LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The NAACP candidate forum, moderated by Aqeela El Amin Bakheit, which was held on Saturday, April 14, at Clearlake City Hall, will be aired on Mediacom Cable's PEG TV Channel 8.

Scheduled broadcast days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and  every day at 5 a.m.

Candidates for the Lake County Board of Supervisors participated in the forum, including District 1 candidates Victoria Brandon and Jim Comstock; District 4 candidate Fred Langston; and District 5 candidates Rob Brown and Joan Moss.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Democratic Party has open seats in each of the five supervisoral districts.

Do you want to be more active in our local Democratic Party? Do you want to participate in party activities locally? Do you want to help shape policy and positions and have a voice in party endorsements at the local level of our party? Do you want to help elect Democrats and help get Lake County Democrats to turn out for elections?

Each supervisor district in Lake County is represented on the County Committee by a number of elected or appointed members of the Democratic Party who live in each district.

The number of Democratic County Central Committee Members from each supervisorial district is:

• Supervisorial District  1 – Five members.
• Supervisorial District  2 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  3 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  4 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  5 – Five members.

In order to be appointed to one of the vacant seats, interested candidates are invited to attend the next Central Committee Meeting on Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at the Clearlake Oaks United Methodist Church community room, 12487 The Plaza, Clearlake Oaks.

The qualifications to apply for a seat on the committee are registered Democrat, and an interest in registering, supporting and electing Democrats in local, state and national races.

If you've always wanted to get more involved in local and State Democratic Party activities now is your chance. They will open a United Democratic Headquarters in Lakeport in August and will need volunteers to help staff and register voters and provide President Obama materials.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is your voice as a Democrat in Lake County. The committee is the local governing body of the Democratic Party  in Lake County and an of the California Democratic Party.

The committee is in charge of the Democratic Party activities for 13,723 registered Democrats in Lake County, under the general direction of the State Democratic Party.

Together, with its two chartered Democratic Clubs, the committee is the direct link between these Democratic voters and the California Democratic Party, which is directly linked to the Democratic National Committee.      

If you are interested in the steps to take to be appointed to a seat, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A breakfast in honor of cancer survivors will be held on Saturday, April 28.

The breakfast will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Lakeport Fire Protection District's firehouse, located at 445 N. Main St.

It is not a fundraiser but a free breakfast to honor survivors and their caregivers.

To RSVP call or text Leslie with The Relay For Life at 707-242-2421.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On April 11 Lake County Republican Women Federated hosted Lt. Col. Rick Tubbs, a candidate for Congress in the newly created Third Congressional District of California.

The primary election is Tuesday, June 5.
 
Tubbs is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserves, serving in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He was the commander of his C-17 squadron and again at Pacific Command Headquarters. He is one of the 51 Combat Veterans for Congress of record who have been endorsed by the Combat Veterans for Congress over the last three years.
 
Born on July 4, 1967, Tubbs was raised in the rural town of North Lake, Wisconsin. Son of a single mother, he began working at the age of 11.

Graduating with honors from Arrowhead High School, he continued  his studies at California State University in Fresno, earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Tubbs received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program.

He graduated from flight training and was assigned to Sheppard Air Force Base, TX, where he spent five years as a T-38 instructor pilot working with NATO allies until transferred to Travis AFB in 1995.  

Capt. Tubbs flew around the globe as an Aircraft Commander of the free world's Strategic airlift asset. He was activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom in Feb. 2003. Two years later, his reserve unit was converted to the world's most modern Strategic Airlift Aircraft, the C-17. Tubbs was promoted to lieutenant colonel in October 2008.  

Today he is the Squadron Commander of the 301AS Squadron at Travis AFB, CA and is still flying C-17s.  Lt. Col Tubbs was awarded two Air Medals and one Aerial Achievement Medal for Combat and Combat Support missions flown in war zones and was awarded numerous service and campaign medals.
 
Tubbs has balanced multimillion dollar military budgets, small business budgets, as well as coordinating with his wife to formulate their family budget. He is highly motivated to balance our national budget.

He pledged to work to grow the economy with jobs, cut unnecessary spending by eliminating fraud and waste, reduce the cost of health care to make it as cost effective as possible. Tubbs also is a strong supporter of increasing the supply of water for California, our Delta, and the agriculture industry.
 
Tubbs was hired as a pilot with United Airlines in 1991, and started a property development and management company in 2001. He and his wife Kristy have been married for over 22 years and are the proud parents of three children.

For more information visit www.ricktubbsforcongress.com or www.combatveteransforcongress.org .

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Concord resident Barbara Lafaver Gleason toured Stone House Museum recently and was so impressed with its historical preservation that she donated her grandmother’s crocheted bedspread.

“I’d been searching for a home for my heirloom bedspread,” Gleason said. “My grandmother, Davina McWatt, crocheted the bedspread around 1930-1932 in Glouscester, Virginia. She was related to John Muir and was born in Stirling, Scotland.”

Free tours of Stone House Museum are the second Saturday of each month, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Located at 18174 Hidden Valley Road in Hidden Valley Lake, the house is a California State Historical Monument.

For entrance to Hidden Valley Lake’s gated community, visitors should enter at the Hartmann Road gate and say they’re touring Stone House.

SAN FRANCISCO. – During Earthquake Preparedness Month Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reminds customers of the importance of preparing for natural disasters.

When an earthquake or other natural disaster occurs, natural gas and electric service can be interrupted. PG&E employees routinely practice their emergency roles and responsibilities to prepare for natural disasters, and the utility also provides emergency preparedness information for customers online at www.pge.com/safetycentral .

The following earthquake preparedness tips can help keep customers and their families safe and protected:

Before:

• Prepare: Have an emergency plan ready and conduct drills with your family. Make sure children, childcare providers and other family members know your safety procedures.
• Stock-up: Have emergency supplies on hand such as a portable radio with extra batteries, flashlights with fresh batteries, bottled water, a first aid kit, blankets, food, alternative cooking fuel, a minimum two week supply of needed medications, and extra crescent or pipe-type wrenches for turning off gas and water mains if necessary.
• Educate: Know how and when to turn off electricity, water and gas at the main switch and valves. Securely anchor water heaters and other heavy appliances. Secure tall, heavy furniture that could topple. Always store flammable liquids safely away from ignition sources like water heaters, furnaces or stoves.
• Anticipate: Know the safe spots in each room, like under a sturdy desk or table. Remember to stay away from windows, mirrors, hanging objects and fireplaces.

During:

• If you are indoors, stay inside. Get under a sturdy desk or table.
• If you are cooking in the kitchen, turn off the stove and other appliances if it is possible to do so safely before you take cover.
• If you are outdoors, get into the open, away from buildings, trees, walls and power lines. Be alert for falling debris.
• If you are driving, pull to the side of the road and stop. Do not park under overpasses, power lines, light posts, trees or signs. Stay in your car until the earthquake is over.

After:

• Check for injuries and ensure that everyone is safe.
• Check for damage. If you smell or hear escaping gas, get everyone outside. Find a phone away from the building to call 911 and PG&E (1-800-743-5000) immediately.
• If you smell or hear gas escaping, and are able to do so safely, shut off the gas at the main gas service shutoff valve using a 12- to-15 inch adjustable pipe or crescent-type wrench or other suitable tool. The valve is normally located near your gas meter. Do not shut off the valve unless you smell or hear gas escaping.
• Once you shut-off the gas, DO NOT turn it back on. If the gas service shutoff valve is closed, contact PG&E or another qualified professional to perform a safety inspection before the gas service is restored and the appliance pilots are lit.
• If you suspect a gas leak, do not use electrical switches, appliances or telephones, because sparks can ignite gas from broken lines. Do not check for a gas leak with a match or an open flame.
• If the power goes out, unplug major appliances to prevent possible damage when the power is turned back on.
• Plan evacuation routes from places where tsunamis present a risk to you and your family (home, school, workplace). If possible, pick areas 100 feet above sea level or two miles inland. You should be able to reach your safe location on foot within 15 minutes.

After a major earthquake, outside help may not be available for at least three days.

PG&E urges customers to prepare and learn how to respond during and after an earthquake.

Useful emergency preparedness information can be found at the following Web sites: The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org ), the California Office of Emergency Services (www.oes.ca.gov ), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (www.fema.gov ) and the Earthquake Country Alliance (www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/index.php ).