CSEA AREA H

05/26/2026

Dear Area H Members and District H Retirees,

If you have been impacted by this weekend's chemical incident emergency in Garden Grove, know that CSEA is here for you!

Please find resources and assistance through CSEA and the Orange County Labor Federation (OCLF) below.

CSEA Assistance Fund Programs
CSEA takes care of its members on the job but it also lends a helping hand in times of crisis. The Dorothy Bjork Assistance Fund provides financial relief to members in need and is disbursed through two different programs: the Emergency Assistance Program and the Humanitarian Assistance Program. To be eligible for either of these programs, you must be a CSEA member in good standing.

For questions and assistance, please contact CSEA Member Benefits at (866) 487-2732 or email [email protected].

CSEA Assistance Fund Programs csea.com/member-benefits/assistance-fund-programs
Emergency Assistance Application
Humanitarian Assistance Application
OCLF Temporary Housing Voucher
Labor Community Services and the Orange County Labor Federation has partnered with Airbnb to assist you in your efforts to obtain temporary housing by providing your with an Airbnb voucher for immediate use within the next 15 days.

Please note: These are one-time use and non-refundable coupons expiring on 6/14/2026 at 11:59 PM UTC. They are valid for a stay booking you make on Airbnb. The coupons are not redeemable for cash or gift cards, or toward previous purchases, and cannot be transferred or combined with another offer, coupon, or discount. Each day on the coupons has a daily booking value of up to $250.00 per day. If you book a location that has a higher daily rate, you may be asked to pay the difference.

OCLF's goal is to assist as many families as possible and we ask for your patience as we navigate through this process. Together, we will get through the challenging weeks ahead and find a normal day awaiting us on the horizon.

If you need assistance, please contact Carlos Camacho at (714) 296-6864, Kathia Canlas at (714) 385-1534, or Norma Lopez at (213) 803-0007.

Garden Grove Emergency Webpage
For up to date information, including accessible Evacuation Centers for residents living in the recently reduced evacuation zone, please visit the city of Garden Grove's Emergency website ggcity.org/emergency.

Orange Field Office Assistance
Should you need further assistance from your Orange Field Office, please contact your

Labor Relations Representative csea.com/offices/orange/contacts
Orange Field Office The Orange Field Office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (714) 532-3766. You can also email us at [email protected].
CSEA Member Benefits The CSEA Member Benefits Service Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at (866) 487-2732. You can also email us at [email protected].

05/25/2026

Today we remember those who gave everything for our freedom. ❤️🇺🇸💙

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

Area H Garden Grove and Stanton etc., we are thinking of you during this evacuation time. Please see the following assistance program:

CSEA takes care of its members on the job, but it also lends a helping hand in times of crisis. The Dorothy Bjork Assistance Fund provides financial relief to members in need and is disbursed through two different programs: the Emergency Assistance Program and the Humanitarian Assistance Program. To be eligible for either of these programs, you must be a CSEA member in good standing or a CSEA staff employee in paid status.

Emergency Assistance Program
CSEA policy 1010.4
If a member’s primary residence is deemed uninhabitable as the result of a catastrophic event such as an earthquake, fire or flood, that member can apply for up to $1,000 in immediate emergency assistance. This program may also be used to assist eligible organizations that are providing aid in areas that have been declared federal disaster areas as a result of a catastrophic event (e.g. fire, earthquake, or flood).
Emergency Assistance Application
Questions and assistance: Contact CSEA Member Benefits

Humanitarian Assistance Program
CSEA policy 1010.3
When a member incurs significant financial hardship due to circumstances beyond their control, that member can apply for up to $500 of financial relief through the Humanitarian Assistance Program. Applications and corroborating documentation must be submitted to CSEA Member Benefits within 30 days of the financial emergency. If approved, payments will be made directly to appropriate vendors (utility company, landlord, mortgage lender, etc.).
Humanitarian Assistance Application
Questions and assistance: Contact CSEA Member Benefits
This fund provides assistance to members truly in need and relies on donations from fellow members. Learn how to make a tax-deductible donation.

https://csea.com/member-benefits/assistance-fund-programs

https://ktla.com/news/orange-county/potentially-explosive-garden-grove-chemical-incident-continues-to-evolve-sunday/amp/

Potentially explosive Garden Grove chemical incident continues to evolve Sunday | KTLA

Crews are continuing to monitor the Garden Grove area amid the chemical incident that has prompted mass evacuations, a state of emergency and a class-action lawsuit. The whole ordeal…

05/22/2026

Statement on Recent RPEA Report

Today the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) released a 289-page report titled “CalPERS: America’s Misled and Misleading Pension Leader.” As expected, the report is a wide-ranging critique on CalPERS performance, private equity strategy, fees and costs, board governance, transparency, and credibility. Specifically, the report advances the following claims:



CalPERS chronically underperforms peers and index portfolios

CalPERS manipulates benchmarks

Private equity is overpriced, opaque, underperforming and increases risk

Fees are understated and hidden

Governance is broken and board member expertise is deficient

Compensation is excessive and unjustified

ESG harms returns



The report advocates for an independent Inspector General throughout to provide oversight, investigate misconduct, and restore accountability.



Two media outlets, the Sacramento Bee and NBC News, are expected to publish stories. We have prepared the statement below in response to the report that you are welcome to use if you receive inquiries from your members and stakeholders.



Please let us know if you have any questions.



Statement

“This report is not based on fact. It is an opinion piece full of baseless assertions and breathless language designed to make our members needlessly fear for the stability of their pensions.



“In fact, we have steadily improved the health of the system and were nearly 84 percent funded at the end of 2025, up from 68 percent in 2016. For the past two years, we ranked in the top 5 percent of large U.S. pension funds in terms of performance, and for the past three years we’ve ranked in the top 15 percent. This performance has been driven by the success of our private equity portfolio, which has ranked number one among large pension funds in returns for the past five years. Over the past 10 years, the total fund has doubled in size to more than $600 billion.



“Emphasizing venture, growth, and co-investing, we have cut fees by 35 percent since 2024 as a percentage of our total private equity investments. Our private equity performance is reported after all fees have been subtracted, and we regularly report both fees and fund performance on our website and to the Legislature, as required by California law, which is the most transparent in the nation. Private equity is a key component of our newly adopted Total Portfolio Approach. This approach involves evaluating each potential investment strategy for its potential return and risk and constantly comparing our resulting performance against a standard mix of 75 percent equities and 25 percent securities.



“As always, our goal is to achieve the best return possible for our 2.4 million members.”



Best Regards,



The CalPERS Stakeholder Relations Tea

05/21/2026

Chapter 450 Tustin put on a great CSEW picnic for their members yesterday. They have been doing this for many years and every year it just gets better and better. Thank you to Association 2nd VP Jerry White for attending.

05/21/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to all our CSEA members who were recognized yesterday! 🌟

05/20/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Area H Member, Raelene Velasquez, who received the Paraprofessional Services Classified Member of the Year Award! 👏🏼 🥇 🏆 Thank you for all that you do for the students in our community. 💙 You are a ROCKSTAR!! 💫 Orange County Department of Education California School Employees Association (CSEA) California Department of Education

05/19/2026

Have a wonderful week everyone! HAPPY CSEW!!