Busy Time of Year

By Denise Patterson, CPA

CalCPA held its Annual Members Business and Council meetings, as well as the California CPA Education Foundation Annual Meeting, June 26–28 at the beautiful Waikoloa Resort in Hawaii. The location was wonderful and the meetings were exciting and informative. I’d like to share with you some of the issues discussed at the meetings.

During the Education Foundation meeting, Fresno Chapter Past President Adrienne Cantrell (Baker, Peterson & Franklin) was elected to serve on the Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Congratulations, Adrienne!

Several legislative issues continue to be important to the profession, including mobility, substantial equivalency and peer review. During this legislative session, AB 2473 was introduced to align California with the rest of the nation and the mobility provisions included in the Uniform Accountancy Act. The bill’s substantial equivalency provisions would have allowed California CPAs to provide services to clients across state lines without requiring licensing in those states. Unfortunately, the bill did not meet the deadline for passage out of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. However, CalCPA will continue its efforts related to passage of mobility and substantial equivalency legislation. With respect to peer review, it is anticipated that the California Board of Accountancy will pursue legislation in 2009 for mandatory peer review for all firms providing audits, reviews and compilations. CalCPA is in favor of this legislation, as it is  important to consumer protection.

As part of CalCPA’s efforts to promote these issues, the chapter will meet with area legislators this fall. CalCPA Program Director Kay Coffin will schedule meetings with the legislators while they are in their district offices. We are asking that all interested chapter members participate in the meetings. CalCPA will provide information packets and you will be thoroughly briefed on the issues prior to your visit. We expect the meetings will be scheduled on either a Thursday or Friday and last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If you are interested in participating, let me know!

Also, the 2009 CPA Day at the Capitol will be held Wednesday, Jan. 21. Be sure to mark your calendar for this event and plan to spend the day in Sacramento meeting with your legislators. It is an exciting event and one well worth attending.

Did you know CalCPA provides peer review services to firms in California, Alaska and Nevada? Nevada has a mandatory peer review requirement for firms providing audits, reviews and compilations, and California is moving toward a similar requirement. To provide the necessary reviews for firms in the three states, additional peer reviewers are needed. If you or your firm are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, please contact Thomas Parry, chair of the Peer Review Committee or Linda McCrone, CalCPA technical services director, at Linda.mccrone@calcpa.org.

The Women’s Leadership Forum will be held at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles Wednesday, Dec. 3. Our chapter is putting together transportation for all interested women. Mark your calendars and plan to travel with your colleagues to an outstanding event!

The Young & Emerging Professionals initiative continues to be an important for CalCPA. YEP Committee chairs from around the state will convene in Redwood City this fall to identify the group’s needs at both the state and chapter levels. CalCPA has a professional networking site for young and emerging professionals and you can register to participate in the online community by going to http://calcpayeps.ning.com. You can view videos from the YEP Conference at www.youtube.com/calcpa.

At the chapter level, the YEP Committee is planning a social event in August. Stay tuned for additional information. The YEP Award application will be available this month. Be sure to nominate your favorite YEPs for one of the 2008 YEP Awards! We also are looking for chapter members who are interested in participating in our YEP Awards selection committee. If you would like to participate, let me know by Aug. 31.

Several of our chapter members have appeared on local television during the past few months. I’d like to thank Kendall Wheeler, Moore Grider & Co.; Fausto Hinojosa, Price, Page & Company; and Adam Blitz, Baker, Peterson & Franklin, for taking the time to prepare for and appear on KSEE-24’s Central Valley Today show. In April, Kendall was on the show and discussed taxes and the economic stimulus payments. He also provided information about energy savings. During May, Fausto provided information on “Protecting your Child Against Identity Theft.” In June, Adam appeared and discussed “Money-Wise Steps for College Grads,” while Kendall discussed “Newlyweds and Finances.” Thank you for your great representation of CalCPA’s Fresno Chapter.

During the next few months, many of you will be vacationing with families and friends. Have a wonderful, restful time and be safe in your travels!

— Denise Patterson, CPA

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 11:12 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.