LAKE COUNTY
Third Annual Lake County Restaurant Expo Announced
Lake County, Supporting the local food service and restaurant industry is the goal of an upcoming series of events presented by the Lake County Economic Development Corporation (Lake EDC).
The Restaurant Expo is a one-day training and networking event focused on providing expert support to new and existing owners of restaurants, food trucks, catering companies, and other food industry businesses.
Lake County food industry business owners and their staff are invited to attend the Expo on January 27, at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College. The event will start with registration and a no-host lunch at noon, sessions will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude with a networking mixer at 5 pm.
Food industry business owners, managers, chefs, and staff will be treated to presentations from industry experts. Maria Martinson from Testa Ranch in Redwood Valley will share her inspirational story of her family’s business transitions from grape growing to winemaking and now opening a coffee shop, tasting room, restaurant, and antique store. Participants will learn how to engage with millennials and Gen Z customers, and a representative from US Foods will discuss how popularity and profitability are not the same and how businesses can work towards both.
Additional sessions will include changes in regulations presented by Lake County Environmental Health, how to start your own food industry business, industry experts will explain how to make the most of Restaurant Week, and learn about local hospitality training opportunities.
After the classroom event, Lake EDC, in partnership with the Lake County Winery Association and the Lake County Blue Zones Project, will host a networking event for participants to mingle and network with presenters and industry collaborators.
In addition, third annual Lake County Restaurant Week will span the week of February 24 to March 2. Restaurants from every corner of the County will participate to show off their best dishes and try new recipes.
To learn more about the Restaurant Expo and networking event or to sign up to attend, visit lakecountycaedc.org/restaurant2025/.
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CALIFORNIA
Unprecedented class action lawsuit filed against Northern California members of Congress
On Thursday, December 19, more than 500 federal taxpayers across 10 Northern California counties, represented by Szeto-Wong Law, filed an unprecedented class action lawsuit against their Congressional Representatives Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson. The lawsuit charges that Rep. Huffman and Rep. Thompson illegally abused their Tax and Spend authority when they voted to allocate $26.38 billion in military aid to Israel on April 20, 2024. By doing so, the lawsuit alleges, they violated the U.S. Constitution, the United Nations’ Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
Genocide, and U.S. federal laws.
Thompson and Huffman did this in the face of massive opposition by their own constituents and of overwhelming evidence that the Israeli military was carrying out genocide in Gaza with U.S.-provided weapons and munitions. On Jan. 26, 2024, the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the charge of genocide against the Israeli government should not be dismissed and that the case should proceed for ongoing litigation. On February 26, Amnesty International, issued a finding that the Israeli government was defying provisions in this ICJ ruling. On March 24, Francesca Albanese—the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories—issued a comprehensive report that found the Israeli government had unequivocally crossed the “threshold” and was actively committing genocide in Gaza.
The hundreds of class members from all 10 counties include people from a variety of backgrounds, Jewish and Palestinian Americans, and they share in common extensive and well-documented efforts prior to April 20 to appeal
to Rep. Huffman and Rep. Thompson to stop funding and arming Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
In the words of Laurel Krause, a class member from Mendocino County: “Over the last 14 months I have watched elected officials remain completely unresponsive despite the public’s demands to end the genocide.”
“By abusing their Tax and Spend authority, the plaintiffs contend, Huffman and Thompson have illegally forced their constituents into being complicit in genocide,” she noted.
The hundreds of class members feel empowered by the ability to take meaningful action, and it’s far from over. Maria Barakat, a Palestinian-Lebanese American and class member from Sonoma County, explains: “This class action is only the beginning of the people’s exercise of power against the violence of the American government and our refusal to be complicit.”
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MONTEREY
Hope Dealer Awards at HEAL Summit honors ‘trailblazing’ leaders
Dallas Blanchard, Needle Exchange Director of Fresno Needle Exchange and Annina van Voorene, Founder of Lake County’s Any Positive Change were both celebrated for over three decades of service and unwavering dedication to advancing harm reduction in California at CAHRES: HEAL Summit in Monterey, California.
Held on November 14, The event brought together 82 participants from Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) across the state, representing both new and established leaders in harm reduction. Originally funded through the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) and now supported by the California Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Initiative (COPHRI), attendees explored the summit’s unifying themes of Healing, Education, Arts, and Love (HEAL).
Highlights included:
- Affinity sessions that fostered connection and collaboration.
- Inspiring presentations, such as the Yarrow Collective’s exploration of Liberatory Harm Reduction and Amy Lieberman and Tyler Cunning’s session on Policy, NIMBYism, and Know Your Rights.
- Art healing workshops, including grief candle-making led by Meghan Hynes and acudetox sessions provided by the Yarrow Collective, offering participants relaxation and renewal.
- A timely cybersecurity presentation from Tyler Cunning and Luka Bair, equipping attendees to safeguard their organizations in an increasingly digital landscape.
Under sunny skies, the summit embodied the power of community-centered solutions and underscored the importance of holistic approaches to harm reduction. This gathering left participants inspired to continue their critical work, fostering hope, and furthering harm reduction’s mission statewide.
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