November 2007 | Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter Bulletin

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DISASTER RESOURCES

What to Do in an Emergency

Whether you or a client has been affected by the Southern California fires, CalCPA has resources to help you through the crisis, including comprehensive tax resources and other important disaster recovery information.
   CalCPA also is coordinating volunteer efforts to assist victims of the Southern California wildfires—and we need your help.
   There are opportunities for CPAs statewide to provide pro bono financial and tax assistance to fire victims who are in need. Even if you are not in Southern California, you can sign up to offer assistance by phone.
   Each volunteer receives a comprehensive Volunteer Handbook that contains virtually everything you’ll need—especially when combined with your professional expertise—to assist fire victims.
   To volunteer, update the volunteer portion of your personal profile.
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CHAPTER EVENTS

2008 Honorees Night

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Honorees Night where we’ll honor selected students and members of the accounting profession for their accomplishments and contributions.
   Last year we awarded more than $40,000 in scholarships to students attending the nine community colleges in and around the Silicon Valley, and also gave awards to students at Santa Clara and San Jose State universities, California State University, Monterey and University of California Santa Cruz. Over the last nine years, we have awarded $200,000 to the best accounting students in our area.
   During the evening we will also present the Lifetime Achievement Award to an outstanding member of our community whose contributions have significantly changed our profession.
   So, before we get buried in “the season,” come and enjoy a night with friends.
 
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 23
Time: 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Location: Double Tree Hotel; 2050 Gateway Place; San Jose
RSVP: Online
Info: Chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart

Bay Area Regional Education Events

Topic: California Taxation for Individuals
Speaker: Kathleen K. Wright
Date: Monday, Nov. 5
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Location: Crowne Plaza Foster City; 1221 Chess Drive; Foster City
Cost: $140/members; $190/nonmembers
CPE: 8 hours (MCLE: 6.5 hours)
RSVP: Online
 
Topic: Federal Taxation of Partnerships and LLCs: Operations and Allocations
Come learn about California and federal tax compliance issues involving partnerships, LLCs and LLPs; partner/LLC member loss limits; partnership allocations under IRC Sec. 704(b); forward and reverse allocations involving built-in gain or loss property under IRC Sec.704(c); and allocations of liabilities.
Speaker: Gary McBride, JD, LLM, CPA, professor, Cal State East Bay
Date: Friday, Jan. 18
Location: SFSU Downtown Center
RSVP: Online

AP&AS Committee

Topic: Auditing Companies with International Considerations
Speaker: James Babcock and Jamie Tan, CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman & McCann PC
Date: Tuesday, Nov 13
Time: 8–9 a.m.
Location: Abbott, Stringham & Lynch; 1550 Leigh Ave.; San Jose
Cost: Free
CPE: 1 hour
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.

Upcoming AP&AS meetings:

Topic:IT Risk Assessment in Applying the New SAS Risk Assessment Standards
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 11
 
Topic: Implementing the New SAS Risk Assessment Standards
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 8

Tax Interest Group

Topic: Energy Tax Credits: Solar and Beyond
Ensure that your clients are receiving proper tax credit for qualifying investments in energy-efficient assets.
Speaker: Paul Olson, Commercial Cashflow Advisors
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 21
Time: Noon–1:30 p.m.
Location: Bella Mia Restaurant; 58 S. First St.; San Jose
Cost: $30/members; $15/student and candidate members; $35/nonmembers ($5 additional at the door)
CPE: 1 hour
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.

Emerging Professionals Committee

Topic: How to Work a Room
Walking into a room full of strangers and coming away with new friends, good contacts and business leads takes learned skills and practical methods. Come join us for an evening of personal development and practical application.
 
Speaker: Patti Wilson, executive career and business coach
Date: Thursday, Nov. 8
Time: 6 p.m./registration; 6:30–8:30 p.m./program
Location: Mission Ale House; 97 E. Santa Clara St.; San Jose
Cost: $25/members; $30/nonmembers or members at the door; $10/student and candidate members
CPE: 1 hour
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.

Nonprofit Interest Group

Date: Friday, Nov. 9
Time: 7:15–8:45 a.m.
Location: Hobee’s Restaurant; 1875 S. Bascom Ave. (in the Pruneyard Shopping Center); Campbell
Cost: $25/members; $10/student and candidate members; $30/nonmembers
CPE: 1 hour
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.

Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs Fallfest

Don’t miss this opportunity to talk with your attorney, banker and fellow CPA friends and to meet new contacts. This twice-a-year event always draws several hundred people, so register today.
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 13
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Sainte Claire Hotel; 302 S. Market St.; San Jose
Cost: $45 (advance registration)
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.
Info: Renee Hazel or Howard Loomis, (408) 385-3400.

