The following is an electronic copy of a written document. If there is a dispute over wording, a written copy from The Bakersfield Californian should be used.

Contents

About the Bakersfield Californian Benefits program

Who is Eligible

Declining Coverage

When Coverage Begins

When Coverage Ends

Changes to your Health Plan Enrollment

Health Benefits

Medical Option- HMO

Medical Option- PPO

Dental Option 1 - Dental Net

Dental Option 2 - PPO

Vision Service Plan

Income Protection Benefits

Basic Group Term Life Insurance

Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

Dependent Life Insurance

Long Term Disability Coverage

Voluntary Group Term Life Insurance

Aflac

Section 125 Plans (Medical reimbursement)

Employee Assistance Program

Retirement and Savings Benefit

401(k) Plan

Social Security

Contact Information

The information in this document is a summary of the benefits for Guild Employees of The Bakersfield Californian, Please refer to your Plan Documents for more details. If there is a conflict between the benefits described in this summary and the Plan Documents, the Plan Documents shall govern.

About the Benefits Program

Who is Eligible? (back to top)

Active Employees

• Employees are eligible for health benefits and Long Term Disability coverage if they regularly work 20 or more hours per week,

• Employees are eligible for Life Insurance if they are Full-Time and regularly work 30 or more hours per week.

Dependents

• Dependents will be covered under the same plan(s) as chosen by the employee.

• Definition of Dependent:

• Your lawful spouse, while not divorced or legally separated from the

  employee, or a domestic partner.

• Your unmarried child who is not employed on a full-time basis, dependent on you for support and under age 19 or age 25 if a full-time student, If a child is not capable of self-support due to a mental or physical handicap, insurance may continue, regardless of age. Written application for special status for the handicapped child must be made to the insurance company within 30 days of the 19th birthday.

In the event of a divorce, or if your child reaches an age where they no longer qualify for benefits, you must notify the HR dept immediately. Failure to do so could result in claims being paid in error, and you could be responsible for the charges.

Declining Coverage (back to top)

You have the option to decline the Medical, Dental and Vision coverage. If you choose to decline the coverage, you will not be able to enroll in the coverage at a later time, except under the following circumstances:

• Qualifying Event (see Changes in Family Status section for more specifics)

• Open Enrollment period (Usually in December, for a January 1 effective date)

When Coverage Begins (back to top)

Employees are eligible the first of the month following 60 days of employment, Employees will be notified of their eligibility after approximately 30 days of employment. Employees must enroll for insurance no later than 30 days after they are eligible. If they do not enroll at that time, they must wait until Open Enrollment to enroll.

When Coverage Ends (back to top)

If your position becomes less than a 20 hr/wk position If your employment is terminated, coverage ends the last day of the month in which you terminate.

If an employee takes a personal leave of absence or an unpaid leave and has health benefits through the company, the Company will maintain those benefits for the duration of the leave, not to exceed 12 weeks. The employee remains responsible for the normal bi-weekly contribution. After 12 weeks, they have the option of purchasing the medical, dental and vision insurance plans through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA); this also applies to their dependents. Costs on purchasing these plans can be obtained from HR. If any employee chooses not to continue the insurance coverage during their personal leave or while on an unpaid medical leave, they will have to wait until the open enrollment period to re-enroll and then they may choose insurance coverage different from what they were enrolled in when they left.

Changes to your Health Plan Enrollment (back to top)

Each year you have the opportunity to make changes to your benefit elections during Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment is in December each year and has a January 1 effective date. Those elections are effective for the next 12 months (1/1-12/31) unless you have a qualifying event.

Qualifying Events:

• Marriage

• Birth, adoption or custody change of an eligible dependent

• Beginning or ending of a spouse's employment

• A change of employment status (either yours or your spouse's) from part-time to full-time or full-time to part-time

• Loss of health insurance coverage

Any changes to your benefits must be consistent with your qualifying event. For example, if you give birth to a child, you can add the child on to your insurance, but you would not be able to add your spouse at the same time unless another qualifying event has occurred.

