To the citizens of El Dorado County,

The year 2012 is wrapped up, and so is my second year as your sheriff. This year end update is to provide you, the community we serve, with information outlining some of the achievements by the men and women that make up the sheriff’s office. I believe it is my obligation to keep you, as the taxpayers of El Dorado County, informed as to the direction, and accomplishments of this office.

John D’Agostini

To recap all of the accomplishments of the last year would take up more space than I have, so I will simply highlight some of the more significant accomplishments. Please know that the accomplishments were a result of teamwork, leadership, and actions taken by all levels of employees of the sheriff’s office.

Employees and statistics

Your sheriff’s office employs 369 full-time staff members, including deputy sheriffs, correctional staff, Dispatchers, and professional staff. Our current approved budget is approximately $54 million. Your tax dollars support many service programs including operation of two correctional facilities, patrol of over 1,700 square miles, the Office of Emergency Services, coroner services, civil services, courts, bailiffs, transportation services, dispatch, radio communications, criminal records, boat patrol, public administrator, investigations, and property and evidence.

We are proud to have so many citizens who volunteer their time to make our county a better place. Our volunteer programs consist of over 600 volunteers supporting programs including search and rescue, S.T.A.R.S., Explorers, air squadron, and reserve deputies.

Concealed weapons

Our concealed weapons policy continues to increase the number of permits being issued.

I am a strong believer in the constitution and more specifically the Second Amendment regarding our right to keep and bear arms.

2010            2011          percent change           2012           percent change

Issued        225              514            128%                              728            42% increase

Renewed   n/a              530                                                    188            43% decrease

Community outreach

In order to be better informed of the issues facing our county, and informing our citizens of the hard work accomplished by our staff, in this last year I attended and/or took part in hundreds of individual meetings with citizens, service clubs, schools, and other community events. This year we will be having community meetings in each supervisory district.

In 2011 we published the first Sheriff’s Annual Report, which includes statistics and information concerning operations, services, and accomplishments. The statistics are eye-opening, but they also display the hard working being done every day by sheriff’s office employees, and frankly it highlights the services you — the taxpayer are receiving for your tax dollars. The 2012 Annual Report has been released and can be found online.

Community patrol

Working with the county Board of Supervisors, this last year we were able to secure two additional deputy sheriff positions. One position created an elder abuse detective. This detective working closely with adult protective services will concentrate on financial, physical, and emotional abuse of those who cannot care for themselves. The second position has been designated for a resident deputy to live and work in the Georgetown divide area, improving our level of service in those communities.

This last year we had many personnel changes. In our continuing goal to reach full, allocated staffing levels we processed 1,295 employment applications and hired 54 new employees to fill vacant positions. We had 12 employees retire at various levels and positions which resulted in many promotions including sergeants and lieutenants. I am confident that our new supervisors and managers will perform at a high level now and in the future.

Budget

Regarding the budget, my goals from day one have been to avoid employee layoffs and no reduction in public safety services in El Dorado County. We have made many changes in order to reduce costs, last year we ended the year in the black and actually returned $2.7 million as surplus funds to the county as a result of cost saving measures we have taken.

We have had to review each and every function we provide and decide whether it is something vital, important or just nice to have. We are focusing on our core functions and services. We continue to make significant reductions in overtime organization-wide, by changing schedules in our custody, patrol, and dispatch areas. We have continued weekly overtime reporting and justification, and have reduced non-mandated training.

Last year an outside management firm was hired to conduct a staffing and workload study of our 911 dispatch center. We had noticed a high amount of overtime being used on a regular basis. The study revealed that we needed to change the shift hours and fill vacant positions. A reorganization of the center was done, and we worked hard to recruit and fill vacant positions. This resulted in a significant reduction in overtime.

In order to improve effectiveness and efficiency in our property and evidence section, we contacted the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, and requested a study on our procedures and facility. The study revealed that we could improve in many areas, and that our property and evidence storage areas are at or near capacity. We have implemented many of the suggested procedural changes to improve effectiveness.

In addition to significantly reducing costs, we have brought income into the county. In the last year we noticed that the impact of state realignment, regarding state inmates was less here than in other counties. We discovered that we regularly have vacant beds in both of our jails. We started the process of contracting with other counties and currently contract with Alpine, Shasta, and Amador counties to house some of their overflow inmates. Since starting the contracts in late 2012 we have received approximately $160,000 in funds. These funds are used for unanticipated maintenance at the jails, unanticipated emergencies, and toward the costs of moving forward in planning and construction of a new headquarters facility.

