The Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury, Presented by the Honorable Arnold Rosenberg (Ret)
Our speaker for April 13, 2023, was the Honorable Arnie Rosenfield, a retired Sonoma County Superior Court Judge. Judge Rosenfeld returned to talk to us last week as part of an effort by the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury to recruit potential new, and hopefully more diverse, jurors for the upcoming grand jury session. Judge Rosenfeld last spoke to us back in February 2023 to talk about Restorative Justice. As a reminder, Arnie initiated Court Appointed Special Advocates for Youth (CASA), has long been a supporter for SAY, the Valley of the Moon Foundation, and other important community groups. He has received numerous awards for his service, including Juvenile Judge of the Year by the California Judges Association. He currently serves on the Sonoma County Grand Jury.
The Civil Grand Jury is comprised of 19 members chosen randomly. All members are volunteers, must be U.S. citizens over the age of 18, and are expected to spend 15-20 hours per week on their grand jury responsibilities. The Civil Grand Jury generally looks into local government issues, often as a “watchdog” on local governments, including county, city, and special districts. The Civil Grand Jury is part of California’s constitution. It reviews citizen complaints, issues raised by members of the grand jury, and referrals from prior grand juries. Once they decide on the issues they will investigate, they conduct fact-finding investigations of these issues, interview people, meet with one another, and prepare reports published at the end of their one-year term. Much of their work is done in committees, including investigative and administrative committees. They report directly to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court.
Judge Rosenfeld stressed that service on the Grand Jury requires important interpersonal skills. The members come from diverse backgrounds, with diverse beliefs, and working cooperatively within the group to achieve consensus can be very rewarding. The Grand Jury’s reports and recommendations are not automatically enforceable, but publishing the reports is an important step towards informing the public about civic issues and can serve to create change within administrative agencies. The County Board of Supervisors decides whether to refer these issues to the County Auditor. Criminal issues may be referred to the District Attorney for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Thank you again Judge Rosenfeld for your helpful and informative talk about the Civil Grand Jury, and for your advocacy on behalf of the jury!
Click HERE to see the recorded video of Judge Resenfeld's presentation. It is available for a limited time.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Lindsay and Katy, Grand-daughters of Susan Glowacki set a high bar for planting Saturday as more senior volunteers heavy lifted in the seedling beds.
Leroy "Golden Hammer" Carlenzoli, Matt Crooks, Paul O'Rear, Susan Glowacki, Ken Petro, Rich Randolph, Rob and Betsy Sanville and Steve Zwick took up shovels and wheel barrows to prepare rows of vegetable beds for the next harvest.
Of course before starting we need guidance. Nathan Rathmann, Director of Operations is familiar with all volunteer cadres. He know how to best assign tasks in sustainable ~ aka appropriate ways!
Weeds must go first! The soil is turned after adding rich amendment.
Winner of the weed pulling contest! Wait! Is that a weed?!
We learned that the Farm does not rototill by machine. The soil is best turned with a "wide-fork", a 3 foot wide multi-blade tool which penetrates the soil and turns it with the strength of the handler. This less invasive technique better preserves the mycelium component in soil. Nathan claims their produce is more nutrient rich than that of the previous decades, due to better soil management.
When the work is done the rows are separated by a path of rice straw. That product is absent of unwanted organisms normally found in hay.
While this semi-skilled labor was underway, yards away Leroy "Golden Hammer" Carlenzoli was skilfully planning additional racks for the greenhouse. Leroy's green team hands have built the expanding greenhouse accommodating capacity for the farm to produce yields providing 300-plus food insecure people fresh nutritious produce.
Forget Me Not Farm is a remarkable community resource. Sunrise is proud to support the Farm: Our prime fundraising beneficiary this year is the Farm. Learn more of the life enhancing results at http://www.forgetmenotfarm.org
Posted by Rich Randolph, Merle Hayes, Carolyn Anderson, Ken Petro
Sweat Equity Preps Campus
Multi intergenerational arms, legs and backs engaged last Saturday on the Elsie Allen High Lobo's campus.
Ken Petro fired up the pressure washer to de-mildew masonry.
Carolyn Anderson works with Garden Club Advisor Kamala Brown near the Admin Office.
Young and younger alike took to moving 15 yards of groundcover.
Penny Millar shares green thumb pointers before planting some colorful accents.
In all, about 30 students from Interact, Foundation Club, the football team and Garden club showed up along with four Sunrise Rotarians, Interact Advisor Doug Gibson, Garden Club Advisor Kamala Brown and Teacher Ry Basham-MIntz who captured the group photo.
The landscape brightening is in preparation for the school's hosting of the District-wide Career Conference.
Merle Hayes, took advantage of the students in person gathering to remind them of scholarship application deadlines ~ that evening, suggesting they did not want her knocking on their door before midnight! Go Merle!!
More to come after the Career Conference and scholarship application reviews.
