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Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-5), chair of a congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, on Friday announced 12 vice chairs to serve on the task force.

The vice chairs and Thompson will make up the task force’s leadership team.

“I am proud to announce our leadership team for the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force,” said Thompson. “Our vice chairs have a wide range of expertise, come from different backgrounds representing all corners of the House Democratic Caucus, and will bring unique ideas to the table as we work to reduce and prevent gun violence while also protecting the rights of law-abiding individuals without a history of dangerous mental illness to own legitimate firearms for legitimate purposes.”

Thompson was recently named by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to chair a congressional task force on reducing and preventing gun violence.

Thompson is a hunter, gun owner, former chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and veteran who carried a military-style assault weapon during a tour in Vietnam.

He is hosting three public forums on preventing gun violence next week – in Napa on Jan. 8, Vallejo on Jan. 9 and Santa Rosa on Jan. 10.

The 12 vice chairs are:

• Rep. Ron Barber (AZ) – Congressman Barber had a 30-year career with the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Under his direction, the division improved services for families, while running one of the five most cost-efficient, high-quality programs in the country. After his retirement, Barber became district director for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He was standing next to her on Jan. 8, 2011, when a gunman opened fire at a Congress on Your Corner event. Barber was shot twice and critically wounded. When Congresswoman Giffords stepped down to focus on her recovery, Barber ran for the seat, winning the right to succeed her in office.
• Rep. John D. Dingell (MI) – Congressman John D. Dingell is the Dean of the House of Representatives and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. A lifelong outdoorsman and conservationist, Congressman Dingell is an avid hunter and sportsman and member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. Congressman Dingell is also one of the primary authors of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
• Rep. Bill Enyart (IL) – Bill Enyart is the retired Major General of the Illinois National Guard and served in the military for 35 years. He is a proud gun owner, enjoys hunting, and is a conservationist.
• Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT) – Elizabeth Esty represents Newtown, Ct in Congress. In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, she has met with first responders, mental health professionals, educators, community leaders, and local elected officials in Newtown. She approaches the need for sensible gun policies as a community leader, attorney, and mother who has served as a room parent for a first-grade classroom. As a member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, Esty advocated for commonsense legislation to reduce gun violence and keep families safe.
• Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA) – Ranking Member on House Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies. Fattah, a major supporter of the ATF, is deeply involved in issues dealing with firearms, public safety and law enforcement. In Philadelphia, he created the successful gun buyback “Groceries for Guns” program that has removed thousands of dangerous, unwanted firearms from streets and homes of Philadelphians in exchange for grocery coupons.
• Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY) – Congresswoman McCarthy, a lifelong nurse, strode into a life of activism to reduce gun violence after her husband was murdered and son critically wounded in the 1993 mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad in New York. Her activism led her to Washington first to lobby members of Congress as an advocate for victims, and then as a member herself after running against her own congressman who voted against the assault weapons ban. Today she is the House sponsor of bills to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, close the gunshow loophole, strengthen our national background check database, and ban the anonymous bulk online sale of ammunition. Later this month she will also introduce a new assault weapons ban with Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Senator Dianne Feinstein.
• Rep. Grace Napolitano (CA) – Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus. In 2001, she secured funding to provide on-site mental health services for schools within her District, which has now expanded to 15 area schools. Napolitano introduced the Mental Health in Schools Act, authorizing funding to implement on-site mental health services for schools on a national level and each year has introduced legislation recognizing May as National Mental Health Awareness Month. In 2010, Napolitano created the Mental Health Task Force, which includes notable figures such as: Los Angeles Laker, Metta World Peace; World Championship Boxer, Mia St. John, and Dancing with the Stars celebrity, Mark Ballas to help raise awareness about mental health, rid stigma, and encourage others to seek help. Additionally, Napolitano established the 38th Congressional District Mental Health Consortium, a group of local mental health professionals in her District to help advise on mental health related issues and policy.
• Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO) – Congressman Ed Perlmutter represents the 7th Congressional District of Colorado encompassing the northern and western suburbs of the Denver metro region. Residents of the 7th CD are diverse, moderate and middle of the road with their personal values, economics, and education. Perlmutter represented the City of Aurora, CO during the tragic movie theater shootings in July 2012. He also represented the area surrounding Columbine High School when he was serving in the Colorado State Senate.  Perlmutter has extensive experience in Colorado working to create mandatory criminal background checks for all gun purchases, and during his time in the state Senate, he sponsored many crime control and victims' assistance measures.
• Rep. David Price (NC) – Congressman David Price of North Carolina is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, where he has worked to improve public safety and ensure first responders have access to the tools they need to protect our communities. As a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, he has long supported robust funding for mental health services and was an early advocate for the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act, which became law in the 110th Congress. Rep. Price has also supported efforts to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and limit the sale of military-style weapons.
• Rep. Bobby Scott (VA) – Congressman Bobby Scott serves as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. He is a known leader of legislative efforts to reduce crime and prevent youth violence by advocating for comprehensive, evidence-based solutions. Towards this goal, he has introduced the Youth PROMISE Act. Following the Columbine tragedy, he co-led a bi-partisan effort to develop juvenile crime prevention and accountability legislation that resulted in the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program (JABG) legislation which was cosponsored by every member of the Crime Subcommittee on both sides of the aisle and passed into law in 2002. He has also co-led bipartisan legislative efforts to add fines and suspensions to the tools available to the ATF to enable the agency to more effectively enforce gun sale and transfer regulations and to close the gun show loophole.
• Rep. Jackie Speier (CA) – Congresswoman Speier was Legislative Counsel to Congressman Leo Ryan in 1978 when she accompanied him to investigate the People’s Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana. Congressman Ryan was assassinated, and Speier was shot five times at close range. She still carries two of the bullets in her body. Since that time, she has been a consistent advocate of gun control, and carried assault weapons ban legislation in California twenty years ago. She supports the 2nd Amendment, but believes we cannot simply blame this crisis on violent video games or mental illness. The proliferation of military style assault weapons and assault magazines are part of the problem, and should be banned. In addition, she believes it is essential that loopholes in the background check process be closed.
• Rep. Bennie Thompson (MS) – An avid hunter, Congressman Bennie Thompson has been selected to chair the bipartisan Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus during the 113th Congress. Congressman Thompson has served as the lead Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security since 2007. Prior to his election to Congress, Congressman Thompson served as alderman and mayor of Bolton, Mississippi and as a supervisor in Hinds, County Mississippi.

