He invites all high school students in the First Congressional District to submit their original artwork for consideration.

The winner’s artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year.

In addition, the winner will be invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C. this June and will receive three roundtrip airline tickets to Washington from either San Francisco or Oakland.

“Every year I look forward to seeing the creativity and inspiration of the artwork that is submitted from our district,” said Thompson. “Our district’s students are immensely talented, and I encourage all of our high-school aged artists to submit a piece of their work.”

The competition is open to high school students only and each student is allowed a single entry in the competition.

The categories for submission include painting, drawing, collage, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art and photography, and the pieces must be no larger than 30 inches by 30 inches, including the frame.

Submissions must be delivered to Thompson’s office in Napa. Before delivering a submission or to receive more information, please call 707-226-9898.

The deadline for submission is May 1.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982, and since then more than 650,000 students have participated.

Governor Schwarzenegger and California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman stand with photos being returned to the Oppenheimer heirs. Photo Credit: Peter Grigsby, Office of the Governor.

The three paintings were the subject of a “judenauktionen,” a coerced sale of Jewish assets by the Nazis in 1935. The paintings have been part of the Hearst Castle collection for decades – their history unknown.

“On behalf of the people of California, it is my great honor to return these historic paintings to their rightful owners with respect for the pain and hardships endured by this family,” said Schwarzenegger. “The Holocaust will long be regarded as one of the darkest crimes against humanity of the modern era, and I am humbled to play a role in undoing this terrible wrong for the heirs of Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer.”

The paintings were deeded to the state in 1972 with the transfer of Hearst Castle to California State Parks. All three are shown in the Handbook of the Paintings in Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument, published in 1976, and all three are identified in the publication as having been sold as part of the Galerie van Diemen sale in 1935 that was owned by the Oppenheimers.

William Randolph Hearst did not buy them directly from the Galerie van Diemen. There are indications that Hearst, or a broker acting on his behalf, acquired them from another gallery which got them from Galerie van Dieman and that Hearst was unaware of the circumstances surrounding their ownership.

The return of the paintings was prompted by a claim from the attorney for the Oppenheimer estate, Eva Sterzing, on behalf of the heirs on March 1, 2007.

What followed was an investigation by Supervising Deputy Attorney General Dan Siegel and California State Parks Chief Counsel Bradly Torgan, who researched the paintings and concluded that the family members had a viable claim.

With the full concurrence of the Hearst Corp., which has a reversionary interest clause as part of the 1972 deed transfer, it was decided the paintings would be returned to the heirs of Jacob and Rosa Oppenheimer. The paintings are being returned to two of their grandchildren, Peter Bloch of Boynton Beach, Florida and Inge Blackshear of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the return agreement, the family agreed to allow California State Parks to retain ownership of one of the paintings and to create reproductions of the other two. All three will remain on display at Hearst Castle. This agreement was made so that guides at Hearst Castle can tell the story of the paintings, the seizure of Holocaust era assets and the efforts to locate and return the assets to the rightful owners.

“More than one million people from all around the world visit Hearst Castle every year,” said Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks. “We are proud to honor the memory of Jacob and Rosa Oppenheimer and share this story that touches countless families affected by the Holocaust.”

After the Nazis seized power in Germany, the Oppenheimers were subjected to racial and ethnic persecution, ultimately being forced to give up control of their art business and flee to Vichy, France. The Nazis sold the artwork at auction in April 1935, but neither the Oppenheimers nor their heirs benefited from the revenue of the sale. The proceeds went to pay the Reichfluchtsteuer (Reich flight tax) and other related punitive and confiscatory taxes designed to strip Jews of assets. Jakob Oppenheimer died in France in 1941. Rosa was arrested in France by its German occupiers and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp where she became a victim of the Holocaust on November 3, 1943.

