RELAC, CRCEA, LACERA and SACRS have common goals of enhancing and protecting the benefits of retired county employees, their beneficiaries and their respective retirement systems.

CALIFORNIA RETIRED COUNTY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (CRCEA)

RELAC is a member in good standing and is closely affiliated with CRCEA. CRCEA is a coalition of county retiree associations from the twenty California counties with retirement systems. The association is organized as a non-profit corporation representing more than 160,000 retired county employees throughout California.

CRCEA’s general purpose is to provide a central coordinating group through which the desires and objectives of the local county associations may be advanced. CRCEA sponsors two educational and networking conferences each year and has an active Legislation Committee that monitors and sponsors legislation of interest to county retirees. Its Retirement Security Committee works to oppose and defeat pension reform activities that would reduce or eliminate pension benefits. RELAC believes that belonging to and working closely with CRCEA gives us a stronger and more effective voice in introducing and passing statewide legislation that benefits all California county retirees.

RELAC and CRCEA are also initiating, developing and monitoring federal legislation for the purpose of enhancing benefits for county retirees.

STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY RETIREMENT SYSTEMS (SACRS)

RELAC is an associate member of SACRS. The SACRS Legislative Committee is charged with protecting and enhancing the rights of both active and retired county employees, their beneficiaries and their county retirement systems by closely monitoring legislative activity affecting county retirement systems. SACRS introduces legislation and supports or opposes pending legislation that applies to members of county retirement systems.

LACERA BOARD OF RETIREMENT AND BOARD OF INVESTMENTS

LACERA promotes, enhances, and efficiently administers a financially sound program of earned retirement and health benefits for active and retired association members and beneficiaries through the prudent investment and conservation of plan assets. Its mission is accomplished through the administration of two separate boards of directors: the Retirement Board and the Investments Board, as outlined in the 1937 Retirement Act. Both are assisted in their duties by a staff of approximately 350 employees, all specialists in their respective areas of responsibility.

The boards of directors are comprised of nine members each, with the Retirement Board also having a safety member alternate. Each has four members elected by association membership and four members appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The County treasurer is an ex-officio member of both, per state law.

The Board of Retirement meets twice monthly on a regular basis or additionally when needed, and the Board of Investments meets once monthly. The meetings, held at the LACERA headquarters at 300 N. Lake Ave., 8th Floor, Pasadena, California, are open to the membership.

The LACERA Board of Investments is responsible for investing the assets of the retirement system and for determining the retirement contribution rates of the members and the employer (Los Angeles County). The Board of Investments has exclusive control of all retirement system investments and is responsible for establishing investment objectives, strategies, and policies.

RELAC, as the county’s largest retired member organization, continues to responsibly work cooperatively with LACERA and continues to monitor both the Board of Retirement and Board of Investments in the best interests of all retirees.

Three members of RELAC’s Board of Directors — Joseph Kelly, J.P. Harris and Les Robbins — serve on the LACERA boards.

Robbins serves as the retirees’ elected representative on the LACERA Board of Retirement and Harris is the retirees’ elected alternate member. Harris attends all meetings and fully participates, but votes on matters only in the absence of Robbins.

Kelly, who was the County’s treasurer-tax collector when he retired in 2019, serves on the LACERA Board of Investments as the retiree representative.

Kelly, Harris and Robbins are energetic and dedicated, and RELAC is well-served by their membership on these important boards.