SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), chair of the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee announces an informational hearing to explore issues specific to California's older black population as the first in an eight part “Faces of Aging” 2014 hearing series.  

Nationally renowned gerontologist and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Administration on Aging, Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D., will kick off the series with an overview of California’s aging population.

“Each component of California's multi-cultural population contributes to our rich diversity and quality of life,” stated Assemblymember Yamada.  “Tuesday's hearing will explore ways to address the specific social and health challenges that older African Americans face, and how policymakers can incorporate that knowledge into programs and culturally competent services.”

Members of the public are encouraged to attend “Faces of Aging: African Americans and Aging,” Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. at the State Capitol, Room 447, in Sacramento.

Panelists will include Virgie P. Walker, chair, California Commission on Aging, and Luella Hairston, an attorney specializing in family law from Rancho Cucamonga.

For more information, contact the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care at 916-319-3990.

Yamada represents all or parts of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Jan. 31, employees at the Lakeport Jitter Bean Coffee drive-through donated all their tips collected throughout the day to the fund set up to help the Dekeyser family with ongoing costs associated with their son Ronnie’s illness.

Ronnie succumbed recently after a long battle with brain cancer. Two of his interests were the Lakeport Police Department, where he was sworn in as an honorary officer on October 3, and local car racing.

The original idea for the donation effort came from Jitter Bean employee Kaleigh Sullivan, whose family has been involved with racing at the Lakeport Speedway for decades and where Sullivan herself enjoys racing on the track.

She had become familiar with the Dekeyser family and encouraged the other employees towards the effort, who thought it was a wonderful idea, and who were all thrilled and honored to take part.

The employees posted the fact that the day’s tips would be donated to the memorial fund on the drink special board, and many local customers were very generous “big tippers” that day for this most wonderful cause.

The tip jar held just under $243 at the end of the day, which was deposited in the “Team Ronnie” Fund set up at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Join Tuleyome for its annual fundraiser on March 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St., Davis.

This year's event will focus on celebrating public lands as 2014 is both the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and the 150th anniversary of California's State Parks.

At this event, guests will enjoy heavy appetizers prepared by Inspiration Catering, along with beer, wine soft drinks and dessert.

The evening event will also include a silent auction, a few words from author and keynote speaker, Doug Scott, and a short awards presentation to announce Tuleyome's Donor of the Year, the Volunteer of the Year, and the Anne Schneider Lifetime Achievement Award.

Proceeds go directly to benefit Tuleyome's programs and efforts to protect extraordinary wild places in the region, get youth and families outdoors, and promote land stewardship through habitat restoration, invasive species eradication, abandoned mine remediation, and trail building and maintenance.

In the past, Tuleyome spearheaded the formal California State Wild and Scenic River designation for upper Cache Creek and worked with local Congressmen to designate Cedar Roughs/Cache Creek Wilderness Areas and additions to Snow Mountain Wilderness.

The nonprofit’s current major campaign is to permanently protect the Berryessa Snow Mountain region This includes 350,000 acres of federal public lands in Yolo, Lake, Napa, Mendocino and Solano counties in northern California.

For more information, or to purchase tickets for this event, please visit www.tuleyome.org .

LUCERNE, Calif. – Lucerne Friends of Locally Owned Water – or FLOW – will next meet on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The group meets at 11:30 a.m. on the third Saturdays of the month in the Rose Room at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Shannon Michele of Cache Creek Catering and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting a monthly food and wine series featuring gourmet appetizers paired with select Lake County wines.

Locally produced foods are proudly featured as key ingredients in recipes created by Cache Creek Catering.

The series is held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on the second Friday of each month. The per person cost is $25 and $20 for Wine Studio club members. Reservations are required.

Feb. 14 will feature Noggle Vineyards and Winery Cabernet Sauvignons and the Latigo port-style Cabernet Sauvignon from Hawk and Horse.  

The first course will be a seasonal greens salad with greed beans and walnuts topped with Dijon vinaigrette paired with the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by chocolate and rosemary beef tips paired with the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.  

The dessert course will be a sampler of dark chocolate treats with the Hawk and Horse Cabernet Sauvignon dessert wine.

The Jan. 24 event featured a savory root vegetable and beef pot pie with house made pastry paired with a side by side Cabernet Sauvignon offering of Thorn Hill 2008 and Laujor Estate 2010 vintages.  

The dessert course was a white chocolate cheese cake with a winter berry sauce paired with Ceago Soul of Syrah dessert wine.

March 14 will be the next date to follow for the Local Cuisine Scene event with Alsatian varietals and new classic food pairings.

For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.

The meeting will take place in the activity room at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.

The public is invited to attend.

MATH will get updates on the 24 Hour Store's above-ground diesel storage tank, the buy a brick program for Middletown Square Park, the dog park and Highway 29.

District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock also will offer his annual “State of the County” report.

MATH meetings are subject to videotaping. Meeting proceedings may be available for viewing on public access television and/or the Internet.

MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

The group’s current board of directors include Chairman Fletcher Thornton, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Ken Gonzales, and members Tom Darms and Laura Helton.