CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Soroptimist International of Clear Lake will host guest speaker Diane Watson, formerly a member of Congress representing Southern California, at noon on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The meeting will take placed at Howard's Grotto, 14732 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.

Lunch begins at noon, to be followed by the program.

Watson, whose topic will be “women in mining,” is making a rare visit to Lake County.

She represented Congressional District 33 from 2003 to 2010, serving Culver City and portions of the city of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County.

Watson served on the House International Relations Committee, the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights & International Operations.

She also was a member of the House Government Reform Committee and the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, and served as the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on Energy & Resources.

During her time in Congress, Watson chaired the Congressional Industries Entertainment Caucus and also served as Democratic regional whip for Southern California.

Soroptimist is a cause-related philanthropic federation of clubs working to improve the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and internationally.

Soroptimist International of Clear Lake holds monthly program meetings with guest speakers on the fourth Thursday of the month at noon at Howard's Grotto. Lunch is $12 and all interested women are invited to attend and learn more about the organization.

For more information contact President Wanda Harris at 707-987-9027 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .