Saturday, 09 November 2024

News

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Barack Obama becomes the nation's 44th president on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Photo courtesy of barackobama.com.

 

When Barack Obama stands before the nation on Tuesday to be sworn in at the 44th president of the United States, he'll be at the center of a centuries-old ceremony invested with ideals, hopes and symbols.


Presidential inaugurations have been going on since 1789, when George Washington took his oath as the nation's first president.


But the ceremony in which Washington was invested with the country's leadership has changed, evolved and been refined over the years, with each of his presidential successors adding a special touch to reflect their own vision of the country they were to lead.


Obama's inaugural event could end up being the largest, with the National Mall thrown open to the millions of people estimated to be in the nation's capitol for the event.


People from around the country – including several from Lake County – are making the trek to Washington, DC because of the desire to see the first president of African descent begin his tenure as the nation's head.


The ceremony will take place on the US Capitol Building's West Portico, facing out toward the National Mall, at noon Eastern Standard Time, and 9 a.m. on the West Coast.


So, how has the ceremony developed, and how has it changed? Let's take a brief look at the ceremony, with the help of historical documents from the Library of Congress and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.


Presidential inaugurals: The early days


General George Washington was said to have been offered the kingship of the fledgling United States, a country that sought to sever itself from King George III's British sovereignty.


But Washington, who had fought hard to see the new nation on its own, turned down that offer, and instead taken part in a search for a proper name for the country's new chief executive and the proper form of the accompanying ceremonies.

 

 

 

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George Washington, as the country's first president, would leave an indelible mark on the office and the ceremonies surrounding it.
 

 

 


Washington's popularity was such that he was was elected to two terms, in 1789 and 1792, running unopposed both times and getting 100 percent of the Electoral College vote, the only president ever to have that distinction.


When it came time for his inauguration, it was a ceremony very different from that which will be witnessed by the world this Jan. 20.


George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789, in a formal ceremony that took place at Federalist Hall before a joint session of Congress in New York City, then the nation's capitol, according to a history of the event provided by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.


Histories of the event say he was led into the chamber and seated in a chair that faced Congress, with the House on one side and the Senate on another, according to an account of the event provided by Eyewitness to History's Web site.


After a brief address from Vice President John Adams, the swearing-in itself took place on a balcony overlooking Wall Street, with Robert Livingston, chancellor of State of New York, administering the oath. Afterward the crowd was said to have let out three big cheers for the new president, who then went back inside to give his inaugural address.


By the time Washington was inaugurated again four years later, on March 4, 1793, the ceremony already was undergoing modifications.


For one, the ceremony moved from New York to Philadelphia, and the oath was administered by Supreme Court Associate Justice William Cushing.


Rather than an April swearing-in, the ceremony month moved to March, which would remain the time of the ceremony until Franklin Roosevelt's first swearing-in on Jan. 20, 1937. Only when presidents died did the ceremony deviate from the regular schedule.


Unique men, unique touches


When Washington's successor, John Adams, was sworn in on March 4, 1797, the ceremony remained in Philadelphia. It was an event that proved the United States' leaders would peacefully relinquish and transfer authority at the bidding of the citizens.


Adams was the first president to take the oath of office from a chief justice, in this case Oliver Ellsworth.


In 1801, Adams' successor and, at the time, bitter rival, Thomas Jefferson, also would employ the chief justice in his ceremony.


In a March 2, 1801, letter to Chief Justice John Marshall, Jefferson wrote that he intended to take the oath of office on March 4, 1801, in the senate chambers.


"May I hope the favor of your attendance to administer the oath?" he wrote in the letter, found today in the Library of Congress.


He also asked Marshall, "I would pray you in the mean time to consider whether the oath prescribed in the constitution be not the only one necessary to take? It seems to comprehend the substance of that prescribed by the act of Congress to all officers, and it may be questionable whether the legislature can require any new oath from the President."


Marshall received the letter and wrote back the same day, March 2. "I shall with much pleasure attend to administer the oath of office on the 4th, and shall make a point of being punctual."


As to the oath itself, "The records of the office of the department of state furnish no information respecting the oaths which have been heretofore taken," Marshall wrote. "That prescribed in the constitution seems to me to be the only one which is to be administered. I will however enquire what has been the practice."


Marshall would go on to administer the oath of office nine times for presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson – the most times a chief justice has participated in inaugurations since.


Jefferson's inaugural was the first to take place in Washington, DC, in the US Capitol's Senate chamber.


In 1809, the presidential inauguration had its first inaugural ball, on the evening of Saturday, March 4, the same day as President James Madison was sworn in. Tickets to the event, held at Long's Hotel, cost $4 each, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.


Other presidents would bring their own unique touches. President John Quincy Adams took his oath on a volume of law on Friday, March 4, 1825, the first president to wear long trousers rather than knee breeches.


For his March 4, 1837, inaugural, Martin Van Buren would ride to the US Capitol with his predecessor, Andrew Jackson, the first time outgoing and incoming presidents traveled together.


William Henry Harrison would be the first president to arrive in the capitol by train for his 1841 ceremony. The accompanying ball and parade were planned by the first citizens inaugural committee to form.


Harrison gave the longest inaugural address in history – 8,445 words, compared to the shortest, 133 words which Washington gave at his second inaugural. Harrison would die a month later of pneumonia, which historians believe came about due to his exposure to bad weather at the inaugural.


His death was the first for a sitting president. His vice president, John Tyler, would take the oath from Chief Judge of the US District Court William Cranch in a private ceremony at the Brown's Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue.


James K. Polk's 1845 inaugural ceremony would be the first one reported over a telegraph and the first depicted in a newspaper illustration in the Illustrated London Times.


Franklin Pierce affirmed his 1853 oath but didn't swear it, and is said to have recited his 3,329-word address from memory. The 1857 ceremony of his successor, James Buchanan, was the first to be photographed.


In 1861, with the Civil War about to break out, Abraham Lincoln's inaugural was marked by a procession surrounded by armed cavalry and infantry, with riflemen perched in the US Capitol's windows.

 

 

 

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Abraham Lincoln's 1861 inaugural ceremony had extremely tight security due to the tensions that eventually led to the outbreak of the Civil War. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
 

 

 


Wearing his trademark top hat, Lincoln was sworn in by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney on a Bible purchased by William Thomas Carroll, clerk to the Supreme Court. During his second inaugural four years later, blacks marched for the first time in the inaugural parade.


