Chartered March 12, 1959

2013-14 Rotary Leadership ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Ron D. Burton International President

Rotary Club of Norman, Oklahoma, USA DISTRICT 5180

Bill Short District Governor

Fred Rowe Assistant Governor

Area 8 CLUB OFFICERS/

DIRECTORS Patrick Magnani

President Roland Wright

Immediate Past President Richard Ryan President Elect Lee N Wiggins

Secretary Dominic Mecklenburg

Treasurer Maureen McBride Club Administration

Richard Ryan Community Service Marilee Monagan

International Service Gene Long

Youth Services Bob Spears

Vocational Service David Stone

Sergeant at Arms David Stone

Rotary Foundation Joe Kaiser Membership

The Highlander May 19, 2014

Volume 56, Issue 39

THE ROTARY CLUB OF FOOTHILL- HIGHLANDS

JUNE IS ROTARY FELLOWSHIP MONTH Rotary Fellowships are groups of Rotary

members who

Share a common interest in recreational

activities, sports, hobbies, or professions.

Further their vocational development with

others in the same profession or field.

Enhance their Rotary experience by

exploring new opportunities and making

connections around the world.

HOW ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

OPERATE

Each fellowship functions independently of Rotary International,

establishing its own rules, dues requirements, and administrative

structure.

Membership is open to Rotarians, spouses of Rotarians, and

Rotaractors.

Fellowships must have an international scope, with active

members in at least three countries.

BENEFITS OF ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS

Fellowships:

Enable Rotarians to make lasting friendships outside their own

club, district, or country..

Contribute to the advancement of Rotary’s public image and

identity.

Serve as an incentive for joining Rotary and for continuing as a

member.

JOIN LEADERS: www.rotary.org/fellowships

THE HIGHLANDER Page 2 5/19/2014

CALL TO ORDER Richard Hansen served as our

official greeter. President Patrick Magnani

began the meeting at 12:15 p.m. PP Erik

Nooren led us in the pledge and Sam

Morgan provided the invocation. PP

Annie Hallsten w as the note taker .

VISITING ROTARIANS AND

GUESTS

Club Communications - Richard Hansen

rch6242@comcast.net 916-332-7448

Rotary Club Address

P.O. Box 6 North Highlands, CA 95660- 0006

DONATE TO HELP OUR ROTARY CLUB SUPPORT LOCAL CHARITABLE AND NONPROFIT CAUSEIS.

Foothill-Highlands Rotary Club Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3)organization.

EIN 68-0392810, PayPal link on Club Website: http://www.foothillhighlandsrotary.org/

CLUB WEBSITE: www.foothillhighlandsrotary.org/

(ClubRunner)

DISTRICT 5180 WEBSITE: http://rotary5180.com

Today’s guests included Honorary Member

Brent Seizer, w ho w as the guest of

PP Marilee Monagan; Dick Biddle, w ho

was the guest of Sam Morgan and our

speaker Dan Walters, a political columnist

for the Sacramento Bee.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

North Highlands Memorial Day

Parade

IPP Roland Wright announced that the Sac

State Rotaract Teeter-Totter, the largest Teeter-

Totter in the world—85’ 3” in length, will be in

the Memorial Day Parade. If you would like to

participate with club members in representing

Rotary in the parade, contact Roland.

ANTELOPE SUMMER FEST

President Patrick asked for help

manning a booth at the ANTELOPE

SUMMERFEST on Saturday, May 31st

from 3:00 – 7:00pm at the Antelope

Community Park, 8012 Palmerson

Drive, Antelope. See attached Flyer.

COMMUNITY BBQ

President Patrick invited Rotarians and

friends to a “FREE” BBQ on Friday, May

23rd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at UMPQUA

Bank, 7921 Walerga Road, Antelope.

Rotary House

PP Joe Kaiser read a letter from the family

residing at the Rotary House in Oak Park.

They are very thankful for having the house

to call “home” while their son is receiving

treatments at the U.C. Davis Medical Center.

They have lived there for over nine months.

There son will be finishing his treatments

soon.

NO MEETING NEXT WEEK

In Observance of

Memorial Day

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End Polio Now Campaign

PP Marilee Monagan

continues to remind us of

the End Polio Now

buckets on the tables.

Our new goal is $1,000 by

June 30th; and with each

meeting, we get closer. The Rotary at the

River Cats event last Sunday raised

$4,000 from ticket sales for the End Polio

Now campaign.

E-Waste4Good

“We raised $74 this month and

$390.78 this fiscal year.” You can

bring anything, anytime to Umpqua Bank

or PP Dominic Mecklenburg is happy to

collect your “electronic junk” on Mondays

at our regular meetings. If you would like

to schedule a pickup at your home or office

location, just let him know!

ANNOUNCEMENTS (CONTINUED)

Matching Grant

IPP Roland Wright announced the Rotary

Club of Foothill-Highlands has received 55

applications for our $500 District Grant

Scholarship Awards. The deadline for

submission is tomorrow.

