In just two short weeks we will have the privilege of going to the ballot box to make our voices heard in the upcoming mid-term election. With that in mind, President Diane Woodruff convened the weekly luncheon.
Diane informed the club of the passing of longtime member Ken Stieger and a moment of silence was observed.
Meeting sponsor Paul Keefer (Pacific Charter Institute) introduced his colleague Christine Spratling, who discussed how PCI serves homeless youth through its Families in Transition program.
Still in the afterglow of the best Sac Century yet, President Diane awarded event co-chairs Susan Sheridan (retired-law) and Roy Alexander (retired-nonprofit) with Paul Harris Fellows in appreciation for their tremendous event leadership.
Mary Jo and Jim Streng (retired-residential development) were saluted for establishing a scholarship fund through the club foundation that will benefit a student at Bella Vista High School.Announcements
Honoring Mead Kibbey - Jamie Furlong (Legacy Investment Real Estate) shared that on December 11 the club will honor the late Mead Kibbey and she encouraged all to send in memories and stories.
Walk for Literacy - April Javist (Sacramento Public Library Foundation) and Jim Leet (Boutin Jones) provided a recap on the Walk for Literacy and recognized the 26 club members who participated.
Theater Night - Mike Bullington (Northwest Mutual Financial Network) gave a recap of the Rotary outing to the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera.
Fireside - President Diane encouraged members to attend the November 14 Fireside at the home of John Frisch (Newmark Cornish & Carey).
Chair of the day John McIntyre (Mercy Foundation) introduced Professor Mary-Beth Moylan, from the McGeorge School of Law, to provide her insights on the ballot initiatives on this year’s ballot. Professor Moylan talked about the impressive work of her students in compiling a guide to the ballot initiatives, the California Initiative Review, a non-partisan analysis of the initiatives. You can download it here - https://www.mcgeorge.edu/publications/california-initiative-review/.
She noted that four of the 11 initiatives would undo initiatives which voters approved in the past, a caution about the handcuffing of the legislature by Propositions and the hassle of modifying outdated ones. Her fast-paced overview helped attendees understand issues ranging from daylight savings time to the comfort of chickens to coffee breaks for ambulance drivers.
She gamely fielded lots of questions. Are funds being repealed in Prop 6 supporting High Speed Rail? No. Do ballot initiatives boost voting? Not sure, but it creates a lot of homework for voters. Where went the money from prior gas taxes? I don’t know! .jpg)
Diane thanked the many club members who made the meeting a success. Mark Luhdorff (AnPac Bio) provided fine piano music; Brandon Montalvo (Morgan Stanley), Win Westfall (Willdan Associates) and Margo Fowkes (OnTarget Consulting) served as door greeters; Pam Saltenberger (retired-nonprofit) poured wine along with Norm Marshall (Headwaters Construction); John Swentowsky (Swentowsky Photography) took photos; and Jay Lowden (YMCA of Superior California) served as the Pulse reporter. Jim Relles (Relles Florist) provided the Thought for the Day, and PP Skip Lawrence (retired-dentistry) provided the Smile for the Day.
Sergeant-at-Arms Elfrena Foord (Foord, Van Bruggen & Pajak) put in a plug for next week’s speaker, Chancellor Gary May, the head of UC Davis.