The future

As you may be aware the state passed AB109, which will forever change the criminal justice system in this state. The state has passed on to the county their responsibility for housing certain inmates and supervising those released from custody. This is not a good thing for El Dorado County. Of most concern is that the state is not covering the actual costs of housing and supervising the inmates, and this has morphed into an unfunded or under-funded state mandate. It is very possible that at a point in the near future we will reach capacity at both of our custody facilities and be forced to release inmates before their sentences are completed, impacting public safety in our county. With the cooperation of the district attorney, courts and probation, we are continuously working to lengthen the time frame of this reality.

The sheriff’s office needs a new home. We are currently spread out in five different locations and spend over $300,000 a year on leased space for our staff. We are in the process of evaluating space needs with the goals of reducing or discontinuing the use of leased space, and housing most or all sheriff’s office employees within a new facility in the future. The sheriff’s office has outgrown the current facility, which was built over 40 years ago. This situation not only increases costs for leased property, but it reduces our span of control, fragments our operation, has a negative impact on morale, and requires that our staff work in less than ideal conditions. A new facility will reduce county costs, increase our level of customer service, and create one location where all of our public services will be available to our citizens.

As we move into a new year, your sheriff’s office is committed to providing you with high quality public safety service and we will be responsive to your concerns and safety needs.

I speak to many people in our great county, and I consistently hear that what people like most about living in El Dorado County is our quality of life. Public safety is the bedrock of our quality of life, and we take our responsibilities to you seriously. The hard working men and women of the sheriff’s office are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to serve you.

As sheriff, I commit to work with you and faithfully honor my oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the state of California and the Constitution of the United States. We must continue to work together to improve El Dorado County and to ensure we live a in a safe community. If you have community or public safety issues, or suggestions on how we can improve service, please do not hesitate to schedule a meeting with me or my staff.

In closing, I want you to know that I consider it a privilege to serve as your sheriff and I thank you for your continued support.

John D’Agostini, El Dorado County sheriff

To the community,

One week ago many individuals came together to send a message to our youth. The message focused on the power they have to make the right choices for themselves when faced with alcohol, tobacco and drug experimentation. Our youth gained information at the Drug Store Project, but when it comes down to the moment, they will have to be true to themselves. They are in fact responsible for their own decisions and their own outcomes.

In a couple weeks our survey collection from parents, students, and participants will close. At that time we will evaluate the opinions of those that were there to formulate our plan for next year. Many of our kids will have processed the information through conversations with each other and with their families; others will have “moments” of deeper understanding when faced with the very issue of what choice they want to make.

During Drug Store Project students learn about the consequences of their choices. Photo/Provided

I’d like to thank the many who always step up to the plate to make this event happen for our kids: Barton Health, Barton Health Foundation, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, California Conservation Corps, California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, California Highway Patrol, California National Guard/DDR, CALSTAR, Cathy Huffman, El Dorado Community Foundation, El Dorado County District Attorney, El Dorado County Mental Health, El Dorado County Probation, El Dorado County Public Defender, El Dorado County Search & Rescue-Tahoe Team, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Team of Active Retirees, El Dorado County Superior Court, El Dorado Sheriff’s Office, Harrah’s Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Foundation, Harrah’s HEROS, Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe Sunrisers, Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra, Lake Tahoe Community College, Lake Tahoe News, Lake Tahoe Resort at Heavenly, Lake Tahoe Unified School District Lake Valley Fire Protection District, McFarlane Mortuary, Optimist Club of Lake Tahoe Partnership of Community Resources, Pro Leisure, Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe, Sierra Community Church, Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra, South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, South Lake Tahoe Police Department Explorers, South Lake Tahoe Police Officer’s Association, South Tahoe High School students , South Tahoe Middle School, STMS Junior S Club, Tahoe Douglas Elks Lodge No. 2670, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, Tahoe Youth & Family Services, Vitality Lake Tahoe, Zephyr Cove Elementary, and the many community volunteers.

Without your donations, support, and time our kids would not have this opportunity.

Best regards,

Lisa Huard, Safe Schools Consultant

By Tracy Franklin

This is the fourth of a series of articles highlighting emergency preparedness. Use these tools to prepare yourself for an emergency. More information is available in the city’s website.

