URBAN SUBURBAN ENLIGHTENMENT
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| Might this apply to Motorama? |
According to Krysten Laine, making assumptions leads to strife. Walking into a situation not knowing anything leads to enlightenment.
GUESTS
Rotarians: Tzu-Chen (Suchi) Lee, SF Chinatown (but living in Moraga)
Luis, frequent and always-welcome visitor from Concord club
Others: Steve Falk, Lafayette Noon Club, and he has another life (below)
SLOW REVENUE DAY
When is it legal to levy a fine (not a recognition, not a contribution, but a fine) on the president? This is one of those ambiguous constitutional questions, so it was no surprise that Solicitor Shearer stepped up, despite having no authority whatsoever (no surprise here), to tackle said issue. It seems that First Lady
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| First Lady Yolanda gets treated royally |
Yolanda was taken to the excellent Pican Restaurant in Oakland for a birthday dinner, and also received presidential largesse in the form of a Gor-Tex outfit and a fashionable jacket, thus giving new emphasis to the phrase "rain or shine." Said Solicitor came up with the figure $25, for no apparent reason (no surprise here). The president carefully counted his change. But he didn't hide behind executive privilege, unlike some presidents on the other side of the country.
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| Prez Peeks sorts it out |
Some sort of transparent plastic object, perhaps a deli tray cover or a hat, which had been left at the last TGITLFOTM was claimed by Bob Riegg, but host Hays Englehart paid $5 because he forgot that Bob had already claimed it before Hays brought it to Postino's looking for its owner. (Despite this strange occurrence, it was another marvelous TGITLFOTM at the Englehart abode, where food and wine were enjoyed together with Hays's cars, motorcycles, and billiard table.)
The only other revenue was a $5 "whining fee."
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| John gets what he deserves |
The scribe missed who paid it and why, but this is perhaps no great loss. Editor note: John Linneman was the culprit with a complaint about a one year discrepancy in his Club anniversary date on the latest roster, and demanding his money back from previous fine. It only cost him more.
FROM RIDICULOUS TO SUBLIME
What could be more sublime than Pat Flaharty holding forth on the Rotary Foundation.
Pat announced that former District Governor Candy Pierce will be
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| Pat certainly knows the Foundation |
here in two weeks to make sure we really do Get It. She is always dynamic.
The mission of the RF is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, good will and peace through the betterment of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. This happens to be Foundation Month.
To review some of what RF brings to the world:
Polio Plus: Since 1985, more than two-billion (that's with a "B") children have received oral polio vaccine. Through the years, Rotary has earmarked nearly $900 million to global polio eradication.
Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants: These fund large-scale, 2 to 4 year projects. Since 1978, 340 projects in 78 countries have been funded for nearly $87 million. The versatile Michael Barrington of the Concord club is a prominent monitor of these grant projects.
Matching Grants: These provide matching funds for international service projects of Rotary clubs and districts. Since 1965, more than 30,000 Matching Grant projects in 199 countries have been funded for more than $362 million. Example: Our Tanzania pedestrian bridge project of a few years back.
Rotary World Peace Fellowships: These lead to masters degrees in peace and conflict resolution. Since 2002, more than 430 fellows representing 80-some countries have participated.
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| Andrew's loving it! |
Ambassadorial Scholarships: One of the largest international scholarship programs in the world, financing study in another country where the student serves as unofficial ambassador of good will. (Our incumbent scholar, Andrew Smith, manifested good will by tossing around dictionaries and boxes in the Raeths' yard.)
Rotary Grants for University Teachers: Awarded to faculty members to teach in a developing nation for three to 10 months.
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| Thomas & Dictionaries? Giants? YES!!! |
Group Study Exchange (GSE): Districts provide travel expenses for a team of non-Rotarian professionals (with a Rotarian leader, such as young Thomas Raeth a while back) to learn how business and education is done elsewhere.
Solicitor Shearer, showing he is capable of elevated thoughts, commented that Rotary International is a great bottom-up organization. Polio Plus started with a club in the Philippines inoculating local kids. Things bubble up marvelously.
NEWS OF THE NEWSLETTER
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| Resignation not yet accepted |
Editor/Publisher Ron Brown is a great organizer. And he likes for things to be well organized. Therefore, he was more than a mite miffed when the program which is used to get those tabloids out over the electronic waves caused Don Reichert to receive text but no pictures, Chuck Yeager to receive pictures but no text, and Ron himself to receive everything except captions. He wanted to know if any of the many Newsletter readers were disturbed by this. Normally LSR folks don't hesitate to complain about anything, but the silence from our robust base of readers was rather deafening. Nevertheless, it can be anticipated that heads will roll on this one. (Ron's is not among them, in case you wondered. Self-sacrifice is sooooo unbecoming.)
