California Connection

December 21, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 21, and will be updated on January 4. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From the CCB officers, board and staff, we wish all of you a very merry holiday season. The CCB office will be closed beginning December 26 and will reopen on January 2. As a result, there will be no connection on December 28. The next connection will be recorded on January 4.

From: President Jeff Thom: The CCB board of directors has voted to send 8 individuals to the American Council of the Blind 2008 Legislative Seminar, to be held in Washington, D.C. from February 10-12 2008. The purpose of this seminar is to advocate with our California Congressional delegation on issues selected by ACB. Attendees will be given training about the issues to be presented. We usually select a combination of CCB members who have attended before and first-timers. Attendees will be required to engage in some pre-planning efforts and to work hard back in the nation's capitol. However, if you have talked to many of those who have participated in the seminar, you will know that it can be an extremely energizing and worthwhile experience. If you are interested in attending the 2008 seminar, contact me via e-mail at jsthom@comcast.net or by phone at 916-995-3967.

The CCB office would like to know if chapters would be interested in celebrating Braille literacy week, January 1 through 7th 2008 with a Braille literacy kit. We would have two different types of Braille literacy posters, the 2008 governor's Braille literacy proclamation, Braille alphabet cards and the story of Louis Braille. If interested, please contact Dan Kysor at the CCB office 800-221-6359 or email dan@kysor.net

The Greater Long Beach Chapter is holding its “I survived the Holiday’s” party on January 5th 2008. The event will be held at Lone Star Steak House in Long Beach from 11 am to 3pm. Lone Star is located at 6575 East Pacific Coast Highway, cross street 2nd Street, in Long Beach, the phone number is 562-594.8999. We have selected a $21.49 package (tax and tip not included) which includes a garden salad, choice of baked potato, baked sweet potato, Texas rice, steak fries, garlic mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables plus homemade rolls, honey butter and a soft beverage (ask about which beverages are refillable). The main entrée is a choice of 14 oz. New York Strip, 16 oz. Prime Rib, Filet & Shrimp Combo or Salmon & Shrimp Combo a vegetarian alternative is available. Additionally, they have $5 appetizers and ½ price desserts with the package. If you have any questions please feel free to call 562-438-7100 or email rwendt@csulb.edu.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 --- SAN DIEGO CHAPTER CCB FAREWELL TO CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER AUCTION --- noon to 3 pm Come join the San Diego Chapter of the California Council of the Blind for their annual Farewell to Christmas auction. The cost is $5.00 to cover drinks. Guests are also to bring a gift for the auction between $5.00 and $10.00. We’d also like you to bring a snack to share. This party takes place at the Blind Community Center 1805 Upas Street, off of Park BLVD. This is always a lot of fun, and a great way to say good-by for the holidays. Contact President Jerry Wilson at (619) 884-9611. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

December 14, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 14, and will be updated on December 21. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From: President Jeff Thom: The CCB board of directors has voted to send 8 individuals to the American Council of the Blind 2008 Legislative Seminar, to be held in Washington, D.C. from February 10-12, 2008. The purpose of this seminar is to advocate with our California Congressional delegation on issues selected by ACB. Attendees will be given training about the issues to be presented. We usually select a combination of CCB members who have attended before and first-timers. Attendees will be required to engage in some pre-planning efforts and to work hard back in the nation's capitol. However, if you have talked to many of those who have participated in the seminar, you will know that it can be an extremely energizing and worthwhile experience. If you are interested in attending the 2008 seminar, contact me via e-mail at jsthom@comcast.net or by phone at 916-995-3967.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

December 7, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on December 7, and will be updated on December 14. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Bill Gillespie: The Redwood Empire Chapter CCB is still selling APH Calendars. The price is $12.00. You can call Beryl Brown at 707-545-7642 or 707-636-0082. We will mail the Calendars to you.

ATTENTION SAN FRANCISCO PEDESTRIANS: We need your help!! Please let us know what you think about the City’s Accessible Pedestrian Signals. Have you used them? Did they work properly? Have you encountered any problems? Have they helped you in your travels? Please use the contact information at the end of this announcement to give us your feedback! A list of San Francisco intersections currently equipped with APS can be found on the website of the San Francisco LightHouse at http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/AccessiblePedestrianSignals.php Please send feedback to: info@lighthouse-sf.org or, if email is not available, please leave a message with the LightHouse, toll free, at 888.400.8933 Thanks in advance, Jessie Lorenz, SF LightHouse, Linda Porelle, CCB, Diane Rovai, ILRC.

Hello members and friends. You are invited to the holiday party of the Active Blind Inland Valleys Chapter CCB. We plan to have a gift exchange. Please bring a gift valued not less than $10 and not more than $15. Accessible to most Omnitrans bus routes to downtown San Bernardino. Please join us and bring a friend. DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 15, 2007.
PLACE: The Yum Yum Restaurant (909) 885-0150
Address: 541 N. D Street San Bernardino, CA 92401
TIME: 11AM TO 2PM
. RSVP: BY DECEMBER 11. CALL NELLY EMERSON AT (951) 739-7505. We hope to see our friends and meet some new ones too.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter, California Council of the Blind, will be holding its Christmas party on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at the Proud Bird Restaurant, 11022 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles. The cross street is Imperial. The time is 11 to 3, and the cost is $25.00. Choices are chicken or steak. Please contact Obbie Schoeman for reservations and any additional details at (818) 790-3993. Hope to see you there to celebrate this festive holiday where enjoying each other is especially important during this holiday season.

