LACERS Will Hold Elections on May 27th and June 24th for Retired-Member Board Seat

LACERS will hold an election for one of its Board of Administration seats on Friday, May 27th and a runoff election on Friday, June 24th of the top five candidates who received the highest number of votes. Any retired Member of the retirement system can run for this office. The incumbent is Ken Spiker.

The Board consists of seven Commissioners, four appointed by the Mayor, one elected by Retired Members, and two elected by Active Members. Each Board Member serves a five-year term. In addition to meeting twice a month, each Commissioner serves on at least one committee. There may be some travel and weekend activities involved with the position.

Because of the specialized knowledge Commissioners must possess, anyone newly elected to the Board should consider attending formal training classes. Board members assume a fundamental responsibility in the operation of LACERS and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Preliminary Notification of Election Intent to Run forms were mailed to retired Members on Friday, April 1st. The deadline for filing your Intent to Run and Qualification Statement form as well as the optional Occupational Designation form is 5:00 p.m., April 15th at the Election Division of the City Clerk’s Office, 200 N. Spring St. Rm. 285, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Candidates are invited to submit a statement of their qualifications - not to exceed 250 words in length - which will be distributed to voters in the ballot package. Candidates who do not submit a statement before the deadline will be considered to have declined filing a statement.

Members should receive their ballot package at the home address on record with LACERS and can vote by mail. Ballots must be received at the Elections Division of the City Clerk’s Office no later than 5 p.m., May 27th, the day of the election. Damaged ballots can be returned to the Elections Division during regular office hours for replacement. If you are a newly retired Member of the System (within 30 days of Election Day) or did not receive a ballot, you can obtain one at the City Clerk’s Elections Division office.

In-person voting will take place on Election Day, May 27 at the Elections Division of the City Clerk’s Office from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

On June 10, an election ballot containing the names of the five candidates who received the most votes will be mailed to retired Members. Beginning June 11, ballots can be mailed to the Election Division of the City Clerk’s Office and must be received by 5 p.m., June 24th, the day of the election.

In-person voting will take place on Election Day, June 24 at the Elections Division of the City Clerk’s Office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Board of Administration is the head of LACERS. Among other things, Commissioners are responsible for:

• Determining policies focusing on asset allocation of the retirement fund, actuarial unfunded liabilities, and actuarial funding methods
• Selecting consultants and Investment Managers
• Overseeing the General Manager in the administration of the department
• Determining eligibility for disability retirements
• Ensuring the integrity of the financial control and reporting system

Contact LACERS at (213) 473-7169 or the City Clerk’s office at (213) 978-0444 for more information.