To: Board of Supervisors
From: Internal Operations Committee
Report Title: RECOMMENDATION FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
REAPPOINT Scott Gordon to the Board Appointee #4 seat on the Contra Costa County Employees' Retirement Association Board of Trustees to a new term ending on June 30, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None to the County. Retirement Board Trustees receive a stipend of $100 per meeting, plus mileage reimbursement, paid by CCCERA.
BACKGROUND:
The Contra Costa County Employees' Retirement Association (CCCERA) is administered by the Board of Retirement, an independent public entity responsible for general management of the association. With assistance from qualified professionals in the pension industry, the Board adopts regulations, policies, and procedures that are relevant to CCCERA, for the purpose of benefiting the members. CCCERA is also governed by the California Constitution and the regulations, procedures, and policies adopted by CCCERA’s Board. The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors may also adopt resolutions which affect member benefits, as permitted by the County Employees’ Retirement Law of 1937.
On June 30, 2025, the term for seat #4 on the County Retirement Board will expire, creating a vacancy. The term of office for the vacant Board of Supervisors appointee seat is July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028.
At the direction of the Internal Operations Committee, staff initiated a four-week recruitment by issuing a press release (attached) on March 31st advertising the vacancy, with an application deadline of April 25th.
For advisory body vacancies, our standard advertising includes:
• Posting a notice in the News Flash section of the homepage for the duration of the nomination period.
• Promoting with a recruitment announcement on CCTV’s CountyNet bulletin board
• Emailing to area print/online publications, plus KCBS Radio and KKDV Radio.
To be eligible to serve on the CCCERA Board of Trustees as County appointees, applicants must be County residents, must not be Retirement System members or retirees, and may not market any investment, consulting, or related service to the Contra Costa County Retirement Board or any other 1937 Act Retirement Board. To be competitive, applicants should possess a sound business background, experience in pension fund investment or administration, or in equity investments or banking.
The April recruitment garnered five eligible applicants, all of whom were invited to interview with the Internal Operations Committee on May 27th: Mario DiPrisco (Lafayette), Larry Fernandes (Walnut Creek), incumbent Scott Gordon (Martinez), and Nathan Sadowski (Walnut Creek). Applications for each eligible applicant are attached.
The IOC interviewed all eligible applicants on May 27th except for Nathan Sadowski, who was unexpectedly called away to tend to a family matter. As a result of the interviews, the IOC recommends the reappointment of Scott Gordon to a new three-year term that will expire on June 30, 2028. The IOC was very appreciative of all of applicants, who are highly qualified, and encouraged them to seek out future opportunities with the County’s advisory bodies.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Negative action would place the County at a disadvantage in not having full County representation on the Board of Trustees, which makes decisions affecting employers as well as active and retired employees.