy and service organization it is today. More detailed background information on Frank appears elsewhere in this newsletter.

The American economy keeps chugging along, reportedly adding another 431,000 jobs in March. This is, of course, really good news, along with the near record low unemployment rate of 3.6%, despite the drag of a lingering pandemic and the global financial distress associated with the war in Ukraine. However, the federal jobs report in early April certainly wasn’t all rosy. It was good news that employers were desperate for workers and average hourly pay increased 5.6% in the past year, according to the report; but the bad news was that for most workers salaries were not keeping up with rapidly rising inflation.

Expectations are the Federal Reserve is poised to raise interest rates multiple times over the next several months attempting to cool inflationary pressures. The big question mark? Can the Fed curb escalating inflation without severely throttling back the golden goose of economic growth? We will have a front row seat in witnessing the results in real time.

The Pandemic Was Life-Changing for this Grandparent

We have all heard personal stories of parents and grandparents who couldn’t see their kids or grandchildren in-person for many months due to cross-country distancing, COVID-19 health regulations and lock-down restrictions. But the pandemic was a surprising gift to grandparent Marc Joseph and his wife, Cathy, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Near the beginning of the pandemic, four of Joseph’s grandchildren and their parents moved from Austin, Texas and Orlando, Florida to Arizona to live with he and his wife. Two other grandchildren who already lived near them frequently visited their cousins for meals and sleepovers.

Apparently, many families chose the route of assembling extended family generations and living together to counter the loneliness and separation in a pandemic world. In Joseph’s case, the six weeks he was able to spend with his grandkids, ages 1 to 8, was amazing and changed his life.

(Joseph’s story appeared recently online in a blog post site called Squared Away Blog affiliated with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The blog regularly publishes a variety of interesting material on financial behavior related to working, saving and retirement.)

It turns out the time Joseph spent with his grandkids – reading books, teaching them to listen and focusing on something other than their electronic devices – was so precious that he kept the connections alive when the children returned to their own homes. He and his wife made up stories about dinosaurs roaming their house and shared them regularly with the grandkids on FaceTime. A quote from Joseph, a former entrepreneur, in the blog post:

“As you grow older, you grow wiser. I wish I was there more often for my kids – every concert they were in, every ballgame they played. I was traveling the world. I wasn’t always home. If I can spend more time with my grandkids, then maybe it’s making up for what I didn’t give my kids.”

Joseph also suggests that more attention to grandkids from grandparents both supports working parents and helps ameliorate the lingering negative effects of stress and isolation due to the pandemic. Wise aspirational words of wisdom for all adults. □

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SDCERA NEWS

COLA IN EFFECT FOR SDCERA RETIREES

SDCERA retirees saw the 2022 cost-of-living adjustment for the first time in their April checks. This year, the SDCERA Board of Retirement approved the maximum COLA, which is 3% for Tiers I, II and A members and 2% for Tiers B, C and D members.

Check your earnings statement online now on the SDCERA Member Portal. Sign up or login at:
memberportal.sdcera.org. Visit www.sdcera.org for more information, or call the SDCERA Member Service Center at: (619) 515-6800 or email msc@sdcera.org. □

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IN MEMORIAM AND TRIBUTE
DOROTHY SLOTER

Dorothy Sloter

We’re sad to report that former RESDC President, Dorothy Sloter, passed away in March, one month shy of her 100th birthday. Many of our members probably remember Dorothy as she served six two-year terms as President, from 1996 through 2007.

Dorothy relocated to San Diego through Los Angeles in 1960. She worked as a court reporter in Illinois for 15 years and for two years in Los Angeles before joining the San Diego Superior Court in the same position. She retired in 1978.

After retiring, Dorothy joined the Retired Employees of San Diego County and shortly after was elected Board Secretary and Editor of the RESDC NETWORK. Dorothy is marked as the longest-serving RESDC President on record.

As RESDC President, Dorothy closely monitored local, state, and federal agencies whose policies affect County retirees, and remained active on several state retirement associations, working for local government retirees and their interests. She helped individual retirees, spending many hours on the phone hearing about their problems and providing information and advice. She enjoyed attending many CRCEA and SACRS conferences as the Rep for RESDC.

