LUCERNE – The Lake County Democratic Club will meet at noon on Saturday, Aug. 14, in the Rose Room at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center in Lucerne.

The senior center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive (corner of 10^th and Country Club) in Lucerne.

The special guest speakers for the August meeting will be Joey Luiz and Jeri Spittler, both of whom are candidates running for seats on the Clearlake City Council this fall.

The public is always invited to the regular Democratic Club meetings, which are held on the second Saturday of each month at noon in the Rose Room at Lucerne Alpine Senior Center.

Membership in the Lake County Democratic Club is open to registered members of the Democratic Party.

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-277-0713 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Democratic Party of Lake County's Web site is www.lakecountydemocrats.org.

Henry Bethel, outgoing North Lake Garden Club president, presented Sharon Thorne with a Penny Pines certificate at the club's recent annual picnic at the Upper Lake County Park in Upper Lake, Calif. Courtesy photo.

Evelyn Broaddus, past district director of the Mendo-Lake District, installed the newly elected officers.

New officers are President Don Smith; Vice President Norma Bethel; Recording/Corresponding Secretary Jackie Hodges; Treasurer Sharon Thorne; and Parliamentarian David Broaddus.

Evelyn Broaddus recognized those outgoing officers present in appreciation for their service to their club and community.

Outgoing officers included Henry Bethel, past president, and Jackie Hodges, secretary.

Bethel also was honored with a framed collage of photos taken from past events, created by Hodges, and presented by Don Smith, the incoming president.

Members honored with a certificate for five years of service to their club and community as charter members were David and Mary Broaddus, Don Smith, Joyce Paine, Lani Brockman, Margaret and David Retherford, Kris Ruben, Marilyn Wafford, Dave Hendrick and Sharon Thorne.

Thorne was honored by the club with a Penny Pines certificate, which plants trees to help reforest an area for beauty, watershed protection and timber production.

The USDA Forest Service and the Mendocino National Forest commended North Lake Garden Club for their eightth donation to the future of National Forests in California.

North Lake Garden Club is a member of California Garden Clubs Inc., Regional and National Garden Clubs Inc.

John Matthias and Don Smith barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers, members brought delicious salads and side dishes.

The North Lake Garden Club's incoming officers at the club's recent annual picnic at the Upper Lake County Park in Upper Lake, Calif. Courtesy photo.

A North Lake Garden Club member wheels in the glory of gardening at Scotts Valley Nursery in Lakeport. Courtesy photo.

NORTHSHORE – The North Lake Garden Club is inviting community members to join the group.

The club, which was organized in January of 2005, meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, September through June, at the Lucerne Community Church, 5870 E. Highway 20.

The group's next meeting will take place on Sept. 28. Visiting and refreshments will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting to start at 7 p.m. Donald C. Smith is the club's president.

Activities include speakers on garden topics, workshops, field trips, an annual plant sale, inaugural garden tour and tea, and a host garden craft bazaar and boutique sale.

The club's objectives are encouraging interest in all phases of home gardening and in civic beautification, promoting better horticultural practices and encouraging conservation of natural resources. It serves the communities of Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks.

The North Lake Garden Club is affiliated with California Garden Clubs Inc. and the National Garden Clubs Inc.

For more information call Sharon Thorne, 707-274-2165, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the club's Web site at https://sites.google.com/site/northlakegardenclubgroup.

LOWER LAKE – Cathy Koehler, co-director of the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, will present a lecture titled, “Why is our region a hot spot of botanical diversity?” from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 31.

The lecture will take place at the reserve, 26775 Morgan Valley, Lower Lake.

If you asked the average person on the street where the nearest global biodiversity hot spot is, what answers would you expect? Maybe the Brazilian rainforests? Indonesia?

Well, how about California and – even more specifically – right where we are living, in Lake County?

In our region, a unique climate and a complex geologic history have produced tremendous variation in how moisture, temperature, soil types and soil nutrients come together.

These factors govern how plants distribute themselves across the landscape, and provide opportunities for the evolution of species that associate with unique conditions.