Moving pictures made their debut at William McKinley's 1897 inaugural, the first recorded on a movie camera. For McKinley's second inaugural, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies was first formed to arrange the ceremonies.


Theodore Roosevelt, at 42, became the youngest president in history in September 1901 when McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt's first swearing-in took place in Buffalo, New York, where he was said to not have used a Bible or any other book during the brief oath.


William Taft would be accompanied by his wife, Helen, on the return ride from the US Capitol to the White House after his 1909 inaugural. Following his one term as president, Taft would become chief justice of the US Supreme Court, and in that capacity would administer the oath of office to Calvin Coolidge in 1925 and Herbert Hoover in 1929.


President Woodrow Wilson's wife, Edith, rode with him to and from the US Capitol for the inaugural in 1917, a year that also marked the first time the inaugural parade included women participants.


The first president to make his way to and from his inauguration in an automobile was Warren Harding in 1921. Harding also honored Washington by using the same Bible for his swearing-in – owned by St. John's Masonic Lodge, No. 1 – as Washington used in 1789.


Calvin Coolidge's 1925 inaugural had the distinction of being the first to be nationally broadcast on the radio. For Herbert Hoover's ceremony four years later, the event was recorded by a talking newsreel.


Franklin Roosevelt and wife, Eleanor, would add attendance at a morning worship service to inauguration day solemnities in 1933.


That same year, the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted; it set the time for inaugurals at noon Eastern Standard Time, and moved the date permanently to Jan. 20. Roosevelt's second inaugural in 1937 would take place in January; that event also would be the first time that a vice president – in this case, John Nance Garner – would be sworn in at the same ceremony, a practice which continues today.


Harry Truman's 1949 inaugural was the first to be broadcast on national television.


In 1953, Dwight Eisenhower used the Bible Washington used in his first inaugural, which Harding also had used.


John F. Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic president, added poetry to the inaugural – famed poet Robert Frost read a poem for the occasion at the 1961 event.


The next swearing-in ceremony took place far from Washington, DC. On Nov. 22, 1963, Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office from the only woman ever to administer it – Sarah T. Hughes, a US district judge of the Northern District of Texas – in the conference room aboard Air Force One at Love Field, Dallas, Texas. John F. Kennedy had been fatally shot earlier that day.


Historian Michael R. Beschloss' book "Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963-1964," recounts Johnson as saying he spoke with Robert F. Kennedy shortly after President Kennedy's assassination. Robert Kennedy, according to Johnson, urged him to take the oath of office immediately, an account disputed in William Manchester's book, "The Death of a President."


On Aug. 9, 1974, Gerald Ford took the oath of office in the White House after Richard Nixon became the only president to ever resign from office.


The inauguration would move to the west front of the US Capitol in 1981, with Ronald Reagan's swearing-in. Reagan would have the distinction of having the warmest and coldest inaugural days on records – 1981 and 1985 respectively.


Another innovation would be introduced to the ceremonies in 1997, when Bill Clinton's inauguration would be broadcast live on the Internet for the first time.


Obama's event has special touches of its own


Prior to Barack Obama taking the oath of office on Tuesday, his vice president, Joe Biden, will be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.


Chief Justice John Roberts then will lead Obama through the 35-word oath, an honor chief justices have had since 1797. It will be the 69th time the oath has been given, according to Library of Congress records.


Obama will call on history in adding his own special touches to the ceremony.


He identifies strongly with Lincoln – another president from Illinois – and so will lay his hand on Lincoln's 1861 inaugural Bible as he takes the oath of office prescribed in the US Constitution's Article II, Section I: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

 

 

 

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Abraham Lincoln's 1861 inaugural Bible will be used by Barack Obama at his inauguration on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The book is housed at the Library of Congress. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.
 

 

 


Following the swearing-in, Obama will give his much-anticipated inauguration speech, and afterward he and Biden will travel back to the White House to view the inaugural parade and begin a daylong celebration that will include inaugural balls in the evening.


The inauguration and its accompanying events officially conclude on Wednesday morning, with a national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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SACRAMENTO – The Department of Water Resources is rolling out the California Water Plan Update 2009 public review draft this month.


Highlights of the Water Plan and Volume 1 – Strategic Plan are now posted at www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/cwpu2009/index.cfm.


Update 2009 outlines a new approach in how California manages its water resources. Titled “Integrated Water Management,” it is the state’s blueprint for statewide and regional integrated water management, integrated flood management, and sustainable use of this valuable resource.


Guided by a 21 state-agency steering committee, Update 2009 is a result of collaboration between government and private agencies, Native Americans, cities, farms, industry and environmental organizations.


The document addresses concerns from every arena of water use, supply, flood protection, and for the environment.


The plan includes 27 resource management strategies (Volume 2) to meet various water management goals: reduce water demand, improve operational efficiency and transfers, increase water supply, improve water quality, practice environmental stewardship, and improve flood management.


The strategic plan includes 13 objectives with more than 100 near-term and long-term actions. New analytical methods and tools will help plan for future effects of climate change, population growth, and other factors outside the water community’s control.


Volume 3 Regional Reports looks at water conditions and concerns in California’s 10 hydrologic regions and two special areas of concern: the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Mountain Counties Area in the Sierra Nevada foothills.


All drafts will be posted at www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/cwpu2009/index.cfm.


The Water Plan Highlights and Volume 1 – The Strategic Plan were posted Jan. 7; Volume 2 – Resource Management Strategies will be posted Jan. 21 and Volume 3 – Regional Reports will be available Jan. 28. Printed highlights containing a CD of the other volumes will be available in February.


Public comment workshops will be held in all regions mid-April through May. Refer to the www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/cwpu2009/index.cfm Web site for meeting dates and locations. Comments will also be posted at this location.

 

Comments may be sent through June 5 via:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fax: 916-651-9289

Postal Mail: Attn: Paul Dabbs

Strategic Water Planning

Statewide Integrated Water Management

California Department of Water Resources

P.O. Box 942836

Sacramento, CA 94236-0001


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T. Watts at the KPFZ microphone. Courtesy photo.

