Almost immediately after the first horseless carriages appeared on America’s roads, motorists began organizing auto clubs to advocate for traffic safety, etc.

Whether it be planning a trip or assisting a Member at the side of the road,

 AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah (AAA NCNU) was founded to help people. Join us to learn how AAA NCNU is continuing to serve Members, and the community, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Guest Speaker for April 29, 2021 was Andrew Smith, the County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights & Measures (and son of Warren Smith!). Andrew’s topic was “Regulating Agriculture in Sonoma County.” Andrew was born and raised in Sonoma County, attended SRJC and graduated in Agroecology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Andrew learned to love dirt, bugs, and plants from his father! He has worked for the Ag Commissioner’s office since returning from college, spending time in all of the Ag division programs. He became the Ag. Commissioner in 2020.

The roots of the Ag. Commissioner’s history run back to the 1800’s. The Commissioner’s historical responsibilities included ensuring food safety, stopping invasive species, and generally promoting agriculture. In 1919, California established the CA Department of Food and Agriculture. Fifty-six California counties have their own Commissioners, who perform work under statutory mandates and contract. Ag. Commissioners also enforce the Weights & Measures laws.

The Commissioner’s responsibilities include environmental, pest, and consumer protection. These responsibilities require the office to, among other things, enforce pesticide use, run the County’s hazardous materials program, control pests (through pest detection, exclusion, eradication, and management), inspect nurseries and seeds, ensure compliance with minimum standards regarding quality and marketing of produce, and inspect egg packagers and retailers. The office also licenses the use of pesticides and runs programs for the detection of pests, including the use of traps to help identify pests.

The Weights & Measures Division works to preserve and maintain confidence in the accuracy of weighing and measuring instruments, product standard, and business practices. The Division monitors, enforces and licenses Weighmasters and inspects all sorts of measuring and weighing devices. Other Ag. Commissioner programs include erosion and sediment control, the Hemp program, and water use efficiency through supervising groundwater recharge and management.

Thank you, Andrew, for explaining the amazingly complex world of the Agriculture Commissioner’s duties and responsibilities. You made it all sound so simple and straightforward!

You may view Andrew's presentation by clicking HERE.  It will be available for the next week or so.

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!

Trustee Chair 2020-21

May 2021

In the classic film Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O’Toole plays T.E. Lawrence, the British scholar, military officer, and author who helped Arab tribes in their struggle for independence against the Ottoman Empire. 

Lawrence leads a group of Bedouin warriors through the desert for a surprise attack on the Ottoman port of Aqaba. As they reach the end of the desert, they discover that a soldier, Gasim, has fallen off his camel during the night. But it is morning, and the tribesmen, led by Sherif Ali, played in the movie by Omar Sharif, advise Lawrence that going back to find him would be futile, that Gasim would already be dead given the sandstorms and the scorching heat. “Gasim’s time has come; it is written,” one of the soldiers tells Lawrence.

But Lawrence does go back and finds Gasim near death, staggering in the dunes. When they return to camp, Ali offers Lawrence water. Before taking a drink, Lawrence looks at him and says: “Nothing is written.”

This unforgettable scene means more than just a quotable movie line; it represents a way of looking at the world. It is a challenge to fatalism — that we must accept a certain outcome because of the way it has always been. No, Lawrence says, history is not written, yet.

So it is with The Rotary Foundation. We have not yet emerged from the sandstorm of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout from it. We are still occupied by work to raise awareness, deliver critical personal protective equipment, and provide support for frontline workers.

We do not know the day when, standing beside our polio eradication partners, we will announce that for the second time in history, a disease has been eradicated. We do know that, because we have worked steadfastly for years, the end of that story will be written soon.

And thanks to a $15.5 million contribution from the Otto & Fran Walter Foundation, we are also adding a new chapter in the story of our expansion of the Rotary Peace Centers: Plans are underway to launch a new peace certificate center in the Middle East or North Africa.

Rotary is engaged in so many noble efforts; it is an ongoing story that inspires me even more than Lawrence of Arabia. We do not yet know the name of the baby whose life will be saved because of a maternal and child health grant from Rotary, or the name of the girl who will learn to read with our support. When will those grants start, and will your district — or you — be directly involved?

Nothing is written. We write it.