The end result is that we are living in one of the 25 locations across the globe that together comprise only 1.4 percent of the earth's land surface but contain 44 percent of vascular plants and 35 percent of vertebrate species on the planet.

Koehler will give an overview of the processes that have lead to California, and our small corner of it in particular, being one of these amazing hots pots of biodiversity.

For more information call 707-995-9005.

CLEARLAKE OAKS – The Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association will host a murder mystery dinner this Saturday, July 31.

The production of “Murder on the Petulant Express” will be held beginning at 6 p.m. at the Live Oak Senior Center, 12502 Foothill Blvd. in Clearlake Oaks.

The production is set on a train in 1937. Volunteers will put on the drama about the murder of a “titan of technology.”

The sitdown dinner will include roast pork.

The cost is $25 each or $45 per couple. Prepayment is required.

Wine will be offered for additional purchase from Tulip Hill Winery.

Proceeds will benefit the business association's annual Independence Day fireworks display.

To purchase tickets call association President Margaret Medeiros at 707-998-9563, or association member Helen Locke at 707-998-4210.

SACRAMENTO – John Wagner, director of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) haas announced the implementation of a new statewide policy that allows for the immediate restoration of food stamp benefits.

Previously, if a household’s benefits were terminated for failing to comply with a requirement of the program, they were required to start the process over by re-applying.

Restoration of benefits will be automatic if the household is able to comply with program requirements within one month of termination of benefits and thereby avoiding the re-application process.

The household’s benefits for the first month will be pro-rated from the date they comply.

“California continues to take proactive steps to remove barriers and improve services that allow California families better access to healthy, nutritious food,” said Wagner. “With this new policy and other policy changes we have implemented recently, CDSS continues to encourage qualified Californians to apply for benefits and to also maintain benefits in a more streamlined, efficient manner.”

“This measure helps counties improve customer service for our clients, and ensures eligible families continue to receive the benefits needed to provide food for their families,” said Suzanne Nobles, Yuba County Health and Human Services director, who helped in the development of the new policy. “We are always looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the programs we administer, and this policy supports those efforts.”

In late 2009, CDSS requested the waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to allow county welfare departments (CWDs) the ability to restore benefits when an easily curable condition, such as failing to submit paperwork, is corrected.

The new policy makes it easier for eligible households to maintain their benefits and creates new program administration efficiencies at the county level.

Californians can learn more about applying for food stamps by visiting the CDSS Web site, which links to a federal pre-screening tool that can be used by most individuals to see if they are eligible for food stamps.

Individuals can also download application forms and complete them in advance of their visit to their county welfare office to apply for food stamps. A list of county welfare offices is available on the CDSS Web site at www.dss.cahwnet.gov/foodstamps/PG839.htm.

To qualify for food stamps, an individual’s household gross income may not exceed 130 percent of the federal poverty level – about $1,984 a month for a family of three.

Households with elderly and disabled individuals may have incomes up to 165 percent of the federal poverty level – about $2,518 a month for a family of three. Individuals who apply have up one year to comply with the fingerprint imaging requirements of the program.

The CDSS has been active in pursuing opportunities to increase food stamp access for needy Californians. Specifically, in 2009, the CDSS received approval from the federal government to allow county welfare departments the option of waiving the face-to-face interview for food stamp recipients. Counties are in the process of fully implementing this waiver.

In addition, working with the California Department of Public Health, the CDSS has been working with community organizations in 43 counties to reach underserved communities to help qualified individuals apply for food stamps.

Since 2009, funding for this effort has more than doubled, from $6 million to $13 million. More detailed information about these efforts can be found at www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/pdf/PressRelease/FoodStampProgramOutreachEfforts.pdf.

Between March 2007 and March 2010, the number of Californians receiving food stamps grew from 2.1 million people to 3.27 million.

For more information on the Food Stamp Program, please visit the CDSS Web site, www.dss.cahwnet.gov/foodstamps/PG847.htm.