“California’s first responders protect our lives and defend our property from fires and other natural disasters that strike our state without notice,” said Schwarzenegger. “This bill will ensure that these brave men and women – who often work long hours and find themselves far from home – will be able to cast their vote in an election from the front lines of any emergency.”

AB 1440 authorizes emergency workers to cast their ballots outside of their home precincts, upon the Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency. Affected counties would have to issue provisional ballots.

In August, the governor issued an executive order ensuring that eligible firefighters and emergency personnel were able to vote in California’s 10th Congressional District and its 51st Assembly District special election on Sept. 1.

LUCERNE – Lucerne FLOW will hold a fundraising dinner and dance on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center.

Music will be provided by Blue Moon.

The dinner will be moussaka ( with and without meat), and salad. Wine and beer will be available.

Costumes are encouraged, and there will be a prize for best costume as well as a raffle.

Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

For ticket information call 707-739-6788 and leave a message.

The meeting will be on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the HHSA Big Sur Conference Room at 747 S. State Street, Ukiah.

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. with a panel discussion on access to health care, featuring Jerry Chaney, vice president of patient care, Ukiah Valley Medical Center; Tammi Silva, director of public relations, Sutter Lakeside Hospital; Douglas Lewis, DDS, Mendocino County Health Center; Cathy Fry, executive director, Alliance for Rural Community Health; and Geoffrey Rice, MD, ophthalmologist.

The General Meeting of the AAA Governing Board and Advisory Council will follow from 2 to 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

LAKE COUNTY – Catholic Charities is seeking assistance from the community in putting together Thanksgiving dinners for family members in need.

An anonymous donor has generously given Catholic Charities Rural Food Project 100 turkeys to give to families that are currently signed up for the group's monthly food box distribution.

Catholic Charities is asking for the following items in order to make up food boxes for Thanksgiving dinner for those in our area who are in need:

• 100 packets of Turkey gravy mix;

• 100 cans of cranberry sauce;

• 200 boxes of dressing;

• 200 boxes of mashed potatoes;

• 200 cans of corn;

• 200 cans of green beans;

• 200 cans of yams;

• 200 boxes of dressing.

If you can assist please bring your donation to the Catholic Charities Lake County Programs office at 21257 Calistoga St., Middletown (between the library and the car wash). Your donation will assist help make Thanksgiving a joy for many people who are in need.

For inquiries please contact Hedy Montoya, regional director of Catholic Charities Lake County Programs, at 707-987-8139.

The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country.

Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race and other relevant data.

The big question is: How do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist?

BBB offers the following advice:

• If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, the Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by email, so be on the lookout for email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.