The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials (CACEO) is responding to concerns from voters across the state who may be receiving solicitation mailings erroneously indicating that residents of households are not registered to vote.
 
The letters are from the Voter Participation Center, a nonprofit organization whose published mission is to “register and mobilize the rising American electorate.”

Some of the mailings are addressed to current registered voters at the address and others are addressed to nonexistent residents or to variations of names associated with the residence.
 
“Whether by accident or otherwise, it is clear that the organization that sent out these mailings used bad data at least in part and failed to compare that data with the existing voter file,” said Dean Logan, CACEO president. “As a result, the mailing has caused unnecessary concern and confusion for voters.”
 
The Voter Participation Center indicated to the secretary of state that more than 4.6 million of the letters were mailed statewide.

While some of the letters may have been sent to eligible, but not-registered citizens, the surge in calls to Registrars has indicated clear discrepancies in the data causing confusion and concern for Californians just months before the presidential election.
 
County registrars urge voters to verify their registration status prior to election day with their
local registrar of voters office or Web site.

A listing of county resources for verification is available on the California Secretary of State’s Web site at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/ .
 
Registrars begin mailing sample ballots for the election early next month. Any voter receiving a
sample ballot can be assured that they are listed as active on the voter file.

Only voters who have a change in address or name need re-register prior to the Oct. 24, 2016, voter
registration deadline.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Rev. Bob Green and the congregation of the United Methodist Church in Upper Lake will welcome the Rev. K. R. Green of Bogota, Columbia, to deliver the message “We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight” from the book of Hebrews chapter 11, on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m.

Rev. K. R. Green, son to Upper Lake Methodist minister Bob Green, serves in a unique cross-cultural ministry to worldwide people of Bogota where he lives and works with his wife and son.

He has served in this capacity for 20 years and holds a post-graduate degree in biblical theology, global leadership and Islamic studies.

Services at the United Methodist Church, 604 Clover Valley Road in the town of Upper Lake are open to all who wish to attend.

The church's motto is “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”

The 2016-17 general upland game bird hunting season will open in mid-September for several species in specific zones around the state, providing hunters with many opportunities to bring home some delicious table fare for the upcoming holiday season.

September openers include quail (Zone Q1 opens for mountain quail from Sept. 10 through Oct. 14, and Zone Q2 will be open for all quail from Sept. 24 through Jan. 29); sooty and ruffed grouse (general season will be open in various northern and eastern counties from Sept. 10 through Oct. 10); white-tailed ptarmigan (general and archery seasons will be open from Sept. 10-18); and band-tailed pigeon (the northern hunt zone only will be open from Sept. 17-25).

Please note that nonlead ammunition is now required when hunting on California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves.

As of July 1, 2016, the nonlead shot requirement is extended to include the take game birds with a shotgun elsewhere in California, with the exceptions of dove, quail and snipe, or any game bird taken on a licensed game bird club. Please plan accordingly. For more information please see the CDFW nonlead ammunition page.

Specific information about each game bird species, including zone maps and information about daily bag limits and possession limits for each species can be found on the CDFW Upland Game Bird Hunting Web page. Additional information about each species can be found below.

Quail

Quail are some of the state’s most popular native game birds. There are three species of quail found in California: California quail, mountain quail and Gambel’s quail.

California quail (the state bird) are common and widespread throughout the state in low to mid-elevation brushy habitats with good cover and abundant food. Mountain quail are also widespread in higher elevation habitats.

Gambel’s quail are California’s most desert-adapted species and can be found in the very arid lands of southeastern California.

The early mountain quail season starts on Sept. 10 and continues through Oct. 14 and covers much of the mountainous region of northern and eastern California (the Q1 zone map can be found on the CDFW Web site).

On Sept. 24, the early general quail season opens in Zone Q2 for several coastal counties between Marin and Mendocino counties. The remainder of the state will open to quail hunting on Oct. 15.

Finally, an additional two-day early hunt season will be open on Oct. 1-2 in Mojave National Preserve for young hunters with junior hunting licenses.

For all quail species, the daily bag limit is 10 and the possession limit is triple the daily bag. Hunters can still use lead shot for quail until 2019 unless hunting on CDFW Wildlife Areas or Ecological Reserves.

Quail currently are exempted from the new nonlead requirement because lighter shot sizes used on these smaller birds is not as widely available as larger shot that has been used for many years on waterfowl.

All three native species of quail are characterized by high reproductive potential that can only be realized through adequate and well-timed winter and early spring precipitation.

Despite the ongoing drought, conditions were good for in 2015-16 for quail, resulting in good hatches in most part of the state.

Quail are most active in the early morning and later afternoon and move in large coveys throughout the day. Quail have distinctive calls that can provide clues to the birds’ location. Hunting dogs can be useful for both locating and retrieving birds in the field.