The East LA Chapter, will be hosting their annual Christmas Party, December 15th, in the banquet room of Salvatore’s Restaurant. This restaurant is located at 125 North 6th Street in the city of Montebello. For para transit purposes, cross street is Whittier. Salvatore's phone number is 323-727-2803. The merriment begins at 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Our meal will consist of: meat or vegetarian Lasagna, Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken, salad garlic bread, ice tea and or coffee. There will also be a gift exchange. The price will be $18 including tax and tip. Please RSVP ASAP by calling our president Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722, our treasurer Maria Lopez at 323-268-4526, or our secretary Mona Craig at 310-851-2149. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

November 30, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 30, and will be updated on December 7. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Rhonda King: Thank you to all those who participated in our 2007 fall sweepstakes and congratulations to the following winners: First Prize: $500 Wal Mart Gift Certificate - Heather Scherber. Second Prize: Two Tickets to Disneyland - Mary Pope. Third Prize: SouthWest Airline Ticket - Obbie Schoeman. Fourth Prize: Victor Stream Device - Christopher Jacobs. Fifth Prize: Deep Dish Baker - Mary Lou Ruiz.

From Sean Ryan, President BSC: Thank you to all who attended the Blind Students meeting on October 26th. A special thanks goes out to our guest speaker Gene Lozano, and Jeff Thom who attended as well. We came up with some very good ideas to help the future of BSC such as seminars consisting of technologies effecting students, and possible vendors for display. We also discussed monthly or quarterly phone meetings in order to reach out to more students and involve more than just students. We are also working on a new website and could use some assistance with getting the site up and running. Please email me if you know of anyone that would be willing to help out the Blind Students of California. Don't forget to spread the word about BSC. We are a great resource for student relations in transitioning into the college life. If everyone could just reach one blind student in their area then that would be very helpful. Again, thanks to all that could make the convention and I hope to see everyone back in the springtime.

Hello members and friends. You are invited to the holiday party of the Active Blind Inland Valleys Chapter CCB. We plan to have a gift exchange. Please bring a gift valued not less than $10 and not more than $15. Accessible to most Omnitrans bus routes to downtown San Bernardino. Please join us and bring a friend. DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 15, 2007. PLACE: The Yum Yum Restaurant (909) 885-0150 Address: 541 N. D Street San Bernardino, CA 92401 TIME: 11AM TO 2PM. RSVP: BY DECEMBER 11. CALL NELLY EMERSON AT (951) 739-7505. We hope to see our friends and meet some new ones too.

The San Gabriel Valley Chapter is holding their annual Christmas party on December 15 between 11:00AM and 3:00PM. All are welcome! It is being held at The Tam O’Shanter, 2980 Los Felis, L.A. Your choices are either half a chicken, prime rib or “toad in a hole”! The cost includes salad, a drink and dessert and is $35.00. Please call Pat Wolf at 626-279-2954 before November 28. She will give you further information. .

The Orange County chapter's holiday party will take place on December 15, 2007 at Marie Calendar’s (13252 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA 92843) between 11 am and 1:30pm. The lunch will cost $16.50 per person and will include your choice of quiche and salad, turkey lunch, or meatloaf for the entree and a choice of apple, chocolate cream, or lemon pie for dessert (tax and tip included). There will be prizes and remember to bring a gift valued at $10 or less for the gift exchange. OC chapter members will receive $5 off their meal. Please RSVP to Andrea at 714-921-0289 or email patches921@sbcglobal.net with your food choice by December 9.

CCB, Bay View Chapter Annual Christmas Dinner. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, December 9, 2007 for dinner, music and door prizes. Hours are from 4pm to 8:30pm. Located in Jack London Square at the Buttercup Kitchen restaurant, 229 Broadway, Oakland. The cost is $22.50 PER person. You have a choice of prime rib, salmon, champagne chicken or baby back ribs. All money must be received by December 1, 2007. No refunds will be given after December 1, 2007. For further information contact Ida Johnson at 510-655-1982

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

November 16, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 16, and will be updated on November 30. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith: Due to Thanksgiving there will not be a connection. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and we will see you on November 30.

From: President Jeff Thom: The CCB board of directors has voted to send 8 individuals to the American Council of the Blind 2008 Legislative Seminar, to be held in Washington, D.C. from March 16-18 2008. The purpose of this seminar is to advocate with our California Congressional delegation on issues selected by ACB. Attendees will be given training about the issues to be presented. We usually select a combination of CCB members who have attended before and first-timers. Attendees will be required to engage in some pre-planning efforts and to work hard back in the nation's capitol. However, if you have talked to many of those who have participated in the seminar, you will know that it can be an extremely energizing and worthwhile experience. If you are interested in attending the 2008 seminar, contact me via e-mail at jsthom@comcast.net or by phone at 916-995-3967.

If you are interested in joining any of the following CCB committees, or if you are a member of any of these committees and feel that you no longer wish to serve on that committee, please contact me by phone or e-mail at the above information. The CCB committees are: Access and Transportation, Advocacy, Budget and Finance, Employment Assistance, Constitution and Bylaws, Convention, Credentials, Crisis, Devotional Services, Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes, Education, Fundraising, Governmental Affairs, History & Awards, Membership, Publications, Public Relations, Rehabilitation Services, Resolutions, Scholarships, Seniors with Vision Loss, and Technology.

Attention all CCB Chapters and Affiliates: The Membership committee will be awarding two COTY (Chapter of the Year) awards in the spring of 2008; one for 2006 and the other for 2007. So if your chapter or affiliate did something as a group effort that resulted in significant change for an individual or the local community during 2006 or 2007 please write a letter outlining the event and its effected change to the CCB office on or before February 15, 2008. The committee will read all letters and announce its decision at the 2008 spring convention.

