Incumbent Retains CalPERS Seat
CalPERS Health Benefits Committee Chair George Diehr has been re-elected to the CalPERS board, the Sacramento Bee reports. Unofficial results posted on the CalPERS Web site show that Diehr won 51% of the vote, thereby avoiding a runoff election.
Howard Schwartz, a CalPERS attorney, won 32.16% of the vote, and 16.84% of ballots cast went to James McRitchie, a state ethics officer. Among eligible voters, 16.1% participated in the election.
During the campaign, Diehr highlighted his experience on the health committee, which oversees $5 billion in annual health care spending. Schwartz' campaign also focused on health care issues.
Upon winning the election, Diehr said, "I'm very excited about the opportunity to make some real advances in health care cost control and quality" (Chan, Sacramento Bee, 10/14).