Quail can be successfully hunted with 20, 16 or 12 gauge shotguns. A modified or improved cylinder choke is recommended to avoid damage to the bird. Because of the dense brush habitats where they are usually hunted, downed quail can be hard to find. Despite this challenge, CDFW reminds hunters that wasting game is both unethical and illegal.

CDFW estimates that in the 2014-15 season, approximately 470,000 quail were bagged across all three species by 69,000 hunters over the course of 550,000 hunter-days. Not surprisingly, California quail is the most frequently bagged of the three species. (Data is not yet available for the 2015-16 season.)

Grouse

California has two species of native forest-dwelling grouse: the sooty (or blue) grouse and the ruffed grouse. Sooty grouse occur in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and northern Coast ranges while the ruffed grouse is restricted to the northwestern part of the state.

The general hunting season for both species extends from Sept. 10 to Oct. 10 this year. For sooty and ruffed grouse, the daily bag limit is two (all of one species or mixed) and possession limit is triple the daily bag. A third species, the greater sage-grouse, can be hunted by permit only.

Although they are fairly large birds, grouse camouflage themselves very well and will flush quickly when frightened, flying in a zigzag pattern away from the hunter.

Dogs are useful companions to help hunters find and retrieve bagged grouse. A light gun is helpful because a fast swing is often necessary. Nonlead shot is required for all grouse statewide.

Ptarmigan

The white-tailed ptarmigan is a non-native grouse that was introduced by CDFW to the Sierra Nevada in the early 1970s. This is the smallest species of ptarmigan and the only one found in California. They live in high elevation alpine habitats at low densities from the area around Sonora Pass in Tuolumne County to the area surrounding Kings Canyon National Park.

Hunting these birds can be challenging because of the high elevation, steep terrain. Hunting is permitted from Sept. 10-18. The daily bag limit is two per day and the possession limit is two per season. Many hunters prefer using a 20-gauge shotgun and a hunting dog to pursue ptarmigan. Nonlead shot is required for ptarmigan.

Band-tailed pigeon

The band-tailed pigeon is California’s only native pigeon and is a close relative of the extinct passenger pigeon. They look similar to domestic (feral) pigeons that are common in urban areas. Band-tailed pigeons are found in mountainous terrain throughout the state, using coniferous forests as well as oak woodlands.

The band-tailed pigeon is locally abundant at times but populations are migratory and movements can be unpredictable. The federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) estimates that in 2014, 10,700 pigeons were harvested in California, comprising nearly 90 percent of the total Pacific Flyway harvest.

The northern California hunt zone season runs from Sept 17-25. The daily bag limit is two and the possession limit is triple the daily bag. The southern hunt zone does not open until December.

Nonlead shot is required for band-tailed pigeons statewide.

CDFW reminds hunters that an upland game bird stamp is required for licensed adult hunters (18 years and older) but not hunters with a valid junior hunting license. A HIP validation is also required to hunt band-tailed pigeons.

Harley-Davidson enthusiasts and motorcycle aficionados, even those longing for the Indian brand or captivated by foreign imports, may have good reason to tune into three-night mini-series “Harley and the Davidsons.”

If ever a cable television series was so clearly targeted to a specific audience, this ambitious effort from the Discovery Channel knows how to appeal to those with the free-spirited love of the open road.

The meticulous reenactment of early motorcycle history at the turn of the 20th Century, which must have been a costly production investment, is practically a love letter to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. The Harley-Davidson name is a brand so instantly recognizable that even people who have never ridden a two-wheel vehicle with more power than a self-peddled bicycle can understand the appeal of a motorbike’s speed and power.

In the very early 20th century, young men from immigrant families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin grasped the possibilities of expanding upon the popular notion of motorizing the bicycle for greater and easier mobility.

A young Bill Harley (Robert Aramayo), whose parents pushed him to the academic pursuit of mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, was a terrific designer who drafted the plans for motorcycle prototypes.

His best friend, Arthur Davidson (Bug Hall), believed in the dream and found that teaming up with his older brother Walter and Harley would help him escape the family scorn of being a shiftless schemer.

Walter Davidson (Michiel Huisman) looked for a venture that was a chance to escape the confines of society by building a motorbike that would allow one to ignore the rules and to go anywhere and ride hard.

During the early stage of the first episode, Walter, who was willing to sacrifice everything for his acres of farmland, had it all taken from him by a railroad baron seizing his property through a shady execution of eminent domain.

“Harley and the Davidsons” charts the birth of the iconic motorcycle during a time of great social and technological change. But more than that, it chronicles the challenges for Harley and the Davidson brothers.