The Orange County chapter's holiday party will take place on December 15, 2007 at Marie Callendar's (13252 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA 92843) between 11 am and 1pm. The lunch will cost $16.50 per person and will include your choice of quiche and salad, turkey lunch, or meatloaf for the entree and a choice of apple, chocolate cream, or lemon pie for dessert (tax and tip included). There will be prizes and fun...plus OC chapter members will receive $5 off their meal. Please RSVP Andrea at 714-921-0289 or email patches921@sbcglobal.net with your food choice by December 5.

From Dr. Martin Jones: Come and enjoy with us our Golden Gate Chapter holiday feast at Sinbad’s restaurant located at Mission at Embarcadero Streets (next to the Ferry Building) in San Francisco, on Saturday, December 1st from 11:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. There will be door prizes, raffle gifts and food, food, food! The price will not exceed $20. For transportation and reservations contact Gilda Chico 415-337-0937.

The WASHINGTON TALKING BOOK & BRAILLE LIBRARY is looking for a PROGRAM MANAGER. This is a Full-Time, Permanent position. Location is Seattle, WA. Salary: $70,000 - $73,500 annually depending on experience & qualifications. Posting Date: November 5, 2007. Closing Date: January 15, 2008. This recruitment will be used to fill this position only. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. The hiring authority reserves the right and may exercise the option to make a hiring decision at any time. It will be to the applicant’s advantage to submit materials as soon as possible. The Washington State job application can be found at http://www.dop.wa.gov/Resources/Forms/

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

November 9, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 9, and will be updated on November 16. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom and Gabe Griffith: We greatly apologize to three board members who were reelected and whom we neglected to recognize last week. Our apologies and congratulations to Richard Rueda, Jerry Arakawa and Peter Pardini.

From Richard Rueda: Sunday Goalball practice in Fremont. For persons interested in the sport of Goalball, Richard Rueda has been able to get use of the gymnasium at the Calif. School for the Blind on Sunday's, beginning November 4th for Goalball practice. Practice will run from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM. CSB is located at 500 Walnut Ave in Fremont. The campus is located close to the Fremont BART station and is also off several AC Transit bus lines. For more information on the sport of Goalball and the few requirements to come out and practice and play, please contact Richard Rueda by telephone at 510-825-4106 or via email at richardrueda@sbcglobal.net

Connecting Through Dance (CTD) Holiday Gala! A great way to see old friends and make new ones, have fun learning to dance, beginners welcome, no partner needed, many volunteer guide dancers will be on hand. Proceeds go to support the CTD VIP (Visually Impaired Partner) Dance Program for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The event starts at 7pm with a Dance lesson, then dancing until 11pm, there will also be a Dessert Buffet, and a silent auction. When: Saturday, 12/01/2007 7-11pm
What: Holiday Gala, $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Who: Connecting Through Dance
Where: Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA
More info: www.connectingthroughdance.com (510) 501-4713

The California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind is seeking a new Executive Officer (Administrative Assistant). Monthly salary range is $4,424- 5,339. For more information please contact us in writing or via telephone and we will work with you to make the information available. You can direct your request to: Jane Brackman, 1625 N. Market Boulevard, Suite S-202, Sacramento, CA 95834 or call (916) 574-7825, Fax: 916-574-8619 E-mail: guidedogboard@dca.ca.gov

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

November 2, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on November 2, and will be updated on November 9. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: Many of you have asked how Ed Branch is doing after the illness that kept him sidelined during much of the convention. He is back to work, and doing much better after some much-needed rest. He greatly appreciated everyone who asked about him.

Congratulations to the winners of Friday night's elections. The election results are as follows: first vice president Gene Lozano, second vice president Rhonda King, secretary Gabe Griffith; directors: Ann Kysor, Donna Pomerantz, and Ken Metz.

From Donna Pomerantz: Thank you to everyone for your vote of confidence in me. I just wanted to write a personal note to my CCB family thanking everyone for your support in gaining Jane Kardis' vacated Board seat. Your confidence in me means a great deal and I would like to, again, thank Richard Rueda and Louie Herrera for being my speakers on the floor. I also want to thank Linda Porelle for placing my name into nomination from the floor. Boy oh boy was it a long night and I didn't bite my nails too much (smile).
If anyone has any concerns that they may want to bring forward, my phone and email are always available. I am here now because of you, and I will serve gladly with the perspective of the big picture approach bringing forward what you ask me to share. I also would ask that our veteran members give me your wise council as I'm sure it will assist me a great deal in my service to the membership of CCB.
Thank you,
Donna Pomerantz
phone: 626-233-2991
dmpomerantz@earthlink.net

Job announcement: The Associated Industries for the Blind is looking for a Store Clerk in San Fransisco. Job Duties include Credit Card Cashier, Shelf Stocking and Delivery to customers on the VA Medical Center. Job requirements include computer keyboard skills to perform sales check-out, good communication skills for customer service; good physical condition including capable of prolonged standing, walking, lifting, pushing; functional vision for essential job functions (shelf stocking, delivery) . AIB provides competitive wages and an employee benefits plan including health insurance and vacation. For more information contact Steve Burns, Regional Store Manager at 510-715-9489 or by e-mail at sburns@aibexpress.com

Connecting Through Dance (CTD) Holiday Gala! A great way to see old friends and make new ones, have fun learning to dance, beginners welcome, no partner needed, many volunteer guide dancers will be on hand. Proceeds go to support the CTD VIP (Visually Impaired Partner) Dance Program for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The event starts at 7pm with a Dance lesson, then dancing until 11pm, there will also be a Dessert Buffet, and a silent auction.
When: Saturday, 12/01/2007 7-11pm
What: Holiday Gala, $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Who: Connecting Through Dance
Where: Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA
More info: Connecting Through Dance Website (510) 501-4713

