Lake County News,California

Community

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Wednesday, 29 March 2023 01:30; 29 March 2023

Northshore Fire Protection District to hold special March 30 meeting

LUCERNE, Calif. — The Northshore Fire Protection District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting on Thursday, March 30.

The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. at the district’s Station 80, 6257 Seventh Ave. in Lucerne.

Community members also may attend the meeting virtually at this link.

Fire Chief Mike Ciancio is scheduled to give the board an update on the district’s staffing.

Board members are John Barnette, Jim Burton, Lynn Ringuette, Becky Schwenger and Shannon Stilwell.

For more information about the district board, visit its website.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Monday, 27 March 2023 03:31; 27 March 2023

Lakeport Rotary Club Easter Egg Hunt takes place April 9

**Children of all ages are welcome to participate in the annual Lakeport Rotary Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023, in Lakeport, California. Courtesy photo.**

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Rotary Club of Lakeport announced it will hold its 97th annual Lakeport Rotary Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 9.

This annual tradition started in 1926 and has continued every year to this date.

The club will be hiding 2,880 eggs with 300 of them being “Special Pay” eggs.

The free event will happen at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.

Children aged 1 month to 12 years are welcome to participate.

The children will be divided into 3 age groups: 0-3; 4-8; 9-12 and directed to areas for their age group.

The gates open at 1:15 p.m. and the hunt begins at 1:30 pm.

Please note that parking at the fairgrounds has changed from prior years, so refer to the Lakeport Rotary Facebook Page for more information and follow the signs.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Tuesday, 21 March 2023 00:55; 21 March 2023

Park Study Club to host Spring Tea event April 22

CLEARLAKE PARK, Calif. — The Park Study Club will hold its annual Spring Tea fundraiser on Saturday, April 22.

The event will take place at 2 p.m. at 13587 Santa Clara Ave. in Clearlake Park.

There will be beautiful raffle baskets and live music set in a genuine afternoon tea atmosphere. Wear your favorite hat for a potential prize.

Tickets cost $40 per person.

For reservations call 707-995-3646.

Follow the group on Facebook.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Wednesday, 29 March 2023 01:29; 29 March 2023

Charity raffle bill clears committee

SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday, legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, advanced that would allow the continuation of 50-50 raffles at major league sports stadiums – an important fundraising tool for nonprofits.

“Charitable raffles provide an important funding stream for a host of organizations benefiting youth and the underserved,” Sen. Dodd said. “Over the years, these raffles have raised millions for a diverse group of charitable organizations throughout the state.”

In California, a key fundraiser for nonprofits has been the 50-50 raffle, in which 50% of the proceeds go to a winner and 50% go back to the hosting organization.

For instance, since the creation of 50-50 raffles, the San Francisco Giants Community Fund has been able to serve over 150,000 youths with 30,000 kids benefiting annually.

However, the law allowing these raffles is about to expire.

Senate Bill 650 removes the Jan. 1, 2024 sunset so professional sports teams and sports organizations can continue to provide millions of dollars in charitable funding to worthy philanthropic organizations.

SB 650 is supported by numerous organizations, including professional sports teams such as the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors. It passed the Senate Governmental Organizational committee Tuesday with unanimous support.

“The 50 50 raffle has allowed us to expand the reach of our program,” Amy Tovar, general counsel for the Giants, testified before the committee. “This has been a complete game-changer for the Giants community.”

Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Thursday, 23 March 2023 03:15; 23 March 2023

Bill to prevent weaponized defamation lawsuits against survivors of abuse passes Assembly Judiciary Committee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Chris Ward (D-San Diego) announced Tuesday that their Assembly Bill 933 passed the Assembly Committee on Judiciary with an 8-0 vote.

The bill will protect survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination from weaponized defamation lawsuits.

Specifically, AB 933 will strengthen the legal protection of survivors who may face retaliatory defamation lawsuits from speaking publicly about their personal experiences.

“Survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination are our family, our neighbors, our friends, and our colleagues” said Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), vice chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus. “We have to empower anyone who would expose those who've done them harm, because their courageous act will protect others.”

“Far too often, perpetrators of sexual misconduct, abuse, assault and harassment use the court system to punish survivors for speaking out about their abuse. This further victimizes those who bravely choose to come forward,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego). “This bill will protect them from being silenced and lift up the voices of survivors, so they can freely share their experiences without fear of retaliation.”

The #MeToo movement gave many assault and harassment survivors the opportunity to bravely join countless others in sharing their stories on a national platform, in solidarity.

At the same time, it unveiled a toxic and predatory culture that persists across all sectors of employment and society. While survivors courageously came forward, many were served with defamation lawsuits by those who abused them.

In fact, defamation lawsuits have become the weapon of choice by perpetrators to intimidate, punish, and silence their accusers. Existing law makes certain publications and speech - including complaints of sexual harassment – privileged and protected from civil defamation actions.

However, these protections are limited. AB 933 expands protections for speech made by a survivor, without malice, about their own experience of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination.

This bill would make it harder for perpetrators to retaliate against survivors with legal threats and intimidation, but does not apply to unfounded claims.

This bill also helps take the burden off of survivors by providing reasonable attorneys’ fees and damages if they successfully defend themselves against meritless defamation lawsuits.

AB 933 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake, Colusa, Napa and Yolo counties, and part of Sonoma County.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Saturday, 18 March 2023 20:55; 18 March 2023

Lake County Wine Alliance announces beneficiary application available

**The Lake County 2022 Wine Auction’s beneficiaries at the check presentation in December 2022. Photo by Elizabeth Larson/Lake County News.**

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Wine Alliance has opened the beneficiaries application process for nonprofit organizations seeking grants through the annual Wine Auction.

The Lake County 2022 Wine Auction presented by Adventist Health distributed $300,000 to 40 different 2022 beneficiaries.

This was made possible due to the event’s sponsors, the generosity of Shannon Family of Wines for the use of the venue and the generous bidding the evening of the event.

The application process to be chosen for funds from the 2023 22nd Annual Lake County Wine Auction is now open. Go to winealliance.org to submit an application.

The deadline for submission of applications is May 1, 2023.

For more information or questions please contact Marie Beery at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The 2023 Lake County Wine Auction will be held on Sept. 16 at the Mercantile by Shannon Family of Wines.

There will be wine tasting, samples of many of Lake County food purveyors, a three-course dinner prepared by Lower Lake High School Culinary class, Saw Shop Public House and Woodland College Lake County.

For more information go to www.winealliance.org.