Left to right, First Vice Governor Ben Anderson, Konocti Lioness President Anna Jones, Governor Jean Roybal and Second Vice Governor Don Webb at the Konocti Lioness Club's meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Konocti Lioness Club hosted a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Attending the gathering were Lions District 4C-2 dignitaries First Vice Governor Ben Anderson, Governor Jean Roybal and Second Vice Governor Don Webb.

The Lioness club was complimented on the many projects benefiting the youngsters of Lake County to which the club contributes time and money.

The meeting is open to the public and the task force welcomes participation by new members.

The Lake County Respect For All Task Force is a group of local citizens striving to increase awareness about safe and inclusive learning environments.

The group will be discussing plans for a youth summit, the development of a youth leadership council, and ways of promoting anti-bullying in our schools and our community.

In Lake County, the Respect For All Project was started as a pilot project through GroundSpark and in cooperation with Lake County Healthy Start and Lake County Family Resource Center.

The Respect for All Task Force is now on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lake-County-Respect-For-All-Task-Force/165336033512347.

For more information, contact Joan Reynolds at Lake County Office of Education, at 707-262-4146.

Published at five-year intervals by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the California Water Plan provides a comprehensive report on water supply, demand and management in California.

The plan is an authoritative document and data source for water managers and agencies, researchers and analysts, academics and members of the public.

The 2013 plan will provide updated strategic water resource management information, new information on water finance plans and detailed data on California’s hydrologic regions.

Water supply, environmental stewardship, climate change, water storage, water conservation and technology are among dozens of topics to be included in the update.

Key water experts will speak at the meetings, set for Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Hilton Sacramento Arden West, 2200 Harvard St., beginning Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. and Thursday at 8 a.m.

Kamyar Guivetchi, PE, Manager of Statewide Integrated Water Management for DWR, will welcome attendees with remarks at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

Tim Quinn, executive director of the California Association of Water Agencies (ACWA), will give the opening session’s Keynote Address at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Special presentations Wednesday afternoon will be given on groundwater by a panel including Abdul Khan and Dan McManus of DWR, on climate change, by a group including John Andrew and Elissa Lynn of DWR, and on the Draft Delta Plan by Keith Coolidge, executive manager for external affairs, Delta Stewardship Council.

DWR Director Mark Cowin will address the attendees at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. Cowin’s remarks will be preceded by a briefing on FloodSAFE California and the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, by Mike Mierzwa of DWR’s Division of Flood Management.

Drafted by staff members from DWR and several other state agencies, the water plan update evolves into a final document through an extensive review by stakeholders, water analysts, tribes, representatives of water, environmental and public agencies.

Over months of study, the update is shaped and influenced though extensive input and presentations received from experts, researchers and the public.

A Water Plan Update 2013 Brochure will be distributed at the Oct. 26-27 meeting.

Persons wishing to electronically track 2013 Update developments may do so by visiting DWR’s California Water Plan website at www.waterplan.water.ca.gov or the Water Plan eNews link at www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/enews.

Meetings, regional forums and plenary group sessions will be held regularly as Update 2013 is developed. A public review draft of Update 2013 is expected to be released in spring 2013.

Members of the public will then comment on the draft plan contents. The final draft is scheduled for publication at the end of 2013.

On the agenda will be voting for Flotilla commander and vice commander for 2012 as well as discussion and voting on meeting time, day and location for the coming year.

Debriefing for the splash-in, Flotilla 88 Tie Out and Fleet Week will be followed by plans for the Thanksgiving lunch at Noyo River Coast Guard Station and the Change of Watch in December for the Flotilla.

Flotilla 88 has had an active year and encourages anyone interested in learning more about the activities of this volunteer organization to attend the meeting and find out how they too can become one of America's Volunteer Life Savers.

For more information, call the Flotilla's information line at 707-513-5122.

For live information orientation, visit http://resource.d11nuscgaux.info/public/meminfo.html to make a reservation to attend on a Tuesday night.

The award was given by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonpartisan nonprofit working to improve communications between citizens and Congress and enhance operations in Capitol Hill offices.

CMF has assessed and graded congressional websites and issued these awards since 2001.

Thompson was one of only 14 House Members to receive the “Gold Mouse Award.”

“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Thompson. “I have always believed the foundation for successful public service is open communication with the folks I represent. In our digital age, one of the most important and effective ways to communicate with constituents is though the Internet.”

“Rep. Thompson is to be commended for educating citizens and achieving the highest degree of transparency and accountability in online communications,” said Bradford Fitch, CMF's president and chief executive officer.

“In the 21st century, a Web site is much more than a broadcasting tool for a political message – it's a virtual office and a window into our democratic institutions. These winners of the Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse Awards understand the value of using the Internet to enlighten and serve constituents, and are examples for all congressional offices to follow,” Fitch said.

CMF conducted its analysis from June to September 2011 and on Monday released its latest report, “112th Congress Gold Mouse Report: Best Practices in Online Communications on Capitol Hill.”

Of the 618 congressional Web sites graded, a total of 98 personal office, committee and leadership Websites received awards.

With the assistance and guidance of faculty from the University of California-Riverside, the Ohio State University, and Northeastern University, CMF staff assessed and graded the Web sites and gave each a numerical score, which was translated into a grade of A through F.

The criteria for Web site assessments have been developed and refined by CMF over the past decade based on survey research, focus groups with constituents, and interviews with key stakeholders to congressional offices.

A total of 92 criteria were used to grade personal office Web sites, 66 criteria for committee Web sites and 53 criteria for leadership sites.

Reviewers assessed 10 categories of criteria: usability of Web site; timeliness of content; breadth and depth of information on issues; constituent services and casework information; promoting accountability to constituents; legislative process information; district/state information; floor proceedings information; availability of diverse forms of content; and availability of diverse forms of content channels.

CMF reviewers also included social media components in the criteria.

Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Yolo. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.

The commission will meet in the EDD conference room at the Lake One Stop, 55 First St., Lakeport.

Agenda items include approval of 2010-11 First 5 Lake’s Annual Report submission to First 5 and a public hearing on acceptance of 2010-11 First 5 Lake’s annual audit.

The commission also will discuss co-locating its offices with Easter Seals of Northern California, have a program presentation by Shelly Mascari, and receive the executive director's and commissioners' reports.

For more information contact First 5 Lake County, telephone 707-263-6169, or online at www.firstfivelake.org.