Utility Safety

Natural Gas

Natural gas leaks and explosions are responsible for a significant number of fires following any major emergency event. It is vital that all household members know how to shut off the natural gas.

Preparing to shut off the natural gas:

Locate the shut-off valve. Make sure this valve will turn. To shut off the gas, turn the valve 90 degrees, or one-quarter turn, so that it crosses the pipe.

If your valve is rusted open, do not put WD-40 lubricant on it. It may corrode the O-rings that allow the valve to turn.

Attach a wrench to the meter or to the wall directly behind the meter.

Choose a crescent wrench that is at least 12-inches long.

Adjust it to fit your valve before hanging it behind the meter in case it rusts.

Shutting off the gas after an earthquake or emergency:

Shut off the gas immediately only if you smell the characteristic odor of gas, you hear a hissing sound, and/or you notice the meter dials spinning more rapidly than normal.

Do not use matches, lighters, open flame appliances, or operate any electrical switches until you are sure no gas leaks exist. Sparks from electrical switches could ignite the gas.

If you smell natural gas, immediately get everyone out of and away from the house. Open the windows and doors to provide ventilation. Shut off the gas at the meter.

Water:

Water quickly becomes a precious resource following many emergencies. It is vital that all household members learn how to shut off the water at the main house valve.

Cracked lines may pollute the water supply to our house. It is wise to shut off your water until you hear from the authorities that it is safe for drinking.

The affects of gravity may drain the water in your hot water and toilet tanks unless you trap it in your house by shutting off the main house valve (not the street valve in the cement box at the curb — this valve is extremely difficult to turn and requires a special tool.)

Preparing to shut off water:

Locate the shut-off valve for the water line that enters your house.

Make sure this valve can be completely shut-off. Your valve may be rusted open, or it may only partially close. Replace it if necessary.

Label this valve with a tag for easy identification, and make sure all household members know where it is located.

Electricity:

Electrical sparks have the potential of igniting natural gas if it is leaking. It is wise to teach all responsible household members where and how to shut off the electricity.

Preparing to shut off electricity:

Locate your electricity circuit box.

Teach all responsible household members how to shut off the electricity to the entire house.

Tracy Franklin is the public information officer for South Lake Tahoe.

By Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee

The bad news is that a dry winter means the Sierra snowpack is only half of its statistical normal as the annual spring runoff begins.

The good news is that we’re still living off the unusually wet winter we had two years ago and major reservoirs – Shasta, Trinity, Oroville and Folsom – on the Sacramento River and its tributaries, plus the off-stream San Luis Reservoir, have very healthy leftover supplies, thereby cushioning the effects of the current shortfall.

Dan Walters

That’s what dams and reservoirs are supposed do, in case anyone has forgotten why water users and taxpayers spent billions of dollars to construct them decades ago.

California is not a desert, or at least most of it isn’t. In an average year, about 200 million acre-feet of water flow through the state. In a subpar year, flow might drop to 150 million acre-feet, but with total human use, including agriculture, only about 40 million acre-feet, the reservoirs allow us to even out the supply and keep water flowing to homes, fields and industry.

There are other benefits to reservoirs, such as flood control, fishing, water skiing and camping, but providing a dependable water supply for 38 million Californians is their primary purpose. Without them, 21st century life as we know it would be impossible.

Ironically, however, as those five big reservoirs, and dozens of smaller ones, do what they were designed to do – mitigate the negative effects of a dry winter – some Capitol politicians are talking about removing additional off-stream reservoirs from a controversial water bond issue.

The reservoirs were included to get Republican votes for the bond measure, but now that Democrats have two-thirds supermajorities in the Legislature, they don’t need GOP votes.

An election on that $11.1 billion bond issue has been postponed three times already because it’s loaded with pork, such as a quarter-billion-dollar handout to a power company owned by Warren Buffett and a park in the district of a former Assembly speaker, and politicians are worried that it would be rejected.

The pork should be removed and the bond issue reduced, as Gov. Jerry Brown wants.

However, two off-stream reservoirs to improve the reliability of California’s water supply are not pork, or at least shouldn’t be.

They shouldn’t be financed by taxpayers, as the current general obligation bond would do. They should be financed by water users, as dams and reservoirs have traditionally been financed. And if it makes more sense, surface storage reservoirs could be replaced with other forms of storage, such as underground.

