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NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – The Napa Valley Cricket Club, or NVCC, wrapped up its fifth season recently.
The season, which started back in April with a tour to Scottsdale and culminated with participation in the North Bay Last Man Stands competition, saw the club play 17 games in seven months.
While their on-field record of 4 and 12 – regular games, 4-7, and Last Man Stands games, 0-5) may seem a poor return many of the games that the NVCC played were lost by very narrow margins.
Their annual season opening Napa Valley World Series of Cricket is an internal game amongst members so doesn’t count in the overall win-loss stats.
Following a narrow 22-run loss on tour in Scottsdale the NVCC opened its season locally with the Napa Valley World Series of Cricket, a game which pits NVCC members from the Australia & America club against members from the Rest of the World.
A tight low scoring game was won by the Rest of the World team, who wrestled back the World Series trophy from the Australia & America team having last win this game in 2014. With five World Series games played the overall score now stands at 3-2 in favor of the Australia & America team.
New to the playing schedule in 2016 for the NVCC were Bradshaw CC who play in the Sacramento Area Cricket League.
A home and away series of games were won 2-0 by Bradshaw with NVCC putting on a brave batting display in the away fixture in May and notching up a very respectable 213 runs in the return fixture in Calistoga in September.
In between NVCC won its annual three-game series against Marin Socials convincingly by winning all three games. Both games against local trans Mayacamas rivals the Sonoma Gullies went the way of the Santa Rosa based team by narrow margins.
For the second year running NVCC hosted two San Francisco based teams – the Twitter Kabootars and the SF Seals. The results were the reverse of 2015 with a victory over the Kabootars (Hindi for bird) and a loss to the Seals. The win over the Twitter Kabootars was all the more impressive given they had ex USA international cricketer Saurabh Verma in their ranks.
In September and October the NVCC took part in the regional Last Man Stands, or LMS, competition. A hybrid form of cricket, LMS was created to provide a quick two-hour game many of crickets traditional rules are tweaked in this format.
With only eight players per team and five ball overs each innings is timed out at one hour. NVCC were well beaten in three of their five round robin LMS games but were beaten by the narrowest of margins – one run and on the last ball of the game – in two of their games.
The game against the LMS Yankies played at the fairgrounds in Calistoga was the highest scoring game of the season in the North Bay LMS league with a massive 349 runs scored with NVCC on the wrong end of a 175-174 score line.
Highlights of the 2016 season included two “Five Fors” – 5 wickets in one game – to Adersh Maqsood in May against Marin Socials at Piper Park and Bernie Peacock in September against Bradshaw CC at the fairgrounds in Calistoga.
While NVCC was involved in a number of high scoring games in 2016 there were no milestone “centuries” – 100 runs in one game – for any of their club’s batsmen.
This year also saw some notable off field happenings for NVCC with a visit to the Napa Valley by International Cricket Council USA representatives Ben Kavenagh and Tom Evans in April.
Kavenagh and Evans met with Napa Expo and the city of Napa Parks and Recreation Department to discuss facilities.
April also saw local cricket players Amritpal Bhatal and Jesse Healy invited to regional combines hosted by the International Cricket Council to identify cricketing talent for US national team selection.
In addition local teenager Caen Healy completed his high school senior project with a visit to Coyote Valley Elementary School in Hidden Valley Lake to do a cricket session closing the circle that started with the NVCC supply run to Calistoga in the aftermath of the Valley fire in August 2015.
The clubs paying ranks grew in 2016 with the addition of a number of new playing members who were regulars throughout the season.
American-born Jamie Johnson who returned to the area after time on the East Coast, Indian-born Chandanpreet Singh who works as a vineyard tech and South African-born Adriaan Foot, who recently moved to Napa and is assistant winemaker at Dunn Vineyards all contributed both on and off the field to the club’s season.
After five successful seasons the NVCC has announced that it will be leaving the Calistoga fairgrounds and moving to Napa.
Increasing pressure on the carnival lawn from other events in addition to the building of the new Boys & Girls clubhouse in close proximity to where they have traditionally played their games has meant the move has become a necessity. The club will be announcing details of their new ground in Napa early in 2017.
The Napa Valley Cricket Club wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the following sponsors: Clos du Val, Crown Hill Stone Supply, Silverado Resort & Spa, Tonnellerie Saint Martin, Cork Supply, Chandon, St. Helena Optometry, Anchor Steam, First Priority Financial, Compadres Rio Grille, Greg Norman Estates, Amcor, Biagi Bros., Ciatti, Lyve Systems Inc., Stone Universe, Blue Jean Black Design, TricorBraun WinePak, Calistoga Roastery, Napa Gourmet Foods, Napa Valley Body Connect, 3 rock marketing, Azmera Consulting, Bill Wagner Realtor, Bernie Peacock Mortgage Consultant and ZAM Apps.
SACRAMENTO – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the enforcement action taken against Zenefits for multiple license violations has resulted in a $7 million penalty.
Zenefits was charged with allowing unlicensed employees to transact insurance and circumventing insurance agent education requirements.