The California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind is seaking a new Executive Officer (Administrative Assistant). Monthly salary range is $4,424-5,339. For more information please contact us in writing or via telephone and we will work with you to make the information available. You can direct your request to: Jane Brackman, 1625 N. Market Boulevard, Suite S-202, Sacramento, CA 95834 or call (916) 574-7825, Fax: 916-574-8619
E-mail: guidedogboard@dca.ca.gov

From Catherine Schmitt Whitaker: Cal Poly Pomona University seeks a dynamic individual for the Accessible Technology Coordinator position. This position will provide leadership in the implementation of our campus Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI). The position announcement and application process can be found at: http://www.csupomona.edu/%7Ejobs/dated/employ2007/50149.htm

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

October 19, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 19, and will be updated on November 2. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 916-505-8780 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith: Due to the convention and other factors there will be no connection on October 26. The next connection will come out on November 2. Also, please note the new phone number for reaching me for items in the connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program.

Stella Smith is seeking a female roommate for the Fall 2007 CCB Convention. A roommate with a Guide Dog is okay. Please contact Stella at 209-577-6062.

From William Gillespie: The Redwood Empire Chapter of CCB is Selling APH Calendars. We will take orders and mail the calendars by Free Matter For The Blind. The price of the calendars is $12.00 each. You can place an order by calling Beryl Brown at 707-545-7642 or 707-636-0082. We will have some calendars at the convention.

Attention convention goers! The Glendale Burbank Area chapter invites you to stop at our exhibit table for some good bargains. Our old time radio CD is an especially good deal. You get more than thirty-five popular shows for $20. Dramas include: The Shadow, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Gang Busters and more. Comedies include: Fibber McGee and Molly, Jack Benny, Baby Snooks and others. Also check out our popular train key chain. Press its smoke stack to hear a train whistle and the clickity-clack of the wheels on the track. We're also selling candy, toothpaste and tooth brushes. All these items are bound to go quickly so come get yours early!

Dan Kysor, CCB Director of Governmental Affairs has a complete final update on ccb and other legislation recently passed or vetoed by the governor on the Capitol Report either on our toll-free line 800-221-6359 or on the governmental affairs link on www.ccbnet.org Dan also reminds everyone attending the upcoming fall convention that he will be presenting federal legislation Friday evening, state legislation on Saturday, and will be discussing future policy matters at the governmental affairs committee meeting on Saturday after the afternoon general session.

After its business meeting on October 26, the Braille Revival League will conduct a workshop concerning the Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NUBS). Each attendee will receive his/her own booklet for the study of this proposed new code to be introduced to the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) in a month or two. The national Braille Association has generously produced this material to give blind persons an opportunity to examine and comment on this extremely interesting possibility for the extension of Braille. Even if you are not a BRLC member, please feel free to attend--Friday around 9:45 at the close of the business meeting.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, at 7 a.m. at the convention, there will be a special breakfast seminar for those interested in PR and membership building. We have been able to get Anthony Mora: Speaker: Media Branding, Media Marketing, Public relations specialist to speak for us. What if you could let hundreds, thousands – even millions – of people know about your latest project? “Public relations is the most powerful marketing tool available,” says media expert Anthony Mora, whose clients get maximum visibility. Please preregister by calling the CCB office no later than 5 PM on Tuesday, October 23rd.

Join the Association for Multicultural Concerns for their program, which includes a guided discussion on the implications of ethnic and cultural diversity in our everyday interactions, The AMC annual luncheon, which will be held in memory of the late Ahmad Rahman, one of AMC's earliest members, and the AMC fiesta party. Please see your program for times and locations.

Six days and counting toward our Fall Convention. Just a few quick reminders for those attending the Leadership Conference on Thursday morning the 25th. Please remember that the registration and volunteer tables will not be open when you arrive early Thursday morning. The Conference will begin promptly at 8:30 A.M. in the San Diego Ballroom. When you arrive we will give you your format of choice, for those who RSVP 'ed, and you know who you are because you already did it. Please remember that everyone needs to eat breakfast on your own, or you may bring your own to the San Diego Ballroom and partake of your breakfast at the Conference. We will be finishing up at 12:30 and are looking forward to an interactive time and you will all have a lot of material to take back with you to your chapters. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Linda Porelle @ 415-586-2622 or lporelle@sbcglobal.net or Donna Pomerantz @ 626-233-2991 or dmpomerantz@earthlink.net Thank you and see you there.

All new from Guide Dog Users of California, GDUC: Check our new exciting surprises at our exhibit booth at the fall convention while you renew your membership and get in our 50/50 drawing! Meet guide dog users, puppy raisers, and some truly awesome dogs! Open Friday and Saturday!

The Lions Center for the Blind will be offering Flu Shots on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. The location is 3834 Opal Street Oakland, CA 94609. Please bring your Medicare information. There is a $3.00 suggested donation. Attendant aids, caregivers, and LCB staff may also participate in this clinic. All others must be 55 or older. For more information please call 510-450-1580 x 235.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

October 12, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 12, and will be updated on October 19. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. New ACB President, Mitch Pomerantz, will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program.

Remember the fall sweepstakes raffle. In addition to our $500 Wal Mart certificate and Disney passes, we have added two more sweepstakes prizes, a Victor Reader Stream from HumanWare kindly donated by Sweetman Systems and a Pampered Chef stoneware deep dish baker, donated by Joann Carter.

Many Braille readers of the Blind Californian are already aware of the inadequate manner in which the current issue was produced, with every article being separated by others. This problem was not caused by CCB, but the issue was, indeed, an excellent one, you will be receiving a corrected copy of the BC.