 

 

It’s been a long, a long time coming

But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, circa December 1964


The great Sam Cooke sang those poignant words to us, seemingly from the portals of heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective at the time). You see, the song was released by RCA Victor Records just mere weeks after “The Man Who Invented Soul” was tragically shot to death in a seedy motel in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. (The legacy of the life and death of Cooke is a great American mystery about which volumes have been written, none of which completely explain it. Perhaps we will discuss it in a later column.)


At the time of its release “Change” only became a moderate, posthumous hit for Cooke. As the Civil Rights Movement was propelled forward though, the song became an anthem for the movement. Indeed, President Elect Obama stated to his supporters in Chicago after winning the election, “It's been a long time coming, but tonight, change has come to America.”


As we begin this new era in the political evolution of humanity, I am reminded of some of the things I have seen in my lifetime.


I remember attending Washington Elementary School in Oakland when John F. Kennedy was slated to give the commencement address at the University Of California at Berkeley in the year 1962.


Our teachers at Washington found out that President Kennedy’s motorcade would be traveling on Shattuck Avenue past our school. We gleefully and dutifully prepared placards and signs in anxious anticipation of our beloved president seeing us seeing him.


When the big moment was upon us, the whole school stood at erect, rapt attention as we spied the flashing red lights of the motorcade approach, about a mile away. As the motorcade got closer, it became obvious that they were moving pretty fast. So fast in fact that all we got was a glimpse of a shadow in the limo that must’ve been our president. We were waving and cheering but he had his back to the window.


Those Oakland cops had that motorcade speeding at about 50 miles per hour in a school zone! It seemed to be out of the president’s hands. Some of us were disappointed yet, I imagine some of us were glad to be out of school.


Eight months later, I was in what was then called junior high school, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I remember walking home from school with my peers. We were really hoping that whoever did it wasn’t African-American. I guess our perception was that we were already in enough trouble by virtue of our race.


Then, in seeming rapid succession, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy all became victims of the assassin’s bullet. Malcolm X spoke of self-determination for the American negro before his pilgrimage to Mecca, yet became convinced after visiting the Holy Land that, yes, all races could live together.


Martin Luther King was a spokesman for all oppressed and poor people through nonviolent social change. Robert Kennedy, who visited East Oakland shortly before his untimely death, uncannily predicted a black president by 2008.


In the meantime the machinery that is American – no cross that out – global politics, has paralyzed the American – cross that word out again – global economy primarily along class lines. It seems to be afflicting the world, poor people under the wealthy, weighty boot of the rich. And the media hands us the narcotic, sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors of television and the over-stimulus of Hollywood.


Are we making sense of it yet? Or is it making cents out of us? Yeah, God bless America all right. Humph! God is also big enough to bless the whole world. That’s what I’m counting on.


As Jimi Hendrix stated to the faithful at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East on New Year’s Day 1970, shortly before he was vaporized,


“Yes, it has been a long time, hasn’t it?


Keep prayin’, keep thinkin’ those kind thoughts!


* * * * *


Upcoming cool performances:


  • Mighty Mike Schermer at the Blue Wing Salon and Café’s Blue Monday on Monday Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m.

  • Morris Day and The Time at Cache Creek Casino on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m.


* * * * *


Correction from last week’s blog


Yes, the CyberSoulMan will interview Teeny Tucker on Blue Monday at KPFZ 88.1 FM on Monday Jan. 26, at 8 a.m. The rebroadcast of the interview will be streamed over the Internet on Tuesday Feb. 3, at 3 p.m. on www.theworldofblues.com, In The Blues Spot.


T. Watts is a writer, radio host and music critic. Visit his Web site at www.teewatts.biz.


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Denise Rushing (back row, left), her partner, Loretta McCarthy (back row, right) and Wanda Harris traveled from Lake County to Washington, DC this week to witness Barack Obama's inauguration. Courtesy photo.

 

Editor's note: Supervisor Denise Rushing and several local residents are in Washington, DC this week to witness Barack Obama's inauguration. The following is an eyewitness report from the nation's capitol.


WASHINGTON, DC – Wow. That is the one word I would use to describe our first day in Washington DC.


The entire city is abuzz with the energy of this upcoming inauguration — from the airport to the downtown. I am struck by the diversity of those arriving, all races, ages ... and particularly the number of young people and families with children.


Thousands stream in, and everyone is bundled up in their winter gear – it is COLD here. Faces are absolutely beaming with the excitement of the event, mine too. Loretta and I decided that we would attend the Sunday public concert, joining thousands upon thousands in a celebration of America. This proved to be a providential decision (more on that below).


We are staying at a well-stocked condo near the pentagon, a great location—and courtesy of Wanda Harris' ingenuity, we scored a great price, too.


Our first full day in the city fell on a Sunday, so I thought that bus transportation to the Metro train into DC might prove to be tricky. Thankfully, in this area, buses run frequently on Sunday. Not only that, we are located right on the bus line and have two directions to choose from — one heads to the Pentagon Metro station and the other heads to Crystal City Station. This first venture out, we had only waited a few minutes when the first bus appeared and soon, we found ourselves at the Crystal City Metro station, buying a ticket (Metro is very similar to BART).


Our first order of business yesterday was to pick up our tickets to the inauguration Tuesday and the California Bash that evening. The Capitol South Metro station is only a few steps from the Cannon Office building, home of Congressman Mike Thompson’s office. We quickly found his office at 231 Cannon and met with Mike Thompson’s aide, Jonathan Birdsong. There, we chatted a bit about the happenings of the week in DC and what is going on in Lake County.


Next stop was the Hyatt Regency where we picked up our tickets to the California Bash at the Air and Space Museum that evening. The theme seemed appropriately named: “Flying to the Moon.”


The Hyatt experienced some trouble with its security system — alarms went off in the lobby with a female voice over the loudspeaker urged us to “Please exit the building immediately,” even as live people were announcing, “False alarm, false alarm, come back inside!” Naw. we had our tickets … enough of the Hyatt. I noticed that even with alarms — no one seemed scared even — everyone is celebrating here. Fear? Too much excitement to let fear intervene.


