DIGITAL EDITION No. 279 August 1, 2018 EDITOR: Kris Anderson PHOTOGRAPHER: Nicole Le PUBLISHER: Jack Atkin
Our Program For Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Tony Roehrick – First Club Assembly
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Wednesday August 15, 2018: Bill Rousseau – Property Tax Fire Reassessments
Wednesday August 22, 2018: Keith Woods – Fire Recovery and the Building Industry
Wednesday August 29, 2018: Barbara Spangler – Welcome our District Governor
UPCOMING SOCIALS
Jackie says only 3 cabins are left for the 2019 Rhine River Cruise.
USEFUL LINKS
Visit our district at: http://www.rotary5130.org
Check out Rotary International at: http://www.rotary.org
Come see us at: http://rotarymeansbusiness
Opening Ceremonies:
Tony Roehrick
Pledge of Allegiance:
Jeanne Levin
Invocation:
Blaine Goodwin
Visiting Rotarians:
Lots! All area Rotary Clubs were invited to attend. Valerie Hulsey, Erin Dunn, Judith Hessick, Barb and Jim Spangler, Pat Miller, Debbie Benson Miller, Sandy Geary, Daryl Reese, Barbara Beedon, Keith Becker, Monica Ketchner, Debra Holmes, Rebecca Southwick, Anne Gealta, Judy McReynolds, Tim Miller …..not all signed in
Guests:
Lots! Jane Martin-Leach, Sidne Goodwin, Kaity Gonzalez, Laura Roehrick, Matt and Sarah Everson, Miriam Pengal, Gerry Humes, Alfredo Sanchez, Terry Abrams, Lorna Brown, Sharon von Gaesler, Tom Rickford, Linda Balfe, Michele Baime, John Graves, Carolyn Balfe, Willard Richards, Dennis Ball, Sam Roecker, Nick Swain, Bob Cox,Lena Humber,Denise Paup, John Meserse, Marck Zuehlsdorff……not all signed in. Representatives from the law offices accompanying Noreen Evans and Erin Brockovich were Michael Watts, Gary Mauro, and Spencer Zack.
Sunshine Report:
Good this week!
Raffle:
Pete Lescure said there was $287 in the pot. One of today’s guests got to draw a marble, but did not pull the correct marble.
Announcements:
Matthew Henry announced the YMCA social for this Sunday, August 5th at the YMCA from 12:30 to 2:30. Bring your swimsuit if you care to swim. This is a social to bring the kids!
Oakmont Rotary Club is having a golf tournament on Friday, August 10th. They are still taking sign-ups. See the attached flier.
Guest Speaker: 
Erin Brockovich
Club member Kim Murphy introduced her close friend of 33 years former State Senator Noreen Evans, who secured Erin as our speaker. Noreen, along with a Texas law firm, have hired Erin to consult in their suit against PG&E‘s for its alleged responsibility for the October firestorm. Erin became famous for helping lead the fight against PG&E in Hinkley, CA 22 years ago and has been fighting on behalf of ordinary citizens in many such lawsuits around the country ever since then. This is also personal for Erin as she has family here who were affected by the fires.
She told us many funny stories of how people get her mixed up with Julia Roberts 18 years after the movie was made. She then described her background and the three mentors who shaped her future life and work. She grew up in Lawrence, Kansas where she learned her “stick-to-itiveness”. Her dad was an engineer and her mom a sociologist/journalist. She had dyslexia in a time when few knew what it was. A teacher saw through the bad grades that she was smart and began giving her oral exams. These 3 adults gave her the self-esteem and determination she needed to succeed. She also learned that disruption was not necessarily a bad thing. Out of the disruption comes change.
Erin became very passionate when she described what happened when she got to Hinkley. The representatives of PG&E had brain washed many of the citizens that green water and two headed frogs were normal and nothing to worry about. She taught the local citizens to believe what they saw and knew to be wrong. She reminded them that they did have commonsense and to not be afraid to use it.
She talked about the “Wizard of Oz” and that it was an allegory on the government of its time. The characters always had a brain, a heart and courage, they just failed to recognize it. Dorothy always had the ability to go home.
As is usual, the internet was not working so she asked us to go to www.communityhealthbook.com to see more about the water issues she is passionate about. Many areas of our country have water problems; not just Flint Michigan. Lead pipes are all over this nation. Even in Congress they don’t drink the water due to the amount of lead in the water.
Noreen asked us to keep an eye on two bills working their way through Sacramento; AB33 and SB1088. Both are to limit PG&E’s liability in lawsuits. PG&E wants these fires and other catastrophes to be look at as “a simple cost of having electricity.”
She concluded with this:
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters…compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Additional photos:
Governor, District 5130
Barb Spangler, Valley of the Moon Rotary Club
Attendance Secretary
Debi Zaft P.O. Box 505 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Board of Directors
Club Service I, Membership, Ryan Thomas
Club Service II, Club Meetings, Jeff Kolin
Club Service III, Fundraising, Steve Baime
Club Service IV, Member Activities, Anne Gospe
Club Service V, Information Technology and Records, Brandon Urich
Community Service I, Member Involvement, Andrea Geary
Community Service II, Youth, Laura Held
Vocational Service, Carolyn Fassi
International Service, Peter Holewinski