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- Written by: Editor
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce has contracted with the county of Lake to oversee the Certified Tourism Ambassador program.
The chamber has scheduled several classes through June. Course material based upon Lake County is provided to every student for a four-hour class.
The classes are interactive and many who have lived in Lake County all their lives have said they learned facts about our area that they never knew previously.
Many of those who call Lake County home are aware that fellow residents make negative remarks about the area. When those negative comments are made to visitors or within earshot of visitors it could mean the visitors do not or will not return. The CTA program can help us turn that around.
The following is from the official Web site, www.ctanetwork.com : “CTA Program Objective: To increase regional tourism by inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience."
Accredited through the Tourism Ambassador Institute and administered at the local level, the Certified Tourism Ambassador program is industry-recognized certification. It's the only program in existence today that gives an official CTA designation to individuals – from mayors, to general managers, drivers and waiters, people who care about their destination and want everyone who visits to talk positively about their experience.
With more than 17,000 current CTAs nationwide, the program has proven success in aligning the destination's people infrastructure – its stakeholder businesses and front-line – to build tourism by Enhancing the Visitor Experience.
Through its locally-customized curriculum, the CTA program focuses on the experience given to visitors, whether they are leisure travelers, business travelers, or attendees.
You’re never too old to learn and for employers investing in their businesses by sending their employees to the classes. When customers are greeted by knowledgeable employees who value our communities, you have created a welcoming atmosphere for that visitor.
To sign up for a class go to www.ctanetwork.com/schedule/; there you can locate upcoming Lake County CTA classes and sign up for one that fits your schedule.
The cost per student is $25, payable to the county of Lake.
For questions please contact the Lake County Chamber at 707-263-5092.
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- Written by: California State Fair
The Individual Champion is Sunne Wright McPeak.
The Project/Organization Champion is San Joaquin County for its Innovative Care for Adolescent Needs (I-CAN) application.
Sunne Wright McPeak is the President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), whose mission is to close the digital divide.
McPeak led bipartisan efforts to pass the Internet for All Act. Under McPeak’s energetic leadership, CETF advocates digital inclusion in all areas, including education, workforce preparation, health care, public housing and the delivery of government services. Her call to action is “access delayed is access denied.”
McPeak has taken an active leadership role in forming and funding the California Telehealth Network, to bring broadband internet to rural health care clinics, hospitals, and medically underserved communities at an affordable rate.
CETF has also funded dozens of digital literacy training programs in our state, and has pioneered a School2Home initiative, which closes the Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide by integrating computing and broadband technologies in low-performing middle schools with a focus on parent engagement.
San Joaquin County's Innovative Care for Adolescent Needs (I-CAN) application was developed as a way to streamline support services for "at-risk" youth; specifically achieving permanency and ensuring safety in the placement of foster youth.
The previous process was manual, included numerous paper files and spreadsheets, and lacked detail that could be used to determine a better match.
With I-CAN: time is saved on collecting data on a youth; time is saved identifying placement; and permanancy in placement is improved. San Joaquin County intends to share I-CAN with other counties if requested.
The Champions of Technology will be publicly recognized at California Agriculture Day on the west steps of the State Capitol at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20.
Both the individual and project/organization winners will be honored guests at the California State Fair Gala on Thursday, June 21.
The Gala benefits the youth scholarship programs of the Friends of the California State Fair. Purchase gala tickets here.
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- Written by: California Treasurer's Office
“If Congress and statehouses are unwilling or unable to deliver real change, then it is up to us to lead the fight,” Chiang said. “I call upon the nation’s largest institutional investors – Blackrock, Fidelity, Vanguard, Allstate, PIMCO, State Farm, and – yes – CalPERS and CalSTRS -- to use the power of their purse strings to prevent more of our schools, workplaces, and places of worship from becoming killing fields.”
The treasurer called on the nation’s largest investors to stop putting their dollars in purveyors of banned assault weapons designed only for killing people and to send a clear message to gun manufacturers, gun sellers and the markets that weapons capable of wholesale killing have no place in our communities.
“Shock and remorse provide little consolation to the families who must now bury a child, a sibling, a spouse, or a loved one. If ‘thoughts and prayers’ could be converted into currency, our pension fund’s $139 billion unfunded liability would have been zeroed out, long ago,” Chiang told the board.
The treasurer was joined by dozens of gun violence protection advocates, family members of victims of gun violence and supporters of divestment at Monday’s California Public Employees’ Retirement System Investment Committee meeting.
Supporters of the treasurer’s divestment drive and who participated in the CalPERS meeting Monday included Women Against Violence, Moms Demand Action, Planned Parenthood, the Brady Foundation, Drain the NRA, Americans Against Gun Violence and family members of individuals slain with assault weapons in the terrorist attack in San Bernardino in 2015.
The request before the CalPERS board comes just a little more than a month after 17 students and faculty members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
In the wake of the latest outrage, there has been a national anti-gun movement led by the surviving Parkland students. Marches have taken place in cities in every state in the union and students have led the way in petitioning lawmakers to stand up to the lies and political power wielded by the National Rifle Association, which bankrolls powerful lobbyists and politicians.
A support letter from Debra Hixson, the wife of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Athletic Director Chris Hixon, who died trying to save students who were fleeing from bullets during the mass shooting, was read at Monday’s meeting.
“Our society has changed and these weapons are not being used to ensure the security of a free state. Instead, they are being used to gun down innocent people for no reason! Please stop this insanity and work towards getting these weapons banned.”
“Since many of these weapons are already banned in California, you may be asking what can you, as pension board members, do? You can support Treasurer John Chiang’s call to divest from retail or wholesale sellers of these weapons. You can use your financial clout to put pressure on the makers and sellers of these military-style assault weapons and support the national gun violence safety movement.”
“This is not a political issue. It is about what is right and wrong. These weapons have no purpose in our society and they must be removed.”
The combination of the national gun violence protection movement led by Parkland survivors and their family members and the threat of divestment – first brought up by Treasurer Chiang more than five months ago after the mass shooting in Las Vegas left 50 people dead and more than 500 injured – has resulted in significant, gun-control decisions by major retailers.
Big 5, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kroger and Walmart told CalPERS staff that they do not sell, or soon will stop selling, military-style assault weapons. A fifth company, Sportsman’s Warehouse, is currently engaged in talks with CalPERS staff.
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- Written by: Editor
The final day to renew your certification is Saturday, March 31, and the renewal fee is $15, payable to the county of Lake.
Go to www.ctanetwork.com and click on MYCTA LOGIN to locate the renewal form. If you have issues with renewing, call Kathy at the Lake County Chamber at 707-263-5092.
The Lake County Chamber has contracted with the county of Lake to run the program.
To that end, the chamber is in the process of scheduling socials for current CTAs through June.
Events planned so far include an April social at Paradise Skate Roller Rink & Arcade, located at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.
On June 21, CTAs will meet at Clear Lake Campground in Clearlake for a summer evening get-together including kayaking, networking and an interesting presentation by Greg Giusti, recently retired from UC Davis.
Giusti will share a great deal of interesting information about Clear Lake and why the lake does what it does through the year. This information will help CTAs as they speak about lake conditions with visitors and with residents.
Other socials are in the planning stages so stay tuned and keep checking www.ctanetwork.com for updates.