New-Member Orientation

New chapter members are invited to this orientation to meet chapter leaders and get an overview of our chapter’s special interest committees. But that’s not all. After the orientation you may attend—for free—our ABC Fallfest (a $45 value). The Attorneys, Bankers and CPAs Fallfest is one of the most popular networking events of the year, drawing more than 300 attorneys, bankers and CPAs.
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 13
Time: 3:30–4:30 p.m./new-member orientation; 4:30–7:30 p.m./ABC Fallfest
Location: Sainte Claire Hotel; 302 S. Market St.; San Jose
Cost: Free
RSVP: Online or contact chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart.
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Press Some Flesh

By Roger Laux

Our chapter’s Emerging Professionals Committee morphed out of what was originally the Membership Committee. With the renaming of the committee came a renewed vigor of the members, due in no small part to the committee members themselves being on the front end of the CPA age curve. This committee has hosted various activities, including outings to golf driving ranges, socials at places like Dave & Busters and informational and improvement meetings and gatherings.
   Because the Emerging Professionals Committee is geared toward CalCPA members who are in the early stages of their careers, the committee’s planning efforts target that demographic group. An upcoming session is titled (loosely) “How to Work a Room.” The topic seems appropriate, since new accountants coming out of school are freshly educated and ready to tackle technical projects, but may be lacking in their business social skills. “How to Work a Room” has somewhat the sound of a scam in process, but it really translates to putting your best foot forward and holding your own beyond debits and credits in a less familiar, less comfortable environment.
   Emerging professionals who attend the event will get an opportunity to try out their newly acquired skills Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the ABC (Attorneys, Bankers & CPAs) Fallfest. For the three of you out there who are not familiar with this event, ABCs get together twice a year, during spring and fall. This popular gathering regularly attracts more than 300 attendees. In addition to the event’s social and business aspects, the net proceeds it generates are a major source of funding for our chapter’s annual college scholarship night.
   If you haven’t attended the ABC, this is as good a time as any. Enjoy some fine refreshments, see your friends, catch up with old acquaintances and “work the room.”
   Regards,
—Roger Laux, CPA
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CHAPTER NEWS

New Members

On behalf of the Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter’s officers, directors and members, we extend our warmest of welcomes to our new members:

Licensed CPAs
Grace Johnson, Agilent Technologies
Georgia Law, MemoryTen, Inc.
Lisa Weay Shih, Extreme Networks, Inc.

Associate Members
Eric DePaepe, Ensemble Capital Management

Candidate Members
Abigail Allen, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Scott Almassy, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Ray Arthun, Jones Lang LaSalle
Robert Asmar
Vikas Bagaria, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Heather Bagwell, Armanino McKenna LLP
Dhruvkumar Bavaria
Debasish Bhowmick, Ernst & Young LLP
Spencer Brock, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Lindsey Cayanan, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Fiona Chu
Stephen Chu, KLA Tencor
Sara Dutoit
Alexandra Ermakova
Robert Eves, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Christine Feltrin, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Wing Fung
Alan Gazaway
Maria Gomez
Eilean Guo, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Richard Hermerding
Michelle Holmes, ArcSight, Inc.
Mario Hu, CAMICO Mutual Insurance Company
Rosa Jaime
David Jang
Gaurav Khosla, Electronic Arts
Vani Kota, Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital
Matthew Krehe, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Marie LaCorte, Armanino McKenna LLP
Heather Lee, Surftech International
Diana Lo
July Lopez
Jie Lu
Dave Montez, Mohler Nixon & Williams
Shilpa Naik, Bhatia & Company, Inc.
Lynn Naito
Stephen Ndiritu, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Ari Olgun, Ernst & Young LLP
Alan Ramsay
Hazem Rashed, Barit Consulting
Tamara Rosenblum, Mohler Nixon & Williams
Eric Schaefer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Brian Schwartz
Dragana Shedroff, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
Sameer Shirsekar, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Christopher Trinh, KPMG LLP
Tim Turley
Sreevidhya Visvanathan
Peiling Wei, Ruzzo Scholl & Murphy AC
Li-Wen Yu
Yawen Yu
Ando Yun, CCA Accountancy Corp
Xiaojie Zhou

Candidate Members Converted to Licensed CPAs
Jeffrey Stark, Ireland San Filippo LLP
Latha Venkataraman, Mozzetti, Inc. A/C

