SACRAMENTO
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry celebrates Gov. Newsom’s commitment to internet connectivity
Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry (D- Winters) applauded Governor Newsom’s historic investment of $7 billion in funds for broadband within the newly released May Revise budget proposal. Under the proposal, existing Caltrans networks will be leveraged to build open-access broadband infrastructure as roads and underground utilities are constructed. This will maximize funds and ensure a quick and efficient deployment of modern, durable, high-speed internet infrastructure. Funds will also be made available to assist local governments and tribes building their own broadband infrastructure, and to help increase access to high quality broadband service in rural areas. The Assemblymember’s AB 14 Internet for All Act lays the policy framework for the Governor’s proposal to connect all Californians and expanding eligibility to local and tribal governments.
“This is truly an historic day for our State and a bold proposal to address the gap in access to reliable and affordable internet for all Californians,” said Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). “People across our state, especially in small towns and rural areas like those in my district, have struggled to take advantage of the digital economy. The pandemic has made painfully obvious that a lack of connectivity prevents access to equitable opportunities for our people – education and job training, telehealth, small businesses’ expanding to online consumers. I want to thank the Governor for his incredible commitment to connecting California, and so many of my colleagues who joined me in this years-long mission, including Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), to make the dream of Internet for All a reality.”
Aguiar-Curry also announced the Governor’s renewed commitment to research on and revitalization of Clear Lake through the Blue Ribbon Committee established by her AB 707.
“Clear Lake is a beautiful and valuable natural resource in Northern California. The regional economy and the well-being of Lake County’s residents and wildlife depend on its health,” Aguiar-Curry noted.
“Sec. Wade Crowfoot and the Members of the Committee have done amazing work during the past few years to propose several initiatives to rehabilitate the lake and lakeshore. The Governors commitment to the recommendations by our Blue Ribbon Committee and my request to Assembly Budget Committee will usher in the next phase of research and projects.”
In addition to continuing to generate data on lake quality and health, the funding will support projects to restore indigenous plant populations, provide fish passage, rehabilitate or remove dilapidated shoreline structures, and remove acres of invasive shoreline vegetation that prevent access to the lake, restrict water flows and provide breeding grounds for West Nile-carrying mosquitos.
Members of the Blue Ribbon Committee were outlined in AB 707 and include significant participation from local officials, Lake County Tribal Nations, local experts and community members.
—Submitted
LAKE COUNTY
Zoom auditions for Shakespeare at the Lake 2021 to be held May 27
Come one, come all to audition for the Shakespeare at the Lake 2021 online production of “All’s Well That Ends Well” Zoom auditions will be held May 27 starting at 6 pm and May 29 starting at 2 pm. Audition sides are available at lctc.us. To sign up for an audition time slot or to get more information, email director John Tomlinson at jtomlinson@mendocino.edu. Rehearsals and performances (scheduled for July 23-25) will all take place online. Actors must enroll in Theater 220 through Mendocino College in order to participate; scholarships are available. No experience is required, and we welcome actors from out of the county to participate! As a California Community College production, out of state tuition applies to non-residents. Actors must be entering high school or older to participate. Shakespeare at the Lake is a joint effort between the Lake County Theatre Company and Mendocino College, with generous support from the Friends of Mendocino College.
—Submitted
—Compiled by Ariel Carmona Jr.
