Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

I received this press release:

Part-time Sierra College electronics professor and former Nevada County Supervisor Jim Weir has been elected to a third term as treasurer of the Community College Association, a higher education faculty affiliate of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association.

Weir, a long-time advocate for part-time faculty in California community colleges, was re-elected Saturday afternoon, following an election at the faculty union’s annual spring conference. He joins a team of community college faculty leaders that include CCA President Ron Norton Reel, instructor at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut; Vice President Lynette Nyaggah, an instructor at Rio Hondo College in Whittier; and DeWayne Sheaffer, a counselor at Long Beach City College.

Before being elected to his first term as secretary in 2007, Weir served as a member of the CCA board of directors representing Solano, Delta, Tahoe and Sierra Colleges.

“California’s community colleges are more important than ever in revitalizing California’s economy,” Weir said. “As the organization representing thousands of community college instructors, the Community College Association has an important role to play in advocating for our colleges, our 2.5 million students and our profession,” he said.

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“Facebook’s long-awaited Initial Public Offering is happening in just two and a half weeks time, the Wall Street Journal reports Tuesday,” according to Mashable.

“Citing the usual anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the Journal says Facebook will begin its IPO roadshow on Monday May 7. That’s when companies traditionally make the rounds of mutual funds, large banks and other major investors looking for multi-million dollar stakes. (We’ve reached out to Facebook for official confirmation.)

“The name of the IPO roadshow game is to explain why your stock will be such a good buy, although in Facebook’s case that shouldn’t be too hard.”

The rest of the article is here.

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From Sierra Commons:

Meet our most recent Ignitor graduates and Nevada County’s newest small business owners on May 3rd, from 2 pm-6 pm. Community welcome to attend, free of charge. Sierra Commons, 107 Sacramento Street, Suite 300 Nevada City, CA 95959.

IGNITOR GRADUATES

Accordion Legal, Erin Noel, Attorney at Law
enoel@nccn.net
Provider of community legal services focused on giving people access to knowledge and power usually reserved for lawyers and politicians.

Creative Learning Adventures, Greg Zaller
lwco.org
Changing the world with self sufficient educational empowerment communities.

Edamame Catering & Gourmet Food Productions, Ariana Goldschneider
ariana@edamamecatering.com
Gourmet vegan catering.

Elan Light, Tim Murray
elanlight.com
Unique, one-of-a-kind works of art that utilize different forms, shapes and materials.

Heart and Soul Farms, Monica Senter
facebook.com/HeartAndSoulFarms
Customized CSA’s for local food and herb providers. Our products are all organic: vegetables, medicinal herbs and mushrooms.

Humanity Games, John O’Neill
Gamewhys.com
Teaching without preaching and Learning without listening.

O+F Vocational Training Service,
Oscar Innocenti
Oscar.innocenti.sc@gmail.com
A Swiss agency, which organizes academic, cultural and social camps in Switzerland and Italy.

PowerStructures, Rob Katzenstein
power-structures.com
We design and build Custom Photovoltaic Structures to provide power, water and shade.

Purple Lotus Coaching, Patricia Johnston
purplelotuscoaching.com
A grief and loss coaching service focused on helping clients release the pain of grief and guilt, find peace, passion, and purpose, and create a new normal after loss.

ShiroBliss LLC, Rick Sanger
ShiroBliss.com
Creator of a beautiful and fully automated shirodhara machine that is easy to use and blissful to experience.

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Editor’s note: The Sacramento Bee writes “Endorsements: Jim Reed, Sam Aanestad for 1st Congressional District.” The unusual endorsement of two polar opposites is here, and a commenter named “Riverpaddler” raises some cogent points:

This “endorsement” really makes no sense what so ever. You just endorsed a hard core, career politician termed out of the state legislature, right wing Tea Party, Doolittle/Abramoff casino Republican in Aanestad, over LaMalfa (who is on McClintock’s sh*t list) and the so- called “moderate” Democrat Reed, whom you claim cannot win. 

Given Aanestad’s background in dentistry, voters should be thinking of that scene in the movie where the guy with the drill says “what’s the frequency?” 

There is this myth that McClintock, (the current carpetbagger in the area) Doolittle’s success or, handlers like to promote that he isn’t in lockstep with the Republican Party….. it is just hot air.

He votes with them whenever necessary to make absolutely sure their legislation gets passed in the house, then he sometimes pretends he was against it, so the elderly, addled tea party libertarian wannabe types holed up in the rural areas think they’re going to get their “revolution” on.
 
LaMalfa, who panders to the ultra right like crazy, (no different than Aanestad in that Guns,God, Gaybashing style) at least is familiar with water issues in the northern part of the state.

And McClintock does not like him. That should be a positive, not a negative. McClintock is intent on sending CA tax dollars to other states, at least Herger would sometimes throw a few crumbs back towards our way, realizing that without ag water we don’t have ag. 

McClintock’s stated endorsement of the Ryan Plan, which would end Medicare and replace it with vouchers, and his desire to raise Social Security retirement ages, coupled with his constant attempts to send NorCal water south, should disqualify him and his political buddies like Aanestad from office.  Did I mention his continued Tea Party pandering and support of Prop 8?

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Editor’s note: We’ve written before that arts & culture is an engine of economic growth. A new 46-page report from the National Governor’s Association makes the same point.

“With concerns over job creation and business growth holding a prominent—and
persistent—position on policy agendas today, governors are increasingly calling on state agencies to support economic growth,” according to a new report from the National Governor’s Association.

“It’s not just economic and workforce development agencies that governors want on the case. Some governors are including state arts agencies in this all-hands-on-deck approach and are putting in place policies and programs using arts, culture, and design as a means to enhance economic growth.

“This report focuses on the role that arts, culture, and design can play in assisting states as they seek to create jobs and boost their economies in the short run and transition to an innovation-based economy in the long run.

“In particular, arts, culture, and design can assist states with economic growth because they can:

1. Provide a fast-growth, dynamic industry cluster;
2. Help mature industries become more competitive;
3. Provide the critical ingredients for innovative places;
4. Catalyze community revitalization; and
5. Deliver a better-prepared workforce.

The rest of the report is here.

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