I regret to inform you that the Governor has vetoed Assembly Bill 238, the CCB bill that would have allowed In-Home Supportive Services recipients to have reader services covered under that program. The Governor apparently feels that the independent living needs of blind persons are less important than a small amount of cost that the services would have entailed, although his advisors have provided him with an inflated and false cost projection of around a million dollars to implement the bill. Our thanks to Assembly Member Beall for authoring the bill, and all the Legislators and advocates who supported it. We will definitely continue to fight this battle.

From Cathy Skivers: I hope you will make an effort to attend our banquet at the convention. Two people will be entered into the CCB Hall of Fame. Ahmad Rahman will have 19 members of his family in attendance. You'll need to be there to pay your respects to Ahmad and to cheer the other person who has no idea about entering the Hall of Fame. Roger Petersen will be making the presentations.

From Gabe Griffith, Resolutions chair: It's time to think about those resolutions again. We already have several so it would really help the committee if you can get them in as early as possible. You can e-mail them to gabe@griffith.net or call me at 925-689-5039. Please drafts only, it is very difficult for us to grasp your intent if you only come to us with an idea. Thank you.

From Sean Ryan: Hello all students and future students, I would like to welcome all interested parties to our bi-annual BSC meeting which will be held on October 27, at 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. We will be discussing several topics including membership, fundraising, a new mentoring program, and restructuring of our by-laws. We will also have great speakers talking about Student disability departments in the CSU system and what you can expect from your local College as well as a speaker talking about some information beneficial to student needs. Please join us and our speaker, Eugene Lozano. Come and be apart of the new Blind Students of California.

From Jerry Arakawa, CALUA President: The featured speaker at the California Library Users Lunch will be Sue Sweetman, who will speak about, and demonstrate the Victor Reader Stream from HumanWare. It is anticipated that interest in this topic will be very high, so get your lunch tickets early during pre-registration.

From Bill Gillespie: I am looking for a non-smoking male roommate for the Convention. I have reservations for the 24th to the 28th. My e-mail address is bigbill49@gmail.com Or you can call me at 707-542-2113. I will also have my guide dog Garrett with me.

On October 20 from 12 to 4 PM, the San Francisco chapter is holding its annual pizza-bingo party. Cost is $10, and the location is the Western Park Apartments, 1280 Laguna Street, San Francisco. Come and bring your friends.

Walter Chavira is seeking book ten entitled “The Remnant” in the dramatized audio series of “Left Behind”. Please contact Walter at 661-361-3983.”

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

October 5, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on October 5, and will be updated on October 12. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it. The date for registering at the hotel has been extended to October 12. New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately.

On October 20 from 12 to 4, the San Francisco chapter is holding its annual pizza-bingo party. Cost is $10, and the location is the Western Park Apartments, 1280 Laguna Street, San Francisco. Come and bring your friends.

Walter Chavira is seeking book ten entitled “The Remnant” in the dramatized audio series of “Left Behind”. Please contact Walter at 661-361-3983.”

Please join the Foundation Fighting Blindness and more than 400 walkers for the inaugural Los Angeles VISIONWALK on Sunday, November 4th at UCLA! VISIONWALK is the Foundation's signature 5K walk-a-thon that was launched in 2006 to increase awareness of retinal degenerative diseases that currently affect more than 9 million Americans. The Walk proceeds support the work of researchers worldwide focused on cutting-edge research to find preventions, treatments, and cures for retinal diseases. Join us for the Los Angeles VISIONWALK Sunday, November 4th at UCLA! Registration begins at 9:00AM and the Walk begins at 10:00AM. Children, strollers, and dogs are welcome! For more information, please contact Jennifer Hecker at 310-207-2089 or visit http://www.visionwalk.org.

"The Future is Now" Symposium will be taking place on Saturday, October 6 between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's of Orange (480 S. Batavia Orange, CA 92868). This free symposium, hosted by the Orange County Chapter of FFB, will provide a comfortable learning forum for persons who are visually impaired or blind. The symposium will feature presentations on recent scientific advancements, current and upcoming clinical trials, and treatments. It will also provide the blind community with the necessary resources to integrate into a sighted world. Space is limited, so please RSVP to The Foundation Fighting Blindness at 866-782-7330 or register via the web at: http://www.blindness.org/seminar/oc/

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

September 28, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 28, and will be updated on October 5. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it. The date for registering at the hotel has been extended to October 12. New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately. The deadline for applying for our first-timer award for the Fall Convention has been extended to October 5. Remember that you must be a CCB member residing south of Fresno to apply for this convention, and that room, food, and transportation costs are covered.

HumanWare US cordially invites you to join us in a "Town Hall Meeting" to publicly share your ideas, comments and suggestions to our company. This informal get together gives everyone an opportunity to speak with us, ask questions and contribute ideas so that we can better serve our customers and agencies. Phil Rance, President of HumanWare, Dominic Gagliano, Vice President of Blindness Sales and Greg Brown, Chief Operations Officer will be present. Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. We look forward to having you join us! Wednesday, October 10th - 6 PM - 8 PM Sacramento Society for the Blind 2750 24th Street Sacramento, CA 95818 916-452-8271 Directions: One quarter mile south of Broadway. The nearest cross street is Castro Way. Thursday, October 11th - 4 PM to 6 PM East Bay Center for the Blind 2928 Adeline St. Berkeley, CA 94703 Phone: 510-843-6935 Directions: Cross streets are Ashby and Russell, north side of Adeline, just east of the European Sleep Works. Near the Ashby BART station, and near-by bus lines are the 15, the 9, and the F. Assistance will be provided to help cross the street beginning at 3:15 PM Please call 800-722-3393 and ask for Karen Myers (ext 227) or Sharon Spiker (ext 213) or send an email to karen.myers@humanware.com or sharon.spiker@humanware.com