Over the next month the task force will hold a number of meetings and hearings with different experts designed to identify the best policies to reduce and prevent gun violence.

A comprehensive set of policy proposals will be released by the task force in early February.

LAKEPORT, Calif. –Dozens of friends, family and colleagues came to honor a Lake County Superior Court judge on his retirement during a Thursday afternoon celebration.

Judge David Herrick is retiring after 18 years on the Lake County Superior Court bench.

The Thursday party to honor Herrick was held in his Department 1 courtroom.

Herrick, 64, was elected in 1994 to succeed Judge John Golden. He took the bench in January 1995.

Michael Lunas, elected in November, is succeeding Herrick to the Department 1 bench.

Lunas will be sworn in during a special ceremony on Monday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m., also in the Department 1 courtroom.

Herrick told Lake County News that he plans to continue working part-time during his retirement, although he’s looking forward to more time to play golf and travel with wife of 32 years, Cheryl.

Lake County News will publish an in-depth interview with Herrick about his time on the bench in the coming week.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A local member of Congress will host a special public forum on gun violence prevention in Napa on Tuesday, Jan. 8.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) will lead the forum from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Napa City Hall, 955 School St.

Last month, in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children and six teachers and administrators, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that Thompson would lead a task force to investigate new steps Congress can take to reduce gun violence and prevent massacres like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Thompson is a Vietnam veteran, hunter, gun owner and former chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.

The forum will bring together law enforcement officials, mental health experts, school officials, elected officials and community members for a comprehensive discussion on the steps that must be taken to reduce and prevent gun violence.

Thompson represents a portion of Lake and all or parts of Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties in the U.S. House of Representatives.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Saturday, Jan. 5, marks National Bird Day, a day to reflect on the survival and well-being of the world's birds.

National Bird Day was established by bird activists to bring awareness to issues affecting captive and wild birds, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to be thankful for the native wild birds we see outside our windows.

Whether you are a bird owner, birdwatcher or simply a wildlife enthusiast, what better way to celebrate National Bird Day than signing up for an outing to view our national bird, the American bald eagle?

During January and February, the Bureau of Land Management will host free guided hikes to look for wintering bald eagles in the Cache Creek Natural Area in Lake County.

Hikers will enjoy scenic vistas of the Cache Creek Canyon, where eagles often soar over the creek and perch in streamside trees.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region is host to California's second-largest population of wintering bald eagles.