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| Last chance for corrections! |
Another publisher, Chuck Yeager, unveiled the new Club Membership Directory. If you don't like your picture, send him another one. Alternate: Ask Ansel Lite (a.k.a. Tom Black) to take a casual portrait. There is now a way to update your information on the District site, but you'll have to ask him how to do it.
HAPPENINGS
Well, maybe there is at least one Newsletter reader - and a nattering nabob of negativism at that. Ray Welles observed that there was no mention of the Reno Train Trip in the latest issue. Mark Roberts hastened to announce that it is indeed still on, and in fact deposits are due the first week of December.
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| Ho Ho Ho, who wouldn't go? |
Mark also confirmed that the Christmas Party is December 14th at the Orinda Community Church (a.k.a. Frank's Church and Ray's Former Church). Something like cocktails or grape juice at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30. Presumably details will be ironed out well in advance of the event, as always is the case when Mark plans anything.
Arianne leads an exotic life. Her pictures on the screen (which, miracle of miracles, worked perfectly) were dramatic. In fact, they were of her drama class back home, where an original comedy by a teacher was presented. Included in the plot was romance fueled by a Tango. The students of this private school normally wear uniforms, but not during the play. Party time afterward.
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| They're all with you Arianne! |
More recently and locally, Arianne and her Spanish class visited a club in SF which turned out to feature Bolivian entertainers. When they found out who she was, they played her a song. Unfortunately we saw it but didn't get to hear it. Arianne herself is back on stage these days, in "The Crucible," currently being presented by the Acalanes HS Drama Department.
STATE OF THE CITY
Lafayette City Manager Steve Falk apparently felt a little nervous invading our space. He said a peace process has been initiated between our club and his nooners. Having heard that, everyone was on reasonably good behavior (for us, that is).
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| No Bell sounds in this town! |
Steve has survived 15 years as City Manager, in addition to five years prior with the City. The big difference which has developed is that, thanks partly to the City of Bell, CA, city managers generally have gone from anonymity to high-profile targets. Scrutiny is an understatement. As Steve philosophically observed, quoting the late, great Justice Brandeis, "sunlight is the best disinfectant."
Anyway, Lafayette is different from most California cities. We're competently managed, and we limit what we do.
Lafayette was incorporated in 1968 as a no-property-tax city. (This came about because two prior efforts to incorporate had failed, owing to widespread fear of property taxes.) Sales taxes were also low. So the City is content to offer just a few "core services," labeled the four P's: police, public works, planning, and parks. That's it and was so written into the mission statement.
Competitive bids are used for most items, such as infrastructure and computer information services. The city staff is small (38 employees) because of significant contracting of services. The staff de-unionized 15 years ago. There are no automatic pay increases; the pay package is negotiated with the City Council and increases are given according to evaluations made twice a year. There is no public pension; there is a 401K plan like the private sector. Benefits for city employees average 39 percent.
The budget has been balanced every year for the past 20 years. Any surplus goes to the reserve, now north of $9 million. The reserve smoothes revenue during recession periods, contributes mightily to good bond rating and is available for emergency or natural disaster. Lafayette's bond rating is AAA with Standard & Poor's. This is a rating which is bestowed upon only 25 of the 490 cities in California and 169 of the 5,000 cities nationally.
Transparency is right on the counter in the City office for anyone to see, in the form of a Lafayette Open Government Statement which sets forth the contracts, compensation, etc.
City Council and other commissions don't get paid a dime. (One city council member, Don Tatzin, has served for 25 years and just got reelected to another tour of duty.) About every 10 years, the Council asks qualified local residents (such as CPAs) to conduct an audit. They have been highly complimentary.
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| We work hard for you guys! |
Steve emphasized that the mindset of City staff is that they work for the citizens, not for themselves, and pledge to treat citizens and their money with utmost respect.
He perhaps concealed his exultation that Proposition 22 passed, preventing the State from grabbing City revenues willy-nilly, as has occurred routinely in the past. This will result in better ability to forecast for the budget.
When asked about infrastructure, it was apparent that he was happy not to be an Orindan. Lafayette's situation is not ideal; the voters turned down a bond measure to solve a $14 million shortfall. Until the recession recedes, the City will just do its best to chip away at the problem. The good news is that all major arterials, at least, have been repaved. But Lafayette's problem is nothing compared with Orinda's, which has about a $150 million gorilla on the backs of a smaller population. That's a lot of potholes to fill.
Sounds like about the only thing Steve is doing wrong is belonging to that other club. Strike that from the record. We are reminded that a peace accord is being hammered out.
CALENDAR
11/4-11/7: District Conference, Old Town Sacramento
11/9: Board meeting
11/12: Seri Madgett, Voluntary Coordinator, Friendly Visitors
11/13: Home Team (you know who you are!)
11/19: Candy Pierce, Rotary Foundation
11/26: Dark (Thanksgiving weekend)
Lamorindan ~ 10/08/10 Issue ~ T. Black, scribe pro tem
HOME TEAM CALENDAR
November 13, January 8, March 5, April 30, June 25