Dorothy founded the annual RESDC Flag Day Luncheon and the annual Health Fair Picnic.

Dorothy was mother to three children, six grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, former coworkers, and RESDC members. □

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WECOME NEW MEMBERS

Nancy L. Balestreri, Social Services
Joan M. Hammond, Child Welfare Services
Karen A. Hockensmith, Child Welfare Services
Terry E. Jensen, District Attorney
Robert J. Kard, Air Pollution Control Dist.
Cameron J. Malek, Planning & Development
Peter L. Miranda, Sheriff
Carrie M. Monti, Superior Court
Debra L. Reid
Robert A Saenz, Health & Human Services
Jill L. Schall
Annette R. Seamons, Superior Court
Barbara York

The Surviving Spouse of a RESDC member is eligible for RESDC membership. For enrollment assistance, please call (619) 688-9229. □

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​

CHECK OUT THE RESDC YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

Be sure to check out the RESDC YouTube Channel where you can access past RESDC Zoom events and videos related to the world of public employees, pensions, and great community programs and services.

Just visit www.resdc.net, click the drop down titled “News and Events”, and select RESDC YouTube Channel. It’s that easy! We hope you check it out! □

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RECENT EVENTS

House passes ‘Secure Act 2.0.’ Here’s what that means for retirement savings. The House of Representatives has passed a bill that will improve the retirement savings system for U.S. workers, moving it closer to becoming law.

The “Securing a Strong Retirement Act”, also called the Secure Act 2.0, was recently approved with a bipartisan vote of 414-5. Now, the legislation heads to the Senate.

“The Secure Act 2.0 will help all Americans successfully save for a secure retirement by expanding coverage and increasing retirement savings, simplifying the current retirement system, and protecting Americans and their retirement accounts,” said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., ahead of the recent vote. “Too many workers reach retirement age without having the savings they need.”

Now that it’s passed the House, the legislation will be sent to the Senate for possible action.

To learn more, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2954/text

In a stunning victory, Amazon workers on Staten Island vote for a union. Amazon workers in New York recently voted to form a union in what labor leaders are calling a “historic victory” against the U.S.’s second largest employer.

In Staten Island, New York, 2,654 warehouse workers voted yes to forming a union, while 2,131 voted no, according to a tally by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The Staten Island victory marks the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company’s history. Organizers have faced an uphill battle against Amazon, which now employs over one million people in the U.S. and is making every effort to keep unions out.

Now, the milestone vote and the grassroots approach to achieve it may well have ripple effects throughout Amazon, where other union efforts are already underway. It has the potential to motivate workers at other warehouses to unionize, labor experts say, and perhaps to rethink more conventional tactics for doing so. It could also supercharge the broader labor movement in the United States.

One week after Amazon workers at Staten Island warehouse made history by voting to form a union, Amazon is calling for a do-over election in filing that lays out 25 objections that form the basis of its appeal.

In its filing to the National Labor Relations Board, Amazon alleges how the independent federal agency’s regional office which oversaw the election at its Staten Island facility, known as JFK8, “unfairly and inappropriately facilitated the (Amazon Labor Union’s) victory.” □

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PURCHASE SEE’S CANDIES GIFT CARDS ONLINE

You can now purchase See’s Candies gift cards in our new Online Store using your RESDC discount!
RESDC members are offered $25 gift cards for $22, a savings of $3. Gift cards are redeemable at any See’s Candies location or online.

To purchase gift cards online, go to: resdc.wildapricot.org/online-store. We can only accept credit cards to purchase gift cards online. You may not purchase more than ten gift cards in one transaction.

Note: You need a RESDC member self-service login in order to access the online store. If you need one, please email resdc@resdc.net.

RESDC members are entitled to a 10% group discount on selected items at the two See’s Discount Stores: 3751 Rosecrans Street, San Diego, 92110; and 1830 Marron Road, Carlsbad, 92008. You must ask the See’s sales team which items are selected. You need to show them your RESDC membership card for the discount. Be sure to mention that you are a member of Retired Employees of San Diego County. Occasionally a RESDC member is denied the discount by a clerk at these See’s stores. When this happens, be sure to clarify that you are not an active County employee, but you’re a member of RESDC. The county no longer participates in the See’s group discount program. If you’re still refused a discount, ask to speak to a store manager.

