Winter 2009 • Issue 35, page 13

New Officers, Increased Membership and Rebirth of San Diego Chapter

By Rense, Kirk*

The CRF’s Board of Directors met November 9, 2009 in San Francisco to review the Forum’s status, elect new officers and discuss future plans. The meeting was hosted by outgoing Chair Ron Oliner at the Duane Morris firm’s San Francisco office conference center in the San Francisco financial district.

Twelve Board members and ten additional Forum members attended in person or telephonically at the morning meeting to discuss finances, membership and future goals and business for the CRF.

Financial Report
The fiscal year end on December 31, 2008 saw the Forum in the best financial shape ever – with projected cash on hand of approximately $169,000 to pay ongoing expenses of operation and to fund future educational programs and projects. Year-to-date reports for calendar year 2009 were also reviewed, which showed that the Loyola III seminar on receiverships and receivership issues – believed to be the only program of its kind in scope and depth – presented by the CRF on January 16th through 17th was an outstanding success, producing revenue in excess of $56,000, with additional funds expected from sale of comprehensive DVD disks of the panel presentations and written materials from the event. More than 200 persons attended, and accolades for the quality of the presentations were universal.

A subsequent half-day seminar of four panels presented in conjunction with the California Bankruptcy Forum’s annual conference in May also produced revenue, which was shared with the Bankruptcy Forum.

The Board also reviewed a projected 2010 budget for projects and programs projected for the next 12 months.

Chapter Membership and Activities
The San Diego Chapter reported a dramatic increase in membership, which exceeded 110 members as of the meeting date. It had $15,000 in the bank to pay ongoing operating expenses and to fund future programs. Recent programs included an overview of major receivership issues, reported on elsewhere in this issue.

The Bay Area Chapter also reported more than 100 members, with a cash reserve of about $9,000. The Fresno/Central California Chapter and the Sacramento Chapter reported 34 and 49 members, respectively. Both have modest funds for future activities and both had sponsored educational program(s) in recent months.

The LA/Orange County Chapter remains the largest, with more than 430 members, with approximately $44,000 to pay ongoing expenses and fund future educational programs. It has conducted some six seminars since June, 2009 for members and interested members of the legal and receivership communities, which have been an outstanding success.

The Loyola III seminar and half-day seminar in conjunction with the California Bankruptcy Forum were the largest projects undertaken by the state governance.

Future Goals and Programs.
Given the overwhelming interest in receiverships and receivership law – thought to be largely a consequence of the residential and commercial real estate crises – the Board decided to put the massive 2-day program on a two-year, rather than a four-year cycle, with the next program tentatively set for January 2011. The Board directed Jeanne Sleeper, president of Forum’s management company, JBS & Associates, to look into solutions to handle an expanded audience for the next presentation.

A half-day seminar / series of panel presentations was approved for presentation by the CRF in conjunction with the May, 2010 California Bankruptcy Forum Insolvency Conference, slated for Monterrey, California. Topics for the panels were discussed, and will be released shortly.

A new CRF member directory is being prepared and was discussed at length. New safeguards to ensure that all information is correct were discussed and endorsed. Ms Sleeper reported that ad sales were going well. Members who have attended one or more of the Loyola Conferences will be so-identified in the directory.

New Officers for 2010 Elected.
Robert Mosier was confirmed as Chair of the CRF for the coming year, replacing the outgoing Chair Ron Oliner. The new Chair-Elect is James Lowe. The treasurer for 2010 is Nancy Hotchkiss, and the new Secretary is Gordon Dunfee. Bruce Cornelius was confirmed at the end of the year as the new Projects Director.

The next State Board meeting was set for May 21, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Monterey, to be conducted in tandem with the California Bankruptcy Forum Insolvency Conference.