CalPERS active and retired members are invited to attend a Candidate Forum for the CalPERS Board of Administration Member-at-Large election on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. The election is for two Member-at-Large positions on the CalPERS Board of Administration that make important decisions affecting members’ benefits.
The 13-member CalPERS Board of Administration sets policy for retirement and health benefits on behalf of California public employers, and their active and retired employees. The board also oversees asset allocation of the pension fund's investments. Under the California Constitution, the CalPERS Board has exclusive authority to administer the CalPERS Pension Fund.
Key Details:
- Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025
- Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Location: CalPERS Headquarters, 400 Q Street Sacramento, CA 95811
- Lincoln Plaza North - Feckner Auditorium
- The forum will also be livestreamed on the Candidate Forum Webcast.
Holding to tradition, the forum will be moderated by the League of Women Voters who encourage CalPERS members to submit questions for the candidates by email in advance to forums@lwvsacramento.org. Questions will also be taken live during the forum, but those received in advance will have priority. All questions will be reviewed to avoid redundancy and represent a broad range of topics.
The candidates invited to speak at the forum are:
Position A:
- Steve Mermell, retired city manager, City of Pasadena
- Dominick Bei, fire captain, City of Santa Monica Fire Department
- David Miller (incumbent), senior environmental scientist specialist, Department of Toxic Substances Control
Position B
- Sam Hasan Akkad, retired senior bridge engineer, Department of Transportation
- Troy Johnson, senior administrative assistant, Sweetwater Union High School District
- Jose Luis Pacheco, (incumbent), SharePoint developer/administrator, San Jose Evergreen Community College District
Ballots for the election will be mailed August 29 and votes must be received by September 29. All eligible CalPERS members will be able to vote using one of three convenient voting methods: by mail, by phone, or online.
Members who do not receive ballots by September 5 should call (877) 610-8637 to ask for a replacement ballot.
The newly elected board members will begin their terms on January 16, 2026.
Information on the upcoming board election and resources for members is available at www.calpers.ca.gov/boardelections.
