Board of Directors’ Meeting Recap.  The quarterly CAPS Board of Directors’ Meeting was held last Saturday, February 22, 2020. Motions undertaken by the Board of Directors included:

• Approving of the Minutes of the November 2, 2019 Board Meeting, as amended.
• Adopting a budget for the 2020 Calendar Year.
• Approving Esther Tracy (DWR – Sacramento) and Jacqueline Tkac (RWQCB – San Louis Obispo) as CAPS Local Reps.
• Endorsing Anne Kepner for Assembly District 25 (D – Santa Clara), Lisa Calderon for Assembly District 57 (D – Los Angeles), and Brian Mainenschein for Assembly District 77 (D – San Diego) in the upcoming election. All candidates have positive relationships with CAPS, have returned solid questionnaires (that focus on issues pertinent to CAPS members’ employment), and/or have actively sought CAPS’ endorsement and support. These join the other CAPS candidate endorsements listed on the CAPS website here.
• Approving maintaining CAPS’ membership in Californians for Retirement Security (CRS), the coalition of labor unions and retiree and employee groups that work to protect defined-benefit pensions for public servants, primarily by beating back ballot measures and other proposals to roll-back defined-benefit pensions in California, of which CAPS is a founding member.

Additionally, the Board of Directors discussed member access to the information from the Board meetings and how to support increased member involvement in face-to-face interaction with the Board and other representatives. Board meetings in other locations besides Sacramento are to be scheduled to allow participation from around the State. In addition, regular worksite meetings will be scheduled to allow more meaningful, face-to-face interaction, while maintaining emails as a staple due to budgetary and environmental considerations.

Staff Quarterly Report Posted. The Quarter 4 (October – December 2019) Report detailing representation items of interest is now posted on the Members-Only Section of the CAPS Website here.

Mass Transit and Vanpool Subsidy Increases for Excluded Employees. CalHR announced last week that all excluded employees (supervisors and managers, among others) will qualify for the following mass transit and vanpool subsidy increases, retroactively effective as of February 1, 2020. Supervisory and Managerial State Scientists will now receive a 75% discount on public transit passes sold by state agencies, up to a maximum of $100 per month, or a 75% reimbursement on public transit passes purchased outside of state agencies, up to $100 per month. Supervisory and Managerial State Scientist who ride in a vanpool will now qualify for a 75% reimbursement on the monthly fee, up to a maximum of $100 per month; and primary vanpool drivers will now qualify for $135 per month, in lieu of the vanpool rider reimbursement. The State Controller’s Office will notify departments when the CalATERS Vanpool Driver expense code has been updated.

News Briefs

California tells 7,600 people to stay home because of coronavirus – The California Department of Public Health says the travelers are being asked to monitor their health, stay home and limit interactions .

The toxic legacy of old oil wells: California’s multibillion-dollar problem – Across much of California, fossil fuel companies are leaving thousands of oil and gas wells unplugged and idle, potentially threatening the health of people living nearby and handing taxpayers a multibillion-dollar bill for the environmental cleanup.