At this point, we embarked on our two mile walk toward the Lincoln Memorial. Each block more and more people gathered, and larger and larger numbers of street vendors appeared selling t-shirts and buttons and hats and calendars and gloves and hand warmers. The brisk walk and the jovial crowds created an atmosphere of pure celebration — all drawn to this first event. Barack Obama and his family would be there ...


We did not make it all the way to the Lincoln Memorial — though we could see the concert stage in the distance from our vantage at the base of the Washington memorial. The crowds were massive. We felt drawn to come and even more drawn to stay.


Fortunately large audio speakers and video screens gave us a view of the stage. The opening invocation by Gene Robinson had us all crying … you can view it here (it was left off of HBO “We Are One” special, too bad): www.streetprophets.com/storyonly/2009/1/19/121035/677.


Wow. Wow. Loretta and I agreed that if we saw nothing else in Washington, that experience would have been worth the trip. What an invocation … what an experience with our fellow Americans. This common experience cemented our love of democracy, our love of who we are as a people and that we are called to renew our country and our land in these difficult times.


Then, Barack Obama and his family were introduced. Amazingly, they were there and with us for the entire concert! The music, the readings … Barack and Michele and their children were not only celebrating with us, they were celebrating US! From time to time, the camera would pan over to Barack and Michele, singing the songs we all love by Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and so many more. The event ended with a powerful speech from Barack Obama —setting expectations for the difficult task ahead.


We all have work to do.


On the way back, I bought a red Obama 44th President ski hat to keep my ears warm on Inauguration Day. Our tickets have us in the “Blue Standing” area — that puts us to the right side facing the dais where the president will be sworn in Tuesday morning.

 

 

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Marjorie Moore of Martinez, Wanda Harris of Hidden Valley Lake, Congressman Mike Thompson, Lori Anzini of Humboldt County and Joanne Peterson of Contra Costa County visit over the weekend. The Northern California group is in Washington, DC this week for Barack Obama's inauguration. Courtesy photo.
 


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Protesters stand in front of Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino at 1545 E. Highway 20, Nice, on the morning of Saturday, January 17, 2009, to protest the tribal council's disenrollment of close to 60 members, a move the tribe announced last month. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.



 

NICE – Dozens of Robinson Rancheria tribal members – those under threat of disenrollment and those who aren't – as well as nontribal members lined a short stretch of Highway 20 near the tribe's casino on Saturday, protesting the tribal council's action to remove at least 60 people from its rolls and to fire numerous people from jobs with the tribe.


The disenrollment, which took place last month as Lake County News has reported, has deepened divisions in the tribe, according to those who marched and chanted Saturday.


The Bureau of Indian Affairs must approve the action, according to the tribe's constitution. That agency has yet to do that, according to tribal members who appealed their disenrollment and await a decision.


That disenrollment action was followed earlier this month by sudden firings for disenrollees and nontribal members working at California Tribal TANF, which offers social services to Indians, and the tribe's well-respected environmental program.


Indian and non-Indians alike carried signs that read, “Corruption spoken here,” “Can you smell the greed,” “Justice for who? All,” “Did our ancestors die for injustice,” “All tribes united to fight tribal corruption,” “Honk for justice” and “Fairness and quality for all RR (Robinson Rancheria) Pomos.”


About 50 people were engaged in the protest at any one time, with many people coming and going over five and a half hours. Drivers of dozens of cars honked and waved to the group.


Clayton Duncan helped start the morning out with a brief smudging ceremony, burning sage and offering a blessing of the protest and its participants, who ranged from young children to elders.

 

 

 

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Clayton Duncan with a smudge stick, preparing to bless the protest area with the burning sage on Saturday, January 17, 2009, at Robinson Rancheria's entrance. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.
 

 

 


Duncan expressed concern over what the disenrollment could mean for the tribe's future and its young people, some of whom also are proposed to be stricken from membership rolls.


“What about our children?” Duncan said. “They don't even think about our children.”


Wanda Quitiquit, one of those targeted for disenrollment and a member of the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization (AIRRO), credited AIRRO – which cosponsored the protest – with being the only group to actively fight for Indian civil rights.


“I'm not disenrolled as far as I'm concerned,” said Quitiquit, who called California “the home of disenrollment.”


She said AIRRO estimates that 3,000 California Indians have been disenrolled from their tribes. “There is something very bad going on in Indian land today.”


Wanda Quitiquit and her brother, Marion Quitiquit, have been part of AIRRO since it was founded several years ago with the help of the Foreman family of Redding Rancheria, who were themselves disenrolled.


Quitiquit said Indian gaming “is our downfall,” and said the present disenrollment crisis requires Indians to step up their political activism like they did in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

 

 

 

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Wanda Quitiquit, left, addresses the crowd of protesters on the morning of Saturday, January 17, 2009, in front of the Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino and the rancheria's tribal office.

LAKE COUNTY – Several Lake County residents will attend the inauguration ceremonies for President-elect Barack Obama.


County Supervisors Denise Rushing and Anthony Farrington; Farrington's planning commissioner, Cliff Swetnam; local Democratic Party leader Wanda Harris; and Lucerne resident Megan Morgan are among those locals who will converge on Washington for the 44th president's swearing in and the accompanying celebration.


Millions of people are expected to converge on the nation's capitol for the historic ceremony. Attendance estimates range between one and four million visitors to the city of 600,000.


The Reuters news agency reported that officials are expecting that the attendance for Obama's ceremony will far surpass the record of 1.2 million people for Lyndon Johnson's 1965 inauguration.


The entire two-mile length of the National Mall – the area that stretches from the US Capitol to the Potomac River – is being opened in order to accommodate all of those who will witness the swearing in on the Capitol Building's West Portico. In past years most spectators have been confined to the Capitol Building grounds.


The demand for tickets the inauguration ceremonies has been high.


Congressman Mike Thompson's office reported that each member of Congress received 198 tickets – including those for the representative or senator's own use.


Thompson's tickets were quickly allocated, with 1,500 requests – far outstripping the number of tickets available.


Visitors to Washington also will be taking part in the many inaugural balls, 106 in all, according to a compilation provided by the Washington Post. However, there are only a small number of “official” balls, at which either the president or vice president are slated to make appearances.


A chance to see history firsthand


From experienced travelers to first-time Washington visitors, local residents attending the events were unanimous in their desire to take part in a history-making event.


