President's Message
June 25, 2009
By Patrick D. Rogan, CPA
 I just attended CalCPA’s wonderful gala in San Francisco that marked our association’s 100-year anniversary. During its humble beginning in 1909, a group of insightful and forward-thinking individuals started an organization that today has surpassed 35,000 members and is the largest state CPA professional association in the country. Throughout its history, CalCPA has been a strong advocate for the profession and dedicated to providing professional education for CPAs.
CalCPA has come a long way since its inception, and from the beginning has worked to improve the lives of CPAs and their families. At this time of our organization’s big birthday, a little history is in order.
In 1959 CalCPA’s Group Insurance Trust was formed to provide affordable health care plans to CalCPA members. In 1966 the Education Foundation was formed to provide members with low-cost, high-quality continuing education. The CalCPA Education Foundation is the largest of its kind in the country. In 1979 CPA–PAC was launched, and Cal Accountants Mutual Insurance Company (CAMICO) was formed in 1986 to meet CPAs’ needs for malpractice insurance. CAMICO was organized during a time when it was difficult to find liability insurance, and it now holds a 25 percent market share and is sponsored by 16 other state societies. CalCPA Institute was formed in 2004 as a 501(c)(3) organization to promote financial literacy, scholarship efforts, education initiatives and other worthwhile causes.
During the past 100 years, CalCPA has evolved into the nation’s leading CPA professional organization with many events and happenings that are too numerous to mention in this article. Go online for more information on CalCPA’s first 100 years, including photos from the gala.
One particular area in which CalCPA excels is in being an advocate and protector of the profession by representing CPAs with the California Board of Accountancy and the California Legislature. We can point to many successes in this area over the past 100 years. Today, numerous pressing issues will affect our future as CPAs, including:
SB 691: Requires all candidates entering the profession in 2014 to meet the 150-hour education requirement. This affects all California CPAs and is needed to allow us to represent clients who live in other states without having to register to practice in those states.
AB 117: Requires a CPA using the CPA designation to disclose if their license is inactive.
AB 138: Sponsored by the CBA, this bill requires mandatory peer review for California firms that provide audit, review or compilation services.
AB 129: This CalCPA-sponsored bill will reinstate the taxpayer privilege.
Bruce Allen, CalCPA’s government relations director, and Jeannie Tindel, director of legislation, keep tabs on our government officials and are ready to act if needed to protect California CPAs. Each year CalCPA sponsors a CPA Day at the Capitol. Mark your calendar now for the next opportunity to visit your legislators at the Capitol: Wednesday, Jan. 20.
CalCPA has offices in Redwood City, Glendale and Sacramento, and the CalCPA staff includes plenty of hardworking individuals who strive to make CalCPA better for us, the CPAs of California. I have been a proud member since January 1978.
Our annual golf tournament is coming up Thursday, Aug. 27, at Morgan Creek Golf Club. This is our biggest fund-raiser for the year, and all proceeds go toward the chapter scholarship fund. Don’t miss this event, as it’s been a sell-out the past few years.
The Young & Emerging Professionals Committee is planning an evening at the Cal Expo Harness Races. All members are welcome. For more details and to check out our event calendar for other upcoming chapter activities, go online. You may find an event that interests you and offers the chance to network with your colleagues and gather new information.
I welcome your comments and suggestions and would like to hear from you. Contact me via e-mail. I will read each comment and respond.
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Chapter News
Topic: FBAR Penalties and IRS Voluntary Offshore Income Reporting Initiative
Speaker: Rita Palacios-Rader, IRS Revenue Agent
Date: Thursday, July 23
Time: 7:30–9 a.m.
Register online
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What is the best way for your clients to hold title to their assets? How important is it if your client has a trust that their assets are titled in the name of the trust? Guest speaker Mike Bennett, Esq., will discuss the positives and negatives of joint tenancy, tenants in common, and community property and how a trust may be the right solution.
Date: Tuesday, July 21
Register online.
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The Young & Emerging Professionals Committee is hosting a meet-and-greet event at the Cal Expo fairgrounds. Plan to join your peers for an evening of networking and live harness racing. We are limited to 40 people, so register by July 10.
Date: Thursday, July 16
Register online or contact Joe Earl or Jamie Baker for more information.
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Are you ready for a fun-filled day of golf, camaraderie, networking and fun? Then join us Aug. 27 at Morgan Creek Golf and Country Club in Roseville! This is our largest scholarship fundraiser of the year, so be sure to take part as a sponsor, player, raffle donor, tee prize donor or cash donor. We awarded $19,500 in scholarships last year and look forward to raising even more money this year.
Date: Thursday, Aug. 27
Register online or contact Sandy Hongo, (916) 563-7790, or chapter program associate Serena Trovato for more information.
Sponsorship opportunities [PDF]
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CalCPA News
Please take three minutes to update your personal profile on our website and indicate your preferred fields of interest. This will allow us to target your meeting announcements so you receive only those of most interest to you. (No more tax updates for auditors—unless you request it).
While you’re at it, you can also sign up for chapter interest and discussion groups. By signing up, you are not committing any time, it simply means you will be notified about meetings and events.
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Looking for information on what CalCPA events you’ve registered for or a listing of all CPE taken from CalCPA or the Education Foundation? Look no further than the Manage My Account function of CalCPA’s website.
Once you log in to the website with your username and password, the Manage My Account function lets you update your personal and professional profile and provides access to Education Foundation products and course discounts.
Forget your username and password? No worries. Simply visit the Login Recovery webpage, enter your e-mail address and your username and password will be e-mailed to you.
Access Manage My Account today.
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You can post your résumé—for FREE—on CalCPA’s online classified page. Get in front of local employers looking to hire CPA professionals—post your résumé today.
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