Bakersfield Chapter
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Archive for the ‘President’s Message’ Category
August 2nd, 2010
By L. Richard Walton
I hate selling things, but I find myself doing it all the time: to clients, to the government, to juries. As a tax controversy/white-collar criminal defense attorney, it is my job to sell the innocence of my client—and they don’t always make the job easy! But I do it—and then I wonder why I find it so hard to speak with fellow CPAs about joining CalCPA.
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July 1st, 2010
As Darkness does not come all at once, neither does Oppression.
There is a time when things remain seemingly unchanged.
And yet it is in such times that we must be most aware of change,
lest we become unwitting victims of the Darkness.
— Justice William O. Douglas
By L Richard Walton
This weekend, we will each take time from our practices to picnic with family, enjoy fireworks and reflect on how lucky we are to live here. As CPAs, we and our clients benefit from Pax Americana, the great American Peace—peace where we say, when we say, because we say so. Our profession is based upon the Rule of Law that makes us so uniquely American.
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June 2nd, 2010
By L. Richard Walton
In 1762, French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau said of education: “Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education … We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.”
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May 7th, 2010
By L. Richard Walton
Professionalism, Participation, Philanthropy and Procurement
There is an old story of a CFO who was ordered to meet with engagement partners from what were then the Big Eight, and hire one within two weeks. Two days later, the CFO made his decision.
“How did you decide that fast?” asked the CEO. “Simple,” replied the CFO. “I met with all eight partners. I asked them each the same question—what does two plus two equal?—and seven of the eight responded with ‘four.’ I hired the one who said, ‘What number do you want it to equal?’”
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February 25th, 2010
By Joel Bock, CPA
Well, busy season is here again! However, before we become too terribly busy, several CalCPA members recently enjoyed a Bakersfield Condors hockey game. Although the Condors didn’t win, it was a good opportunity to meet and network with other CPAs in the Bakersfield area. Thanks to those who attended the event and special thanks to Rick Brauer of Citizens Business Bank for allowing CalCPA to utilize the company’s suite for the event.
Congratulations to the new slate of officers and directors for the 2010-2011 year! The results of the election are: President: Rich Walton (Buchalter Nemer Fields & Young) First Vice President: Oscar Axume (Barbich Hooper King Dill & Hoffman) Vice President: Mark Taylor (Lehr Brothers, Inc.) Secretary/Treasurer: Lisa Coston (Daniells Phillips Vaughan & Bock) Past President: Joel Bock (Daniells Phillips Vaughan & Bock) Directors: Tom Maxwell (Fisher, Keathley & Ross); Ariadne Prunes (Brown Armstrong); Connie Perez (Brown Armstrong); Kimela Seay (Brennan Millan & Co.); Stephanie Peters (CBIZ); and Tom Bracken (Sunridge Nursery).
If any members are interested in participating in a weekly tax discussion group during busy season, please contact Oscar Axume.
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January 12th, 2010
By Joel Bock, CPA
Happy New Year and welcome to 2010! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I’m sure many of you are taking advantage of the few remaining weeks leading up to busy season to get organized and prepare. Although there are no chapter activities from February through April, you will be receiving an e-mail in the upcoming months regarding the chapter officers and board members for the 2010-11 year. Please take time to cast your vote.
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December 9th, 2009
By Joel Bock, CPA
As we enter the holiday season and near the end of 2009, I’d like to wish you happy holidays! With 2010 just around the corner and busy season soon thereafter, I hope you will be able to spend some quality time with loved ones in the upcoming weeks.
Recently, the chapter hosted a social event at the Doubletree Hotel that drew approximately 50 local CPAs to network, share ideas—and eat. Additionally, attendees were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding potential future local CalCPA activities. If you have any ideas for future local CalCPA activities, please e-mail Kay Coffin.
Within the next month, the Nominations Committee will be compiling a slate of officers and directors for the chapter’s 2010-11 fiscal year. If this is something that may be of interest to you, please contact Kay Coffin for details.
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November 12th, 2009
By Joel Bock, CPA
Most of you have heard about the recent signing of SB 819 by Gov. Schwarzenegger, which will make California CPAs substantially equivalent and better positioned to provide services to their clients outside of California.
After Pathway 1 (bachelor’s degree with 24 semester units in accounting and 24 semester units in business) sunsets Jan. 1, 2014, all California CPA candidates will be required to meet certain additional ethics and education requirements as part of the total 150-hour requirement. All CPA’s licensed in California prior to Jan. 1, 2014, will be grandfathered in as substantially equivalent.
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October 8th, 2009
By Joel Bock, CPA
September was filled with a variety of events that allowed our chapter to give back to the community in which we live.
Local CalCPA members participated in the United Way of Kern County’s Day of Caring 2009 Sept. 12. The event unites hundreds of volunteers from various organizations to assist nonprofit agencies with tasks too large or time consuming for them to accomplish on their own. Our group was assigned to assist Project Linus as volunteer “blanketeers” and helped make blankets and afghans.
Project Linus provides love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans. The firm with the most participants in the Day of Caring—Daniells Phillips Vaughan & Bock—will enjoy a pizza party courtesy of CalCPA. Many thanks to all those who participated!
Many local accounting professionals, college professors and college students participated in our annual Student Night Sept. 30. This year’s event was a big success with the largest student attendance in recent years. The festivities for the evening included the chapter’s scholarship award presentations. Congratulations to Les Watts Memorial Scholarship recipients Joel Sandoval, Grecia Barrera and Toyosi Obafemi!
A first for this year’s Student Night was the presentation of the YEP of the Year Award, which went to Anastasia Antonova of CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann!
I’d like to thank the following firms for sponsoring Student Night: Brown Armstrong, Barbich Hooper King Dill Hoffman, CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann, Fisher Keathley & Ross, and Daniells Phillips Vaughan & Bock. Also, special thanks to the evening’s speaker, CalCPA Chair Andrea Cope, and to our program associate Julie Jameson and program director Gary Hammond for helping facilitate the event.
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September 11th, 2009
By Joel Bock, CPA
The Second Annual CalCPA Bakersfield Chapter Golf Tournament took place Aug. 31 at Stockdale Country Club. The day proved to be a great opportunity for CPAs to enjoy a fun afternoon of golf and network with other business professionals, while raising money for our chapter’s scholarship fund. I’d like to thank all the sponsors and participants, as well as those involved in planning the event for making it a success.
Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday, Sept. 30, for our Student Night. Board members will soon be visiting local college classrooms to encourage accounting students to sign up for this special event. If you know any local college students who are either accounting majors or possibly undecided about a potential major, please encourage them to sign up for the event. The goal of the event is to give the college students some additional knowledge and perspective of the accounting profession, as well as to introduce them to potential future employers.
The event starts at 3 p.m. for the students, as they will be taking tours of local CPA offices. If you or your firm would like to host students at your office for this event, please contact Julie Jameson. The evening portion of the event will feature CalCPA Chair Andrea Cope, as well as the presentations of the Les Watts Memorial Scholarship and the YEP of the Year award. In addition, this event will serve as the chapter’s celebration of CalCPA’s 100th anniversary. A registration form is available online.
As previously mentioned, the YEP of the Year award presentation will occur at Student Night. The YEP (Young and Emerging Professionals) Committee has been working diligently to establish this award to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of the YEP accounting professionals in chapter. More details and a nomination form are available online.
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