However it’s done and however it’s financed, improving the reliability of California’s vital water supply through more storage makes sense now and will make even more sense if, as many believe, more of our precipitation falls as rain, rather than snow, due to global warming.

Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the April 4, 2013, Sacramento Bee.

Sometime today, a very fast jet carrying a very important man and his entourage will streak across the Central Valley sky.

That’s the closest President Obama will get to the part of California where mortgages are upside down, where unemployment is disgracefully high and where levees are in need of rebuilding.

We understand that Obama did the politically smart thing during the 2012 campaign. Knowing he had a lock on this blue state’s 55 electoral votes, he flew to the coast, picked the pockets of wealthy Californians and quickly left to stump for votes in battleground states. His only visit to the Valley was a photo op with Helen Chavez, widow of Cesar Chavez, in Kern County.

Now that the campaign is history and he never will have to run for office again, however, he should consider making a real visit to these parts.

The Central Valley has issues that are worthy of a president’s attention, like how to irrigate the richest agriculture region in the nation while maintaining and restoring healthy rivers and a Delta.

Perhaps he could see how a successful farm-to-fork program works and come up with some ideas for his administration’s crusade against childhood obesity. He definitely should see how decisions intended to help Indians are expanding gambling – a vice he used to oppose.

The president, who takes pride in having revamped the federal government’s ability to respond to emergencies, should figure out how to free up money to repair Natomas levees before they fail.

Apparently, Obama was too busy on this visit to the Golden State. The Fundraiser in Chief hopes to help Democrats retake the House, and was vacuuming up money for that effort from billionaires and multi-millionaires in Sea Cliff, Pacific Heights and Atherton.

Maybe as he flies back over, he will gaze out the window, and realize California is a big state. Perhaps one of his political advisers will whisper something about how there are several swing congressional seats in this part of the state. Maybe he’ll resolve that one of these days, he will stop by and learn a little bit about the other California.

By Jim Tarwater

Although there is no absolute guarantee that something bad will never happen in our schools, it is important to understand the difference between the possibility of something happening and probability that it will affect you, our school community.

For years, schools have worked closely with law enforcement and other public agencies to ensure we are maintaining the safest learning environments possible. Campus visits have been conducted by law enforcement agencies so they become familiar with a school campus before an emergency and/or disaster occurs.

Jim Tarwater

Districts provide school maps and emergency contact information in an online forum which can be accessed by law enforcement prior to arriving on scene. Our goal continues to be to plan up front so that we are as effective as possible during an emergency.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District has retained the services of a security consultant to develop a unique approach that goes above and beyond the status quo to reduce the probability of an incident of school violence in our community.

Safe schools require broad-based efforts on the part of the entire community, including educators, students, parents, and law enforcement agencies. Therefore, the district has reached out to all local law enforcement leaders in the Lake Tahoe Basin to identify and address key components for improving safety and security in our schools.

As part of these efforts, comprehensive school site visits involving local representatives of the South Lake Tahoe Police and Fire departments, California Highway Patrol, Lake Valley Fire Department, FBI, and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office have been taking place weekly over the past two months.

The focus of these gatherings has been to identify and prioritize facility systems, structures, and technology improvements that will elevate the level of safety and security and reduce the probability of a violent incident occurring in our schools.

Additional stakeholders include teachers, staff members, and students who have been playing an active role in this districtwide effort. These teams have also taken on responsibility for reviewing and improving each school’s Safe Schools Plan and for scheduling interdepartmental (police, school, fire, and rescue) practice response exercises and staff training.

Open communication between home and school is critical to the safety and well-being of our students and your children. Let us know if you have a concern or question about school policies or your child’s safety. Know if your child’s friends have access to guns. Keep any guns in your house locked up and away from children of all ages.

Preventing school violence isn’t something that should be left to the schools, the police and the government when there is so much that we all can do together. See what you can do and start making schools safer today.

Jim Tarwater is superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

To the community,

As a lawyer, I find all this excitement around the Supreme Court about gay marriage to be strange. Surely the court will notice that we have a Constitution that ensures that we will not discriminate against anyone and that we already tried separate but equal and it did not work.

There are weird and wonderful folks in all groups, racial, religious, young or old.

Ted Long

I believe that the resistance to gay marriage rest on people’s fears and secret dislike of the lifestyle. Fear mostly.