Member Anniversaries

One to Five Years
Alicia Alvarez, Scott Anderson, Irina Anissimova, Olivia Aranda, James Arntz, Aaron Aylesworth, Larisa Beletsky, Jessica Boda, John Buchanan, Michael Bush, Keyuan Cao, Tom Chan, Charlene Coffey, Lisa Cummings, Chris Di Salvo, Vanessa Dove, Jeffrey Ford, Jessica French, Kelly Gaffaney, Jennifer Gih, Rosemary Hayward, Teri Hopkins, Ken Huang, Sara Humphrey, Erik Hunnicutt, Sheryl Ireland, Jordan Kahn, Marianne Kring, Tharan Lanier, Lina Lee, Kwang-Hee Lee, Anthony Leung, Yu-hsien Lin, Travis Long, William Lyons, Kelly Mak, Jonathan Mills, W David Munson, Leonard Namimatsu, Thi Nguyen, Matthew Nunn, David Peters, Evan Shahin, Julianne Sweeney, Yuko Takahashi, Selena Tat, Carmel Tom, Navdha Vyas, Judy Wang, Lindsay Wilson, Aaron Wong, Peter Wylie, Man Yan, Jonathan Youngberg, Kay Yu, Deborah Zenker

Six to Ten Years
Gina Andersen, Sannie Chan, Dennis Christian, Ernest Cortes, Justin DiMacchia, Darlene Hall, Bruce Handa, Kevin Kaefer, Jeffrey Kirkendall, Tyler Martin, Lesa Mellis, Almer Mendoza, Ricky Nguyen, Michelle Puma, Mark Rose, Tamara Rudd, Lori Runkle, Trusha Shah, Carolyn Spinney, Garrett Wade, Shunmin Yan, Li Jasmine Yin, Jeffrey Yoshioka, Jun Yu

11 to 15 Years
Rakesh Aggarwal, Richard Bauerle, Susan Bittleston, Franceen Borrillo, George Hernandez, Roxanne Laine, Anne Lee, Andrew Mattson, Mark May, Doris Monti, Robert Terpening

16 to 20 Years
Sheri Billings, Christine Collins-Madrid, David Doolin, Michael Hutchinson, Harish Khanna, Mark Pizarek, Stuart Pollack, Sandra Shimizu, James Watkins

21 to 30 Years
David Arterburn, Peter Balbiani, Lynn Bonicelli, Patrick Brassill, Thomas Brewer, Diana Chan, Michael Cordano, Ann DeKay, Donald Gusarson, Michael Huffman, Jeffrey Janda, Emily Kwong, Kerry Lorincz, Jeffrey Newhouse, Keith OLeary, Stephen Pang, Michael Schaffer, Steven Schrepfer, Steven Schultz, Paul Siegel, Barbara Simonich, Jay Smith, Robert Strasser, Gregory Thelen, Michael Thompson, Suzanne Weber, David Wilsey, Ming Yang

31 to 40 Years
R Michael Green, Ronald Gregg, Charles Helfrick, Jr., Henry Huff, III, John Laumann, Robert Lawrence, James Livingstone, Darrel Neuenschwander, Grant Rollin, Robert Simmons, Bert Wall, Anthony Yau

More than 40 Years
Frank Belluomini, Eugene Cowell, Norman Edwards, Frank Giacalone, John Harden, Jr., Annie Johnson, Ernest Randolph, Francis Ruzzo, John Worden, Stanley Ziganti

Lifetime Achievement Award Nominations

During our upcoming Honoree Night  on Jan. 23, we will award an individual who best epitomizes a lifetime of achievement both within and outside of our profession.
   Distinguished past winners of this award include: Alexander W. Berger (2003); John Bellitto (2004); Robert B Stringham (2005); Joseph P. Mori (2006); and Robert A. Petersen (2007). All have been leaders with a legacy in our profession, as well as tireless and invaluable volunteers in our community.
   Where do you come in? We need your help to nominate those people whom you admire or find to be an inspiration in or out of our profession.
   Send your nominations, along with a paragraph describing their accomplishments, to Dan Morris or Ben Mozzetti Jr.
   Please don’t delay. Nominations close Thursday, Nov. 15.

