California revenues of $7.63 billion for March beat projections in the governor’s proposed 2017-18 budget by $1.73 billion, or 29.2 percent, State Controller Betty T. Yee reported.

March revenues were just $56.5 million above estimates in the 2016-17 Budget Act signed last summer. 

For the first nine months of the 2016-17 fiscal year that began in July, total revenues of $80.91 billion are $607.3 million below last summer’s budget estimates, but $837.1 million ahead of January’s revised fiscal year-to-date predictions.

March personal income tax (PIT) receipts of $3.93 billion topped projections in the governor’s proposed budget by nearly $1.09 billion, or 38.2 percent.

In the current fiscal year, California has collected total PIT receipts of $54.90 billion, or 1.1 percent more than January’s revised estimate. Controller Yee has launched an online tracker to show daily PIT receipts through April, the busiest filing period.

Corporation tax receipts of $1.37 billion for March were 29.1 percent higher than assumptions in the proposed 2017-18 budget.

Fiscal year-to-date corporation tax receipts of $5.19 billion are 9.0 percent above projections in the proposed budget.

March sales tax receipts of almost $2.00 billion exceeded expectations in the governor’s proposed 2017-18 budget by $266.8 million, or 15.4 percent.

For the fiscal year to date, sales tax receipts of $18.29 billion are $346.7 million below the revised estimates released in January – the only one of the “big three” General Fund revenue sources to miss the mark.

The state ended March with unused borrowable resources of $22.50 billion, which was $3.53 billion more than predicted in the governor’s proposed budget. Outstanding loans of $17.87 billion were $304.3 million lower than projected in early January. This loan balance consists of borrowing from the state’s internal special funds.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources.

The controller also safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Utilities Department reported that traffic control will be in place in the area of Parallel Drive and Westside Park Drive over the next few weeks due to a sewer main project.

The traffic control will be in effect through April 21, the agency said.

Officials ask that drivers be aware of workers in this area and drive with extreme caution.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Hospice Services of Lake County is inviting families with children ages 5 years and older that have experienced the death of a loved one to participate in a free bereavement camp.

The one-day camp will take place Saturday, April 15,  from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lakeport.

Hospice Services of Lake County recognizes and addresses the unique ways children grieve and heal from a loss of a loved one.

Camp activities are designed for healing in a fun and positive environment with horse and dog therapy, music, and a family art project.

“It is an honor to serve the needs of the children in our county who are experiencing the pain of grief over the death of someone close to them – whether it is a grandparent, parent, sibling, other relative or significant person in their lives,” said Jo Moore, a bereavement counselor with Hospice Services. “These children are facing heartbreak and sometimes giant upheavals in their lives. I get to offer my time, attention, and respect, as well as offer them some tools to help in the healing of wounds that death opens.”

Wings of Hope bereavement camps are offered by Hospice Services of Lake County periodically throughout the year and are facilitated by bereavement counselors and trained volunteers.  

Preregistration for the camp is required. For information about the camp and its location, and to reserve space, contact Jo Moore at 707-263-6270, Extension 137, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information, call Hospice Services of Lake County at 707-263-6222. Visit the organization’s Web site at www.lakecountyhospice.org .

Janine Smith-Citron is marketing/development coordinator for Hospice Services of Lake County.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The 27th annual Ecumenical Good Friday Service will take place at noon on April 14.

This year’s service, sponsored by the Lake Ministerial Association, will be held at the Clearlake Oaks United Methodist Church, located at 12487 The Plaza, next to the Live Oaks Senior Center.

Join them as congregations of Lake County Churches come together to explore the seven last sayings of Christ on the cross.

Some of the churches gathering this day will be Clearlake Oaks United Methodist Church, First Lutheran in Lucerne, Galilee Lutheran Church, Kelseyville United Methodist Church, Lake County Bible Fellowship, Lakeport Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lower Lake United Methodist Church, New Hope Community Church in Lucerne and United Christian Parish of Lakeport.

For more information please call Pastor Dawn Roberts at 707-972-5122.

Once the carpenter put the sash-weights into the wall next to the window, they were never seen again.

Eventually they fell off the ropes and with just one loud outcry fell deeper into the dark. But we propped the windows open with this and that, and forgot about the weights.

Here's a poem about those props by Michelle Menting, who lives in Maine, and who was once our assistant at American Life in Poetry.

Her forthcoming book is “Leaves Surface Like Skin” from Terrapin Books.

Objects Used to Prop Open a Window

Dog bone, stapler,
cribbage board, garlic press
     because this window is loose—lacks
suction, lacks grip.

Bungee cord, bootstrap,
dog leash, leather belt
     because this window had sash cords.
They frayed. They broke.

Feather duster, thatch of straw, empty
bottle of Elmer's glue
     because this window is loud—its hinges clack
open, clack shut.

Stuffed bear, baby blanket,
single crib newel
     because this window is split. It's dividing
in two.