Marriage was introduced by men; men who wanted a solution to the inheritance issue, to make sure property stayed in family hands. And perhaps more important, to stem the spread of syphilis, the deadly disease that was spreading out of control at the time. The notion of children and religion is a recent innovation.

Those opposed say gay marriage will undermine the family and the notions of marriage. In my experience most people get married cause they like each other or they have a hidden agenda, used to be to have sex, but all that has changed.

But what about the facts? First of all the notion of family has changed dramatically in the past 60 years or so, with both parents working, married or not, and the ever increasing number of single parents. Perhaps they should attack the notion of a two-job family, seems like that takes more parents out of the home then a gay couple. The most disturbing fact is divorce. If any thing is a threat to marriage, it is divorce. From a religious standpoint divorce used to be treated like their notions of present day gay marriage. In many organized religions divorce was forbidden. You were cast out and no doubt would go to hell or face some other fatal state. That all changed. Why? Public pressure, and today no one thinks twice about it.

I wonder how those opponents justify the fact that they can stand in front of their god, in the church of their choice and swear, “For better or for worse” and later get a divorce. It seems to me that this is far worse, in their god’s eye than two same sex persons committed to one another wanting to share a life together. The fact is over 53 percent of all marriages end in divorce and I would be willing to bet some of those gay couples will divorce also. Seems to me they are just like the rest of us.

For me any way, marriage is no more about all the religious, or so called scared family stuff then a person’s color or gender or size or any thing makes them any different from the rest of us. I only hope that we can stop this silliness and address the real issues, like poverty, war and education. Could it be those that don’t want you to question those things are delighted that they have so many of you engaged in these silly issues?

Time to face your fears and stereotypes, and get on with it.

Ted Long, South Lake Tahoe

By David C. Antonucci

In 2011 the Nevada Legislature adopted a new program to combat aquatic invasive species (AIS) throughout the state that goes into effect this year. This program is not widely understood and it has implications for paddlers.

We need paddlers to contact the Nevada Legislature to express our needs. Read on!

Effective Jan. 1, 2013, all watercraft that can transport water and that enter Nevada waters must purchase an AIS boat sticker from Nevada Department of Wildlife. This includes canoes and kayaks of nearly all types, but excludes paddleboards. In Tahoe, this applies to kayaks that launch from Nevada beaches and those that launch from California but paddle into the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. This program is in addition to the Tahoe Keepers program, so paddlers at Lake Tahoe that are in Nevada waters should have boat stickers from both programs.

• The stickers cost $5 for Nevada residents and $10 for out-of-state residents and must be renewed each year. As 2013 is the first year of implementation, paddlers without this sticker will be warned; in subsequent years, NDOW wardens will cite and/or ticket boats without this sticker. The sticker will be required on all paddle craft, including those that are part of rental fleets; no group discount is currently allowed in the state statute.
• The current statute does not recognize that a comprehensive boat inspection/decontamination program for both motorboats and non-motorized boats is up and running at Lake Tahoe that addresses the issue for both states. Due to complaints by out-of-state powerboat owners, the Nevada Legislature is currently considering a “fix” for the existing statute (AB128) by exempting boats from out-of-state that are already licensed by their state. However, non-motorized boats do not require a license from California or other states, so this exemption will not apply to kayakers at Lake Tahoe. If the current legislation passes as is, all paddlers on Lake Tahoe that travel in Nevada waters will be required to purchase the sticker every year.
• The Lake Tahoe Water Trail Team recognizes the Nevada program is intended to fund AIS prevention programs throughout Nevada, including education, inspection, and boat washing stations at infected waterways that often send their boats to Lake Tahoe. While this program is a laudable effort to improve Nevada’s approach to AIS and bring it in line with efforts from other Western states, it does not recognize that we at Lake Tahoe have a well-developed program that will do a better job for this interstate waterway.

The Lake Tahoe Water Trail Association participated for years to help develop the features of the Tahoe Keepers program for non-motorized watercraft to assure that it is fair, easy to use and understand, and applies to all waterways in the Lake Tahoe Region. We firmly believe the Nevada program unnecessarily complicates AIS protection efforts and will lead to widespread confusion and non-compliance. How do most boaters even know when they are in Nevada waters? We also believe strongly that the current legislation considered a “fix” for the Nevada program in interstate locations unfairly burdens non-motorized watercraft and targets boat types that are less likely to transport AIS than motorized watercraft.