You must notify Human Resources of a qualifying event within 30 days of the event. If you do not notify us within 30 days, you will have to wait until the next Open Enrollment period.

Employees can cancel coverage at any time by sending an email to Human Resources with the reason they are wishing to cancel their coverage and an effective date. Employees will not be allowed to re-enroll until Open Enrollment unless they have lost coverage elsewhere and proof can be provided.

Health Benefit Options

Medical Option 1: Health Net HMO Medical (back to top)

Medical Option 2: Health Net Prudent Buyer (PPO) Medical

(back to top)

Dental Option 1: Blue Cross Dental Net (DMO) (back to top)

Dental Net is a dental HMO option, With Dental Net there are no deductibles and no co-payments for most diagnostic or preventative care services, which keeps your out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum. When you enroll in Dental Net, you will be asked to select a participating dental office and primary dentist or each member of your family.

Dental Option 2: Blue Cross PPO Swing Plan (back to top)

This dental option provides you with the flexibility of being able to "swing" between a HMO dental plan and a PPO dental plan all year long, You may choose between Dental Net, a dental HMO plan, or PPO dental, When you chose the PPO dental option, you also get the option of going out-of-network to any non-participating licensed dentist. However, the services you receive may not be covered at the participating provider benefit level. The dental plan you select applies to all family members. Your choice of dental plans at any given time determines benefits and plan limitations, You can enroll in the dental plan that fits your current needs and you may switch plans as often as every month.

* = Waived for diagnostic and preventative services.

Vision Service Plan (back to top)

The Bakersfield Californian provides vision coverage through Vision Service Plan (VSP). This plan allows you to receive vision care services from any vision provider that you wish. When you access vision care from VSP providers, most eligible are covered at a higher level of benefit. If you access service from an Out-of-Network provider, the patient can be reimbursed up to the maximums listed below. Please note, you will not receive an ID card from VSP. The provider, using your Social Security number and your date of birth, can verify your coverage directly with VSP.

* When you choose contacts instead of glasses, your $120 allowance applies to the cost of your contacts and the contact lens exam (fitting and evaluation). This exam is in addition to your vision exam to ensure proper fit of contacts. If you choose contact lenses, you will be eligible for a frame 12 months from the date the contact lenses were obtained.

Out of Network Reimbursement amounts

Income Protection

Basic Group Term Life (back to top)

The Bakersfield Californian provides Basic Group Term Life Insurance through Principal Financial for all Regular, full-time employees. This benefits is paid entirely by The Bakersfield Californian; there is no cost to employees. If your death occurs while you are covered under this plan, your beneficiary will receive one times your base annual salary up to a maximum of $520,000.00.

• Please note that the value of Basic Group Term Life Insurance amounts over

$50,000.00 is considered imputed income and reported to the federal government

as taxable income by The Bakersfield Californian.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance

The Bakersfield Californian provides Accidental Death and Dismemberment through Principal Financial, This benefits is paid entirely by The Bakersfield Californian; there is no cost to employees, This benefit is payable to your beneficiary in the event of your accidental death.

Dependent Life Insurance (back to top)

The Bakersfield Californian provides life insurance coverage through Principal Financial for your eligible dependents for all Regular, full-time employees. This benefits is paid entirely by The Bakersfield Californian; there is no cost to employees.

Long Term Disability (back to top)

Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance is carried for all full-time and part-time employees and is a benefit paid for by the Company. This benefit is payable to you in the event that you are unable to work due to a medical condition for 90 days or more. The benefit payable is up to 50% of your basic monthly earnings to a maximum of $2000.00 per month. Employees have the option to purchase additional coverage at their own cost, which will increase the coverage to 60% and increase the monthly maximum to $5000.00. The buy-up LTD coverage will be issued without any health underwriting if you enroll within 30 days of becoming eligible, If you decline coverage and elect at a later time to enroll, you must submit evidence of insurability and can be turned down for coverage on the basis of your health.