This is the largest penalty assessed by any commissioner against Zenefits and one of the largest penalties for licensing violations ever assessed in the department's history.
A 2013 start-up, Zenefits is a San Francisco-based company whose business model was to provide online human resources services to businesses and then encourage those same businesses to use Zenefits as an insurance broker.
“Businesses and consumers should have confidence that anyone selling insurance to them in California is doing so in compliance with our consumer protection laws,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “Our enforcement action has resulted in Zenefits paying substantial monetary penalties for their licensing violations and ensures Zenefits complies with all of California's insurance laws and regulations or they will face additional automatic penalties and sanctions.”
The California Department of Insurance launched an investigation in 2015, after receiving complaints that Zenefits employees were transacting insurance without a license.
Shortly after the investigation into Zenefits' business practices and compliance began, the company announced publicly that they were not complying with insurance laws and regulations, which was followed by the resignation of Zenefits' CEO, Parker Conrad.
“In California, we value innovation and new business models, including Internet based start-ups, but we also insist that consumer protections laws are followed,” said Jones. “Zenefits is an example of an Internet based start-up whose former leaders created a culture where important consumer protection laws were broken-a bad strategy that placed the company at risk and that other start-ups should not follow given our strong consumer protection laws and the Department of Insurance's rigorous enforcement of those laws.”
The settlement agreement obtained by the insurance commissioner includes a $3 million penalty for licensing violations, including allowing unlicensed employees to transact insurance, a $4 million penalty for subverting the pre-licensing education and study-hour requirements for agent and broker licensing, and a $160,000 payment to reimburse the Department of Insurance for investigation and examination expenses.
In recognition of the self-reporting and remedial actions already implemented by the company, including the replacement of the former CEO, retraining of all licensed producers, and implementation of an automated process to verify that only licensed individuals solicit and sell insurance products, the settlement provides that half of the total $7 million in monetary penalties are suspended.
The suspended portion of the monetary penalty will be reinstated if Zenefits fails to confirm continued compliance with licensing and regulatory mandates based on an examination of the company's business practices to be conducted in 2018.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Kelseyville.
The town is preparing for it 24th annual Merchant Open House and Parade of Lights on Friday Dec. 2.
Main Street is twinkling with all new lights thanks to an amazing team of residents and merchants, including Mike and Kim Riley, Sue Dodd, Cooper Dodd, Eric Schofield, Debbie Gerace, Erik Von Orden, Trena Pauly, Rick White and Dave Morse, who donated their time and talent for all to enjoy.
In addition, the Kelseyville Lions put up the large candlestick decorations on the telephone poles.
Kelseyville will be the place to be on Dec. 2, with Christmas music throughout town, the town Christmas tree lighting, photos with Santa by Dawn Smith and live holiday music by The Bridge Band in Westamerica Bank.
The Kelseyville Senior Center will have its Christmas in the Country Craft Fair from 4 to 8 p.m., Kelseyville Presbyterian Church will have chili and chowder, St. Peters Catholic Church will have hot dogs and beans and Kelseyville Methodist Church will have cider, cookies and caroling and the main event.
“'The Parade of Lights” will begin at 6:30 p.m. and of course all the merchants will have their doors open with holiday goodies.
All of this would not be possible without the help of sponsors including Kelseyville Pharmacy, Wildhurst Vineyards, Roto Rooter of Lake County, Pear Festival, Chacewater Winery and Oil Mill, Sawshop Gallery Bistro, Bridges Construction, Polestar Computers, Rick White-Konocti Realty, Napa Auto Parts, Kelseyville Appliance, Nestegg Investments, Big Valley Properties, The Brick Tavern and Fore Family Winery.
To be part of the Parade of Lights contact Mary Morse at Kelseyville Appliance, 707-279-8559.
A host of new information about salaries and benefits for educational districts and agencies here in Lake County and across California is now available to the public online.
State Controller Betty T. Yee reported that her Government Compensation in California Web site now includes 2015 self-reported salary and benefits data for K-12 education employers, including public school districts, charter schools and county offices of education.
The data covers 648,129 positions and almost $24.81 billion in total wages, Yee's office reported.
Yee's Web site also includes salary and benefit data for cities, counties and special districts, all of which are required to report salary and benefits data to the state controller.
Unlike those entities, K-12 education employers are voluntary reporters, Yee reported.
The State Controller’s Office requested data from 1,887 K-12 education employers, and 655 chose to report in the interest of transparency, Yee said. Of those, 569 reports were complete.
In Lake County, districts that voluntarily reported include the Konocti Unified School District, Lake County Office of Education, Lakeport Unified, Lucerne Unified and Middletown Unified.
For those districts, the number of employees, average wages and benefits, total wages and total retirement health costs was submitted.
The breakdown for each district is as follows:
– Konocti Unified School District: 630 employees; average wages, $28,407; average retirement and health costs, $10,515; total wages, $17,896,343; total retirement and health costs, $6,624,749.