"The Future is Now" Symposium will be taking place on Saturday October 6 between 8:30am and 3:30pm at St. Joseph's of Orange (480 S. Batavia Orange, CA 92868). This free symposium, hosted by the Orange County Chapter of FFB, will provide a comfortable learning forum for persons who are visually impaired or blind. The symposium will feature presentations on recent scientific advancements, current and upcoming clinical trials, and treatments. It will also provide the blind community with the necessary resources to integrate into a sighted world. Space is limited, so please RSVP to The Foundation Fighting Blindness at 866-782-7330 or register via the web at: http://www.blindness.org/seminar/oc/

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

September 21, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 21, and will be updated on September 28. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles

The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it
New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately
We are pleased to announce that we have obtained another prize for our Fall Convention Sweepstakes, specifically two one-day passes to Disneyland Park or Disney's California Adventure The first prize is a Wal-Mart shopping spree valued at $500, and other prizes will be announced. Remember that each chapter receives 50% of the proceeds from this event. Finally, A reminder to all members that the Fall Convention will highlight CCB elections on Friday evening, October 26
The current nominees are: Eugene Lozano for Second VP, Rhonda King for Secretary, and for the board of directors, Jerry Arakawa Peter Pardini, Ann Kysor, Richard Rueda, and Steve Fort. There will also be an election to fill the vacant first vice president's position, created by the resignation of Mitch Pomerantz, upon his assumption of the duties of ACB President. As always, nominations for all positions up for election may be made from the floor

From Dan Kysor, Director of CCB Governmental Affairs: As we reported last week, we have two bills on the governor's desk, AB 959, Soto and AB 238, Beall. We need your help in calling the governor's office and showing your support on these important bills. For further information, listen to the Capitol Report on either our toll free line at 800-221-6359 or website www.ccbnet.org.

The Glendale Burbank Area Chapter is having its annual fundraiser at Islands restaurant on Wednesday evening October 3. We get twenty percent of all purchases made with our flier from five to ten PM. We will be there to welcome you and hand out fliers. Just present the flier to the cashier when you pay the bill. Islands Offers a casual, tropical atmosphere featuring gourmet hamburgers, chicken, soft tacos, and fresh salads. The address is: 101 East Orange Grove Avenue, Burbank 91505. The cross street is 1st Street. So come enjoy a friendly social get together, have some good food and drink and help our chapter while dining out. If you have questions call Rob Turner at 818-445-8853.

The Long Beach and Greater Los Angeles chapters are having a combined fall pick nick fund raiser on October 6, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The location will be the Junior Blind of America at 5300 Angeles Vista Blvd. Enter through the back gate. The cross street is 54th and Alviso. The cost will be $15 which includes everything. The menu includes fried chicken and hotlinks as well as side dishes. Contact Ken Metz at 626-300-8477 to RSVP. You can pay at the door but it would help us to know how many people are attending ahead of time.

I am seeking a non-smoking female roommate for the Fall CCB convention in Los Angeles, from Thursday, October 25th through Sunday, October 28th. Roommates with guide dogs are okay. Please contact Roxanne Stallings at 510-234-8734 no later than October 15th.

Shared Visions is an art exhibit showcasing artists who are blind or visually impaired. The exhibit will begin with an opening reception on September 25, 2007 between 7 and 8:30pm at the Southern California College of Optometry (2575 Yorba Linda Blvd. Fullerton, CA 92831). Refreshments will be served. The exhibits will be on display at the College through August 2008. Please contact the College for further information at 714-449-7401.

The disability community is invited to the 2007 Access Advisors' Open House and Disability Arts Festival on Saturday, October 6, 2007 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Activities will include more than a dozen varied performances; a working art studio; and docent tours of the museum on which blind visitors may touch certain three-dimensional art. Extra blue-space parking will be provided. Requests for other accommodations made before September 24, 2007 will help assure availability. The event is free of charge if you make a reservation before September 28, 2007. To make a reservation or request additional information, contact Tish Brown, Accessibility Coordinator at the de Young: 415.750.7645 or tbrown@famsf.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

September 14, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 14, and will be updated on September 21. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom:

I regret to inform you that we have lost another member of our CCB family. Dennis Skeene, after battling illness for quite some time, passed away last week. Dennis was devoted to many causes, including the East Bay Center and CCB. First and foremost, he was a dedicated husband to Connie. We extend our deepest sympathies to Connie. Dennis will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him.
Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles
- The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it
- New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately
- We are pleased to announce that we have obtained another prize for our Fall Convention Sweepstakes, specifically two one-day passes to Disneyland Park or Disney's California Adventure The first prize is a Wal-Mart shopping spree valued at $500, and other prizes will be announced. Remember that each chapter receives 50% of the proceeds from this event. Finally, A reminder to all members that the Fall Convention will highlight CCB elections on Friday evening, October 26
- The current nominees are: Eugene Lozano for Second VP, Rhonda King for Secretary, and for the board of directors, Jerry Arakawa Peter Pardini, Ann Kysor, Richard Rueda, and Steve Fort. There will also be an election to fill the vacant first vice president's position, created by the resignation of Mitch Pomerantz, upon his assumption of the duties of ACB President. As always, nominations for all positions up for election may be made from the floor

From Gerry Konsler, Constitution and Bylaws Committee Chair: Any CCB Chapter, Statewide Affiliate or CCB Voting Member may propose amendments to the CCB Constitution and/or CCB Bylaws. Proposed amendments are to be submitted in writing to the CCB Constitution and Bylaws Committee. In order to accommodate any party interested in submitting proposed amendments, the following are requested:

By Electronic Mail (preferred) to gkonsler@charter.net
Typewritten: By regular postal delivery to: Gerald R Konsler, 11717 E Norino Drive, Whittier, CA 90601.
Follow-up consultations (when necessary) by E-mail (preferred); by telephone (secondary preference) by phone at 562-695-8569. Separate proposals must be submitted separately and all correspondence will be shared with the Committee and CCB Office Staff.

