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<br />47 <br />years of good investment returns, help pay down the pension fund’s unfunded liability, and <br />provide greater predictability and less volatility in contribution rates for employers. The policy <br />establishes a mechanism to reduce the discount rate by a minimum of 0.05 percentage points to <br />a maximum of 0.25 percentage points in years when investment returns outperform the existing <br />discount rate, currently 7.5%, by at least four percentage points. CalPERS staff modeling <br />anticipates the policy will result in a lowering of the discount rate to 6.5% in about 21 years, <br />improve funding levels gradually over time and cut risk in the pension system by lowering the <br />volatility of investment returns. More information about the funding risk mitigation policy can be <br />accessed through CalPERS’ web site at the following website address: <br />https://www.calpers.ca.gov/page/newsroom/calpers–news/2015/adopts–funding–risk– <br />mitigation–policy. The reference to this Internet website is provided for reference and <br />convenience only. The information contained within the website may not be current, has not been reviewed by the City and is not incorporated in this Official Statement by reference. <br /> <br />California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013. On September 12, 2012, the <br />Governor signed into law the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 <br />(“PEPRA”), which impacted various aspects of public retirement systems in the State, including <br />the CalPERS programs. In general, PEPRA (i) increased the retirement age for public <br />employees depending on job function, (ii) capped the annual pension benefit payouts for public <br />employees hired after January 1, 2013, (iii) required public employees hired after January 1, <br />2013 to pay at least 50% of the costs of their pension benefits (as described in more detail <br />below), (iv) required final compensation for public employees hired after January 1, 2013 to be <br />determined based on the highest average annual pensionable compensation earned over a <br />period of at least 36 consecutive months, and (v) attempted to address other perceived abuses <br />in the public retirement systems in the State. PEPRA applies to all public employee retirement <br />systems in the State, except the retirement systems of the University of California, and charter <br />cities and charter counties whose pension plans are not governed by State law. PEPRA’s <br />provisions went into effect on January 1, 2013 with respect to new State, school, and city and <br />local agency employees hired on or after that date; existing employees who are members of <br />employee associations, including employee associations of the City, have a five–year window to <br />negotiate compliance with PEPRA through collective bargaining. <br /> <br />CalPERS has predicted that the impact of PEPRA on employees and employers, <br />including the City and other employers in the CalPERS system, will vary, based on each <br />employer’s current level of benefits. As a result of the implementation of PEPRA, new members <br />must pay at least 50% of the normal costs of the plan, which can fluctuate from year to year. To <br />the extent that the new formulas lower retirement benefits, employer contribution rates could <br />decrease over time as current employees retire and employees subject to the new formulas <br />make up a larger percentage of the workforce. This change would, in some circumstances, <br />result in a lower retirement benefit for employees than they currently earn. <br /> <br />The City is unable to predict the amount of future contributions it will have to make to <br />CalPERS as a result of the implementation of PEPRA, and as a result of negotiations with its <br />employee associations, or, notwithstanding the adoption of PEPRA, resulting from any <br />legislative changes regarding the CalPERS employer contributions that may be adopted in the <br />future. <br /> <br />See also “APPENDIX A – AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE CITY FOR <br />THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2015, Note 14” for additional information to the City’s <br />retirement plans. <br />