SACRAMENTO – In response to the state's severe drought, Caltrans is launching a statewide educational campaign on the state's highways, urging all Californians to conserve water.

Beginning this week, California's more than 700 electronic highway signs will display the following water conservation message: “Serious drought – help save water.”

"Caltrans has already taken action to sharply restrict water usage," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "Using our highway message signs, we are asking California's 24 million drivers to join us in this important effort."

Caltrans will support the www.saveourh20.org campaign by using California's electronic Changeable Message Signs along the highways to raise awareness of the severe drought and encourage Californians to conserve water.

The signs will be activated when there are no critical emergency or traffic safety messages or Amber Alerts.

As a large department responsible for 30,000 acres of irrigated landscaping, Caltrans is making dramatic reductions in its irrigation activities.

Effective this month, Caltrans will take the following actions:

• Cut statewide irrigation activities by at least 50 percent.
• Delay all new landscaping projects in severely impacted areas until the next rainy season to preserve the water supply. Postpone all non-essential highway planting.
• Cease watering in areas of the state suffering from the most severe drought impacts.
• Expand its use of smart irrigation technologies, which turn off automatically when it rains. Such systems can reduce water usage by as much as 50-60 percent.
• Use recycled water for irrigation and other activities whenever possible.
• Forgo washing vehicles except when necessary for safety.

The department is taking these conservation steps because the historic drought threatens all Californians with a dangerously dry summer and protecting the public and water supply is a top priority.

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), chair of the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee announces an informational hearing to explore issues specific to California's older black population as the first in an eight part “Faces of Aging” 2014 hearing series.  

Nationally renowned gerontologist and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Administration on Aging, Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D., will kick off the series with an overview of California’s aging population.

“Each component of California's multi-cultural population contributes to our rich diversity and quality of life,” stated Assemblymember Yamada.  “Tuesday's hearing will explore ways to address the specific social and health challenges that older African Americans face, and how policymakers can incorporate that knowledge into programs and culturally competent services.”

Members of the public are encouraged to attend “Faces of Aging: African Americans and Aging,” Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. at the State Capitol, Room 447, in Sacramento.

Panelists will include Virgie P. Walker, chair, California Commission on Aging, and Luella Hairston, an attorney specializing in family law from Rancho Cucamonga.

For more information, contact the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care at 916-319-3990.

Yamada represents all or parts of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Jan. 31, employees at the Lakeport Jitter Bean Coffee drive-through donated all their tips collected throughout the day to the fund set up to help the Dekeyser family with ongoing costs associated with their son Ronnie’s illness.

Ronnie succumbed recently after a long battle with brain cancer. Two of his interests were the Lakeport Police Department, where he was sworn in as an honorary officer on October 3, and local car racing.

The original idea for the donation effort came from Jitter Bean employee Kaleigh Sullivan, whose family has been involved with racing at the Lakeport Speedway for decades and where Sullivan herself enjoys racing on the track.

She had become familiar with the Dekeyser family and encouraged the other employees towards the effort, who thought it was a wonderful idea, and who were all thrilled and honored to take part.

The employees posted the fact that the day’s tips would be donated to the memorial fund on the drink special board, and many local customers were very generous “big tippers” that day for this most wonderful cause.

The tip jar held just under $243 at the end of the day, which was deposited in the “Team Ronnie” Fund set up at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thanks to the great community of Lake County, Kelseyville High School and Clear Lake High School students will yet again be able to participate in high school swim.

The Lake County Channel Cats and Quail Run Fitness Center reached an agreement for use of the outside pool, for swim team practice and Lake County Channel Cats Spring swim season.

With the future of the Westshore Pool in Lakeport undetermined, more than 29 students would not have begun their swim season on Feb. 10 without the support of Quail Run Fitness Center.

The high school swim team is the only school sport in Lake County that is comprised of students from multiple high schools and works to forage friendships beyond competition.

Kelseyville High School has stepped up to support the high school swimmers by providing transportation to swim meets so they can participate in the high school swim circuit.

The Lake County Channel Cats and the 29 swimmers from Kelseyville High School, Clear Lake High School thanked Darron and Carma of Quail Run Fitness Center and Kelseyville High School for its continued support of students in high school swim.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Lucerne Friends of Locally Owned Water – or FLOW – will next meet on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The group meets at 11:30 a.m. on the third Saturdays of the month in the Rose Room at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Shannon Michele of Cache Creek Catering and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting a monthly food and wine series featuring gourmet appetizers paired with select Lake County wines.

Locally produced foods are proudly featured as key ingredients in recipes created by Cache Creek Catering.

The series is held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Friday of each month. The per person cost is $25 and $20 for Wine Studio club members. Reservations are required.

Feb. 14 will feature Noggle Vineyards and Winery Cabernet Sauvignons and the Latigo port-style Cabernet Sauvignon from Hawk and Horse.  

The first course will be a seasonal greens salad with greed beans and walnuts topped with Dijon vinaigrette paired with the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by chocolate and rosemary beef tips paired with the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.  

The dessert course will be a sampler of dark chocolate treats with the Hawk and Horse Cabernet Sauvignon dessert wine.

The Jan. 24 event featured a savory root vegetable and beef pot pie with house made pastry paired with a side by side Cabernet Sauvignon offering of Thorn Hill 2008 and Laujor Estate 2010 vintages.  

The dessert course was a white chocolate cheese cake with a winter berry sauce paired with Ceago Soul of Syrah dessert wine.

March 14 will be the next date to follow for the Local Cuisine Scene event with Alsatian varietals and new classic food pairings.

For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752