Pre-Convention Leadership Conference

Thursday October 25, 2007
- 8:30 Am... 12:30 PM San Diego Room

The disability community is invited to the 2007 Access Advisors' Open House and Disability Arts Festival on Saturday, October 6, 2007 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Activities will include more than a dozen varied performances; a working art studio; and docent tours of the museum on which blind visitors may touch certain three-dimensional art. Extra blue-space parking will be provided. Requests for other accommodations made before September 24, 2007 will help assure availability. The event is free of charge if you make a reservation before September 28, 2007 To make a reservation or request additional information, contact Tish Brown, Accessibility Coordinator at the de Young: 415.750.7645 or tbrown@famsf.org

From Dan Kysor, CCB governmental affairs director: Please check in on the CCB capitol report on the toll free line at 800-221-6359 or on the web site at www.ccbnet.orgg to get the latest on CCB legislation.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

September 7, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on September 7, and will be updated on September 14. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom:

The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it
New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, home ownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately
We are pleased to announce that we have obtained another prize for our Fall Convention Sweepstakes, specifically two one-day passes to Disneyland Park or Disney's California Adventure The first prize is a Wal-Mart shopping spree valued at $500, and other prizes will be announced. Remember that each chapter receives 50% of the proceeds from this event. Finally, A reminder to all members that the Fall Convention will highlight CCB elections on Friday evening, October 26
The current nominees are: Eugene Lozano for Second VP, Rhonda King for Secretary, and for the board of directors, Jerry Arakawa Peter Pardini, Ann Kysor, Richard Rueda, and Steve Fort. There will also be an election to fill the vacant first vice president's position, created by the resignation of Mitch Pomerantz, upon his assumption of the duties of ACB President. As always, nominations for all positions up for election may be made from the floor

If you call the CCB office between the hours of 8:30 and 1:30, you might just hear a new voice. I am extremely excited to announce that our new administrative assistant, Diana Sandul, began work on Tuesday, September 4. Joining Ed Branch, and Dan Kysor, she has hit the ground running and is making and excellent addition to the CCB office team. She will, of course, be at the convention, where all in attendance will have the opportunity to meet her.

By Electronic Mail (preferred) to gkonsler@charter.net
Typewritten: By regular postal delivery to: Gerald R Konsler, 11717 E Norino Drive, Whittier, CA 90601.
Follow-up consultations (when necessary) by E-mail (preferred); by telephone (secondary preference) by phone at 562-695-8569. Separate proposals must be submitted separately and all correspondence will be shared with the Committee and CCB Office Staff.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First-Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this fall's convention in Los Angeles from October 25 - 28th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or in an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@earthlink.net no later than Friday, September 21st. The committee will make a decision by October 1st.

The San Francisco Chapter of CCB is now accepting applications for its 2007 Good Neighbor Fund grant of up to $2,000. The grant will be given to a legally blind student in grades 6-12, college, graduate school, or a certificate program who best demonstrates the need to improve his or her educational or employment opportunities. The applicant must reside in San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Mateo counties. The application deadline is October 31, 2007. For an application and instructions, contact Charlie Dorris at 415 775-0487 or tyreedorris@aol.com ; or contact Ellie Lee at 415 665-3706 or elliesf@hotmail.com

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 31, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 31, and will be updated on September 7. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it. New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. Convention topics will include an update from newly appointed Director of the Department of Rehabilitation, Anthony Sauer, an address from a blinded Iraq war veteran, Greyhound Bus Lines services, homeownership for low-income persons, and the California Telecommunications Program. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately. We are pleased to announce that we have obtained another prize for our Fall Convention Sweepstakes, specifically two one-day passes to Disneyland Park or Disney's California Adventure. The first prize is a Wal-Mart shopping spree valued at $500, and other prizes will be announced. Remember that each chapter receives 50% of the proceeds from this event. Finally, those of you with program items that you wish to be included in the Convention Announcement should e-mail or phone them into the office immediately to ensure their inclusion. A reminder to all members that the Fall Convention will highlight CCB elections on Friday evening, October 26. The current nominees are: Eugene Lozano for Second VP, Rhonda King for Secretary, and for the board of directors, Jerry Arakawa, Peter Pardini, Ann Kysor, Richard Rueda, and Steve Fort. There will also be an election to fill the vacant first vice president's position, created by the resignation of Mitch Pomerantz, upon his assumption of the duties of ACB President. As always, nominations for all positions up for election may be made from the floor.

There will be a pre-convention leadership conference Thursday, October 25, 2007, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. (Please see presidents list email for complete program agenda.) We invite all chapter and affiliate Presidents and Vice-Presidents to make plans to attend this special pre-convention event. This program was envisioned and developed by participants in the CCB chapter and affiliate Presidents' email list and regularly scheduled Presidents' conference calls. Our purpose is to provide a forum for leadership development by presenting clear outlines of the duties and responsibilities of the chief officers of our chapters and to facilitate discussion about these duties and about two major activities of CCB, fund-raising and advocacy. In addition the informative presentations by experienced leaders of CCB, conference participants will leave the meeting with practical and useful written material in their chosen formats. We hope that you will make plans to arrive in Los Angeles early to participate fully in this unique conference. Please RSVP to either Linda Porelle at lporelle@sbcglobal.net 415-586-2622, or Donna Pomerantz, dmpomerantz@earthlink.net 626-844-4388, by September 25, 2007 with your preferred format; Braille, Large Print, E-mail, or Computer Disk.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First-Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this fall's convention in Los Angeles from October 25 – 28th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or in an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@earthlink.net no later than Friday, September 21st. The committee will make a decision by October 1st.