Since we are a community service

organization, our focus will be to award

scholarships to students who share our

commitment to service. The applications

are being reviewed by a committee made up

of Past Presidents Dominic Mecklenburg,

Marilee Monagan,

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

JUNE IS ROTARY FELLOWSHIP MONTH

CLUB CALENDAR:

MAY 26 DARK IN OBSERVANCE OF MEMORIAL

DAY

JUNE 2 BOB DUNNING/A JOURNALIST

JUNE 9 PAUL DURENBERGER/PROJECT

DIRECTOR-FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER

JUNE 16 KAY RESLER AND JUDY WOLF FROM

THE ROTARY CLUB OF DAVIS TOPIC:

WATER PROJECT IN GHANA

JUNE 20 DEMOTION GOLF TOURNAMENT

JUNE 23 DEMOTION DINNER FOR PRESIDENT

PATRICK

JUNE 30 DARK

DIST. 5180 CALENDAR:

WEEKLY ASSIGNMTENTS

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2014

GREETER: JOE KAISER

PLEDGE: RICH RYAN

INVOCATION: MARILEE MONAGAN

NOTE TAKER: TBA

NEXT VOCATIONAL MINUTE: ROLAND WRIGHT

Maureen McBride, Bob Spears and Lee

Wiggins.

The top 20 applications will be submitted to

the District on Friday.

THE HIGHLANDER Page 4 5/19/2014

JOKES

Both PP Bob Spears and Honorary Member

Brent Seizer had jokes which garnered no

applause from the group so no fine-free

passes for either of them.

Next up was PP Maureen McBride. Mo

told a joke which initiated some laughter,

so Mo earned herself another fine-free pass

for the second week in a row.

FINES AND RECOGNITIONS

Fine Master David Stone was not in

attendance at today’s meeting; therefore,

no fines were levied.

BELL RINGERS, GONG BONGERS

PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS

A Paul Harris Fellow is an individual who

contributes $1,000 to the Rotary International

Annual Program Fund or other approved ed

programs. Each additional $1,000 contribution

is recognized with a plus and the number.

Sharon Bias (B) PHF+1

Sonja Cameron (GRIF) PHF

Warren Coffeen PHF+ 1

Jeff Donlevy (B)(RIF)

Annie Hallsten (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 1

John Hallsten (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 5

Richrard Hansen (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 5

Joe Kaiser (GRIF) PHF+ 7

Gordon Lipp (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 2

Gene Long (GRIF) PHF

Patrick Magnani (B)(GRIF) PHF

Maureen McBride (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 8 +

Dominic Mecklenburg (B)(GRIF)x3 PHF+ 4

Bob Meyer (B) (GRIF) PHF+ 4

Marilee Monagan (GRIF) PHF+ 2

Sam Morgan (B )(GRIF)(GRIF) PHF+ 4

Kwanchai

Patanapongpibul

Erik Nooren (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 7

Richard Ryan (B)(GRIF) PHF

Bob Spears (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 2

David Stone (B)(GRIF) PHF+ 5

Lee Wiggins (B)(GRIFx2) PHF+ 3

Roland Wright (B)(GRIF x3) PHF+ 4

Bell Ringer & Gong Codes:

(B) = Bell Ringer hi$100 to Club

(GFHF) = Gonger $100 to Club Foundation

(GRIF) = Gonger $100 to RI Foundation

(RIF) = $100 to Rotary Foundation

THE HIGHLANDER Page 5 5/19/2014

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEK’S

PROGRAM

PP Marilee Monagan introduced Dan

Walters, a political colum nist for

the Sacramento Bee.

At the age of 22, Dan was the nation's

youngest daily newspaper editor. He

joined the Sacramento Union Capitol

Bureau in 1975 when Jerry Brown began

his first term as Governor. In 1981, Dan

began writing the state's only daily

newspaper column devoted to California

political, economic and social events. In

1984, Dan an d h is co lu m n m oved to

the Sacramento Bee. He has written more

than 7500 columns about California and its

politics. His column now appears in dozens

of California newspapers.

Dan has w ritten or co -written several

books about California politics, including

"The New California: Facing the 21st

Century," and "The Third House: Lobbyists,

Money and Power in Sacramento.” Dan is

also a frequent guest on television news

shows, commenting on California politics.

Dan began by stating his tim ing to be

our guest was perfect because we are two

weeks away from a primary election and it is

a good time to talk about how elections have

changed in California. Campaigning has

changed because of the widespread use of

early and absentee voting by mail. Over half

the votes in this election will be cast by mail.

Dan predicted that voting in the not

too distant future will be done electronically.

Unlike the past, campaigning cannot be

conducted the week before the election but

over the month before. This year’s primary

will have a very low turn out. There are 23

million eligible voters in California and 16

million are registered to vote. Less than half

will actually vote. The main reasons for low

turnout, there are no high profile campaigns

and there are no hot issues on the ballot.

California has one of the lowest voter

turnout rates in the U.S.

There are at least six very contentious

measures on the November ballot. Dan

cautioned us not to trust what we hear in

campaign ads. Do your homework—read

your election pamphlet.