The paintings that are subject to the claim are as follows:

• Anonymous Venetian artist, first half of the sixteenth century, half-length portrait of a man with a book and necklace of shells around his shoulders, attributed to Giovanni Cariani (oil on canvas) (Tour #2, Doge Suite, north bedroom, a reproduction of the repatriated artwork);

• Paris Bordon (school of) Venetian, 1500-1571, Venus and Cupid (oil on canvas) (Tour #3, New Wing, 2nd floor, room #4, painting retained); and

• Jacopo Tintoretto (school of), Venetian, 1518-1594, Portrait of Alvise Vendramin (oil on canvas) (Tour #2, Doge Suite sitting room, a reproduction of the repatriated artwork).

From left to right: Oppenheimer family attorney Eva Sterzing, Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer

“Money as Debt”: This is a 47-minute animated educational documentary by filmmaker Paul Grignon with the help of financial experts. Normal money systems are based on hard assets (such as gold and silver, as our own constitution demands). In contrast, our current non-functional system is based solely on debt and "fiat" or intrinsically worthless currency. The purpose of our current system is to enrich a small cartel of financial controllers at the expense of the rest of the population. It seems to be working.

True “economic democracy” would mandate that our financial system be responsive to and serve the average citizen. Under our current system, the very opposite is true. OUR hard-earned cash goes into the pockets of the already rich. See the mechanism explained, and understand the necessity of returning to a real money system if we are to save what is left of America.

“FIAT EMPIRE: Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution”: This film explains what the Federal Reserve actually is – not a part of the Federal Government,as many of us believe, but in many ways actually taking from the federal government its Constitutional mandate to issue and control the nation's money.

Since President Woodrow Wilson reluctantly signed The Fed into law in 1913, our money has lost over over 95 percent of its purchasing power. In our current financial crisis, not one person in 1,000 understands what is actually taking place, and why. This film explains the reasons.

See these two films, and understand exactly why and how the "financial crisis" has been created, and what America needs to do to regain her financial health.

Second Sunday Cinema exists to bring important information to the people of Lake County. Information is empowering. It allows us to make decisions that benefit us, not the rich and powerful. Our films are always free, and the atmosphere is warm and supportive.

Our doors open at 5:30 p.m. for snacks and socializing. The films will start at 6 p.m. Our venue is the Clearlake United Methodist Church at 14521 Pearl Ave. in Clearlake. Time will be made for discussions between the two films.

For more information call 707-279-2957.

Venues are open to all Lake County students through age 18.

Become a "Youth Writes" poet. Show up at any warm-up venue and perform one or two original poems.

Poets under the age of 18 will need a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian. Students are encouraged to show up at as many warm-up venues as they can. There is no need to pre-register. All events are free and open to the public.

Warm-Up venues will be held at:

• Holy Joe’s, Upper Lake, Friday, April 17, 4 p.m.;

• Firehouse Pizza, Lucerne, Saturday, April 18, 3 p.m.;

• Mountain High Coffee and Books, Cobb, Sunday, April 19, 1 p.m.;

• Wild About Books, Clearlake, Friday, April 24, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.;

• Calpine Visitor Center, Middletown, Saturday, April 25, 2 p.m.

For further information and to download permission slips, go to www.youthwrites.org or call Lorna Sue at 707-274-9254 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Judy Cardinale has joined Konocti Art Gallery & Studio. Courtesy photo.

LUCERNE – Konocti Art Gallery & Studio welcomes Judy Cardinale to its group of plein air artists.

Cardinale moved to Lake County in 1990 and has been painting for more than 35 years.

Many of her animal portraits and seascapes grace the walls of homes throughout the United States as well as many of our Lake County residents.

Cardinale's recent work is inspired by the ever-changing vistas of Lake County. Her paintings reflect the soft, serene beauty of the county's wildlife, water and sunsets.

Viewing her work, one is often transported to that “special moment.”

Visit Judy Cardinale at Konocti Art Gallery & Studio, located in the Harbor Village Artists colony in Lucerne, at 6199 E. Highway 20.