Velvet moss, sagebrush,
willow branch, robin's wing
     because this window, it's pane-less. It's only
a frame of air.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2015 by Michelle Menting, “Objects Used to Prop Open a Window,” from Terrapin Books (February, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Michelle Menting and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

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If you don’t have an automotive emergency fund, you’re not alone.

According to a new AAA survey, 64 million American drivers – or one in three motorists – would not be able to pay for an unexpected vehicle repair without going into debt.

An average repair bill can set a driver back between $500 and $600, a figure that is expected to grow as vehicles become more advanced.

Complex vehicle systems are more costly to fix. Additionally, the technical skill and specialized equipment necessary to execute repairs are also more expensive.

“Newer cars come equipped with systems to make driving more safe and comfortable, but this technology also makes them more expensive to repair,” said John Moreno, spokesperson for AAA Northern California. “Many consumers struggle with costs associated with auto repair as a result of failing to set aside a car care fund to pay for the upkeep of their vehicles.”

Repair costs soar when a vehicle has been poorly maintained. A previous AAA survey found that one-third of U.S. drivers skip or delay recommended service or repairs.

AAA advises drives to save $50 per month for a car care fund.

“While car payments eventually end over the lifetime of a vehicle, operating costs do not,” Moreno said. “A small savings plan can go a long way in reducing the anxiety of unexpected auto repair costs.”

To avoid an unexpected car repair, AAA recommends vehicle owners follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and identify a repair shop they trust.

If faced with an unexpected repair, AAA suggests drivers:

· Get a written estimate for the repair and clarify with the shop the work that needs to be done on the vehicle. Consider getting a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis.

· Negotiate the repair bill. Ask if the shop offers any discounts or payment plans that can reduce immediate out-of-pocket costs.

There is no doubt that scams have gone high tech, but the riskiest scam is the face-to-face home improvement scam, with fake check scams running a close second, according to the new BBB Risk Index, a sophisticated analysis that goes beyond volume to look at the risk each scam type poses.

The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute) recently released its inaugural BBB Scam Tracker Annual Risk Report, which provides comprehensive insight into scams based on the more than 32,000 reports made to BBB Scam Tracker in 2016.

There were some real surprises within the data: men were more vulnerable than women in seven of the top ten scam categories; and consumers 18-24 were the most likely to lose money to a scam.

This analysis uncovered that younger consumers have a lower median loss than people in their top earning years, partly because the types of scams aimed at older consumers tend to have higher median losses.

While seniors also tend to lose more money than millennials when they are scammed, they fall for scams far less often. And the biggest takeaway is that no one is immune from the risk posed by scams.

The BBB Risk Index measures risk along three dimensions: exposure (how likely are you to be exposed to the con?), susceptibility (if you are exposed, how likely are you to lose money?) and monetary loss (if you do lose money, how much is it likely to be?). Exposure X Susceptibility X Monetary Loss = Risk Index.

Based on the BBB Risk Index, the riskiest top five scams overall (U.S. and Canada combined) are:

– Home improvement scams, www.bbb.org/homescam ;
– Fake checks and money orders, www.bbb.org/fakecheckscam ;
– Employment scams, www.bbb.org/employmentscam ;
– Online purchase scams, www.bbb.org/webpurchasescam ;
– Advance fee loan scams, www.bbb.org/loanscam .

The BBB Risk Index is a paradigm shift in how to calculate the true impact of different scams. In the past, virtually all involved organizations used volume alone to create “top scam” lists, but this approach ignored two other equally critical factors: the susceptibility of the population and dollar losses.

For instance, the scam most reported to BBB Scam Tracker in 2016 – by far – was the tax scam. However, consumers are savvy to this con and rarely fall for it, so it did not even make the BBB Risk Index’s top ten.

Employment scams were three times as risky for consumers as tax scams, and ranked #3 on the BBB Risk Index.

Home improvement scams, ranked #1 on the BBB Risk Index, was the only category in the top ten to rely on in-person contact.

Because of the highly personal nature of this scam – someone literally at your doorstep – the exposure rate was low but the susceptibility rate and the median loss were both very high, making it the riskiest scam of all.

Fake check scams take on a variety of approaches, but all rely on the fact that consumers assume that when a check “clears” their account and funds are made available, they are in the clear to spend those funds. In fact, it may take several weeks for a fake check to be detected and returned, and that includes cashier’s checks and money orders.

The BBB Institute also notes that fake checks are used in about 30 to 40 percent of employment scams, and appear frequently in other scams, as well. Whenever a consumer is asked to deposit a check and then send funds back out for any reason, that’s a big red flag.

The full report is available at www.bbb.org/RiskReport . Consumers and businesses are urged to report all scams to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker , whether or not money is actually lost.

Rebecca Harpster is public relations specialist for the Better Business Bureau serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake has welcomed AmeriCorps VISTA member Kate Gitchell to its community wellness team.

