SACRAMENTO – North Coast State Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) is one of 14 state senators to achieve a perfect 100-percent score from the Congress of California Seniors (CCS).

The CCS is a broad-based coalition of senior centers and residential facilities, women’s clubs, tenant and homeowner associations, faith-based organizations, community service groups, trade union retirees, retired federal/state/local and public school employee organizations, and other advocacy groups.

The CCS recently released its California Legislature 2009 Report Card assessing how state senators and assembly members voted on legislation important to California’s 4.5 million seniors.

According to CCS State President Henry Lacayo, 2009 “continued to be a difficult time for California seniors and for lawmakers to deal with those difficulties. The state’s fiscal collapse absorbed much of the time and attention of the legislature with nearly non-stop budget deliberations and special sessions to keep up with declining state revenues.”

Nevertheless, Lacayo added, the CCS “monitored dozens of bills covering health insurance reforms, nursing home care, training of homecare workers, affordable housing, and consumer protection.”

For its report card, the CCS scored legislators through their votes on a dozen key pieces of legislation in 2009. As previously noted, Wiggins was one of 14 (out of a total of 40) state senators to vote correctly on all 12 of the priority bills targeted by the CCS.

Those priority bills included:

– SB 18, increasing the financial penalties on those who abuse seniors and dependent adults, especially repeat offenders;

– SB 303, requiring informed consent of nursing home patients and their families before patients can be given any proposed treatment or procedure, especially psychotherapeutic drugs;

– SB 781, protecting residents of Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly from unreasonable eviction or transfer, including information on alternative housing and care options.

Assembly woman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), who has announced she'll run for Wiggins' seat when Wiggins retires next year, also achieved a 100-percent score.

This national program, already under way, will run until the last week of November, It coincided with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week observed Nov. 1 through 7.

As part of this annual program, St Helena Pet Sitters and other NAPPS members across the country are reaching out to their clients and encouraging them to collect and donate product for this worthy cause. Items such as toys, treats, blankets, towels, rugs, beds, bleach, leashes, collars, coupons, carriers and newspapers are all being solicited.

Donation drop off boxes are located at Hidden Valley Pet Palace 18893C Hartman Rd. Hidden Valley Lake and Mugshots Espresso at 18990 Coyote Valley Road, Middletown. Donations will be collected until Nov. 30.

“This is a great opportunity for all animal lovers, pet owner or not, to help provide for those animals often forgotten,” said Hammond, owner of St Helena Pet Sitters. “In addition to offering support to our local shelters and shelter animals, we hope to generate awareness of community shelters and the important role they serve.”

St Helena Pet Sitters is a service business locally owned and operated dedicated to providing professional in-home pet care. St Helena Pet Sitters also actively works to promote the value of pet sitting, and to advocate the welfare of animals.

For more information, or immediate donation pickup contact Hammond at 707-344-4380 or

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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – The Hidden Valley Lake Craft Club and local crafters are sponsoring their annual Christmas Boutique on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The boutique will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greenview Room on Hartmann Road.

This fun-filled event is open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Handcrafted items available for sale include jewelry, hand painted items, paper crafts, totes and purses, table runners and pillows, clever gourds, Christmas ornaments and candy, origami art, children’s items, knitted scarves and throws, bookmarks and other wearable art. All the crafters have worked very hard and are anxious for you to see their holiday wares.

The Greenview Café and Mulligan’s Bar will be open to satisfy your dining and refreshment needs.

Proceeds from booth fees and general cash donations will help support the Hidden Valley Lake Fireworks Show.

Come enjoy the start of the season, get into the holiday spirit and do some holiday shopping.

For more information call 707-987-3991.

LAKE COUNTY – Foreclosure prevention and first time homebuyer assistance are the focus of free workshops on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Lake and Mendocino Fairgrounds.

Legal, tax, mortgage, and individual support and information will be presented by local experts and certified foreclosure counselors from 8:30 am until noon at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds in Ukiah and from 1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. pm at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.

The forum opens with a panel discussion on such topics as working with lenders, an overview of home ownership, the role of housing counselors, legal rights and scam avoidance.

Mendocino County District Attorney Meridith Lintott, Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins, the Senior Law Project’s Andy Rossoff, bankers Richard Cooper of Mendo-Lake Credit Union and Marty Lombardi of the Savings Bank are among the presenters, as are Realtors Bill Barksdale from Willits and John Bogner from Ukiah.

Albert Anderson, from Consumer Credit Counseling of San Francisco, brings his expertise on the federal Hope for Homeowners program. Roxanne Campanella from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Leah Pears from California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) will talk about state and federal programs.

Local agencies include Northern Circle Indian Housing, Rural Community Housing Development Corporation, the Mendocino County Community Development Commission, and the California Human Development Corporation. They will share information on homebuyer programs and foreclosure prevention.

Lake County attorney, author and radio show host Steve Elias will add perspective regarding the foreclosure process and life after foreclosure. His book “The Foreclosure Survival Guide” will be available. Congressman Mike Thompson and Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro are supporting the day’s events.

Those interested may register through the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco online at www.fhlbsf.com or just show up. If individual foreclosure prevention counseling is desired attendees must bring two current pay stubs, two most current W-2 forms, and four most recent monthly bank statements ( if self-employed), most recent mortgage statement and related correspondence and a listing of all monthly expenses.

The forums are hosted by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority, California Human Development Corporation, Redwood Credit Union, Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation, Savings Bank of Mendocino County and The Bogner Group.

The members of Club 8731 are holding a potluck open house where you will get a brief introduction and then have time to ask questions.

The open house will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at 2150 Argonaut Road in Lakeport (across from Steele Winery).

The mission of a Toastmasters Club “is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and person growth.”

A potluck will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake.

The meeting will follow at 7 p.m.

Andy Weiss, the station manager of the Lake County Community Radio, KPFZ 88.1 FM, has been re-scheduled as a speaker at the Nov. 23 meeting.

All LGBT members are invited, as well as their friends and allies.

For more information call Harold Riley, 707-995-3905.