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Artists, musicians and government officials will join in a Summer 
Harvest Celebration Sunday, August 24, at the Lakeport Yacht Club, 
15 Fifth Street, Lakeport. 

The 5 to 8 p.m. event is co-hosted by the Lake County Democratic 
Club and Lake County Democratic Central Committee. Admission is
$20. For reservations, call 262-0275 or 274-8392. 

Indian tacos, a traditional Native American food prepared by the 
Quitiquit family of Robinson Rancheria, will be served. Wine and 
other beverages will be available. 

 A silent auction of work by local artists will include pieces by 
 Jack Cornell, Gloria De La Cruz, Xavier Pin„a ,Barbara 
 Stubblefield, Karen Magnusson, Jerry Thompson, Karen Turcotte of 
 coArts and the Coyote Film Festival, Shannon Tolson of Second 
 Sunday Cinema and Ruth Altman, who organized the art auction. 

 Musicians will include Mike Heintz on guitar, mandolin, and 
 fiddle, John Zimmerman on guitar and singer Caolifhionne 
 (pronounced Keelyn) with her partner Keith Mears, playing the 
 bones and Irish drum. 

 Former North Coast State Senator Wesley Chesbro, a long-time 
 advocate of agricultural and land conservation issues, will 
 attend. He is a candidate for State Assembly District 1. Patty 
 Berg,the current representative for Assembly District 1, is a 
 sponsor of the event, as is the California Teachers Association. 

 Information on various non-partisan food and environmental 
 organizations, including the Lake County Land Trust, Sierra Club, 
 Lake County Food Co-op and Farm Aid. 

For reservations, phone 262-0275 or 274-8862.
Tickets are also available at the event.

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By Patty Berg (published Thursday, July 24, 2008)

There is perhaps no better metaphor for life in the Capitol these days than the Grand Canyon, symbolizing not just our gaping budget gap, but also the divide of opinion on solving it.

Like the canyon, California’s gap grew gradually, fed by a multitude of forces moving together to devastate our finances. Population growth, economic downturn, energy crisis, dot-com bust, housing collapse, natural disaster, ballot-box budgeting, healthcare costs, prison overcrowding.

None of them alone could have done so much damage. But together, one after another, year after year, they have brought us here, with a $15-billion deficit that persists despite $12 billion in cumulative cutting in recent years.

The depth of the deficit is exceeded only by the width of the chasm separating Democrats and Republicans who must sooner or later agree on a spending plan. This gap stems from some very basic beliefs about the role of government and community responsibility.

Some of my Republican friends might convince you that our differences focus on a willingness to spend. They have done a great job of painting Democrats as the “tax-and-spenders.” But that’s not what separates us. Republicans are only too happy to spend on programs they like. Several of them came to me and asked that my budget subcommittee protect one pet program or another. The real point of contention is what we think government can and should do.

We think government can and should serve people and make our daily pursuits safer and our outlooks brighter. Voters, on the whole, agree with this. But that’s not to say we are in perfect harmony. Recent statewide opinion polls showed that voters want both low taxes and high government spending. Likewise, they said they were willing to increase taxes, as long as somebody else would pay them. And they wanted massive spending cuts, as long as no programs were affected.

Many people think government spending doesn’t affect them. They have jobs, don’t depend on subsidized childcare, are too young or too healthy for government healthcare. So they go throughout their day unaware of the myriad benefits they take from government.

They wake up and make coffee with water that arrives in their pipes with the help of water districts. It is clean and safe because of regulations and standards set and enforced by government. They eat breakfast made up of food products that are regulated and inspected.

They go to work on a road built and maintained by tax dollars. Or they ride a bus run by a municipal authority. No matter how they travel, they do it where traffic rules and general security enforced by public safety officers.

It’s true that some of us can pay to educate our children without government assistance. But almost no one could maintain their own police and fire departments. And none of us could ever build our own roads and sewers and highways and bridges. We only have those things because we share, because we bundle our resources through taxes and we elect people to spend it in ways that benefits all of us.

And yet, the every-man-for-himself crowd tells us that government is ripping us off. They say we get nothing for our taxes. They say poor people are the only ones who benefit from government, and that the poor and weak should fend for themselves. But the fallacy of that argument is that none of us get through a single day without some help from government, even if we overlook it because of its ubiquity.

Sacrificing all those benefits to avoid restoring the very tax rates that were in place when the economy was blazing hot, makes no sense at all. In fact, once we reach across the ideological divide and agree on a spending plan, we can remind everyone that California is headed not toward a future of decline and decay, but a future of wise investment and robust opportunity.

