LAKE COUNTY
Scotts Valley Advisory Council to meet Monday
The public meeting of the Scotts Valley Advisory Council and Supervisor Tina Scott will be held Monday June 27, 2022 which can be accessed by zoom at 5 p.m.
The agenda includes the following:
- Share your concerns with Supervisor Scott.
- A rep from BLM will speak about the South Co. Mt. Management Area implementation.
- Vegetation clearing of Scotts Creek
- New Use Permits
- South Main Annexation update
- Scotts Valley Groundwater Protection Company.
- Multi-tribal Fire Prevention Grant application
- Greg Scott, Firewise
- Broadband coverage
- South Cow Mountain management area
Dial for Zoom +1 669 900 6833. Meeting ID 986 2616 1748. Passcode 173032
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LAKE COUNTY
Business competition to distribute $85,000 in prize money. Apply by June 30
Continuing its mission to develop and support small businesses, the nonprofit, 1Team 1Dream, is sponsoring the annual “Hands Up Lake County” Small Business Competition. There is still time to apply by deadline.
Local small businesses and entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply, including prior year applicants. Only past winners (finalists) of the small business competition are excluded from the 2022 competition.
In its 3rd year, the competition will award $85,000 including a new category for the best Start Up Business.
The process involves an initial application screening to select 12 businesses and two alternates that will proceed to the second phase of the competition. In the second phase applicants will learn and apply the basic tenants of building a sustainable business plan in a 1-day business training workshop.
The workshop is followed by a mini competition where six small businesses and one alternate will be selected by a panel of local business leaders to proceed to the final competition.
In the final stage of the competition, awards will be decided by a select panel of judges comprised of leaders in the business industry. All competitors will receive an award, ranging from $25,000 for 1st prize to $5,000 for 5th prize. One additional award of $10,000 will be issued to a new small business startup. The final competition is on November 5.
For more information about the process and to apply online, go to the website at www.1team1dream. Apply now – late applications will not be accepted.
Contact Olga Martin Steele at 916-849-8170 if you have any questions.
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WASHINGTON
Thompson statement on Supreme Court decision overturning New York concealed carry permit law
On Thursday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) released the following statement after the Supreme Court released a decision stripping states of the right to set sensible firearm rules. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen concerns a New York state law that requires anyone who wants a license to carry a concealed handgun to show “proper cause” for the license.
“By striking down New York’s conceal carry permit law, the Supreme Court is stripping states of their ability to set gun regulations to keep their citizens safe,” said Thompson. “New York’s law was on the books for over 100 years. Today’s extreme ruling undermines the authority of states to responsibility regulate the use of firearms and will lead to more gun violence.
“As Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and a lifelong responsible gun owner, I am committed passing legislation that respects our Second Amendment rights while protecting our kids, schools, and communities. There must be immediate action on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and additional commonsense gun violence prevention legislation that will save lives.”
Republicans in the Senate have blocked gun violence prevention legislation from universal background checks to federal red flag laws, which is why state gun laws are important safeguards. According to Giffords, states with weaker gun laws have significantly more gun deaths per capita, and they have also seen a larger increase in gun violence from 2011 to 2020.
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SACRAMENTO
California announced as winner of the nation’s preeminent award for education innovation
the Education Commission of the States announced California as the winner of the 2022 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation, the preeminent education policy award in the nation, in recognition of California’s improvements in educating all students and closing equity gaps.
“California is transforming education from pre-kindergarten through to college and beyond, empowering students and families with more supports, more choices, and more opportunities,” said Governor Newsom. “This award recognizes the hard work that’s gone into this transformative change by leaders throughout the state – including legislators, state government partners, educators, staff, administrators, and local leaders – and the winners here are California’s kids and parents.”
According to the Commission, California received this award for “its coordinated approach to educating all students from preschool to postsecondary, with explicit attention toward whole-child supports and services, as well as its historic financial investments to ensure educational equity.” Here’s what else the Commission had to say about California’s achievements:
- “In the last two years, the state has approved an ongoing increase to the school funding formula to add more teachers, counselors, paraprofessionals and other student support providers on campuses. The budget also includes a large investment to scale summer, before- and after-school programming; and to convert thousands of schools into full-service community schools with wraparound supports. Additionally, beginning this school year, all public school students began to receive two free meals per day, regardless of family income status.”
- “The state’s investments are not limited to K-12; they extend into both ends of the education continuum, early learning and postsecondary. For example, the state is on track to have universal pre-K available for all 4-year-olds by 2025, and it has already expanded its popular Cal Grant scholarship program, which benefited an additional 100,000 community college students last year. Leaders also allocated funding to construct affordable student housing and $115 million to expand zero-cost textbooks and open-educational resources.”
- “California is demonstrating an intentional, comprehensive investment of funding and other resources that recognize and honor whole-child approaches to education, not only instruction.”
Since taking office, Governor Newsom has prioritized funding for public education, most recently having proposed the highest level of funding in state history – over $128 billion for California’s schools, amounting to $22,850 per pupil. That is up from $97 billion, or $16,350 per pupil, when he took office. In addition, the last enacted budget included total funding of over $47 billion for higher education.
Key investments include, but are not limited to:
- Universal Pre-Kindergarten: California’s children will have access to crucial high-quality instruction by age 4 – effectively adding a new grade to the traditional K-12 system – regardless of a family’s income or immigration status. Additional funds are provided to construct facilities and to cut the adult-to-student ratio in half (1:12), with full-scale implementation anticipated by 2025.
- Universal Extended-Day Learning: All elementary school students will have access to before- and after-school programs, as well as summer learning opportunities, by 2025. Schools serving the highest concentration of vulnerable students are prioritized for expedited implementation.
- Universal Free Meals: No student will need to learn on an empty stomach, with all students having the choice of two free, nutritious meals per day – regardless of income or family status.
- Community Schools: Thousands of schools will be transformed into hubs meeting the needs of students and families, including mental health services, support for basic needs such as food pantries, wraparound social services, and improved family engagement.
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