Winter is the best time to look for these brilliant birds because they tend to concentrate in small areas.

With open water and fresh food sources such as catfish and carp, the Cache Creek Natural Area provides the perfect habitat for wintering bald eagles as they feed, soar and roost until about mid-April.

Spotting a bald eagle in person is not only an impressive sight, but also an inspiring reminder of how the species has recovered from near extinction.

Although bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback, continued conservation is necessary to keep populations strong.

Wild birds are an integral part of the natural community, but they need healthy habitats to survive. Permanent protection for the Berryessa Snow Mountain region will provide a safeguard for all of the unique birds and wildlife that we are able to come into close contact with and enjoy.

This National Bird Day, consider the wonderful diversity of birds, such as the bald eagle, living right here in our backyard. Take the opportunity to see it yourself, by signing up for the Bureau of Land Management’s free guided bald eagle hikes.

Participants in the guided hikes often spot other wildlife including tule elk, golden eagles, osprey, herons, red-tailed hawks and egrets.

Guided hikes will be held on Saturdays, Jan. 12, 19 and 26, and Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23.

They will start at the Redbud Trailhead parking area, eight miles east of Clearlake Oaks on Highway 20 at 10 a.m.

The hikes are four-miles long – including a steep 600-foot climb in the first mile – and will last three to four hours.

Participants should wear sturdy hiking boots suitable for wet conditions and dress for cold weather.

In addition, participants should bring water, a lunch and binoculars.

Space is limited. Reserve a spot by contacting the Bureau of Land Management’s Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.

For more information on permanent protection for the Berryessa Snow Mountain region, visit www.berryessasnowmountain.org .
 
Tuleyome Tales is produced by Tuleyome, a regional conservation organization based in Woodland. Charlotte Orr, a member of the Tuleyome staff, graduated from U.C. Davis with a B.S. in community and regional development, emphasizing in environmental policy and education.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Several more states – including California – are on track to implement the health care law and establish health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, in their states.  

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont and Utah were conditionally approved on Thursday to operate a state-based exchange, and Arkansas is conditionally approved to operate a state partnership exchange.  

Health and Human Services also is providing more guidance to states today on marketplaces that will be operated in partnership with the federal government.

“States across the country are working to implement the health care law and build a marketplace that works for their residents,” Secretary Sebelius said Thursday. “In 10 months, consumers in all 50 states will have access to a new marketplace where they will be able to easily purchase affordable, high quality health insurance plans, and today’s guidance will provide the information states need to guide their continued work.”

Thursday’s conditional approvals follow those previously granted to Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington to operate state-based exchanges and to Delaware to operate a state partnership exchange.  

To date, 20 states including the District of Columbia have been conditionally approved to partially or fully run their marketplaces – with the remaining states having until Feb. 15 to apply for a state partnership exchange.

Thursday’s new partnership guidance provides valuable information for states considering this option.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, consumers and small businesses will have access to a new marketplace starting in 2014 where they can access quality, affordable private health insurance. These are similar to those choices that will be offered to members of Congress.

Consumers in every state will be able to buy insurance from qualified health plans directly through these marketplaces and may be eligible for tax credits to help pay for their health insurance.     

To learn more about exchange conditional approvals, visit: http://www.cciio.cms.gov/resources/factsheets/state-marketplaces.html .

For more information on exchanges, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/exchanges .

To access the guidance released Thursday, visit http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/files/partnership-guidance-01-03-2013.pdf .

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) was sworn in on Thursday as the representative in the U.S. House of Representatives for California’s Fifth Congressional District.

The Fifth District, recently redrawn, includes the southern portion of Lake County as well as all or parts of Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

“I am honored to have been sworn in to represent California’s 5th Congressional District,” said Thompson. “It is my high honor to serve our great district in Congress. As your representative, I will work every day to make our district a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Constituents who would like help with federal agencies, to schedule tours in Washington D.C., or order a U.S. flag can call Thompson’s district office at 707-226-9898 or Washington Office at 202-225-3311.

Constituents also can sign up to receive Thompson’s e-newsletters on his Web site or at this link: https://mikethompson.house.gov/forms/form/default.aspx?ID=590 .

Constituents can follow Thompson on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RepMikeThompson .

Thompson’s district office is located at 1040 Main St., Suite 101 in Napa. New district offices will be opening soon in Vallejo and Santa Rosa.
 
Thompson is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He also is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.