Several members have contacted our offices about an article posted in a Nevada newspaper about early retirement.  The article (click here) was only partially correct.  This regulation only applies to IN SERVICE pension payments to people who retire less than the SAFETY retirement age of 50.   The National Conference of Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) (Click Here) and the International Association of Firefighters (Click Here) have both done a good job answering this issue.

While this rule is not applicable to our members who are LACERA members, Local 1014 is very concerned about the current IRS changes that will be increasing scrutiny of public pension systems.  While our systems are fully compliant and transparent to IRS codes, this is a drain of pension dollars and manpower for scrutiny of a system that is consistently scrutinized by its plan sponsors (LA County) and independent auditors.

Use the attached information for the vehicl policy

Local 1014 Director and LACERA Safety Representative Will Pryor gave testimony before a joint Senate and House committee on the state of Defined Benefit pension plans. This hearing was called by Senator Bob Casey (D - Pa.) to counter national attacks on pension plans and negative press being generated about pension plans.

The IAFF, CPF and the AFL-CIO along with several non profit advocacy groups will be waging a PR battle to keep states from dropping their pension plans and continue with their most important obligation to their employees. With tough economic times ahead for local government agencies we are expecting another national push to drop or drastically cut pension plans.

Read more from the IAFF

Read the statements here

Press Coverage

Friends, Family and Fire Service Unite in Honoring Dallas Jones

Dallas Jones was always there for others … even at the most difficult of times. This week, those whose lives he touched paid heartfelt tribute to a man many called “my hero.”

At an emotional memorial held in his fire service hometown of Downey this past Tuesday, CPF Secretary-Treasurer Dallas Jones was remembered as a man who, in his modest but firm way, changed the face of the California fire service and the fire labor movement. Brother Jones, who served sixteen years as president of Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 as well as five years as state OES Director, died May 10th after battling lung cancer. He was 64 years old.

“After working with him for over 30 years, I was as close to Dallas as I’ve been to anyone,” said CPF President Emeritus Dan Terry. “He was like a brother to me.”

Nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of uniformed firefighters from throughout California, came to pay their respects at a ceremony held with full fire service honors. IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger and CPF President Lou Paulson offered tributes, as did CPF President Emeritus Terry and current Local 1014 President Dave Gillotte. Choked with emotion, IAFF General President Emeritus Alfred K. Whitehead spoke movingly of his “best friend”.

“He was a brilliant political leader and the most loyal friend anyone could ever have,” said Whitehead.

CPF President Paulson recalled his early days as CPF Health and Safety Director, watching Dallas navigate with ease a tricky regulatory hearing in Sacramento.

“When it was over, Dallas … in his own quiet way … had won two-in, two-out protection for California firefighters,” recalled Paulson

Dignitaries paying their respects included L.A. County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, former Gov. Gray Davis, who appointed Dallas as OES Director in 1999, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, former Treasurer Phil Angelides, L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe, and Tom Sawyer, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Homeland Security Director.

While Brother Jones was lauded for his professional contributions, most moving were the family tributes to a man who had found a way to balance his dedication to firefighters with a strong devotion to family. He leaves behind devoted wife Lily, sons Brian and Michael, daughter Anadallas, sister Janet Adelmund, daughters-in-law Kimberly and Angela, and four grandchildren – Kaitlyn, Tiffany, Tyler and Kayla.

“My brother and I proudly wear the uniform of Los Angeles County Fire Department as a tribute to our father,” said Brian Jones. “He was my hero.”

“He told me that he would always be there for me, no matter what,” added daughter Anadallas. “He never let me down.”

Following the memorial service, Dallas’s brothers and sisters honored his memory with a miles-long apparatus and funeral procession to the graveside ceremony in nearby Cypress. There, Brother Jones was laid to rest with the traditional Last Alarm ceremony.

REMEMBERING DALLAS JONES

Click the image below to view a photo tribute to Dallas Jones's career as a firefighter and a committed union leader.