– Lake County Office of Education: 341 employees; average wages, $16,689; average retirement and health costs, $4,278; total wages, $5,691,052; total retirement and health costs, $1,458,803.
– Lakeport Unified School District: 346 employees; average wages, $24,010; average retirement and health costs, $8,060; total wages, $8,307,302; total retirement and health costs, $2,788,608.
– Lucerne Elementary School District: 70 employees; average wages, $20,614; average retirement and health costs, $6,369; total wages, $1,442,949; total retirement and health costs, $445,817.
– Middletown Unified School District: 262 employees; average wages, $32,432; average retirement and health costs, $8,907; total wages, $8,497,301; total retirement and health costs, $2,333,679.
The top-paid employee in all of the districts was the superintendent. Each district's superintendent was paid the following: Konocti Unified, wages totaling $158,366, benefits totaling $30,892; Lake County superintendent of schools, wages, $132,595, benefits, $19,914; Lakeport Unified, wages, $148,288, benefits, $27,810; Lucerne Elementary, wages, $111,061, benefits, $19,891; and in Middletown, where the new superintendent was hired midyear, wages for that second half of the year totaled $71,514, with $21,148 in benefits.
With the reporting not mandatory, almost 70 percent of K-12 education employers did not file the requested reports or provided incomplete information.
Lake County districts and entities that did not submit reports included California Connections Academy @ North Bay, Kelseyville Unified, Lake County International Charter, Upper Lake Union Elementary and Upper Lake Union High. The latter two districts earlier this year consolidated.
Since the government compensation Web site was launched in 2010, it has registered more than nine million page views. Yee said the site now contains information on more than two million jobs in California, as reported by each government entity.
Users of the site can view compensation levels on maps and search for compensation by region, narrow results by name of entity or by job title, build charts and export custom reports or raw data.
The newest round of city and county information will be posted in June, Yee's office reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LUCERNE, Calif. – The Friends of Marymount California University Lakeside will present the final program in its fall Distinguished Speaker Series, “Grape to Glass: The Past, Present and Future of Agriculture in Lake County” at Marymount California University Lakeside campus in Lucerne on Thursday, Dec. 1.
The program will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and will feature a master sommelier and professor of wine and beverage studies at the Culinary Institute of America.
A $5 donation will benefit a scholarship fund for students attending the Lakeside campus.
Robert Bath, MS, CHE, and member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, will present a special program featuring locally-sourced food products paired with Lake County wines.
A third-generation Californian, Bob Bath was born and raised in Davis. His interest in wine was sparked at the age of 19 while attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and working summers in fine dining restaurants.
In 1993 he became one of the first 25 Master Sommeliers in the United States. Over the last 30 years, Bath has worked in virtually every aspect of the restaurant and wine industry.
In 2000, Bath started his own company, Robert Bath MS – Wine Education and Consultation. Since then, he has worked with over 30 high-profile companies including The French Laundry, Duckhorn Vineyards, Charles Krug, Kendall-Jackson, Crystal Cruise Lines, Taj Hotels and Uptown Network.
Bath joined the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in the Napa Valley in 2004, where he helped develop the Accelerated Wine and Beverage Program, a groundbreaking nine-month, accredited certificate course.
Bath talks about Farm to Table and his presentation in Lake County, “One of the most significant movements in food over the last 25 years, Farm to Table has become a broadly interpreted phase used by many but rarely lives up to its true definition, which is true food and wine traceability.
“Lake County represents one of the few places in California that can create a true Farm to Table experience, not just with food but with wine also. The explosion of great wines from this area mirrors the similar advances made in locally-grown food.”
Attendees are invited to discover “what a perfect food and wine match truly tastes like.”
This program is sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
Additional sponsors for the series include Community Development Services, Friends of the Lake County Museum, Hawk and Horse Vineyards, Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County News, Lake County Publishing, Lake County Resource Conservation District, Lake County Winery Association, Middletown Mercury, R Vineyards, Sierra Club Lake Group, Shannon Ridge and Six Sigma Ranch and Winery.
The program will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. and conclude with tastings.
The Marymount California University Lakeside Campus is located at 3700 Country Club Dr., Lucerne.
For more information and directions to the campus, call 888-991-5253 and leave a message.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The annual “Warm for the Winter” clothing drive for those in need is once again under way.
Warm for the Winter will distribute warm winter clothing once again at the Rotary Club of Clearlake's annual Christmas community dinner from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, in the multipurpose room at Burns Valley School, 3620 Pine St. in Clearlake.
Warm for the Winter is celebrating its 10th year of giving warm clothing to the community.
Started a decade ago by Joyce Overton, the program takes no monetary donations but relies on donations of blankets, gloves, shoes, hats and any clothing, either new or used but in good repair.
Overton thanked the community for its donations and support over the past 10 years, and said the program needs help this year more than ever, as due to the county's wildland fires last year and this year, more community members are in need.
In great demand this year are baby and youth jackets.
Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:
• The Meals on Wheels Thrift Store, 14773 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
• Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Road, Clearlake, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information call Overton at 707-350-2898.