SECRETARY-TREASURER’S DESK | MIKE LOPEZ
Roles and Responsibilities
The role of CPF Secretary-Treasurer is one that I am honored to hold and manage with care. Anyone with a fiduciary duty to their locals is given the enormous responsibility of protecting members' dues and ensuring that every dollar is accounted for.
At CPF, we have put in place checks and balances so members know everything we're doing. When we spend your money, we require justification for all expenditures and consider the benefit to the members — members are at the center of every step and every cent spent. At every district meeting and convention, I report to local leaders on the financial status of the CPF, the California Fire Foundation, and our businesses. CPF utilizes an outside auditor and recommends that locals establish independent checks and balances.
At the Fall District Meetings, in addition to reporting on finances, I announced new resources I am developing with the CPF Finance Team to support local leadership in their roles as secretaries and treasurers. These new resources include a WhatsApp Community, which has already been utilized as a platform for local leadership to field questions and collaborate with the CPF team and other local leaders.
Given the political environment we're in, everyone is under the microscope, and local leadership must reflect on the roles and responsibilities we have for members and how we use their dues. My goal is to equip local officers with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to lead with accuracy and accountability. I look forward to expanding these avenues of support in 2026.
Alongside exploring new resources for locals, I am proud to share that going into 2026, the financial future for our union is bright. As we approach another convention year, I'd like to remind everybody that in 2024, we raised operational dues for the first time in many years. Thanks to the decisions and investments made by you, the members, at the last convention, I feel confident about CPF's financial well-being as we head into 2026.
Next year, our biggest fight will be to pass AB 1383 (McKinnor). This bill would make adjustments to the current retirement system for firefighters and ensures retirement security going forward.
As members, legislators want to hear from us, and we can lend our voice to support the CPF Legislative Team's advocacy. I am proud to co-chair the Membership Activism Committee, which is leading the charge to make members' voices heard at the Capitol. If you are interested in advocating for and alongside your brothers and sisters, please visit cpf.org/activism.