CSEA Retirees Board endorses Jelincic for
open CalPERS Board seat
The CSEA Retirees, Inc. Board of Directors voted 7-1 May 15 to endorse J.J. Jelincic to replace Charles Valdes on the CalPERS Board of Administration.
Valdes, a longtime friend of state retirees and employees, will not be seeking re-election when his term expires next year. Five candidates have announced their intention to run for his at-large position.
Jelincic, who served as CSEA president from 2003 through 2007, spoke at the CSEA Retirees, Inc. Board of Directors meeting in Sacramento May 15. Another candidate, Cathy Hackett, an employee of Caltrans who has held several elective positions with SEIU, Local 1000, and CSEA, also spoke to meeting participants.
The board members voted by secret ballot, endorsing Jelincic, who has worked at CalPERS for 23 years and currently holds the position of investment officer.
The July issue of the California State Retiree will carry a story about Jelincic and his goals as the next CalPERS board member.
The three other candidates besides Jelincic and Hackett are Muriel Strand, a retiree from the California Air Resources Board; Dan T. Villella, a retiree from the City of Huntington Beach; and Dennis Yates, a California Highway Patrol officer.
Another CalPERS at-large board position will also be open for re-election in fall. The race will be between Kurato Shimada, the incumbent and a retiree from the Oak Grove School District, and Inderjit Singh Kallirai, an employee with the Department of Fish and Game.
In previous elections, CSEA Retirees, Inc. has endorsed Shimada. At the time of the board meeting in May, it was not known that he would face a challenger.
Ballots will be mailed to eligible active and retired CalPERS members on Sept. 4. Voted ballots must be returned by Oct. 2. Ballots will be tabulated in October.
If no candidate receives a majority vote in either of the two seats, there will be a run-off election with ballots mailed to eligible voters on Nov. 9, with a Dec. 4 deadline for returning voted ballots.