September 29, 2022

Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Contact: Colin Steiner, Information Officer
(916) 795-3991 - newsroom@calpers.ca.gov

Ballots to be mailed November 4; voting deadline is December 5

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A runoff election will be held to determine the winner of the CalPERS Board’s retiree seat after no candidate received a majority of the votes cast in the primary election.

Yvonne Walker and Randall Cheek will face each other in a runoff election that begins in November.

The runoff between Walker and Cheek was initiated when none of the three candidates received a majority of votes cast in the election that ended on September 26. Over 650,000 retired members were eligible to vote in this election.

Walker received 54,865 votes, or 49.81%, while Cheek received 28,445 votes, or 25.83%. Tim Behrens received 26,830 votes, or 24.36%.

A random drawing to determine the order of the names on the ballot for this election will be held on October 4 at 9:00 a.m. at the CalPERS Headquarters, 400 Q Street, Lincoln Plaza North Room 1140, Sacramento, CA 95811. Members of the public may attend this event.

Ballots for the runoff will be mailed on November 4, with voting concluding on December 5.

The newly elected member’s term will begin immediately upon certification by the Secretary of State and end on January 15, 2028.

Walker is a legal secretary retired from the Department of Justice. Cheek is a deputy director of legislative and external affairs retired from the California State Lottery.

The 13-member CalPERS Board of Administration sets policy and oversees the administration of retirement and health benefits on behalf of California public employers, and their active and retired employees. The Board also oversees administration of the pension fund's investments. Under the California Constitution, the CalPERS Board has exclusive authority to administer the CalPERS Pension Fund.

About CalPERS

For more than eight decades, CalPERS has built retirement and health security for state, school, and public agency members who invest their lifework in public service. Our pension fund serves more than 2 million members in the CalPERS retirement system and administers benefits for more than 1.5 million members and their families in our health program, making us the largest defined-benefit public pension in the U.S. CalPERS' total fund market value currently stands at approximately $423 billion. For more information, visit www.calpers.ca.gov.