Get clear, simple answers to common questions about Sonoma County pensions, COLAs, and who makes decisions about retirement benefits.
SCARE members have access to additional insurance plans through AMBA (formerly Pacific Group Agencies / PGA) at discounted group rates. These plans are optional and can help you add coverage beyond what is available through Sonoma County.
A pension provides monthly income for life after you retire.
Sonoma County retirees receive a Defined Benefit (DB) pension, which means your benefit is based on a formula — not on how the stock market performs.
Your pension is managed by SCERA — the Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association.
SCERA:
A Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is an increase to retirement benefits meant to help keep up with inflation.
Without COLAs, the value of your pension declines over time, even though your benefit amount stays the same.
No. Your current pension benefit cannot be cut.
However, future COLAs depend on funding and policy decisions, which is why advocacy matters.
Myth: Public employees retire with extremely large pensions.
Fact: About half of retirees receive $2,500 per month or less, and many receive significantly less.
Myth: Most retirees collect six-figure pensions.
Fact: Less than 5% of retirees receive $100,000 or more annually.
Myth: Taxpayers fully fund public pensions.
Fact: About 60% of pension funding comes from investment returns, not taxpayer dollars.
Myth: Public employees don’t contribute to their pensions.
Fact: Both employees and employers contribute to defined benefit (DB) pension systems.
Myth: Pension payments drain local economies.
Fact: Retirees spend their pension income in the local economy, generating economic activity that often returns more value than taxpayers contribute.
Myth: Pension benefits automatically keep up with inflation everywhere.
Fact: Most public agencies in California provide an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), but Sonoma County has not provided a COLA since 2008, and retirees who left before April 1999 have lost about 78% of their purchasing power as living costs have risen.
A Defined Benefit (DB) pension that provides guaranteed monthly income for life.
SCERA is the Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association, which manages the pension system, investments, and benefit payments.
No. Your earned pension benefit is protected by law.
A Cost of Living Adjustment helps your pension keep up with rising costs due to inflation.
Because:
The Board of Supervisors approves funding. SCERA provides the analysis, but the County makes the final decision.
Many retirees have lost 30–50% of their buying power since the last COLA, depending on when they retired.
You can check your own loss using the Purchasing Power Calculator.
Only in part. Most pension benefits are paid through:
It was a reserve policy that limited the ability to grant COLAs. Recent changes have reduced this barrier, but County funding is still required.
Research shows that Defined Benefit pensions provide more retirement security and reduce the risk that retirees outlive their savings.
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