I grew up living on military bases around the world — Alaska, France, Germany and the American Southwest. My father, Staff Sergeant Elmer Fred Green, served in the Marine Corps and then the Air Force. He taught me that service is a commitment, and when you’ve earned something, it’s yours. I took that lesson seriously, and so did my brothers, when we each joined the military. I spent years at sea before transitioning to defense work.
I later taught elementary school in San Diego’s inner-city schools and economics and history at Coleman College. My wife Teri, a registered nurse, and I have built our life in San Diego and have been happily married for 47 years. In my retirement, I’ve volunteered with the California Highway Patrol, served as a docent on the USS Midway, and been active with the American Legion and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
Over the past decade, and especially over the past few years, an affordability crisis has emerged. Our state is becoming less and less affordable, especially for retirees. California is our home, but lately, I’ve been worried about whether California wants veterans like me to stay.
Through my years of advocacy with MOAA, including serving as president of the California Council, I’ve worked to make our state a welcoming place for veterans. And right now, that feels more important than ever. California is already one of the most expensive places in the country to retire, and veterans on fixed incomes depend on knowing their retirement and savings are secure.
That’s why I support the Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act aimed for the November ballot. It would prohibit new taxes on retirement accounts, personal savings and personal property, and ban retroactively taxing the savings we’ve already built.
Some politicians and interest groups are pushing the idea to tax pensions, 401(k)s and other retirement savings. These kinds of taxes often start small and targeted, then expand to cover everyone, so it’s a terrible precedent to set — especially in a state with looming budget deficits.
For veterans and retirees, that is a threat to the financial security we spent our lives building. Think of the disabled veterans who are managing significant medical expenses; the retirees on fixed incomes trying to stay in their homes; teachers and firefighters who spent decades in public service, expecting their pension to keep them secure. These are real people, our friends and neighbors, who expect their retirement to be there when they need it.
Changing the rules now is a betrayal of that promise.
California is a wonderful place to live. Many of us don’t want to leave — but wanting to stay and being able to afford to stay are two different things. Every new threat to what we’ve earned is another reason for a veteran or retiree to contemplate moving out of state.
This proposed ballot measure would give Californians the certainty that the savings they’ve worked their whole lives to build won’t be taxed away.
Those of us who served didn’t do it for the benefits — we did it because we believed in something larger than ourselves. I protected our country, taught our children, and have spent my retirement giving back to the community I’ve called home for decades. The savings Teri and I built weren’t handed to us, but were earned over a lifetime of service.
That’s why so many veterans organizations are in support of this measure, including the Marine Corps League, Department of California; the Scottish American Military Society, Post 1921; Disabled American Veterans, Department of California; and the California Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, which have all endorsed the measure.
The Retirement and Personal Savings Protection Act keeps a promise — to veterans, to retirees, and to every Californian who has worked hard and believed that their savings would be theirs. I’m asking you to join me in voting yes this November.
E. Fred Green, Jr. is a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander who served aboard a variety of vessels and on shore duty before retiring. A San Diego resident, he is a life member of the American Legion and Military Officers Association of America.
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