Meeting Recap for March 4, 2013
The guest speaker’s topic at this weeks’ Rotary meeting was insurance – WAIT! TAKE YOUR HAND OFF THAT DELETE BUTTON! – because it wasn’t just any speaker, it was Dave Jones, California’s Insurance Commissioner, and The Man when it comes to regulating our State’s $118 Billion insurance economy.
Before The Commish, we had the usual and customaries, with the wine for the pre-gavel meet-and-greet donated graciously by Dave Higdon, while Paul (the youngest Rolling) Stone tickled the ivories for the gathered throng.
Steve Heath was then called upon to provide the Thought of the Day, Dick (Golden Pipes) Osen to lead us in song, and Rick Davis to handle aptly his usual introductory chores.
President Peter then called on our budding historian, Mark Huffman, to provide another Rotary Centennial Moment -- this one involving our sponsoring of the Auburn club in 1924 -- with current Auburn Rotary President, Bart O’Brien, stepping to the mike to fill us in on the good works that his club continues to perform to this day.
After Mark, Bruce Hester introduced us to our newest Rotary member, Randy Dixon, who is head honcho of the local Colliers International operation. Welcome to the Club, Randy!
Ok, fellow Rotarians, if you have hidden talents just waiting to be discovered, the lovely Elfrena (nothing runs like a) Foord is ready to make you a star! Elfrena is in charge of entertainment at this year’s Bids For Kids extravaganza (May 4th – mark it on your calendar now – in pen!), and among the many things she has planned are various 3- minute acts by fellow Rotarians. Whether singing, dancing, comedy, magic, juggling, or flame eating is your specialty, give Elfrena a call, tell her what you can do, and amaze your Rotarian friends at Bids for Kids.
Frank Poelman wants you to join him, Bill (man, can he turn a) Proffit, Len McCandliss, and PE Thom Gilbert on March 14th at Squaw Valley for this year’s Rotary Ski Trip. These gents know how to party in style – transportation will be by bus (early morning pick-ups at the Rotary office, and a tad later in Roseville, off Eureka), where pastries by Ettore will be offered in the morning, then a day of great skiing, and great wine on the bus ride home. Play hooky on the 14th and hit the slopes with your fellow Rotarians!
The next Brown Bag lunch will be held March 18th, so be sure to sign up! For you newer Rotarians, this is a club tradition that traces its roots back to the founding of Rotary, as Paul Harris and the boys would take turns brown bagging it at each other’s place of business to hold their meetings. These are great events, as the meetings are small and casual, with a focus on getting to know each other. Contact Steve Shiflett or Barry Goldberg to learn about the various locations that you can choose from on the 18th!
On the tithing front, Leesa (I’m way cooler than the) Fons was in a generous mood, after her recent appearance, quote-wise, in Forbes magazine (she’s an expert in Long Term Care insurance, and Forbes tapped her brain (fortunately, Leesa has a lot of brain to tap, so there’s plenty left for her clients), and those tireless Rotary Rooters were at it again, dropping another $650 in the Rotary kitty from their latest round of gigs.
The Rotary coffers filled for the week, Prez Peter called on Bob Rosenberg to introduce the aforementioned Mr. Jones, who gave us a brisk update on the world of insurance in California, with a particular focus on health insurance (did you know that California has 7 million uninsured citizens, and that those who do have insurance pay an average of $1,400 more in premium annually to address the cost of covering those 7 million uninsured when they do need care?). Commissioner Jones would like the authority to regulate the premiums of health insurers, like the commissioners in 34 other States do. He doesn’t have it currently, but keep an eye out for a Ballot Proposition in 2014 that would do just that.
That’s a wrap on Monday’s meeting. Be good Rotarians this week (and if you can’t be good, be discreet). JBW