First it was "Fines". And when that was thought to be "negative" it became "recognitions" and after that "High Five". But Jack has announced a new twist for these moments, designed to fit every celebration as well as sorrowful news. And it does not have to be a "High Five". "Happy Dollars" and "Sad Dollars" can be whatever you want them to be. Or whatever you feel is appropriate.
Happy Dollars
Our President Jack Strange was lavished with exotic gifts from our returning crew from Japan, the Amends, the Lorenzens and the Millars (Millar and O'Rear).
Peter Treleaven gave kudos to last week's presentation from Malaria Partners Zambia because his father had Malaria. We should all look for ways to help! He also handed it to Peter Hoberg for arriving early every week to set up our hybrid meetings and we should support him by volunteering with him to help with the Levi Leipheimer King Ridge Gran Fondo.
Katharine Anderson is happy to announce that the SouthEast Greenway work has resumed and there is a walk this Tuesday at 5:15 PM.
Rob Sanville was verklempt that Angela Sanville is a winner of the North Bay Business Journal's Forty under 40 honor.
Jennifer Adams is proud that her winery has won double gold at the the North Coast Competition.
Marina Gachet wanted it noted she has attended the last four meetings in a row, and will be traveling to South America for the next three weeks to visit home.
Sad Dollars
Art King had to go back to the hospital to change his medicine and is recovering at home, cracking jokes. He still has difficulty speaking and appreciates texts and emails.
Jon Stark is not doing well. Please keep him in your thoughts.
1. You are in a place called Wally’s World and there is only one law. There is a mirror, but no reflection. There is pizza with cheese, but not sausage. There is pepper, but no salt. There is a door, yet no entrance or exit. What is the law?
2. Four cars come to a four-way stop, all coming from a different direction. They can’t decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. They do not crash into each other, but all four cars go. How is this possible?
Send your answers to the editor. Brownie points and answers will appear in next week's bulletin.
Answers to last week's brain teasers:
1. A man describes his daughters, saying, “They are all blonde, but two; all brunette but two; and all redheaded but two.” How many daughters does he have?
A) Three. A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead.
2. How far can a squirrel run into the woods?
A) Halfway. After that, he’s running back out of the woods.
The Rotaract Club of Milano Nord Est Brera collaborated with an art publisher to produce a book of photography featuring women who have had breast cancer surgery to put a face to the fight against the disease. “With body painting they show that the scars have been overcome while remaining part of their history,” says club member Stefano Mercuri. “The project was aimed at them rediscovering the beauty that comes from art, even starting from a scar.” The club worked with the artist Stefano Pelloni, whose style is based on tribal body painting, and Il Randagio Edizioni, a book company that uses environmentally friendly materials. The club printed a limited-edition run of 500 books and is selling them to raise funds for the Italian branch of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
United Kingdom
One coin at a time, a whimsical contraption celebrates a legendary Scottish locomotive while raising thousands of dollars for charity. Ken Wilson, a past president of the Rotary Club of Inverness Loch Ness, led the effort to commission and install the Flying Scotsman Automata in a local shopping center in 2016. A contribution of about $1 activates the complex mechanism, which depicts a kilted train conductor in an engine on a track trailed by bobbing carriages. Inside are characters that include a couple knitting and drinking tea, a pilot flying a plane, and Nessie, of course, whose tail spins to the musical accompaniment. The club has maintained the device and collected about $27,000, allowing it to disburse more than $350 in grants each month. “It has enabled Rotary Loch Ness to help nearly 60 local charities,” says the mall’s former manager, Jackie Cuddy, “which is amazing.”
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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The Rotaract Club of Milano Nord Est Brera collaborated with an art publisher to produce a book of photography featuring women who have had breast cancer surgery to put a face to the fight against the disease. “With body painting they show that the scars have been overcome while remaining part of their history,” says club member Stefano Mercuri. “The project was aimed at them rediscovering the beauty that comes from art, even starting from a scar.” The club worked with the artist Stefano Pelloni, whose style is based on tribal body painting, and Il Randagio Edizioni, a book company that uses environmentally friendly materials. The club printed a limited-edition run of 500 books and is selling them to raise funds for the Italian branch of the 
One coin at a time, a whimsical contraption celebrates a legendary Scottish locomotive while raising thousands of dollars for charity. Ken Wilson, a past president of the Rotary Club of Inverness Loch Ness, led the effort to commission and install the Flying Scotsman Automata in a local shopping center in 2016. A contribution of about $1 activates the complex mechanism, which depicts a kilted train conductor in an engine on a track trailed by bobbing carriages. Inside are characters that include a couple knitting and drinking tea, a pilot flying a plane, and Nessie, of course, whose tail spins to the musical accompaniment. The club has maintained the device and collected about $27,000, allowing it to disburse more than $350 in grants each month. “It has enabled Rotary Loch Ness to help nearly 60 local charities,” says the mall’s former manager, Jackie Cuddy, “which is amazing.”