Meet the Board: John S. Haydon, CPA

John Stow Haydon’s decision to become a CPA occurred to him during a “moment of clarity” while he was at Humboldt State University working on a master’s degree in biology. “I had worked for my father’s accounting firm since grade school and was working part time at a CPA firm at the time,” he says. “I love the sciences, but was best suited to accounting.”
   Therefore, John never fulfilled his first career ambition of becoming a geomorphologist (someone who studies the form and history of the landscape), but he did get a bachelor’s degree in geology from UC Davis before completing the accounting program at Humboldt State and securing an MBA in taxation from Golden Gate University. He doesn’t regret the change to his career path. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my entire career in accounting,” he says. “My best times have been with my clients and associates.”
   John is also well on his way to fulfilling his wish of being remembered for “giving back to communities at least as much as I’ve received.” He’s on the Kiwanis Club of San Jose board of directors and is on the same organization’s foundation board. John has served as director or officer of his local county fair, hospital foundation, college foundation, the chamber of commerce and various county and state political committees.
   People describe John as multifaceted, caring and intense—qualities he may share with his heroes George A. Haydon Jr., who passed away in September, and Robert E. Graham, who was a partner at the San Jose office of Haskins & Sells and is the author of 50/50 at 50—a book John recommends highly.
   John is inspired by “the enjoyment of the present and the study of the past” and “the thought that, as difficult as circumstances may become, there’s always a way through them,” he says.
   What does John think is the most critical skill for being a successful CPA? “To look at something with a critical eye and cut to the core of it to see what it actually is so you can respond accordingly,” he says. “Critical observation is the foundation of decision-making. The scientific method, the tax analysis pattern and the audit process are very similar: facts, issues, conclusions and reasoning, resulting in a defensible report.”

Golfing for Dollars [photos]

By Perry Forschino, chair, Golf Tournament Committee

More than 100 CalCPA members and colleagues from the financial and legal professions “scrambled” around the Coyote Creek Golf Club Sept. 21 during our annual golf tournament. Thanks to their participation and the generosity of our Eagle Sponsors, the event raised nearly $8,000 for our chapter’s scholarship fund. Eagle Sponsors included: Abbott, Stringham & Lynch; ADP; Burr, Pilger & Mayer LLP; CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.; Ensemble Capital Management, LLC; Gallina LLP; Johanson & Yau Accountancy Corporation; Paychex; Perisho Tombor Ramirez Filler & Brown; Petrinovich Pugh & Company, LLP; Rabobank; Stonefield Josephson; Sweeny, Mason, Wilson & Bosomworth; and Veyna & Forschino, CPAs.
   Congratulations to all the winners (names withheld to protect the guilty) and special thanks to all of our tournament sponsors. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the dedicated and tireless work of Stephanie Stewart, our chapter’s program associate, and the efforts of committee members Pam Hedblad and Paul Duren for their part in making this year’s tournament such a success.
   If you have not participated in the annual golf tournament, you don’t know what you’re missing. The tournament is designed as a social event, a time to get out of the office between the corporate and individual tax extended due dates of Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, to mix and mingle with colleagues and clients over lunch, golf, barbeque dinner and an awards presentation. Plus, the much-needed net proceeds go to the chapter’s scholarship fund. The tournament is a scramble format where the best shot of each group is recorded, so all skill levels can participate and have fun. Although we award prizes, the golf itself is almost secondary to the social and fund-raising aspects of this event.

Chapter Board of Directors Nominations

Our chapter is taking nominations for chapter director, and chapter members may nominate candidates. Each candidate must be a licensed CPA and a CalCPA member in good standing. Please submit nominations to chapter program associate Stephanie Stewart by Dec. 15.

A Season of Giving: Charitable Contributions

During this time of the year many of you donate to your favorite organization to touch lives and build futures. Please consider giving back to the profession and making a direct, year-end donation to the chapter’s scholarship fund.
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CalCPA NEWS

Leaders Wanted: Become a CalCPA Officer or AICPA Council Member

You are the driving force behind one of the world’s largest economies. Isn’t it time you put your leadership skills to use for the betterment of the CPA profession?
   The CalCPA Nominations Committee is accepting nominations until Dec. 1 for 2008–09 CalCPA officers and council members at large. Officer positions include chair, first vice chair, treasurer and two vice chairs. Three council members at-large will also be elected.
   Members can apply for more than one office and will be considered only for the positions to which they apply. Download a nomination form, review job descriptions and ideal leadership characteristics.
   For more information, contact John Angelo or Nominations Committee Chair D. Paul Regan.

Another Way to Serve—AICPA Council

If you’re an AICPA member and interested in representing your peers on AICPA Council, let us know. The Nominations Committee will recommend candidates to AICPA Council, which establishes AICPA policies and procedures, and enacts resolutions that are binding on the board of directors, officers, committees and staff.
   If you’re interested, send a letter of intent and your professional and volunteer history to: Nominations Committee; c/o D. Paul Regan, chair; 330 N. Brand Blvd., Suite 710; Glendale, CA 91203.
   All letters must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 1. The AICPA makes the final selections.

CalCPA Member Discounts on CCH Tax Guidebooks

CalCPA members can order CCH’s U.S. Master Tax Guide 2008 and the Guidebook to California Taxes 2008 at significantly discounted rates:

2008 U.S. Master Tax Guide (Expected ship date, late-December 2007): $41/members; $61/nonmembers.

2008 Guidebook to California Taxes (Expected ship date, late-January 2008): $39/members; $59/nonmembers.

Order today.
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RESOURCES:

Silicon Valley San Jose Chapter Leadership