March 19 agenda items include discussion of proposed bylaws and officer and committee positions. All are welcome to attend.

All NWPC-Lake County members will attend a kick-off meeting Saturday, March 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Main Street Grill, Clearlake, complete certification requirements for the Caucus. Bylaws will be approved and officers elected at the March 21 meeting.

The NWPC is the only national grass-roots organization dedicated to increasing the number of women officials at all levels of government. NWPC was founded in 1971 as the political arm of the women’s movements, working to recruit, and train and support women for elected and appointed office, regardless of party affiliation.

The Caucus reaches across party lines to maximize women’s political energy and make the system work for women. It is committed to serving all women who support bottom-line issues of reproductive freedom, improved child care/dependant care, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

For more information, please call (707) 987-1146 or see www.nwpcca.org.

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Assembly Bill (AB) 392 was introduced by Assembly members Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Dave Jones (D-Sacramento).

The bill would use penalties paid by substandard long-term care facilities to restore critical oversight to protect nursing home and assisted living residents.

Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $3.8 million in funding for local long-term care ombudsman programs, representing about half their funding.

The programs protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from abuse and neglect through unannounced monitor visits and investigations of the thousands of abuse cases reported to them each year.

“In contrast to government agencies which may only visit or facilities every 12 months or so, the ombudsman programs provide more timely, front-line investigative services for the isolated and frail residents of long-term care facilities,” Wiggins said. “There is no other program or agency that duplicates this critical advocacy service, and these are cost-effective programs that can significantly improve residents' quality of life and quality of care.”

As a result of the governor’s veto, local ombudsman programs have been forced to lay off staff and drastically reduce services.

“These reductions have greatly compromised the programs' ability to investigate complaints from residents and monitor facilities, thus putting nursing home and assisted living residents at significantly greater risk of abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

AB 392 would restore funding by using existing penalties paid by long-term care facilities that fail to comply with federal and state laws for the protection of residents. These penalty accounts may be used for any activity that directly benefits facility residents, including funding an increase in Ombudsman services.

“AB 392 would ensure that California’s vulnerable and isolated elderly in long-term care facilities are afforded protections from abuse and neglect through frequent monitor visits and timely response to reports of suspected abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which encompasses portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

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Bear Creek Watershed Coordinator and Rangeland Ecologist Craig Thomsen of the UC Davis Department of Plant Science is going to tell us about stakeholder goals and stewardship issues in the Bear Creek watershed, which is in western Colusa County just over the Lake County line.

This presentation will highlight the region's natural beauty, ecological degradation, stakeholder concerns and a management framework for addressing stewardship problems: among other things attendees will see some horrible examples of erosion in progress (and learn about effective ways to reverse it), and learn about the ecological damage caused by abandoned mercury mines and invasive alien weeds.

Bear Valley and the rest of the watershed are also famous for their rare plants and spectacular display of spring wildflowers, so the audience can expect to see breathtaking examples of that annual showstopper.

The presentation will be followed by an update on the status of the Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Conservation Area proposal that was the subject of the Lake Group forum held at the Brick Hall in Lower Lake in January 2008.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Victoria Brandon at 994 1931 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Lakeport at TNT's on the Lake.

Membership in the Lake County Bar Association is open to all members of the California Bar Association.

For information about the Lake County Bar Association activities or this event, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– The county of Lake has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for sidewalk upgrades from Fourth Street to Sixth Street. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 29

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from 0.7 miles north of Bar X Ranch to 0.1 miles north of Spruce Grove Road through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from 0.1 miles north of Spruce Grove Road to Hofacker Lane Road beginning Monday, March 16. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– Caltrans will continue routine maintenance from Cole Creek Bridge to Hill Creek Bridge through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Construction of a retaining wall about 3 miles north of Elk will begin Friday, March 13. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Granite Construction of Ukiah.

Highway 101

– Roadway repair due to pavement deterioration from 3.6 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road to 1.9 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– The city of Willits has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to service the Willits Arch near Franklin Avenue beginning Monday, March 16. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Brian Shuster of Willits has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work at California Street through Friday, March 13. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 162

– Caltrans will perform culvert repairs near Hosea Creek on Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

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