For Walter, Arthur and Bill risked their entire meager fortune and livelihood to launch the budding enterprise in the face of stiff and ruthless competition on a road to success filled with innumerable obstacles and extraordinary risks both financial and physical.

The mini-series may be faulted for not fully developing its central and minor characters to any meaningful extent. There is never a sense that the personal histories of Walter, Arthur and Bill go too far beyond the superficial.

The villains of the piece don’t fare much better, considering that the two primary rivals were depicted, almost literally, as the mustache-twirling types.

The co-founder of the Indian motorcycle, George Hendee (Philip Brodie), apparently willing to cheat, gleefully revels in every opportunity to upstage Harley and the Davidson brothers at any public event.

The other chief business rival to Harley-Davidson is Dougray Scott’s Randall James, but his character is truly one-dimensional and not much else is revealed about his motivations beyond his hatred for Walter, Arthur and Bill.

Other characters are even greater ciphers in the business climate or bike racing world. Bankers and lawyers are predictably involved in various affairs attempting to trip up the heroic entrepreneurs, but they are eminently forgettable.

The essence of “Harley and the Davidsons” is the focus on the motorcycle itself, whether during the detailed planning and production phases to the more exciting motorbike races occurring with enough frequency to fascinate those who love a good chase.

The passion for motorcycle racing is not only what draws Walter to the family enterprise, but it is the motivating factor that propels the industry to take risks with fortunes and lives.

Daredevil exploits put Harley-Davidson on the map, as Walter had a ferocious ambition to become a top motorcycle racer while competing in even deadly competitions, most notably the hazardous “motordrome” races on the wooden planks of an oval course.

“Harley and the Davidsons” also explores how an Army contract during World War I to provide bikes and training to soldiers and surviving the industry decimation of the Great Depression allowed Harley-Davidson to defy the odds.

The rest, as they say, is history, since we already know that Harley-Davidson remains to this very day an iconic brand of Americana, respected in various quarters all over the world.

The Discovery Channel is not really known for scripted programming, but “Harley and the Davidsons” is, at least, an interesting effort to break new ground.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Highlands Senior Service Center's annual benefit dinner and dance will take place on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Doors open at 5 p.m.

Lou Derr & Bootleg, with special guest David Neft, will provide the evening's musical entertainment.

Dinner by Chatterbox Catering will be served at 6 p.m. The Lakeshore Lions Club will offer a no-host bar.

There also will be a silent auction and door prize.

Tickets cost $35 per person; credit cards are accepted. Seating is limited.

Tickets are available at the senior center, 3245 Bowers Ave., or call 707-994-3051 for more information.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – If you have not been to a Sunday church service for a while, you are invited to join with Kelseyville United Methodists for the second Sunday in the Season of Creation on Sept. 11 at 9 a.m.

Davis Palmer will offer the message, “Uncreation and Reclamation.”

Ecumenical prayers lifted for Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia the United States and the Middle East, and they pray for all who are separated from the goodness of God through fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, human and nonhuman disasters.

Mike Heintz will provide music for congregational singing.

A second informal spirit connection service will be offered at 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall that includes a soup supper. 

Samaya Epstein and Wally Gafvert III will offer music and songs while Pastor Voris Brumfield will lead the service.

All are welcome to join the church in honoring the healing power of God.

The Kelseyville United Methodist Church is located at First and Main Streets in Kelseyville, across the street from the Saw Shop.

Visit the church's Facebook page or call 707-295-7174 for more information.

United Methodists practice “Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors” following Christ Jesus.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Stephanie Lynn Nichols passed away peacefully at her home, on the morning of Sept. 3, 2016, after a six-year battle with cancer. Stephanie was 69 years old.

She was born in Napa, Calif., on Nov. 11, 1946. She was the first born child of Dorothy Mae and Julius Franklin Baracco.

Stephanie graduated from Napa High School and spent many years as a chef in the Napa Valley before relocating up north where she continued her passion for food and the culinary world.

In her free time she enjoyed driving her Jeep to the coast, gathering driftwood and beautiful gems, bird watching, and working in her yard. She adored all her animals, and she was a lifelong fan of the 49ers.

She was loved, admired, and cherished for her incredible strength and determination throughout her illness and medical battle.

Stephanie was preceded in death by her father, Julius F. Baracco. She is survived by her mother, Dorothy (Armstrong) Grooms; her brother, Michael Baracco; her daughter, Christine (Nichols) Parks; her three grandchildren, Tayla Nichols, Hunter Robinson and Vincent Parks; and her great-granddaughter Nayelli Zavala.

She will be greatly loved and missed.

There will be no services, as her ashes and those of her beloved pets will be scattered by family.

Stephanie’s family wishes to send a huge thank you to her in-home care aide, Diane, and Dr. Mark Turrill and his remarkable staff, for without you all, we never would have had these last six years.