SECRETARY-TREASURER’S DESK | MIKE LOPEZ
An Active Year Ahead
2024 WAS A BUSY YEAR, and 2025 is shaping up to be another active year for your union.
The financial strength of our union continues to be the highest priority for myself and the CPF Finance Team. I anticipate that our yearly audits conducted by the CPF Trustees and an outside accounting firm will continue to show a clean bill of health. I am grateful that our organization is privileged to learn from their financial savvy and guidance to continue improving our finances.
I’m happy to report that we ended 2024 in a stable financial position, thanks to the membership and the hard work completed at Convention 2024. The members decided the future with our per capita increases.
At our December 2024 CPF Executive Board meeting, the board met to discuss the 2025 CPF budget. We had productive discussions and expressed our optimism for the organization's financial health and will continue to explore new ways to operate economically.
As part of our budgeting, we accounted for each of our major events, ensuring that they not only meet the needs of our members but also remain highly affordable. To name a few of the key events we have coming up – the Daniel A. Terry Legislative Conference is in May and the annual California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony is in October.
In November, the CPF Membership Activism Committee met after a hiatus caused by the pandemic. Chaired by 2nd District Vice President Rex Pritchard and myself, this committee consists of representatives appointed by the Executive Board from across each district of CPF.
The Committee was born from a resolution at a past CPF convention, authored by Riverside City Firefighters Association, Local 1067, and Arcadia Firefighters Association, Local 3440. In our first meeting, all committee members emphasized their excitement and commitment to this mission. We all look forward to connecting with members to discuss what motivates you to get involved.
Tax season is here, and I want to inform you of a great resource available to our members – the Firefighters First Credit Union. Since the inception of this program, I was fortunate enough to participate in the pilot program designated for our members. I have personally utilized their services to prepare my tax filings at an affordable rate. Their excellent customer service and ability to handle all services remotely made the process convenient, hassle-free, and manageable.
As a courtesy reminder to all local secretary-treasurers, please submit your annual copy of your local’s audited Financial Statement, Form 990, or Form LM-2 to the IAFF in compliance with the IAFF’s Constitutions and By-Laws. Additionally, please report any local constitutional updates.
Unexpectedly, Southern California was hit by two major fires at the start of the year – the Eaton and Palisades Fires. The California Fire Foundation was boots on the ground within 48 hours of the fire, and distributed over 7,263 SAVE cards which was a total of over $2.3 million in financial assistance.
I’d like to give a special shoutout to Raffy Bitchakdjian and Pasadena Firefighters Association, Local 809. Without local leadership involvement during these major disasters, we would not have been able to effectively reach their community. This would not be possible without the staff of the California Fire Foundation and the collaboration between the businesses at CPF. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of such a great organization.