Income Protection Benefits

Voluntary Life Insurance (back to top)

Regular, full-time employees can purchase additional life insurance coverage at their own cost. Employees can choose 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 times their annual salary. Coverage cannot exceed $520,000 and any amounts over $140,000 will require a health statement to be completed. Additional coverage can also be purchase for a spouse or child. Employees can purchase up to half of what the employee elects for themselves, up to a maximum of $100,000, Spouse coverage over $30,000 will require a health statement to be completed. If you decline coverage and elect at a later time to enroll, you must submit evidence of insurability and can be turned down for coverage on the basis of your health.

AFLAC (back to top)

The Company offers a personal accident indemnity plan through AFLAC. This is completely paid for by the employee through payroll deductions. Benefits are payable for a covered person's death, dismemberment, or injury caused by a covered accident that occurs on or off of the job.

Section 125 Plans

Flex 125 (back to top)

This tax saving benefit is available for employees who qualify for Company sponsored health care insurance, Also known as a "Section 125 Plan," the Flexible Spending Account is actually three separate accounts:

1. The Premium Conversion Plan allows eligible employees of the Company to pay their share of the premium, through payroll deductions, for healthcare coverage on a pre-tax basis.

2. The Health Care Reimbursement Account offers a way for employees to be reimbursed for eligible health care expenses, which are not covered by insurance, on a pre-tax basis.

3. The Dependent Care Reimbursement Account provides a way to be reimbursed on a pre-tax basis, for childcare expenses incurred while you are working.

4. All designated amounts are deducted on a bi-weekly basis from an employee's paycheck,

5. Designated amounts for both the healthcare and dependent care reimbursement amounts must be requested by an employee in writing on the appropriate forms, Elections for payroll deductions are made annually during open enrollment.

The pre-tax feature of these accounts provides tax savings to you. More information about this unique benefit may be obtained from Human Resources.

Employee Assistance Program (back to top)

The Company recognizes that everyone may occasionally benefit from professional assistance with personal problems. Accordingly, the Company provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The EAR provides confidential and professional counseling and when appropriate, referral to other services to deal with personal problems, such as chemical dependency, marital or family conflict, and emotional problems. The EAP is offered to enhance personal well-being as a means of improving individual attendance, performance, and productivity. All counseling through this program is on a voluntary basis,

If you suspect you may have an alcohol, drug, emotional, marital, family, or other personal problems, even in the early stages, you should contact the EAP, seek a diagnosis, and follow through with the program as prescribed by qualified professionals. Although you are encouraged to use the EAP, participation in the program does not relieve you of your obligation to perform your work in a satisfactory manner and to comply with other Company rules and guidelines.

EAP services are available to all employees and their immediate family members. Contact with the EAP is voluntary, although a supervisor may refer an employee who is not performing up to standard. Whether you are referred to the EAP by a supervisor, a co-worker, the family, or choose to go on your own, the concerns you discuss with the EAP consultant are strictly confidential.

Retirement and Savings Benefit

401(k) Plan (back to top)

All regular full-time employees and part-time employees are eligible for enrollment in the Company's Rep 401(k) plan. Employees are eligible the first of the month following 90 days of employment. Under the plan, you may contribute up to 92% of your total eligible pay from each paycheck on a pre-tax basis, If you are full-time employee, The Bakersfield Californian will match 100% of your contributions up to 4.6% of your base wages. Employees are permitted to borrow against their 401 (k) plan under certain conditions, Loan rules and procedures are available in Human Resources, You will be vested according to the following schedule:

Participation in the 401(k) plan allows convenient savings method using pre-tax dollars and deferring federal taxes on investment income. A detailed description and plan documents are available in Human Resources. The Company reserves the right to modify or cancel this plan at its discretion.

Social Security (back to top)

The Bakersfield Californian matches your Social Security contributions. Your payments and those made by the Company contribute to the benefit amount you will receive from Social Security when you retire.

Contact Information (back to top)

(back to top)