CAPS Member Needs Your Help! Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist and CAPS Member Dana McCanne has requested catastrophic leave donations in order to continue receiving pay and benefits. Section 3.10 of the CAPS MOU allows transfer of leave credits as catastrophic leave: CTO, Personal Leave, Annual Leave, Vacation, Personal Day, and/or Holiday Credit. If donating Personal Holidays, they must be donated in whole-day increments per the donating employee’s time base. All other donations must be made in a minimum of one hour (1.00) increments. Sick leave cannot be donated. If you can spare even ONE HOUR, it would greatly assist this member. CAPS thanks all who can assist. For more details: Catastrophic Leave Donations.
Know Your Rights. Lump Sum Leave Cash-Out Upon Separation. Section 2.12 of the CAPS MOU allows State Scientists who retire or otherwise separate from State Service who are otherwise eligible to cash out their leave balance may instead ask the State to transfer a designated monthly amount from their cash payment into their existing IRC 457 (b) and/or IRC 401 (k) plan. State Scientists who elect to make this transfer bear full tax liability, if any, for the leave transferred which exceeds the annual limits. Check with a tax professional to ensure you understand the tax implications before doing so.
Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes Posted. The Draft Minutes from the August 24, 2019 Board of Directors’ Meeting are posted on the CAPS Website. View them here.
The next Board of Directors’ meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena (300 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814), commencing at 9 a.m. All members are welcome to attend; parking will be validated.
Did YOU Know? CAPS has produced the first four in a series of “Did you Know” Flyers targeting new-to-state-service scientists, informing them of all of the subjects that CAPS representation covers with membership. YOU can help spread the word by posting these flyers in your cubicle and the union bulletin board in your break room. See the flyers on the CAPS website here.
News Briefs
State fines Chevron $2.7 million over oilfield leaks near McKittrick — California oil regulators levied more than $2.7 million in fines against Chevron Wednesday for alleged violations related to a series of west Kern oilfield leaks that shone a harsh light on the industry even as the state said they caused minimal environmental damage. The size of the civil penalty – the second-largest issued under the state oil division’s new office of enforcement – was attributed to risks created by the leaks, their pervasiveness, and the state’s intention to offset Chevron’s profits from selling oil contained in the more than 1.25 million gallons of fluid that since May have flowed to the ground in the Cymric Oil Field.