LARFPA was first known as the Los Angeles City Pensioners Protective Association. A constitution and by‑laws were adopted at a regular meeting of the members on December 15, 1926, with the 1927 officers listed as John G. Todd – President; Edwin L. Oker – Vice President; Kurt Neitzke – Secretary-Treasurer, and Board Members – Charles B. Casey and Arthur Graham. Dues were set at an admission fee of $1.00 and an annual due of $1.00, with the Association’s funds totaling $10,203.50. Somewhere between 1926 and 1963, the name of the Association was changed to the Los Angeles Veteran Firemen and Policemen’s Association.
The Los Angeles Retired Fire and Police Association® came into being during its first meeting of Directors, held at 2:00 p.m. on November 27, 1965. The meeting’s minutes indicate that a code of by‑laws was presented and adopted. The meeting minutes of March 1, 1966, however, reflect a large change in the Association: Dues were doubled – going from $1.00 to $2.00 per year payable in advance – and the Association’s assets now stood at $13,717.04. This information comes from an article published in the Winter 1987 Newsletter written by Secretary Earl Sansing, who served as Secretary from 1972 to 1990.
The Los Angeles Retired Fire and Police Benevolent Association® was incorporated in 2007 as a public charity, a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit corporation. The 990-federal tax return is filed as a Private Foundation. The Benevolent Association was funded in 2008 from the 501(C)(3) trust fund awarded to LARFPA, a 501(C)(4) non-profit, mutual benefit membership corporation, in 1991 by the Superior Court. This award consisted of the total assets of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Retirement Center, a 501(C)(3) corporation, which was dissolved in 1991 because it became evident that it would be too expensive to build housing for retirees. The “Retirement Center” was founded in 1968 by the LARFPA membership. The Retirement Center and subsequent trust have provided temporary financial assistance since 1968 to Los Angeles retired firefighters and police officers, and the “Benevolent Association” continues that tradition.
To join LARFPA, you must be a retired pensioner from LAPD or LAFD, active sworn personnel eligible to join the LAFPP pensions system at retirement, or a widow or dependent child receiving a pension. The purpose of LARFPA is to operate a social welfare advocacy organization on a non-profit, non-sectarian, non-political basis for the pensioners of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments, their spouses or surviving spouses, widows, widowers, and dependent parents or children. Now, to answer the big question: “What do I get out as a member?” The Association publishes a quarterly newsletter to keep the membership informed of current events and attacks on your pension benefits. A roster book is published biennially with contact information for old partners and friends. The Association hosts two large events each year: a barbecue in June and a holiday celebration in December. Both events are at a very nominal cost to those attending. The Association has a general membership meeting in June and September. At these meetings, guest speakers relay information that is of interest to the membership. Beginning January 1, 2022, the Association will reimburse its dues-paying members up to $600 towards their estate planning done or revised with the assistance of legal counsel.
The LARFPA Board of Directors is all volunteers. There is a full-time staffed office for service to the membership. Any director can be reached through this office. As of January 2024, the monthly membership fee is $7.00 per month, payable by payroll deduction.
We are dedicated to the welfare and assistance of Los Angeles City Firefighters, Police Officers, their spouses or surviving spouses, dependent parents, and children.