LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will hold its first meeting of the new year on Thursday, Jan. 6.

The meeting will take place beginning at 7 p.m. at the Lake County Tax Services office, 1210 S. Main St, Lakeport.

Agenda items include nomination and election of officers for 2011-12, election of convention delegates for 2011-12 and discussion of goals for the new two-year term.

Also, on the agenda will be reports from the representatives for Congressman Mike Thompson and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro.

Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body of the Democratic Party in Lake County.

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-277-0713 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The committee's Web site is www.lakecountydemocrats.org .

The meeting will begin promptly at 6:15 p.m. and run until 8 p.m.

The topics covered at this meeting will include “The Election of 1860” and “The Secession Crisis.” These will be presented in a PowerPoint presentation by Phil Smoley and Zane Jensen.

There will be ample opportunity for those attending to ask questions or bring up anything Civil War-related.

Smoley will take lead on “The Election of 1860” that triggered the Secession Crisis, and eventually led to war.

“The election of 1860 was unique in that there were four viable candidates. Lincoln won with less than 40 percent of the popular vote,” Smoley said. “Today we think Lincoln was universally loved, but back then, over 60 percent of voters were against him. Here in California, over 60 percent voted for a Democrat, but because there were two Democratic presidential nominees, Lincoln won here with less than 33 percent of the vote. Lincoln did not even appear on the ballot in nine states, yet he still won in what has to be the most bizarre election in history. We will explore that is some detail.”

It was Lincoln's victory that was the final factor in South Carolina's decision to declare independence, and they were quickly followed by six other states, creating a monumental crisis.

Zane Jensen will explore the issue of secession. Was it legal? Did states have the right to secede? Did Lincoln have the Constitutional authority to invade those states? What was their motivation to secede?

“The answers will surprise a lot of people,” said Jensen. “It really comes down to whether or not they had the right to secede, and whether it was right to forcefully coerce them back into the Union. Just because someone has the right to do something, does not necessarily make it right. We will look at both sides of the issue in a fresh approach that will challenge the conventional wisdom of both sides.”

Today, people still debate the meaning of the 10th Amendment, states rights and the real causes of the Civil War. “With the sesquicentennial of the war upon us, what a great time it is for us to revisit these issues to gain an accurate historical perspective,” Smoley said.

There is no cost for attending. Food and drink is “no-host.”

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Zane Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Public Services administrative office in Lakeport will be closed on Friday, Dec. 31, in observance of the holiday and will reopen on Monday, Jan. 3, at 8 a.m.

The Lake County Public Services department oversees the divisions of Solid Waste, Parks & Recreation, Museums and Facilities Maintenance for the county of Lake.

The Eastlake Landfill will reopen on Sunday, Jan. 2, with the normal daily operating hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The landfill and South Lake Refuse & Recycling are open seven days per week except on county holidays.

Lake County Waste Solutions in Lakeport will close at noon on Friday, Dec. 31, and will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 1, in observance of the New Year's holiday.

Curbside collection services will not be affected by the holiday schedules.

The Lake County Historic Courthouse museum will be open regular hours on Sunday, Jan. 2, noon until 4 p.m. They are normally open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum is closed on Sundays. Regular house at the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A board meeting will be held beginning at 11 a.m., with a social time starting at noon.

The flower roll call will take place at 12:30 p.m. with the 1 p.m. meeting to be followed by a program, “Welcome to the Wonderful World of Succulents.”

The club meets at noon on the third Tuesday of the month, except July and August, at the Scotts Valley Women's Club House, 2298 Hendricks Road, Lakeport.

Members, guests, and all who are interested are most welcome. President Linda Waterstraat, telephone 707-245-4731, invites interested gardeners to join them.

Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club is a member of Mendo-Lake District, California Garden Club Inc., Pacific Region and National Garden Clubs Inc.

For more information see www.clttgc.org .

If it is raining heavily on Jan. 8, the workshop will be rescheduled to the following Saturday, Jan. 15.

Master Gardeners will discuss and demonstrate pruning and other cultural practices that help produce large, healthy rose displays.

This will be followed by a hands-on session, allowing workshop participants to practice what they have just learned.

Workshop participants should bring heavy gloves and pruning shears for this hands-on practice portion of the workshop.

The Master Gardener Mobile Help Desk will be there and handouts will be available. A $5 donation is encouraged to help defray expenses. The meeting site is wheelchair accessible.

UCCE Master Gardener President Richard Nodine encourages home gardeners to attend the workshop, especially if they’ve ever thought that pruning roses is hard.

The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center is home to the Memorial Rose Garden, an impressive collection of roses that the whole community can enjoy.

Workshop participants will help prune the senior center roses, providing home gardeners a wonderful opportunity to get hands-on training through U.C. Cooperative Extension.

Master Gardeners are a group of selected, trained residents who work as volunteer staff for the U.C. Cooperative Extension.

Master Gardeners provide accurate horticultural information on vegetable gardening, trees, soils, lawns, ornamental horticulture, insects, diseases, use of pesticides and other related topics based on research of the University of California and other recognized research institutions.

Information about the rose pruning workshop can be obtained by calling UC Cooperative Extension at 707-263-6838, or on the Web at http://celake.ucdavis.edu.

The group will serve green and red pastas, Italian sausages, salad, garlic bread and homemade cake for dessert at the club hall, located at 2817 E. Highway 20, Nice.

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m.

Enjoy dancing to the music of Jim Williams.

All tickets cost $15 at the door. Everyone is welcome.

For information about this event or renting the hall for your own event call 707-274-9952.