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The markets will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday from June 25 through Aug. 27.
There will be local artists, vendors, music and good old-fashioned family fun for all.
Vendors who will complement but not compete with the businesses located in the Middletown Plaza are currently being sought.
The limit is eight vendors. The cost is $15 per week for a 10 foot by 10 foot space. Sign up for 10 weeks and get two weeks for free, for a cost of $120 for the entire summer.
The Middletown Plaza is located at the corner of Highway 29 and Wardlaw.
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CalPERS contends that Lewis and other directors failed to disclose information to shareowners in connection with Bank of America’s merger with Merrill Lynch. The pension fund also believes that the undisclosed payment of billions of dollars in bonuses to Merrill Lynch executives – before completion of the merger - warrants a vote against all directors.
“The entire board failed in its duties to shareowners and should be removed,” said CalPERS Board President Rob Feckner.
He noted the poor condition of the company, the failure by directors to disclose the extent of Merrill Lynch’s losses prior to consummation of the merger, the payment of billions of dollars to Merrill executives in bonuses for failure, and the failure of the board to act in the best interests of shareowners in overseeing management.
According to news reports, Bank of America directors allowed more than $3.6 billion in bonuses to be paid to Merrill Lynch executives and that the payment date was stepped up several months - prior to completion of the merger transaction. They also failed to fully disclose the true financial condition of Merrill Lynch until after the merger was completed last fall.
At the company’s April 29 annual meeting, CalPERS will withhold votes for Lewis; Temple Sloan Jr., lead director, Compensation Committee chairman; Thomas Ryan, Nominating & Governance Committee chairman; and directors Jackie Ward, Robert Tillman, Monica Lozano, Walter Massey, Thomas May, Patricia Mitchell, William Barnet, III, Frank Bramble, Sr., John Collins, Gary Countryman, Tommy Franks, and Charles Gifford. CalPERS also opposes Merrill Lynch directors who were added in January 2009: Virgis W. Colbert, Joseph Prueher, and Charles Rossotti.
If the board is removed, CalPERS believes that a special election should be called to place a new slate of directors on the board in an orderly and effective manner. As a long-term shareowner, CalPERS is willing to assist the company in this process.
CalPERS owns 22.7 million Bank of America shares.
CalPERS has approximately $176 billion in assets and is the largest U.S. public pension fund. It administers retirement benefits for more than 1.6 million active and retired State, public school, and local public agency employees and their families on behalf of 2,600 California public employers. For additional CalPERS proxy votes and corporate governance information, visit www.calpers-governance.org.
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SACRAMENTO – The California Senate Committee on Governmental Organization voted 10-1 on Tuesday to approve SB 254, legislation by North Coast State Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) to combat fraud related to the sale of horses.
Wiggins said that current state law lacks clarity and has “resulted in opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to defraud people in the sale of horses.” Her bill would “rewrite the business and professions code to mandate a reliable written record of horse transactions and punish, through treble damages and potential license revocation, those who use equine transactions to defraud.”
Specifically, SB 254 would require any sale, purchase, or transfer of an equine to be accompanied by a written bill of sale or acknowledgment of purchase, and a security agreement setting forth the purchase price, and signed by both the purchaser and seller or their duly authorized agents.
The bill would provide that it is unlawful for any person to act as a dual agent unless certain conditions are met, and would make it unlawful for a person acting as an agent to receive in excess of $500 in compensation or in other items of value, related to that transaction, other than from the agent's principal, unless certain conditions are met.
SB 254 would allow any person injured by a violation of its provisions to recover treble damages, plus other expenses.
The bill is supported by Stonestreet and Barretts Equine Limited.
Stonestreet, the sponsor of SB 254, writes that "the unfortunate reality of the equine world is that traditionally acceptable industry practices have resulted in an environment which provides an opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to defraud others and when such fraud has been both difficult to detect and correct. The intent of the statute is leveled at both correcting the business culture by mandating written agreements and deterring inappropriate behavior by providing enhanced damages. SB 254 does not change the intent of existing law, it simply clarifies the language and improves the efficacy of the statute.”
Wiggins represents California’s large 2nd Senate District, which is comprised of portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.
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"Discrimination of any type is unacceptable," said Chairman Joe Baca of California. "After decades of unsuccessful attempts to establish and enforce equitable civil rights policies within the USDA, I am pleased with the initial commitment of the Obama administration and Secretary Vilsack to right this situation. I am hopeful the initiatives explored in today's hearing will begin to heal the wounds of the past and create an equal opportunity of success for all farmers and producers. I am committed to working with the administration, and continuing strong oversight of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights, to ensure that civil rights improvements at the USDA are fully met."
"All farmers deserve equal access to USDA programs regardless of race, ethnicity or gender," said Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska. "This committee feels strongly about ensuring that USDA is administering all of its programs in an equitable and just manner. The outcomes of today's hearing will help us continue proper oversight responsibilities."
Today's oversight hearing focused on USDA's handling of civil rights violations and the findings of a GAO report released in October 2008 entitled "Recommendations and Options to Address Management Deficiencies in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights." The Subcommittee heard testimony from the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights and the author of the recent GAO report.
The opening statements of all witnesses are available on the Committee Web site at http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Witness List:
Panel I
The Honorable Joe Leonard, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Ms. Lisa Shames, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Division, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.
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