The Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA) is the retirement pension plan for public employees in Alameda County, California who work for Alameda County and other agencies. ACERA was established in 1948 by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to Alameda County and member district employees.
The ACERA retirement plan provides lifetime benefits to members of the retirement system who meet the minimum age and length-of-service requirements or are eligible for disability retirement. The plan is a significant and fundamental part of the comprehensive benefits package that participating employers offer to eligible employees, allowing employees to collectively invest their deferred wages to receive a secure income after retirement. ACERA also administers retiree health care and supplemental cost-of-living benefits.
Mission
To provide ACERA members and employers with flexible, cost-effective, participant-oriented benefits through prudent investment management and superior member services.
Fund Size
$8.7 billion
As of December 31, 2019
Commitment
To carry out our Mission through a competent, professional, impartial and open decision making process. In providing benefits and services, all persons will be treated fairly and with courtesy and respect. Investments will be managed to balance the need for security with superior performance. We expect excellence in all activities. We will also be accountable and act in accordance with the law.
Fact Sheet
These one-page fact sheets contain a wealth of information about ACERA including tier formulas, contribution rates, membership numbers, investments, and status of the retirement fund.
Benefits Fact Sheet
Investments Fact Sheet
History
ACERA was established by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors under Ordinance No. 446, dated October 21, 1947. On January 1, 1948, ACERA became operative to provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to the General and Safety members employed by Alameda County.
Defined Benefit Plan
ACERA’s plan is a defined benefit pension plan, qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Funding of a defined benefit pension plan is based on a cost sharing principle through employee and employer contributions rates, which are determined annually upon recommendation by the plan’s actuary. Therefore, retirement benefits are determined by a formula and not on an individual’s account balance.
Plan Administration
ACERA’s Board of Retirement is responsible for establishing policies governing the administration of the retirement plan and managing the investments of the system’s assets. The Board has nine members and two alternate members. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors appoints four members and six are elected by ACERA’s membership. The County Treasurer is an ex-officio member.
The Board of Retirement oversees the Chief Executive Officer and staff in the performance of their duties in accordance with the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, ACERA’s by-laws, and Board policies.
ACERA Law
ACERA is a separate public entity governed by the provisions of the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL), Title 3, Division 4, Chapter 3, commencing with Section 31450 of the California Government Code and case law applicable to public employee pension plans. The CERL, as amended, beginning at California Government Code Section 31450, et seq., is a body of law enacted to govern retirement benefits for certain public employees. The CERL governs retirement systems for county and district employees in those counties adopting its provisions pursuant to Cal. Gov. Code §31500. Twenty California counties operate retirement systems under the provisions of the 1937 Act, which sets forth the policies and regulations governing the actions of these county retirement systems.
This list of CERL statutes relating to ACERA contains links to statutes that do or could apply to ACERA and to the authorities, where available, that show that the statutes were properly adopted, where required by the language of the statute itself.
List of CERL Statutes Relating to ACERA
Major Software That ACERA Uses
California Government Code Section 6270.5 requires ACERA to publish a catalog of our enterprise systems. Enterprise Systems are large-scale application software packages that support business processes, information flows, reporting, and data analytics. Below is a table cataloging ACERA’s enterprise systems.
Enterprise Systems
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Current system vendor
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Current system product
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Brief statement of system’s purpose
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General description of categories or types of data
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Department that serves as system’s primary custodian
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How frequently system data is collected
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How frequently system data is updated
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Advantel Networks Inc.
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Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform, AVST CallXpress
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Telephone and voicemail system
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Telephone IP controller, desktop phone devices, voicemail
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Information Services Department
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Daily
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As needed
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Ariba
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Contract Management
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Management and repository of contractual agreements
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Vendor contracts
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Legal Department
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As needed
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As needed
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Hyland Software Inc.
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OnBase version 16
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Workflow and document imaging management
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Data necessary to track and process member requests and process AP
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Information Services Department
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Daily
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Daily
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Levi, Ray & Shoup Inc. (LRS)
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Pension Gold version 2
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Administration of Pension Benefits
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Data necessary for the administration of Defined Benefit Contributions within the Pension System
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Information Services Department
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Daily
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Daily
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Microsoft Corporation
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Dynamics GP 2016
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Accounts Payable and Receivables
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Vendor and budget information for the purpose of system related accounting and expenditures
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Information Services Department
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Daily
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Daily
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Website Legal Disclaimer
The Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA) provides these pages as a service primarily to its members, their beneficiaries and the public generally. ACERA makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to any statements and/or documents, or any part thereof, including any warranties of title, noninfringement of copyright or patent rights of others, merchantability, or fitness or suitability for any purpose.
ACERA cannot and does not warrant that the information on this server is absolutely current, although every effort is made to ensure that it is kept as current as possible. The individual web pages have modification dates, which can be used as guides to the timeliness of the data; however, we cannot warrant that no changes have been made to the source information since that date.
ACERA cannot and does not warrant the accuracy of documents contained in this Web Site beyond the source documents, although every attempt is made to work from authoritative sources.
Please note that ACERA is governed by the County Employees’ Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL ‘37), as well as the Internal Revenue Code, and various rules and regulations, all of which are complex and subject to change. In the event of any conflict between those governing authorities and the information on this Web Site, the governing authorities shall have precedence.
The information presented in this Web Site should not be construed as legal advice or as a legal opinion on specific facts. For legal advice regarding specific facts, consult an attorney knowledgeable in retirement law matters.
California FPPC Form 801
Form 801 is used to report certain payments received by state and local government agencies that are used for agency purposes and paid by a third party. Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Regulations 18944 and 18950.1 provide a procedure that agencies may use to disclose these payments, which may include a payment for an official’s travel expenses for the purpose of facilitating the public’s business in lieu of using agency funds; and a payment that would otherwise be considered a gift or income to the benefiting official, but is instead accepted on behalf of the agency.
Additional California FPPC Form 801 (2017)
California FPPC Form 801 (2017) for years 2016 and 2017
California FPPC Form 801 (2015)
California FPPC Form 801 (2014)