The gift cards are redeemable at any of the See’s retail stores and for online purchases.

If you would like to purchase gift cards through the mail from RESDC, please address an envelope to RESDC, 8825 Aero Drive, Suite 205, San Diego, CA 92123. Enclose a check made out to RESDC for the number of gift cards you would like at $22 for each gift card. Be sure to include postage stamps so we can mail the gift cards to you. Enclose one postage stamp if purchasing less than five gift cards. If purchasing over five gift cards enclose 78 cents of postage. If purchasing over nine gift cards enclose 98 cents of postage. See the postage chart at: www.resdc.net/sees-candies-discount. We will supply the return envelope to put the gift cards into. □

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RESDC TREASURER FRANK BITTNER RESIGNS

Frank Bittner

Frank Bittner was elected to the RESDC Board in October of 1992. He has served continuously for almost 30 years, as Second Vice President for a few years and as Board Treasurer and Executive Committee Member for as long as anyone currently serving can remember. He retired from the County’s Public Administrator Department in 1990 as Director of the Accounting Division. His 15 years of service with the County also included time with the Registrar of Voters, Integrated Planning Office, Assessor, and Social Services.

Frank’s retirement activities have included swimming, bicycling, duplicate bridge, and growing roses. He and his wife, Lorraine (also a county retiree), have traveled extensively and have visited all seven continents. One of their most memorable travel experiences included spending five days cruising Antarctica and walking ashore on the ice among the penguins. Frank and Lorraine have a large family that even includes three great-great-grandchildren.

Frank was born in Alexandria, Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota. He joined the Navy at age 17, traveled all over the world, and retired after 30 years of service in 1973 as a Lieutenant. □

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BOARD MEMBER PROFILE PRESIDENT CHRIS HEISERMAN

A member of the RESDC Board of Directors since December 2012, Chris retired from the County Finance of General Government Group Executive Office in 2010. He had a total of 18 years of County service, having also worked in the Land Use and Environment Group and in the offices of three County Supervisors. He spent eight years as District Office Manager and Chief of Staff to a State Assembly member, and served on the Board of Directors of the Spring Valley and San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection Districts for 18 years.

Chris has a Masters of Public Administration from San Diego State University. His volunteer experience other than RESDC includes more than 30 years with the Kiwanis Club of Spring Valley, and several years as President of the non-profit Dictionary Hill Open Space Advocates (DHOSA). In December, 2017 DHOSA celebrated acquisition of Dictionary Hill by the County, creating the Dictionary Hill Open Space Preserve, which conserves 175 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat for everyone to enjoy. He enjoys hiking, reading, golf and travel in his retirement.

He has been married 52 years and he and his wife Sonya have cruised to Alaska and Mexico, enjoyed a three-week Best of Europe tour in 2011, and traveled with friends in small group tours to Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Scandinavia. They also love scenic travel in the United States northwest and southwest. They have two sons and three grandchildren. □

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RESDC ONLINE SERVICES

Did you know that RESDC has an online Member Directory, which is accessible only to logged-in RESDC members? This is a great way to stay in touch with former co-workers. You can opt-in and choose what information to share by logging into your member self-service account.

The Member Self-Service website can be accessed by going to www.resdc.net and clicking on the menu item for “Member Login.” Please note that you must have an email address on file with us in order to log-in. If you don’t currently receive emails from RESDC and would like to join both our email list and the member website, send us your full name and email address by contacting us at resdc@resdc.net or by calling (619) 688-9229.

We encourage you to also follow RESDC on Facebook and Twitter. We share photos from our events, news from around San Diego County, articles related to retirement and pensions, and notices about community events.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RetiredEmployeesofSanDiegoCounty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RESDC

And on the main RESDC website, www.resdc.net, you can:

• Read current and past editions of THE NETWORK.
• See an overview of all available member discounts and benefits.
• View photos from our events.
• Stay up-to-date on pension and retirement news through our News Now page, a curated list of recent articles in the media. □