Please join us in urging the Nevada Legislature to reconsider AB128 and recognize the Tahoe Keepers program as the single appropriate approach to preventing the introduction and spread of AIS from non-motorized boats in the Tahoe region.

Send your comments and concerns about AB128 to the Nevada Legislature. And help the Lake Tahoe Water Trail Team to continue to advocate on behalf of paddler interests at Lake Tahoe by joining the LTWTA.

The LTWTA may be reached by emailing info@laketahoewatertrail.org.

David C. Antonucci is a member of the Lake Tahoe Water Trail.

By Jesse Patterson

Nevada senators introduce bill to Save Lake Tahoe. Now, we have to make sure that it passes. Special interests who stand to benefit if Lake Tahoe loses its environmental protections will fight hard to stop this bill.

Nevada legislators need to hear from you. If you have not already done so, sign this petition to tell our elected officials that Lake Tahoe is for everyone, not just big money interests, and must be protected.

The Save Tahoe Bill, (SB229) introduced on March 11, will keep Nevada committed to the bi-state agreement that has protected Lake Tahoe for the last 40-plus years by completely repealing SB271, a bill that pulls Nevada out of all bi-state protections currently safeguarding Lake Tahoe.

SB271 was pushed through the Legislature in the last few minutes of the 2011 session and set a timetable for Nevada to leave the bi-state agreement in 2015. A promised environmental analysis looking at the impacts of this course of action has never materialized putting the future of Tahoe in jeopardy.

Why is repealing SB271 important?

The lake needs a uniform regulator. Lake Tahoe is divided between two states but it does not know jurisdictional boundaries. Nor do the threats facing the lake. The two states must work together for the long-term protection of this unique national treasure.

Why does the lake need the TRPA?

The TRPA regulates development uniformly on both sides of the state line. The TRPA has stopped runaway urban sprawl and casino growth that threatened conservation lands. Tahoe’s future is uncertain if the agency disintegrates.

The TRPA’s successful boat inspection program has been the only defense against quagga and zebra mussels, which will cost millions to tackle if they establish. It only takes one mussel to destroy Lake Tahoe forever. We cannot take that chance.

The TRPA and its partners have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal restoration funds that have made a big difference at the lake. Our congressional leaders need to know that protecting and restoring the lake are top priorities for both states before they push for more investment. The bottom line is we aren’t going to get more money if the two states act like squabbling siblings.

Join the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Nevada Conservation League and thousands of others who care about the future of Lake Tahoe in supporting SB229.

If you haven’t already done so, sign our petition. Or, email the members of the Nevada Senate on Natural Resources and ask them to vote YES on SB229.

Thank you for telling Nevada elected officials that Lake Tahoe should be protected for future generations.

Jesse Patterson is deputy executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

To the community,

Bread & Broth would like to thank Hard Rock Cafe for sponsoring the March 18 evening $250 Adopt A Day dinner served at St. Theresa Church’s Grace Hall. Hard Rock Cafe sent seven ambassador volunteers to help with all of the activities necessary to feed over 80 guests who attended the evening’s meals.

Lizzy Gates, operations manager; Tony Prendiz, prep cook; Kim Templeton, sales-marketing manager; Duane Young, buser; and JZ Zinniel, server, arrived at 3pm to help assist B&B volunteers. They bagged giveaways and wrapped silverware; then at 4 they served dinner, all the while giving big welcoming smiles to the evening guests.

Lizzy Gates, from left, Duane Young, JZ Zinniel, Kim Templeton and Tony Prendiz help at Bread & Broth. Photo/Provided

After their work shift at Hard Rock Cafe, Krissy Tylende, retail store associate and Taylor Carson, bartender, arrived to help their fellow ambassadors with the “tear down” of tables and chairs and kitchen cleanup.

“They were all fabulous workers and they were all very happy to be there with us” said Christy Slocum, the evening’s B&B volunteer coordinator.

Hard Rock Cafe and their ambassador volunteers have been major ongoing supporters of Bread & Broth. In addition to sponsoring the evening’s Adopt A Day of Nourishment, Hard Rock Cafe has been Bread & Broth’s go-to employer when we are in need of extra volunteers especially on the fifth Mondays of the month. And they hosted a B&B volunteer “thank you” breakfast last September. B&B recognizes and applauds the role Hard Rock Cafe plays in our success in helping the needy of our community.

If you are interested in supporting B&B, please contact me at (530) 542.2876 or carolsgerard@aol.com.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth