Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show October 30th,  2008

Meeting the day before Halloween, you would expect a few mischievous pranks, antics, or freakish costumes at the Los Altos Rotary Club meeting, but the only references were scant miniature candy bars scattered on the tables. The only greeter I saw was VAL CARPENTER but everyone was on good behavior since our good friend Joe Simitian was the featured speaker.

President SETH MANNING started the meeting promptly in memory of former Rotarians LEE LYNCH and BILLY RUSSELL and asked JEAN MORDO to lead the salute to the flag. 

Photographer for the day, JERRY TOMANEK, provided the thought for the day with a “Don’t do anything — don’t panic” philosophy.  Quoting examples that included former basketball coach, John Wooden’s philosophy that said. “Don’t just do something— Sit there.”  

For the song of the day, we were treated to a bit of history by singing the first and last verse of “America the Beautiful.” Katherine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to this beautiful song in 1889 after an inspiring trip to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. 
President-elect TRACIE MURRAY, wearing an appropriately hideous coat for the occasion, introduced numerous guests that included, Los Altos City Manager, Doug Schmitz and Police Chief, Tuck Younis. Also honoring us was Kiwanis President, Laura Bajuk and History Museum President, Jim Thurber along many other guests from around the world introduced by member Rotarians. 

Of particular note of the guests were JOHN CARDOZA'S son, and visiting Rotarian, Mike Cardoza; past member Shoshanna Zimmerman who came back from India to vote, and past member Bob Bratman all the way from his home in Wales.

Announcements: Flu shots will be available at our next Rotary meeting on November 6th.  Come early and bring your loved ones because the nurse starts aiming her needle at 11:30 a.m.  The cost for a healthy winter season is $25.00. 

The next Red Badgers’ event is a Putt Putt Golf Tournament at Golfland, USA in Sunnyvale on November 22nd.  The cost is $50 per person and the proceeds will be used to buy books for the new Gardner Bullis School Library.

JULIE ROSE, the Chamber of Commerce president, said the 2009 Community Guide and Business Directory is now available and will be sent to every household in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.
JOAN ROSSELLE encourages all of us to attend “A Sante’,” the RotaCare Clinic fundraiser at the Historic Del Monte Building located at 100 South Murphy Ave. in Sunnyvale.  The cost is $60 per person.

FRANK VERLOT made mention of GINNY LEAR who is going to Ivory Coast, Africa on a polio vaccination trip. 

JEANNE MacVICAR put in a plug for PNG (Partners for New Generations) looking for mentors and tutors for our local schools, Jeanne would love to have more participation from Rotarians.

Time for Acknowledgements:  Fine master STEVE ANDERSON offered two qualities of his inner self by being benevolent and charitable to some, yet unforgiving to other members.

KAREN FOX was fined $23 to total $50 after 27 trips around the world.  STEVE FICK was fined $20 because he hit a home run with the Rotary softball team; a charitable $20 for hitting a home run?  BOB RAYL, in absentia, joined the President’s Club.  BONNIE BURDETT was soaked $50 for not knowing her daughter’s boyfriend’s name.  This is doubly confusing as her daughter was just married!  His name is Brian, by the way. 

SAM HARDING has a $30 I.O.U. and paid additional $10 for interest.  RANDY GARD had numerous excuses and sat down paying nothing.  AL TRAFICANTI joined the President’s Club.  KIMBERLY COPHER paid $20 because her husband took her to Bora Bora. 

KAREN GESSERT offered excuses and was forgiven.  BRIAN WARD spoke of Halloween in 7000 B.C. and paid $20. LARRY MADSEN and DICK HENNING paid $20 each for both being members of the Los Altos Rotary Club for 40 years. 

Before the 5-minute social time, SETH MANNING said he received word from Carl Guardino offering excuses for being a no-show as last week’s featured speaker.  For amends and a deepest apology, Carl sent the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Magazine and a bottle of wine. The wine will be auctioned at A Sante’.

Featured Speaker-- Joe Simitian
For the last 12 years State Senator Joe Simitian has visited the Los Altos Rotary Club because he feels it’s his job to tell his constituents what is happening in Sacramento.
“In the four years I have been in the California Senate, the legislature is getting bigger and bigger and newspapers who report our activities are getting smaller and smaller. There is less reporting on what we do,” said Simitian. “That is why I want to keep you informed on what we do in Sacramento.”

In his most recent two-year session Simitian just concluded, a total of 5,000 bills were introduced. The good news; many get lost in the process and never make it. But 2,150 bills still made it to Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. The governor then vetoed more than 1,500 bills of the 2,150.
“Governor Schwarzenegger has the highest veto rate in the history of the state,” said Simitian, “I fared better this year and only half of mine were vetoed.  Are they all necessary?  No.  Only mine are (LOL).”   
Examples of recent bills introduced were titled “Ferret Amnesty,” “No pet on your lap while driving, and Sally Lieber’s bill that received national attention with the “No Spanking” bill.

 
Simitian’s area covers 13 cities and 950,000 constituents.  He thinks District 11 is the most educated region in the state with Stanford University, University of California at Santa Cruz and numerous community colleges in the district.

Simitian, from Palo Alto, enjoys the law making process.  Many of his ideas come from his Town Hall meetings, political campaigns, and local newspapers.  He is responsible for introducing the state law on hands-free cell phone devices.  This year, he followed up with the ”no texting while driving” law.  He was aware of people using their cell phones to send text messages and the governor signed SB28 into law.
“Listen and get it right. An idea early in the year that starts in your area and introduced to the legislature can become a law that can affect 40 states in the fall,” said Simitian.”  

Everybody has a fundamental idea from personal experiences and that idea can become a body of work in the legislature.”  When Simitian asked for questions from the floor he knew the first question would be about the California budget.  He said setting the budget comes down to: “Spend less, collect more, and do it now.”  If Sacramento continues to borrow money, the general fund will be spent paying off bonds and less money will be available for everyday needs and services.

Simitian said to get a budget on time we need to depart from the 2/3rd vote. Only three states require a 2/3rds vote and those states are one party system states. A simple majority would improve the budget process for California.  

{Copyright � 2008 Los Altos Rotary Club. All rights reserved}

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