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IN MEMORIAM

Lourdes Aurelio
Elizabeth Bartley, Health & Human Services
Doris Brown, Surviving Spouse
Shirley Brown
Leonora Bryan, Marshal
Patricia Busseau, Auditor & Controller
Randall Clark, Sheriff
Leon Connelly
Julie Conrique, Sheriff
Charles Cox, Sheriff
Audrey Derwin, Probation
Desiree Dier Public, Works
Masako Egbert, District Attorney
Delores Emery, District Attorney
Roland Fornataro, Public Works
Fred Fowler
Janet Goodwillie, Surviving Spouse
Frederick Gradwohl, Health & Human Services
Steven Hart, Probation
Michael Heinz*, Public Works
Peggy Horner
Marion Hull
Jean Jacobsen
Robert J. Johnson
James Kenyon, Agriculture, Weights & Measures
Darnetta Key, Health & Human Services
Erna Lowrimore, Probation
Charles Moore, Health & Human Services
Marie Nakamura, Surviving Spouse
Geri Napier, General Services
Stella Pope
Beverly Press
Rena Rademacher, Probation
Victor Rivera, Sheriff
Janie-Lee Ryan, Superior Court
Ruth Ryland
Rita Sablan, Sheriff
Charmayne Sanford, Child Support
Fred Schmidt, Social Services
Janet Sharkey, Social Services
Benjamin Sheets, Health & Human Services
Frances Sinner, Surviving Spouse
Dorothy Sloter, Superior Court
Ted Snoddy, District Attorney
William Spalding
Rand Stewart
Alan Truitt, Sheriff
Ivy Williams
Eleanor Wood, Assessor/Recorder/Cty Clerk
Earlene Wright, Social Services

*Active Employee

MEMBER PRIVACY

Any retiree or surviving spouse who does not want his/her death notice published in the “In Memoriam” column may notify the RESDC office and your privacy will be maintained.

The Surviving Spouse of a RESDC member is eligible for RESDC membership. For enrollment assistance, please call (619) 688-9229. □

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FLAG DAY / INDEPENDENCE DAY LUNCHEON
Thursday, June 30, 11:00 am
Ronald Reagan Community Center

We are pleased to invite you to our joint celebration of two historic days in American history. In addition to our commemoration of the adoption of the flag of the United States, we will also be recognizing the day in which 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States.

We’ll enjoy a buffet style lunch at approximately 12:00 pm, with ham, roast turkey, rosemary potatoes, green beans almandine, salads, desserts, and beverages. This is an indoor event with ample free parking on both sides of the center.

When: Thursday, June 30, 2022, 11:00 am
Where: Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 E Douglas Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020
Cost: $14 per person

Registration: Registration forms and payment must be received in the RESDC office by Friday, June 24. Name badges and opportunity drawing tickets should be picked up at the check-in table at the luncheon. They will not be mailed.

Register by Mail: Fill out the registration form by clicking here, make a check payable to RESDC for $14 per person and mail both to RESDC, 8825 Aero Dr., Suite 205, San Diego, CA 92123.

Register Online: Go to www.resdc.net/events, click on the green “Register” button, and follow the steps. You will need to use the email associated with your member account. Click “Add guest” to add additional registrants for $14 each. To pay for yourself and guests, click “Pay Online” and pay with credit card.

Register by Phone: Call the RESDC Office at (619) 688-9229 during our hours of 9 am – 2 pm Mon-Fri.

Directions to Ronald Reagan Community Center: Located one block south of E. Main Street, El Cajon, directly off Magnolia Ave. Take I-8 to Magnolia off-ramp, go south to E. Douglas and turn left.

For questions or assistance registering, contact us at (619) 688-9229 or resdc@resdc.net. □

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THE NETWORK is the official monthly newsletter of the Retired Employees of San Diego County, Inc. (RESDC), a private non-profit organization.

The information printed in THE NETWORK is believed to be from reliable sources. However, no responsibility is assumed by THE NETWORK for inaccuracies contained herein.

Business and Inquiries: Business matters and address changes may be recorded on our voicemail at any time, call (866) 688-9229. Please spell your name so the correct member record can be located.

Retired Employees of San Diego County, Inc.
8825 Aero Drive, Suite 205 | San Diego, CA 92123
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
TELEPHONE: (866) 688-9229 Toll Free
FAX: (619) 688-0766
E-MAIL: resdc@resdc.net