Megan Morgan, 16, flew to Washington, DC on Friday morning. She spoke to Lake County News Friday evening, after having arrived flown into Dulles Airport and arrived at her hotel in Virginia.


The Upper Lake High School junior is traveling with the People to People Student Ambassador Program, a group which invites young people to take part in trips based on citizenship and school test scores.


She's been on previous trips with the group, but this is her first journey to Washington, DC, where she'll spend five days with the 40-member student delegation and another two days sightseeing before returning home Jan. 23.


It promises to be an engaging experience for the young woman, who is interested in the Air Force and foreign relations.


Among the activities that Morgan will take part in this week will include an inaugural ball and attending a special performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.


She noted Friday that so far in her trip she had encountered a lot of large crowds in the airports and around the Washington area.


Morgan said she is really excited about the historic week ahead and “being able to witness a part of history firsthand.”


The youngest of four children – she has three older brothers – Morgan said her family is “proud – really proud” that she's making the trip.


For Wanda Harris of Hidden Valley Lake, a leader in Lake County's Democratic Party, this won't be either her first trip to Washington, DC or her first inauguration.


Harris, whose brother was president of a steelworkers organization, attended both inaugurations for President Bill Clinton.


In September, well before the election, Harris and some friends began planning their trip, which allowed them to get plane fare under $300 per person. They also found a condominium near the Pentagon which they rented from a couple, both retired colonels, for a reasonable price. Harris and three friends from Contra Costa County will be joined by in staying at the condo by Supervisor Denise Rushing and her partner.


Thompson's office provided them tickets to the inauguration ceremony, which will gain them entry to the US Capitol grounds and one of the standing areas.


“There's no one who hates crows more than me, but I would not miss this for anything,” Harris said. “I'm so excited.”


Harris said she's preparing for Washington's frigid January temperatures with lots of clothing layers and feet and hand warmers.


Harris leaves Saturday morning for Washington, and will stay until Jan. 24. The itinerary includes the California Ball on Sunday night, where the president-elect is expected to appear. Harris is determined to get a dance with him, and says to watch for a cobalt blue dress, which is what she'll be wearing at the event.


On inauguration day, Harris plans to have a “Lake County loves President Obama” poster in view of a television camera along the parade route.


Staying a full week will allow Harris and her friends some time to take in the sights.


“I'm going to do everything there is to do in Washington,” she said. Although she's been there before, there are some places that she wants to take a little extra time to explore, like the vast holdings of the Smithsonian Museum.


During the week she also plans to meet up with Farrington, as well as Martha McClure and Kendall Smith, supervisors for Del Norte and Mendocino counties, respectively.


Supervisors look forward to once-in-a-lifetime trip


Rushing leaves San Francisco on Saturday morning.


“I've not been to an inauguration before,” said the first-term supervisor from Upper Lake. “This is an historic event.”


She said she began rooting for Obama in the primaries, and is very excited that he was elected.


“I just felt I need to be there,” she said. “It just seems that important.”


Rushing said she believes the inauguration will be a once-in-a-lifetime event that will be very energizing experience for the nation, which she says will be important because in order to accomplish change, everyone will have to work together.


Although not planning to attend an inaugural ball, Rushing said she will take part in a Monday evening event held by Congressman Mike Thompson. Later in the week, she also wants to get in some sightseeing, including visiting the new Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian, before returning home Jan. 23.


On Sunday, Farrington and Swetnam leave San Francisco for Washington.


“I've been to Washington many times but this is my first inauguration,” Farrington said.


He was involved in the movement to recruit Obama to run for president and also helped campaign for Obama in Nevada. Farrington said he wanted to be part of the process for someone he believed in, and is eager to be part of the historic moment of Obama's swearing in.


Once Obama won the election, Obama spoke to friends, and Swetnam indicated his eagerness to go. Then it was a matter of getting tickets from Thompson's office and finding a place to stay. They've found accommodations in Gaithersburg, Maryland, about a half-hour drive from the capitol.


“I really don't know what to expect,” he said.


Like Rushing, they'll attend Thompson's Monday event, and Farrington also will take part in the Draft Obama inaugural event. But they don't plan any sightseeing and will return home on Wednesday. Farrington said he had too many obligations to stay longer.


“It's going to be pretty intense,” he said.


Celebrating the inauguration in Lake County


Here in Lake County, local inaugural celebrations are planned.


The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is holding a celebration at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at the SawShop Gallery Bistro, 3825 Main St. in Kelseyville. However the event – which will feature live and recorded big screen TV broadcasts of the days events – has sold out.


However, there is still time to reserve a space at an informal gathering scheduled for the morning of Jan. 20 at the Konocti Vista Resort conference center on Mission Rancheria Road outside of Lakeport.


There is no cover charge for the event, where attendees will watch the inauguration ceremony on a big-screen television. Those who want to attend are urged to arrive by 8 a.m. at the latest to buy breakfast and be seated. RSVP to Deb Baumann, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 275-9234 no later than Monday.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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LAKE COUNTY – The number of people around the nation and here in Lake County who faced losing their homes in 2008 grew substantially over previous years, according to a new report.


RealtyTrac, a company which tracks foreclosure rates around the United States, released its 2008 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report last week.


The news for 2008 wasn't good: RealtyTrac's report states that foreclosure activity increased 81 percent nationwide over 2007 and 225 percent from 2006.


In all, there were more than 3.1 million foreclosure filings – default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions – on more than 2.3 million US properties. Some properties had more than one foreclosure filing, according to the report.


RealtyTrac also reported that 1.84 percent of all U.S. housing units – amounting to one in 54 – received at least one foreclosure filing during the year, up from 1.03 percent in 2007.


In Lake County, the percentage increases are even more stark.


In 2006, Lake County had 265 foreclosure filings, and 553 foreclosures in 2007, a 108-percent increase, according to RealtyTrac records.


For 2008, foreclosure filings in Lake County ballooned to 1,176, a 112-percent increase over 2007 and 343 percent over 2006's reported numbers. That number ranked it No. 19 among California's 58 counties for the most foreclosure activity.


Looking at the states, Nevada, Florida and Arizona were the top three when it came to the largest foreclosure activity increases in 2008, RealtyTrac reported.


California came in at No. 4, with a 110 percent increase over 2007. RealtyTrac noted that the state's foreclosure activity has gone up by 498 percent since 2006.


In addition, California had a total of 523,624 properties that received a foreclosure filing in 2008, which RealtyTrac said was the nation's highest state total.


California also had the most cities in the top 10 US metro areas for foreclosures, including Stockton at No. 1; Riverside/San Bernardino, No. 3; Bakersfield, No. 4; and Sacramento, No. 9.


RealtyTrac reported that foreclosure filings were reported on 303,410 US properties in December, up 17 percent from the previous month and up nearly 41 percent from December 2007.


However, the company noted that, despite the spike in December, foreclosure activity for the fourth quarter was down nearly 4 percent from the previous quarter but still up nearly 40 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007.


"State legislation that slowed down the onset of new foreclosure activity clearly had an effect on fourth quarter numbers overall, but that effect appears to have worn off by December," said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac.


Saccacio said the big jump in December foreclosure activity “was somewhat surprising” given the moratoria enacted by both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, along with programs from some of the major lenders and loan servicers aimed at delaying foreclosure actions against distressed homeowners.


California passed SB 1137, which required lenders to provide written notice of their intent to initiate foreclosure proceedings 30 days prior to issuing a notice of default (NOD), resulted in a reduction of NODs from 44,278 in August to 21,665 in September.


Notice of Default filings then surged by 122 percent, to over 42,000, in December, according to RealtyTrac, which noted that similar patterns have occurred in other states, such as Massachusetts and Maryland, where similar types of foreclosure prevention legislation has been enacted.


"Clearly the foreclosure prevention programs implemented to-date have not had any real success in slowing down this foreclosure tsunami,” said Saccacio.


Last month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced $7.8 Million in federal grant funding to Help California homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages. He said those homeowners will be eligible for free counseling on how to avoid foreclosure.


The California Housing Finance Agency and HUD-approved counseling groups in partnership with the Rural Community Assistance Corporation were awarded the $7.8 million grant in addition to the previous $8 million grant awarded to California earlier in 2008, according to Schwarzenegger's office.


The grants are part of new federal program enacted in late 2007 to help homeowners avoid foreclosures, the governor's officer reported.


Counseling is available to homeowners who have defaulted on their mortgages or are in danger of defaulting on their mortgages. Homeowners in those situations can arrange counseling by contacting one of the counseling agencies in their area or by visiting www.yourhome.ca.gov.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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WASHINGTON – Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) last week joined a majority in the House of Representatives in support of bipartisan legislation to provide health care to 11 million children from working families.


The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2) was approved by a vote of 289-139.


The bill is very similar to the legislation that President Bush vetoed twice in the 110th Congress.


“Investing in children’s health care is one of the wisest choices our federal government can make,” Thompson said during a speech on the House of Representatives floor. “Children have to be healthy to get an education and achieve their full potential as adults. When kids see the doctor more regularly, they receive the preventive services that keep them healthier longer – and they are less likely to end up in the emergency room, which saves everyone money.”


Thompson said almost a million and a quarter children in California are uninsured, which he called “simply unacceptable.”


He said that, in contrast to President Bush’s multiple vetoes of similar bills, President-elect Obama gave his enthusiastic support to providing coverage for 4 million additional children. “That is truly change we can believe in,” Thompson said.


SCHIP was created in 1997 to provide health care coverage for children in families that earn too little to afford health insurance for their children but too much to qualify for Medicaid.


The bill passed last week by the House of Representatives reauthorizes SCHIP through 2013 and preserves the coverage for all 7.1 million children currently covered by SCHIP, including 1,538,416 children in California.


Thompson's office has previously estimated that 1,600 Lake County children will receive coverage under the legislation.


The bill also extends health care coverage to 4.1 million additional low-income children, who are currently uninsured. The bill is fully paid for.


This bipartisan bill has been endorsed by dozens of organizations, representing millions of Americans – ranging from business groups such as the National Federation of Independent Businesses and Business Roundtable to the American Hospital Association, AARP and Families USA.


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Members of the US Congress will be starting out the new year with a raise.


The 535 members of the Congress will receive a 2.8-percent cost of living adjustment – amounting to $4,700 per member – this month.


At the end of 2008, the salary for all senators and representatives was $169,300, according to Clerk of the House of Representatives Lorraine C. Miller. The salary for the speaker of the House is $217,400 and the salary for the majority and minority leaders is $188,100.


The 111th Congress, which was sworn in on Jan. 6, includes 435 members of the House of Representatives – 178 Republicans, 256 Democrats and one vacancy – Miller reported. There also are 100 members of the Senate.


The largest number of congressional delegates – 53 representatives and two senators – comes from California.


That new base salary now rises to $174,000. In all, the pay raises will amount to just over $2.5 million in the federal budget.


"All 2.7 million federal employees receive a cost of living adjustment most years, which this year has been set at 2.8 percent for members of Congress and other senior federal officials, and 3.9 percent for rank-and-file employees," said Congressman Mike Thompson.


Thompson added, "I did not run for Congress because of the pay. Serving the First District of California has been the highest honor of my career and I am excited to be back in Washington working for change for our district and our country."


The 1988 Ethics Reform Act grants members of Congress the pay raises on an annual basis, unless the House and Senate specifically vote to deny them, which they have done six times – in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007, according to a Congressional Research Service report.


The year that bill was passed, members of Congress made $99,500.


In comparison, the president of the United States makes $400,000 annually. In 2001 the president's salary was raised to that amount from the $200,000 that it had been from 1969 to 2001, according to Congressional Quarterly's "Guide to the Presidency." From 1949 to 1969, the president made $100,000 a year.


In the wake of the current economic crisis, the raise hasn't been popular with some citizens groups, including the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.


"Members of Congress don't deserve one additional dime of taxpayer money in 2009," said the group's president, Tom Schatz. "While thousands of Americans are facing layoffs and downsizing, Congress should be mortified to accept a raise. They failed to pass most of their appropriations bills, the deficit is on pace to reach an unprecedented $1 trillion, and the national debt stands at $10 trillion. In addition, this Congress has been ethically challenged, plagued with corruption allegations, convictions and sex scandals."


The group had urged lawmakers to start out the year by introducing legislation to freeze congressional salaries at the 2008 rate, a suggestion Congress apparently didn't take.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


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LAKEPORT – A public hearing Tuesday will explore using grant funds for a study to help with the sale of the historic Lucerne Hotel.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport. TV 8 will broadcast the meeting live.

Beginning at 10 a.m., the board will discuss the possibility of transferring Community Development Block Grant program income money from the Business Expansion and Retention Revolving
Loan Fund to finance other projects, including curb, gutter and sidewalk projects in the Northshore Redevelopment Project Area and a feasibility study for the Lucerne Hotel property.

The hotel, which has housed the Lucerne Christian Conference Center for many years, has been put up for sale by its owners after bookings for Christian retreats and camps in the coming year began to drop significantly, as Lake County News has reported.

On Jan. 13 the board discussed possibly becoming involved with buying the property to hold it for a new buyer or assisting with active marketing it to assist in a speedy sale. At that time, supervisors approved looking at using grant funds for a study to look at the building's structural integrity and also conducting an appraisal.

Other items on the board's agenda include the following.

Timed:

9:15 a.m.: Public hearing on the Planning Commission’s recommendations for approval of proposed amendments to the Lake County Zoning Ordinance pertaining to bed and breakfast inns, detached
granny units and creating a new category of off-site signage for certain shopping centers and business districts.

9:45 a.m.: Public hearing on Planning Commission's recommendation for approval of a one-year time extension of the Vintage Faire General Plan of Development for applicant De Nova Homes; project is located at 20740 and 20830 State Highway 29, Middletown.

10:30 a.m.: Appointment of District 1 Lake County Planning Commissioner and administer Oath of Office; and consideration of applications from members of the public for appointment to miscellaneous Lake County committees, commissions and advisory boards.

11 a.m.: Public hearing on Ronald Jacobs' appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to grant the appeal of Erik Thorsen, trustee, Edgar F. Thorsen Trust, regarding the issuance of a lakebed encroachment permit and supporting California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Notice of
Exemption to Ronald Jacobs for the construction of pier/covered deck/gangway/suspended platform/covered electric boat lift; project is located at 1925 Westlake Drive.

Untimed items:

– Consideration of recommendation for award of bid for Fourth through Fifth Avenue Lucerne Sidewalk Improvement Project; and consideration of proposed agreement for construction
inspection services for Lucerne Sidewalk Improvement Project.

– An ordinance establishing annual payments for lakebed encroachment permits and annual lease fees – (second reading).

The board also will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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I’m going to spend a few columns over the next few months describing Lake County’s American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) so people can learn a little bit about the different wine-growing regions and wines in our area.


We live in one of the world’s greatest wine-growing regions and most people don’t know just how great an area it is. There’s a lot of ground to cover (pardon the pun), so bear with me as I give a little background on what makes an AVA.


Local conditions create terroir (loosely translated as “the taste of a place”) and make a specified growing area, and factors include the composition of the soil, climate conditions and topography (including altitude), with the emphasis that the conditions are unique and not to be found anywhere else.


Called an appellation in some parts of the world, an American Viticultural Area (or AVA) is to grapes as clover or orange blossoms are to honey. The honey made with these blossoms tastes like honey but is kissed with the essence of the flowers the bees made it with.


In much the same way, wine tastes like the place where it is grown. The United States has its own designations set by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau which authorizes official American Viticultural Areas. These viticultural areas are designated for grape growing but can and are called appellations almost interchangeably.


In the United States, AVA regions can be huge, like the Ohio River Valley (26,000 square miles), or extremely small, like Mendocino’s Cole Ranch AVA (about one-quarter square mile). One AVA can contain even smaller AVA regions within them.


The six counties north of San Francisco make up the “North Coast” AVA (Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Solano), which within it also has smaller AVAs.


Because of the strong French influence in winemaking and marketing, using the word “appellation” instead of AVA sometimes helps to clarify for the consumer the specific area their wine comes from. Whichever term you prefer, it’s like comparing apples to pommes. However the French are far more fastidious about what qualifies as an appellation than America is about establishing an AVA.


Interestingly, only vineyards that are located within one AVA use grapes grown within that same AVA, and make the wine inside the boundaries of that AVA can legitimately claim they are “Estate Bottled.”


This was an important factor to the Brassfield Estate which is the only estate bottled wine currently produced in the High Valley AVA. In most of the wine industry the word “estate” is thrown around loosely, kind of like “fine dining” on truck stop signs. However, the term “estate bottled” is carefully guarded by its practitioners.


In 1875 the Ogulin family settled in the High Valley and planted Muscat and Zinfandel vines on 400 acres. The Ogulin family still lives in the county and still owns about 100 acres of High Valley, including 15 of those original vines which are still alive and are said to be the second oldest grapevines in California. The oldest grapevines in California are currently living in Napa.


Established in 2005 in eastern Lake County, the High Valley AVA is three miles wide by nine miles long, with volcanic and alluvial (sandy soil once moved by water) soils. Ranging from 1600 feet to 3000 feet in altitude, High Valley is cooler than most of Lake County due to high-altitude sea air which is constantly blowing in.


The shape of the valley also helps create its unique climate. Imagine a bowl with one side just slightly lower than the other; cool sea air blows in on the lower side of the bowl, flows over the valley then hits the higher far side of the bowl (Round Mountain, on the eastern side of the valley) and then settles back down in the bottom of the bowl. The climate on the floor of the valley is best for white wines while the slopes are ideal for reds.


The High Valley AVA has the cooling qualities which come from both Clear Lake and from the Pacific Ocean. Not only does High Valley have its unique design, which scoops up the cool breezes coming in from the sea, but it has the geological oddity of being a valley that runs east-west while most of the world’s – yes I said most of the world’s – valleys run north-south.


High Valley was a lake itself many years ago, but nature decided through gravity, erosion and sedimentation that it would make better real estate if it were dry land.


There is graphic proof that the valley floor was once much lower than it currently is. When a well was being drilled for one of the vineyards, the drill bit reached 400 feet below the surface and the drill hit redwood, bringing chips of wood to the surface.


How did the redwood get down that far? Apparently at one time that was the level where redwoods were growing. Sometimes nature likes to rearrange the furniture.


Lake County has the cleanest air in all of California, an accolade it has claimed every year for as long as records of air quality have been kept in the state. This is due to the fact that cool, high altitude breezes from the Pacific Ocean pass over the lower altitude areas between the coast and the lake without being touched, but then are stopped by the plateau that both the lake and High Valley sit on, giving residents and vines alike the freshest air around.


The unique shape, altitude and isolation of the valley shelters it from being heavily affected by the warmth of the lake.


During the winter when it snows, I get very little snow in my yard and it sticks for little more than a few hours, while snow in High Valley can lasts for a couple of days although it is less than a mile away from where I live.


One of the reasons for this is that I am closer to the lake and the lake acts like a heat sump and melts the snow, while the mountains around High Valley protect the snow from the stabilizing effects and temperatures of the lake.


The unique topography also gives High Valley the benefit of being almost inaccessible. While there are several entries into the valley, only High Valley Road is public and easily found.


Following High Valley Road along its entire length, it eventually becomes a poorly maintained dirt road that only vehicles with big tires, good suspensions and alert drivers should attempt; but if you have the time, talent and desire to find a remote but gorgeous drive give it a try. The road empties out in Lucerne, and just remember to bring a camera, binoculars and a cell phone with a full battery. Hope you have service up there ...


Wineries within the AVA include Brassfield, High Valley Winery, Shannon Ridge and Monte Lago.


Jerry Brassfield purchased the old High Serenity Ranch and started his winery, although the original farmhouse and smokehouse from the ranch are still on the property. There also is a lake full of bass on the property that has been protected from my eternally hungry fishing equipment.


Brassfield owns 2,500 acres of High Valley, with only 367 acres planted with 19 grape varietals. Brassfield’s tasting room is on the estate three and a half miles up from the intersection of Highway 20 on High Valley road.


High Valley Winery has a new tasting room on Highway 20 and, although it is owned by Dustin Brassfield, the two wineries are completely separate and unrelated (no pun intended) companies.


High Valley Winery owns 80 acres with 28 of those planted with five varietals. Dustin and Bobbie Brassfield live on the property, and the wall and trees depicted on their wine label shows a part of an old wall that stretches over a mile through their property and the valley.


Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery owns more than 1,000 acres of the High Valley AVA with 450 planted with 15 varietals. Shannon Ridge has a pond with fish on its property that has also escaped my fishing equipment’s advances.


Clay Shannon was the first of the modern era of winemakers to see High Valley for the vineyard potential that it has. The vineyard also claims one of the steepest vineyards in California with a slope of 40 degrees. The Shannon Ridge tasting room is located in an old school house that the winery restored on Highway 20 in the Oaks.


The 600-acre Dharmapalan Estate is host to the Monte Lago vineyards, which grows 130 acres of grapes of six varietals. The remaining 370 acres is maintained as a wildlife preserve and they have no plans to expand the vineyard.


While they don’t have a public tasting room they do produce their own label of wines called Dharma wines. Dharma wine labels are a testimony to their Indian heritage by being collectable, numbered, silk labels depicting beautiful Indian women on them. Monte Lago has the honor of being the first wine produced out of High Valley.


Besides all sharing an AVA, another common factor I found in speaking to the owners of these wineries is they all have a commitment to the land, wildlife and ecology of the High Valley.


Much of High Valley has been set aside by the owners of the various properties as wildlife preserves. Reports of wildlife in High Valley include the typical deer, turkeys, hawks, owls, coyotes and small game, but also include bears, elk and cougars.


All the wineries have committed to laying aside land to stay natural and/or practice sustainable growing practices.


Also within the AVA are several private homes and ranches. High Valley Ranch and Conference Center owns about 1,700 acres of High Valley but doesn’t grow anything on them. They also have a working landing strip for small aircraft that sees occasional use.


Halden Ranch owns about 1,600 acres in the area and was once a working cattle ranch. It now acts as a nature reserve. Driving down High Valley Road at dusk, it is almost guaranteed that you will see plenty of deer.


High Valley AVA is already becoming nationally well known and noticed by wine enthusiasts throughout the United States through the various efforts of all the wineries in the valley. I will admit that I have personally purchased many cases of wine from almost all of the wineries in the valley and feel they are the very best quality.


Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community.


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SAN FRANCISCO – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s effort to overturn an eleventh hour move by the Bush Administration to gut provisions in the Endangered Species Act received a major boost this week when eight states – Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island – signed on to his lawsuit.


“There is broad and deep opposition to the Bush Administration’s effort to gut the Endangered Species Act,” Attorney General Brown said. “It is my hope that the new Obama Administration will take a fresh look at these rules and restore the independent scientific review of projects affecting endangered species, which has been a hallmark of the ESA for 35 years.”


The new regulations, initially proposed by the Departments of the Interior and Commerce in August 2008, largely eliminate a requirement in the Endangered Species Act that mandates scientific review of federal agency decisions that might affect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.


The changes allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to permit mining, logging, and other commercial activities to take place on federal land and other areas subject to federal regulatory control without review or comment from federal wildlife biologists on the environmental effects of such activities on endangered and threatened species and their habitat.


The new regulations are the most significant changes to the Endangered Species Act and its implementing regulations in over 20 years.


Now that these regulations have been adopted, many decisions on whether to permit commercial activity on federal land or issue federal permits or licenses will be made at the sole discretion of federal agency project proponents, without input from biological experts at the federal wildlife agencies.


Federal project agencies generally lack adequate biological expertise and have incentives to conclude that their projects will not have adverse affects on endangered and threatened species and their habitat.


The changes also eliminate the requirement to consider the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on species and ecosystems from proposed federal projects.


Federal agencies now no longer need to consider the possible adverse impacts on species like the polar bear from commercial projects that require federal approval or funding such as highway construction and coal-fired power plants.


The lawsuit, which was filed last December in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the Bush Administration:


• Violated the Endangered Species Act by adopting regulations that are inconsistent with that statute;

• Violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider the environmental ramifications of the proposed new regulations; and

• Violated the Administrative Procedures Act by not adequately considering public comments submitted by the Attorney General and numerous other organizations and concerned citizens.


The Attorney General’s lawsuit follows three similar lawsuits challenging the regulations filed earlier by environmental groups.


Attorney General Brown’s amended complaint challenging the regulations and comments on the proposed regulations are attached.


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