Best Wishes for Busy Season

By Joelyn Carr-Fingerle, CPA

For those of you who missed it, our Jan. 28 event was wonderful. We learned what we might expect from the legislature this next year from Assembly member Mary Hayashi (Hayward), who chairs the Business & Professions Committee that oversees the California Board of Accountancy. Remember, peer review is now mandatory for those of us in public practice if we prepare any financial statements. Please note that the CBA has also changed the regulations on ethics courses.

This year the LeVerne Garcia Award for outstanding service to the profession and the community was made posthumously to Stephen P. Blanding, who passed away last fall. It was good to hear about all that Stephen had done. Also at the meeting, election results for next year’s chapter board and officers were announced. Congratulations to all, and thank you for serving the profession. It is a rewarding experience.  See photos from this event.

And last, but certainly not least, we awarded eight scholarships totaling $21,000 to some very deserving university students. Their stories and comments were priceless. Thank you, members, for making that possible. The students and their plans and futures are bright. However there have been significant increases in the price of college lately. Many more of these students need help and are working hard. Our scholarship fund is a great way to help them, and you can do so in many creative ways. A couple of examples? Johnston, Gremaux and Rossi made significant contributions in honor of Bob Johnston’s retirement. When Diana Sanderson and Joe Mori married, their guests were asked to contribute to the scholarship fund in lieu of sending wedding presents. Contributions in memory of deceased members are always welcome, and we receive a number each year. The Scholarship Committee has an ambitious plan to double the scholarship program. Thank you for all your contributions that have allowed the program to be implemented.

CPA Day at the Capitol Jan. 20 was a great success this year. Thanks for turning out and making the trip to Sacramento. The legislators heard us, and saw us, en masse. Your chapter was noticed. We couldn’t do it without you, the members.

To all of you in public and private practice, best wishes for busy season. Our chapter’s activity level decreases markedly for the next couple of months, but we will be in touch occasionally with a few activities that we hope you can attend. The Business and Industry Committee and the QuickBooks Users Group will both sponsor meetings in February. Also, mark your calendars for the Third-Annual Post-Busy Season Film Festival April 20. Hank Levy assures me it will be even better this year, although that is hard to imagine, as these events have been such fun in the past. The theatre has lots of room, and staff, spouses and significant others are all welcome. Hope to see you there!

Until then, remember to take breaks, get up from your chair and walk around. Exercise helps your focus and stamina. Don’t forget to eat regularly (not just snacks and caffeine). And get your sleep. I know we are all tired by the end, but we don’t want to have to be calling CAMICO or our attorney because of “tired” mistakes! Have a wonderful busy season. We will be in touch—just a little!

This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 11:09 am and is filed under President's Message. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.