Meeting Recap for March 10, 2015

Posted by Mark Huffman 
on Mar 11, 2015
 
President Susan Sheridan opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking Steve Johanson for donating the wine for the wine reception.  She then introduced Mindy Russell, Senior Law Enforcement Chaplain for the City of Sacramento who offered a lighthearted and heartfelt invocation.
Sargent-at-arms John Lemmon proceeded to welcome our honored guests, after which President Susan introduced the head table:  Past President Dave Murphy serving as Chair of the Day, Ron Crane the meeting sponsor, Marilyn Park to honor her 23 years in the club, Jeff vonKaenel in honor of his birthday, and Ed Melia in honor of his 37 years in the club.
President Susan then invited Father Dan Madigan to the podium to offer a eulogy for Dick White who passed away on February 10.  Father Dan recounted how Dick was born in New York as was his wife Maggie.  That he attended prestigious Regis High School and then Fordham University with a degree in communications, after which he began a 25 year career with the FBI part of which time he worked directly under J. Edgar Hoover.  He retired in 1980 after heading the local Sacramento office, and began a second career as a commercial real estate broker.  After that he returned to his investigative roots serving as an elder abuse investigator.  Father Dan related a number of personal anecdotes which made us all remember what a dear friend he was and how much he will be missed.
President Susan then introduced Ron Crane of DCA Partners as the meeting sponsor.  DCA Partners has three services it offers:  (1) representing sellers and buyers of closely held businesses, (2) a private equity fund investing in local businesses, and (3) management consulting services.
After some fellowship time it was time for a little wallet-loosening.  Past President Ken Noack, Jr., was featured in a recent Sacramento Business Journal article for which he offered $250, and then adding an additional $100 in memory of Dick White.  Others honoring Dick White were Bob Rosenberg ($100), Todd Andrews ($50), and Rick Davis (whatever amount necessary to fulfill his Paul Harris).  Eric Solis ($250) and Jeannie Reaves ($250) also made donations.
President Susan then called Past President Dave Murphy to the podium to introduce the Speaker of the Day, Congresswoman Doris Matsui.  Doris took over her late husband Bob Matsui’s seat in congress after his passing in 2005.  In fact, Doris noted that today is the tenth anniversary of her election to Congress.
Doris began by mentioning a number of those in attendance she remembers from years ago
including Steve Huffman, Gene Pendergast, Brian Van Camp, Steve Brandenburger, Jan Stohr, Oleta Lambert and Mead Kibbey.
She also noted that the region’s great strength is its rivers, the fact that it is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers was fortunate, and that many of the great cities of the world are so because of their access to important waterways.  They provide transportation, tourism, and of course water which we’ve been able to take for granted in the past but which we’ve learned in recent years we can no longer.  The other great resource that is related to the region is its agriculture, those who produce it and those who process it for sale around the world.  UC Davis provides cutting edge research into food and animal science which is the envy of the world.
Doris said that the two most important committees are Ways & Means, and Energy & Commerce.  She has served on the Energy & Commerce committee for many years, including the subcommittees on Health and Technology.  During her time in Congress she has worked to garner federal funding for:
  • Flood protection (Natomas levy system and Folsom Dam)
  • Clean Energy
  • Funds for the Los Rios Community College system
  • Public Transportation
  • Mental Health
One effort she is working on currently is to bring back the streetcar system to Sacramento which the city used to have but let go in the 1950s.  She is working to have the federal government cover one-half of the cost of such a system.  She also wants to extend light rail
 to Consumes River College.  Another important area that needs development is South Sacramento which she described as “tired.”  Getting light rail to that area should help.  Finally, she envisions new bridges over the river to West Sacramento at Broadway and other places to help access the developments occurring on that side of the river.
At the end of her presentation President Susan thanked Doris and dismissed the membership admonishing everyone to remember to be “Good Rotarians!”