Stay informed about pension benefits, cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and ongoing efforts to support retirees in Sonoma County.
Julie Wyne presented a comprehensive pension report to the Board of Supervisors Budget Workshop, covering four COLA cost studies and extensive information on Sonoma County pensions.
Flat 2% COLA for all retirees
Purchasing Power COLA for those without enhanced pensions
2% Purchasing Power COLA for those who have lost 20%
80% Purchasing Power COLA
COLA stands for Cost-of-Living Adjustment. It's an increase to pension benefits designed to help retirees maintain their purchasing power as the cost of goods and services rises due to inflation. Without COLAs, retirees lose purchasing power over time.
See how much purchasing power you've lost based on your retirement date (as of December 2024).
Track the ongoing efforts and key developments in the fight for COLA
February 25, 2025
Board members met with each Supervisor and County CAO to advocate for COLA and address health insurance settlement limitations. Comprehensive talking points and action items were distributed to members.
November 26, 2024
SCERA CEO Julie Wyne provided a comprehensive update on current COLA activity and answered member questions about the path forward for retiree cost-of-living adjustments.
March 21, 2024
The Retirement Board approved eliminating the Negative Contingency Reserve and reducing the Interest Fluctuation Reserve from 3% to the 1% required by law. This critical first step reduces the cost of a purchasing power COLA, though still exceeds $300 million requiring County funding.
SCERA Pension’s Lack of a COLA Highlighted in UC Berkeley Study. Click on the link below for full report -- UC Berkeley Labor Center brief on Understanding Public Pensions in Sonoma County.
August 24, 2023
Julie Wyne reviewed how the Negative Contingency Fund serves as one of the main barriers to providing COLAs. Further discussion scheduled for the October 19th Retirement Board Meeting.
July 20, 2023
SCERA CEO presented the history and establishment of the Negative Contingency Fund and its ongoing impact on the ability to provide cost-of-living adjustments to retirees.
March 23, 2023
SCERA's annual report shows retirees who retired before 1998 would need a 50% adjustment to reach 80% purchasing power. Later retirees need proportionally less, but all have lost significant purchasing power since the last COLA in 2008.
2023
UC Berkeley Labor Center published a comprehensive brief highlighting SCERA's lack of COLA and providing analysis of public pensions in Sonoma County.
December 15, 2022
Extensive discussion of potential COLAs at the SCERA Retirement Board Meeting. Julie Wyne provided a comprehensive historical recap of COLA implementation in Sonoma County.
November 15, 2022
Julie Wyne discussed pension fund status, reasons for lack of COLAs, and plans for future discussions with the Retirement Board and County Administrator. Board of Supervisors funding approval will be required.
Learn why defined benefit pensions matter and why transitioning to 401(k) plans threatens retirement security
Public agencies like Sonoma County currently offer Defined Benefit (DB) pensions. There's growing pressure to shift toward 401(k)-style Defined Contribution (DC) plans. Here's why that matters:
Guaranteed monthly pension for life
No guarantee, dependent on market
Employer and pension fund
Employee/retiree alone
Both employer and employee contribute; 65-70% comes from investment returns
Often little to no employer contribution
Important: While current retiree pensions cannot be cut, changes to pension funding can affect future COLA possibilities. Defending DB pensions helps everyone.
Research consistently shows that 401(k) plans have failed to provide retirement security. Get the facts to counter misinformation:
Get answers to common questions about COLAs and pension benefits
We're here to help you!
COLA stands for Cost-of-Living Adjustment. It’s an increase to pension benefits designed to help retirees maintain their purchasing power as the cost of goods and services rises due to inflation. Without COLAs, retirees lose purchasing power over time.
Several factors have prevented COLAs, including the use of the Negative Contingency Reserve and higher-than-required Interest Fluctuation Reserve requirements. While recent policy changes have reduced the cost, implementing a COLA still requires over $300 million in County funding, which needs Board of Supervisors approval.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors must approve funding for any COLA. While SCERA (Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association) manages the pension fund and can recommend policy changes, the County must provide the funding to implement cost-of-living adjustments for retirees.
SCERA (Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association) is the independent agency that administers retirement benefits for Sonoma County employees. SCERA manages the pension fund investments and oversees benefit payments to retirees. Julie Wyne currently serves as SCERA’s CEO.
The most recent information is always featured at the top of this page. The latest pension report from April 30, 2025, and the timeline of updates provide comprehensive information on ongoing COLA efforts. You can also attend membership meetings and check SCERA’s official communications.
The amount varies based on your retirement date. Those who retired before 1998 have lost the most purchasing power and would need approximately a 50% adjustment to reach 80% of their original purchasing power. Later retirees need proportionally less. Use the purchasing power calculator linked above to see your specific loss as of December 2024.