Ruth Valenzuela

Field Representative

Assemblywoman Patty Berg

1st Assembly District

311 N. State Street

Ukiah, CA  95482

707.463.5770 (phone)

707.463.5773 (fax)

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Title	Recommendation
1.      Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century California High Speed Rail Blog.	YES
2.      Treatment of Farm Animals. Statute. Californians for Humane Farms	YES
3.      Children’s Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Statute.	YES
4.      Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Constitutional Amendment .   California National Organization for  Women Campaign for Teen Safety	NO
5.      Nonviolent Offenders. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Statute. Drug Policy Alliance Network	YES
6.  Criminal Penalties and Laws. Public Safety Funding. Statute No on 6 No on 6 & 9	NO
7.      Renewable Energy. Statute. Californians Against Another Costly Energy Scheme.	NO
8.      Limit on Marriage. Constitutional Amendment. Equality California Vow to Vote No	NO
9.      Criminal Justice System. Victims’ Rights. Parole.   Constitutional Amendment and Statute.  Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety	NO
10.  Bonds.  Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy.  Statute. Ballotpedia Information	NEUTRAL
11.  Redistricting.  Constitutional Amendment and Statute. California Majority Report California for Democracy California Progress Report	NO

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visit the State Senator's website:
http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/
Contact the Ukiah Field Office:
200 South School Street
P.O. Box 785
Ukiah, CA 95482
Phone: (707) 468-8914

Here's a Plan!!
Our Senator’s legislation, SB 1557, was passed by the senate and now
heads to the Assembly for review. This bill adds  three important
provisions  to the assembly bill AB 857, also authored by our senator.
First, it adds a reduction in greenhouse gases as a goal of the state’s
planning  priorities. Second, it considers a reduction of vehicle miles
traveled when siting city infrastructure, and thirdly updates the state
administrative manual to include planning priorities. SB 1557 will
strengthen and dove-tail with AB 32 in supporting  the goal of greenhouse
gas emission limits.

Read the rest ...

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As we go into Summer and work towards the November election, staffers are needed for the Democratic Party Office as well as voter registration tables at upcoming events.
Our desire is to maintain regular office hours and participate in ALL community activities but that requires individual Democrats (of all ages!) to contribute a couple of hours of their time.
Why volunteer? Because, in addition to voting, we can get that satisfying feeling that we are making a difference. Also, it is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people.
It is important to note that not one person in the Lake County
Democratic Party is paid for his or her efforts. EVERYONE is a volunteer!

Join us:
  Lake County Democrats have several ways for you to become involved in working to put  our all of our candidates - Wes Chesbro for State Assembly, Mike Thompson for Congress and finally  Senator Obama, in the Whitehouse.

We have a United Democratic  Campaign Headquarters in Lucerne -- we need volunteers to staff the office

Right now we are staffing on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am-2pm  - as we get more volunteers we will have more hours open to the public

We will be working Voter Registration tables at the Farmers Market in Clearlake every Friday, the Steele Wine Farmers Market every Saturday morning,  at both Community College campuses when school begins again in mid - August

Work the booth at the Lake County Fair  -- We   need volunteers to set up, tear down and work the booth - the Fair is Labor Day weekend August 28-30. Admission is free if you volunteer.

Volunteer for the annual Lake County Democrats BBQ - Sunday September 21 - 2-5pm Clearlake Highlands Senior Center. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and the money raised keeps us operating and supports our candidates and our causes.

Work the booth at the Kelseyville Pear Festival - Saturday September 27,2008

Phone banks will be organized  for the fall campaign -- We need volunteers

If you are not a member ---
Join one of our Democratic clubs or the County Committee - dues are 10.00 annually for clubs, 15.00 annually for the County Committee.
Your dues help us to pay the bills at our office and purchase campaign materials for the public. 
All registered Democrats are eliglble for membership.
Club info
Lake County Democratic Club
2nd Saturdays noon – Lucerne Senior Center

Stonewall Democratic Club
4th Mondays 7pm – Redbud Library Community Room - Clearlake

And finally -- sign up to be a neighborhood leader with the California Democratic Party - walk your neighborhood and get the word out about our Democratic Candidate --  sign up info below
 

Reply to lakecountydemocrats@lakecountydemocrats.org to  join one of our organizations or help with any of these events or actions.
Your participation is critical.
Our country and your community needs every one of you to make a commitment to sign up,  volunteer and elect Democrats here at home, in Sacramento, in Congress and  in the White House on November 4, 2008

Neighborhood Leader Instructions:

"We know that nothing is more politically persuasive than one-on-one conversations. And there is nobody better suited to talking to your neighbors than you."

Sen. Art Torres (Ret.)
Chairman, California Democratic Party

Sign up here:

http://www.cadem.org/site/c.jrLZK2PyHmF/b.4182753/

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