LAKEPORT
Sutter Lakeside Hospital gift shop looking for volunteers
“Hello! Have you got some extra time on your hands,? Want to fill it in a meaningful way? Sutter Lakeside Hospital Gift Shop has re-opened, and we Volunteers invite you to join us helping out in various ways. We need Volunteer Cashiers in the Gift Shop, and the Hospital needs Volunteer help answering phones, filing documents, and greeting patients in the surgery waiting room. If you are an Adult, please come to the Gift Shop for an application, and/or call Pres. Debi Rich at 279-2423 or Sec..Joan Taylor at 349-2342 for more info. We look forward to welcoming you as part of our Volunteer team!”
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Senator Lena Gonzalez lead legislators’ push for $3.5 billion broadband investment
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) have led a group of seventeen Members of the California Legislature in calling upon the Governor and Legislative Leadership to support a major investment in broadband infrastructure and service for Californians without reliable, affordable internet. The effort comes as the Governor considers adjustments to his January budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021-22 in the annual “May Revision.”
The letter calls for a $500 million allocation in funds from the American Rescue Plan to support the deployment of broadband municipal fiber networks by local governments. The group calls for a significant $3 billion investment to further target and support broadband infrastructure deployment by local agencies, nonprofits and internet providers who apply under the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) program.
The Newsom administration’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has estimated the necessary investment to bring Californians up to federal standards established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at almost $6.8 billion. This estimate comes before the FCC considers updating the standard of 25 mbs upload/25 mbs download to greater speeds to keep up with improving computer technology to support such services as online education and job training, Telehealth, Small Business access to the Digital Economy, and public access to e-commerce and a growing array of government services online. Higher standards will require even greater public investment.
“Even before the pandemic, which shone a glaring light on Californians’ lack of reliable, affordable internet services, we knew access to the internet is an essential requirement for participating in the promise of today’s online world,” said Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters).
“This year we must take meaningful action to close the digital divide,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). “That means we need substantial monetary investments in addition to policy reform, to ensure that broadband infrastructure is deployed in the unserved and underserved communities that need access to high-speed internet the most. We already know how important this is. Broadband is a necessity, just like electricity and water, and every Californian deserves to have access to the vast myriad of benefits afforded by the internet, including educational, social, and economic opportunities. I thank Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry for her continued support, and all members who have signed on to this letter in support of greater financial investments that will take us one step closer to true Digital Equity in California.”
—Submitted
LAKE COUNTY
LCSA youth music programs receive Wine Alliance grant
The Lake County Symphony Association recently received a generous grant from the Lake County Wine Alliance in the amount of $3,000.
Proceeds from this grant help support string classes and Youth Orchestra instruction, offered through the LCSA. String classes include instruction in violin, viola, and cello, and provide lessons for beginners on up. Instructors lend support and instruction during the Youth Orchestra rehearsals and concerts.
The Lake County Wine Alliance is a nonprofit organization that holds an annual wine and art auction to raise funds for the arts, health and the community. The auction is held in September. The net proceeds from this event are divided among agencies representing these three targeted areas.
—Submitted
—Compiled by Ariel Carmona Jr.
