The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is an agency in the California executive branch that "manages pension and health benefits for more than 1.5 million California public employees, retirees, and their families". In fiscal year 2020–21, CalPERS paid over $27.4 billion in retirement benefits, and over $9.74 billion in health benefits. CalPERS manages the largest public pension fund in the United States, with more than $469 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021. CalPERS is known for its shareholder activism; stocks placed on its "Focus List" may perform better than other stocks, which has given rise to the term "CalPERS effect". Outside the U.S., CalPERS has been called "a recognized global leader in the investment industry", and "one of America's most powerful shareholder bodies". As of 2018, the agency has $360 billion in assets, and is underfunded by an estimated $150 billion, with current assets below 70% of necessary to provide for liabilities. In an effort to reduce this shortfall, at the end of 2016 the board lowered their expected annual rate of return on investments from 7.5% to 7.0%, increasing the costs California cities must pay toward their workers' pensions. Statistics on pension payouts, 2018 Total payout = $22 billion Total beneficiaries = 600,000 Overall average = $32,224 - (including payments to survivors and workers with only a few years of service) 20+ years of service average = $50,333 30+ years of service average = $66,373 Police or Firefighters with 20+ years of service average = $78,104 Number of retirees with $100,000+ pension = 26,000 (This is 4% of the total number of retirees, yet this group collected 17% of the total amount CalPERS paid out in 2018.) For comparison: Average Social Security payout = $17,532 History Discussion about providing for the retirement of California state employees began in 1921, but only in 1930 did California voters approve an amendment to the State Constitution to allow pensions to be paid to state workers, and only in 1931 was state law passed to establish a state worker retirement plan. In 1932, the "State Employees' Retirement System" (SERS) began operation. The California State Employees Association, established in 1931, began a close relationship with SERS that continues to this day. In 1939, the state Legislature passed a bill that allowed local public agencies (such as cities, counties, and school districts) to participate in SERS. Initially, SERS could invest