Gitchell’s volunteer service will support Hope Rising, a collective impact movement of community partners, including St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, focusing on improving quality of life in Lake County.

Gitchell’s AmeriCorps VISTA service will encompass a full year and bring helpful support to the SafeRx opioid initiative, a signature project of Hope Rising.

The AmeriCorps VISTA grant for her position was submitted by North Coast Opportunities Inc.

AmeriCorps is a national volunteer program that engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at sites including nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups.

“In the true spirit of collaboration and shared investment, NCO ‘contributed’ one of its VISTA members to Hope Rising,” said Shelly Mascari, community wellness director at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake and leader of Hope Rising. “We spent several months recruiting and interviewing potential volunteers and were excited when we met Kate. Her education, experience and interests align well with the work of Hope Rising and SafeRx.”

Gitchell’s arrival comes at a busy time for Hope Rising, a collective impact organization that includes representatives from local health care, education, nonprofit community services and partners such as The Way to Wellville, who work together to improve quality of life in Lake County.

Hope Rising recently received a grants from Partnership HealthPlan of California and from the California Department of Public Health.

SafeRx is one of the signature projects of Hope Rising; it was formed as a collaboration of local health care organizations and other public agencies operating in Lake County in recognition that access to opioids, or pain medications, involves prescriptions from local physicians.

The task force has set a goal to reduce deaths due to the use and misuse of prescription pain killers by 50 percent by 2020. St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake is the backbone agency of SafeRx and an active leader in Hope Rising.

Gitchell, a native of upstate New York, graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland in 2016. It was during college that she developed a love for community health and wellness.

She regularly volunteered at a local food pantry and worked as the intensive outpatient program coordinator at SOL Stone eating disorder clinic.

Later, she interned at Binghampton University in the health and wellness department, focusing on nutrition and mental/physical health. At Binghamtpon, she organized a seminar on the heroin and opioid crisis affecting the city and surrounding counties in New York State.

“I am so excited to utilize my skills and education in partnership with St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake,” said Gitchell. “I believe in the vision of the Hope Rising collaborative and look forward to helping with the progress of SafeRx over the coming year.”

Learn more about Hope Rising at www.hoperisinglakecounty.com .

With tax returns due April 18, time is running out, but you can still help California's rare, threatened and endangered species when you file your state return.

In the Voluntary Contributions section you can donate any dollar amount to the California Sea Otter Fund on line 410 and the Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Program on line 403.

These special funds help support California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) endangered species research and conservation programs.
 
California's sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were driven nearly to extinction, then given legal protection that has allowed the population to grow. In recent years, that growth stagnated, and is just starting to grow again, to a few more than 3,000 sea otters in California waters. This small population is vulnerable to oil spills, chemicals and other pollutants in road and agricultural run-off, predation by white sharks and other threats.
 
Donations to the California Sea Otter Fund (line 410) are split between CDFW and the State Coastal Conservancy. Those contributions have funded studies that link many sea otter deaths to polluted runoff, including fecal parasites, bacterial toxins and chemicals related to coastal land use.
 
The Southern sea otter is fully protected by the State of California, and take is not allowed except for scientific research and recovery purposes.

Additionally, the sea otter is federally listed, and it is illegal to harass, pursue, hunt, catch, capture or kill, or attempt any of those actions on such listed species.

Yet, just last year, four were shot and many others were intentionally harassed by people. The California Sea Otter Fund also supports a growing program to reduce human disturbance to sea otters.
 
Another 83 species of animals and 219 plants are listed by the state as rare, threatened or endangered. Donations to the Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Program (line 403) pay for essential CDFW research and recovery efforts for these plants and animals, and critical efforts to restore and conserve their habitat.
 
Past donations to this program have enabled biologists to study the Livermore tarplant (Deinandra bacigalupii) and the critically endangered Slender-petaled mustard (Thelypodium stenopetalum), and implement conservation efforts for the Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis), California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), Giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas),Tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) and Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius).
 
"There is no upper limit to voluntary contributions; any dollar amount is welcome. But, with so many species in need of conservation efforts and given the size of the Golden State, we'd like to encourage higher donations," said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Esther Burkett. "Can Californians beat last year's average of $15 per household? These plants and animals are part of our heritage and need your support to survive and thrive."
 
If someone else prepares your state tax return, please let him or her know you want to donate to the California Sea Otter Fund on line 410 or the Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Program on line 403. If you use Turbo Tax, when you're near the end of your tax return it should ask if you want to make a voluntary contribution to a special fund. Click "Yes" and go to lines 403 and 410.
 
CDFW biologists have achieved important recovery milestones and protected vulnerable species, thanks to California taxpayers.

More information about how CDFW uses funds in the Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Program and Sea Otter program is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/tax-donation and at www.facebook.com/seaotterfundcdfw .