CALIFORNIA STATE COMMANDERS VETERANS COUNCIL MEETING

This is an executive summary of the California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) meeting held January 26, 2008, 9:30-12:30pm, Fresno. COL Warren Enos, President, represented CAL-MOAA affiliated chapters.

The Agenda
Call to order 0930. Roll call 10 of 19 members present; half a dozen guests. October 27, 2007 meeting minutes approved. Presentations by CAL-MOAA, CDVA. Financial report. Legislative report. Secretary’s report. New business. Roundtable discussion.

Special Presentations
The CAL-MOAA presentation was a strong message about supporting Pete Conaty & Associates, the legislative advocate. CDVA Secretary Tom Johnson explained how the Governor’s budget would impact his department. John King, a CDVA Deputy, explained how services are being provided to the state’s 2.2 million veterans. The CSCVC secretary said some groups interested in membership have been denied because they did not meet the bylaws mandated requirements. Most veterans organizations are losing membership; funds are short everywhere. continue reading

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FINANCIAL SHORTFALL THREATENS CSCVC LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

A major part of the California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) mission is to promote an annual agenda and over the years it has been employing the Sacramento lobbying organization Pete Conaty & Associates as its advocate.

And for a number of years a wealthy benefactor has been donating most of the funds needed to meet Conaty’s $6,000 annual retainer requirement. That individual has now passed on and the payments are no longer being made. For a significant period of time the dues and donation totals have not met current needs.

The outcome of this issue will have a significant impact on CAL-MOAA’s legislative efforts in California. continue reading

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COUNCIL PRESIDENT REPRESENTS AFFILIATED CHAPTERS

The California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) is a membership organization of some 19 veterans and military-related organizations. Membership in the Council is open to the Department Commanders, or their equivalent, of all veterans organizations which are organized in the state as non-profit organizations and their membership consists of veterans who have served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The group’s first 2008 meeting was held Saturday, January 26th, 9:30am to 12:30pm, at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Fresno to set the 2008 legislative agenda and conduct Council business. About half of the members, most from Southern California, were not in attendance because of difficult driving conditions in the snow-covered I-5 mountain passes.

According to the CAL-MOAA bylaws, Standing Rule 1, the Council president “shall represent the Council of Chapters on the California State Commanders Veterans Council.” On that basis, COL Warren Enos, AUS (RET) was present and offered EXCOM and chapter member views to that body. continue reading

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As it was previously reported, our Council’s Website Webmaster passed away last month. Before her untimely death, Gloria had been alerted to the award granted to the CalMOAA website and was delighted with the recognition given to her. Unfortunately she did not live long enough to be presented with the Award Plaque.

Last night, it was my pleasure to present the plaque to her daughter, Dava Maples at our MOAA dinner. Ms. Maples thanked the group and said that she was honored to accept the award for her mother.

As you can imagine, this was a bitter-sweet moment for all of us who knew and loved Gloria and are still mourning our loss. I am so glad to have had this opportunity to honor Gloria and to hand her award to a loving daughter.

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CHAPTER PRESIDENT’S SYMPOSIUM COMING TO WESTERN REGION

Council and chapter leaders who live in MOAA’s Western Region should mark their calendars now! The 2008 Western Region Chapter Presidents’ Symposium will be held Oct. 16-18 in Lake Tahoe, Nev., at Harvey’s Resort.

Council and chapter presidents, first vice presidents, and personal affairs officers are invited to attend. States in the Western Region include Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Col Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret
Director, MOAA Council and Chapter Affairs

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COUNCIL OF CHAPTER PRESIDENTS MEETING AN UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS

The annual meeting was a success. The Council has a carefully designed plan for 2008, some wonderful and committed people, and an approved budget. More than 85 members and guests attended the Saturday evening banquet.

The secretary will distribute updated EXCOM member and chapter presidents rosters as well as minutes of the EXCOM meeting and the Council of Chapter Presidents Annual Meeting.

Legislation
The most important federal issue discussed was the Medicare reimbursement rate coming in January 2008. Following a comprehensive briefing by Palm Springs Chapter representatives, plans were made to implement a legislative alert . Members were asked to join in a unified action to cause change by contacting and influencing legislators prior to a scheduled late December 2007 decision.

We could be headed for a crisis at the state level. There’s danger ahead—a lack of funding threatens a lobbying system that has been in place for some years. There are signs that the nineteen (19) veterans organizations making up the California State Commanders Veterans Council, a client of the Sacramento lobbying firm of Pete Conaty & Associates, either cannot or will not provide funds to cover a required $6K retainer. CAL-MOAA, a CSCVC member, will provide up to $1500; the other organizations will be expected to contribute the additional $4,500. What happens if the funding is not provided is yet to be determined. continue reading

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RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ISSUES OF CRITICAL CONCERN
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This is a report that I promised to send upon attending the meeting at SLO.

First, the meeting was a helpful reminder that there are several dedicated MOAA members working to solve some of our salient common problems. That is both disturbing and reassuring. Nobody has solved the problem of current in-flesh immortality and we all seem to have declining membership although talking with Earl Gustafson was helpful in finding what a successful chapter has done to minimize the threat.

As I thought about the issues surrounding declining membership, I was reminded of my own chapter as well as the common dilemmas we all face. We have essentially 3 choices with a few variants:
1) Increase membership
2) Increase income sources
3) Decrease the mission

Increasing the membership means we need to understand the needs of the officers following us and that we need to be prepared to compromise our personal preferences for the good of larger numbers. This, in turn, means several things are possible. We can survey and probe and question our younger members and eligibles for information, for example, but we may already know that those coming behind us are not joiners and their lives are more complex than our own were at a comparable period in our lives. continue reading

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ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER PRESIDENT’S BRIEFING

Here are a few of my observations gained while representing our chapter at the Dec 1, 2007 CAL-MOAA Council meeting held in San Luis Obispo. Be advised these are my opinions etc. and may not represent those of the management so to speak.

In general I thought it was one ofthe best Council meetings that I have attended to date.

AL ASHURST, CAPT, USN (RET)
President, Orange County Chapter

December 3, 2007
Re: Observations re 2007 CAL-MOAA Council Meeting December 1, 2007

BACKGROUND
The CAL-MOAA Council of Presidents is made up of the presidents of 44 of the 48 California MOAA chapters. The Council is the governing body of CAL-MOAA. There is also an EXCOMM committee made up of the CAL-MOAA president and vice president (elected by the Council) plus the Directors of the 8 geographical areas. The EXCOMM is responsible for day to day operations and implementation of Council decisions. continue reading

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