What happens in the legislative arena is only

half of the story. The other half occurs

during even-numbered years when the

contending factions battle over electing

friendly legislators.

The advent of two business-backed changes

in legislative elections, a “top-two” primary

system and redistricting by an independent

commission after the 2010 census, changed

the perennial power struggle’s dynamics.

Dan Walters

THE HIGHLANDER Page 6 5/19/2014

him and for teacher Tim Brandi. An ironic and

infinitely interesting outcome would be for

Democrats to retain a 54-seat super majority

in the Assembly with Glazer as the 54th vote.

Following his remarks, Dan took questions

from the Rotarians and their guests.

President Patrick and Dan Walters

Business interests had previously engaged in

Democratic primary duels for legislative

seats. But the new system, in which all

candidates would be listed on the same

primary ballot and the top two finishers

would compete in November regardless of

party, gave business new opportunities to

elect friendlier Democrats vis-à-vis those

allied with the four liberal blocs.

The 2012 elections were the first tests of the

two changes. Democrats won super

majorities in both legislative houses but

business backed a number of friendly

Democratic winners, including two who

knocked off Democratic incumbents.

While the potential of the super majorities to

pass liberal legislation, such as tax increases,

got lots of media attention, it was never

employed. Meanwhile, the chamber ran up

its usual overwhelming victories on 2013 “job

killer” bills, much to the liberals’ chagrin.

Whether the super majorities survive in this

year’s elections is one issue, but another is

whether the Democratic majorities,

regardless of size, move to the left or to the

right; and that means another round of

primary battles. There are perhaps a half-

dozen Democrat vs. Democrat duels with that

dynamic, with one in Contra Costa and

Alameda counties a centerpiece.

Steve Glazer ran Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2010

campaign and later advised the chamber on

2012 legislative races, making him a pariah to

unions and the Democratic leadership. This

year, Glazer is running in the 16th Assembly

District as a union critic, and while business

backs him with big bucks, unions and other

liberal groups are spending heavily against

President Patrick presented Dan with a

Rotary gift in gratitude for his informative

presentation.

Then, as always, President Patrick asked

everyone to join him in a toast to “Rotary

Around the World” and the meeting was

adjourned.

THE HIGHLANDER Page 7 5/19/2014

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E-WASTE RECYCLING IS HERE!

THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GET RID OF SOME UNWANTED

CLUTTER AND HELP OUR CLUB RAISE SOME MONEY. THEY WILL ACCEPT

ANY PIECE OF ELECTRONICS INCLUDING TV’S, COMPUTERS, APPLIANCES,

CORDS, KEYBOARDS, MICE AND EVEN POWER TOOLS. THE HEAVIER THE

BETTER (WE GET PAID BY THE WEIGHT!) ANYTHING WITH A CORD IS

ACCEPTABLE, AND THEY TAKE THE CORDS TOO. THEY SEPARATE AND

RECYCLE THE PLASTIC, METAL…EVERYTHING! IF YOU HAVE ITEMS TO

DONATE, GIVE ME A CALL TO COORDINATE THE PICKUP. SOME ITEMS I CAN

COLLECT AT OUR WEEKLY MEETINGS TOO! IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS OR

RELATIVES THAT HAVE SOME E-WASTE, I CAN ARRANGE FOR A FREE PICKUP

FOR THEM TOO!

THIS IS AN ONGOING PROJECT. CONTACT DOMINIC FOR MORE INFORMATION.

THE HIGHLANDER Page 10 5/19/2014

IF YOU HAVE A VEHICLE

THAT YOU ARE THINKING OF TRADING IN OR SELLING,

CONSIDER DONATING IT TO THE

“ROTARY CLUB OF FOOTHILL-HIGHLANDS

DONATE-A-CAR PROGRAM”

When your vehicle is sold, the proceeds will go to the “Rotary Club of Foothill-Highlands” to

help support local charitable and non-profit causes. The Foothill-Highlands Rotary Club

Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3)organization, tax I.D. No. is 68-0392810. You may be

eligible to deduct the fair market value of your vehicle as a charitable contribution for income

tax purposes.

DONATE YOUR OLD CAR, BOAT OR RV

DONATE NOW

1-800-240-0160 and a friendly car donation specialist will schedule your pick-up

appt.

BENEFITS OF DONATING:

FAST – next day pick-up appointments if called-in by 2pm

FREE – we’ll pick-up your donation at no charge to you

CONVENIENT – we’ll pick-up your car from wherever it is (home, work, auto shop)

TAX DEDUCTIBLE – your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law

SAVE TIME – save yourself the time and hassle of trying to sell it

FEEL GREAT – knowing that your car will help further our mission

We work with a reputable car donation processor, Car Program, who will make all the

arrangements at no cost to you. They handle the title transfer requirements and will provide

you with a tax deductible donation receipt when they pick-up your car.

Need more information? Please call our Car Donation Program 24/7 at 1-800-240-0160 and a

helpful representative can guide you through the process. .