Dan Kysor will have a new capitol report updating information on the budget agreement and other state concerns on the web site www.ccbnet.org and on the toll free line at 800-221-6359.

Come join the Golden Gate Chapter for a bingo fundraiser and an afternoon of fun. Saturday, September 8 from 12 noon - 2:30 p. m. at the Senior Center of the Western Park Apartments, 1280 Laguna Street, San Francisco. $5 admission: Bingo game - $.05 per card per game, $0.25 a game for Blackout per game. Hot dogs and other food and beverages will be provided. All are welcome.

After close to a year of planning, the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco is ready to begin enrollment for its first class in Medical Transcription. Training is specifically for individuals who are blind or visually impaired and uses a distance-learning model conducted by the Lighthouse of Houston, Texas. The Houston Lighthouse has successfully trained and employed blind and visually impaired Medical Transcribers for the past thirty plus years. The class will begin in late October 2007 and will last for 18 months. The last six months of the training will have an on-the-job training component. Tuition is $750 per month and the California Department of Rehabilitation will pay for the training of qualified candidates. Training will take place at the LightHouse for the Blind headquarters at 214 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Successful graduates are eligible for immediate employment with the LightHouse for the Blind under a medical transcription contract. To qualify you must have typing skills of 45 words per minute, strong spelling and grammar proficiency and working knowledge of either JAWS or ZoomText. If you are still interested in participating in this program, please contact your California Department of Rehabilitation Counselor today. For any additional information, contact George Clark, 415-694-7343 or gclark@lighthouse-sf.org

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 24, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 24, and will be updated on August 31. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

As many of you are already aware, the CCB family has lost one of its finest gentlemen with the passing of Ahmad Rahman on August 16. Ahmad was an outstanding CCB board member, chapter president, and advocate for all blind and visually impaired individuals. Most of all, however, he was one of the kindest and most thoughtful individuals that I have ever met. On Friday evening, October 26, at the CCB Fall Convention, we will have a brief remembrance of Ahmad and other CCB members that we have lost this year. I am also saddened to report the recent passing of long-time Capitol Chapter member Ernie Moreno. Our deepest condolences to the families of these members.

I am pleased to report that CCB members Manuel Urena of the Capitol Chapter and Domenic Martinelli of the High Desert Chapter have both successfully undergone recent surgery. We wish them both a speedy recovery.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First-Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this fall's convention in Los Angeles from October 25 – 28th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or in an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@earthlink.net no later than Friday, September 21st. The committee will make a decision by October 1st.

From Marilyn Koehler: The announcement in the BC left the M off my e-mail address. The actual address is mjkelvis@sbcglobal.net I would love to hear from everyone.

From Stephanie Enyart: Help build a national organization for law students with disabilities. Register to attend the planning conference of the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities (NALSWD), September 14-16, 2007 in San Francisco, CA at the University of CA Hastings College of Law. For more information on this event and how to register contact the steering committee chair Stephanie Enyart, Chair by e-mail at stephanie_enyart@yahoo.com or by phone at (415) 596-6050. Or contact Kara Westercamp, Vice Chair by e-mail at karawestercamp@gmail.com or by phone at (319) 431-3334.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 17, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 17, and will be updated on August 24. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jerry Arakawa, Chair CCB Convention First-Timers Committee: If you have never attended a CCB convention and would like to attend this fall's convention in Los Angeles from October 25 – 28th, please send us a letter telling a little about yourself and what you would gain by attending. If you are selected you will need to tell about your experience in the next issue of the Blind Californian, either with a letter or in an interview. Letters must be received at the CCB office at 1510 J Street, Suite 125, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by e-mail at ccotb@earthlink.net no later than Friday, September 21st. The committee will make a decision by October 1st.

From Governmental Affairs Director Dan Kysor: We urge you to immediately contact your local media outlets, newspaper TV and radio, about the failure of the Legislature and the Governor to enact a state budget. The impact on blind and visually impaired consumers of state and local services cannot be overstated. College students may not receive the funds they need to enroll for the fall semester. Services may be jeopardized for those receiving personal care and other home services under the In-Home Supportive Services Program. Health clinics and other vital service providers are beginning to be severely impacted. Funds necessary to operate the Orientation Center and BEP facilities will not be available. I could go on and on. The more front-page stories and TV news reports that appear on the lack of a budget, the more pressure will be brought to bear upon state leaders. Again, please act immediately.

From Marilyn Koehler: The announcement in the BC left the M off my e-mail address. The actual address is mjkelvis@sbcglobal.net I would love to hear from everyone.

The East LA chapter picnic will be held September 8th and Mrs. Garcia's home. The address is 1226 South McBride, East LA, and Ca. The cross street is Olympic. Our menu will consists of hot links, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and fruit salad. It will cost nonmembers $10.00 but free to chapter members. We will have margaritas for $2.00, beer and wine $1.50, sodas for $1.00, and water $.50. Please RSVP by September 1 by calling our President, Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722, our Treasurer, Maria Lopez at 323-268-4526 or Mona Craig at 310-851-2149. We look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 10, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 10, and will be updated on August 17. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Rhonda King, CCB Fund Raising Committee Chair: CCB Chapters will soon be receiving the Fall Sweepstakes tickets. The grand prize this year is a $500 Wal-Mart shopping spree. Other prizes will be announced at a later date. There are ten tickets per book and each ticket sells for $1. For each ticket book sold by your chapter CCB will reimburse half of the proceeds, in other words $5 for each ticket book sold. In this way, we hope that both the state organization and every chapter can benefit from this fundraiser. Remember, the more tickets you sell, the more money you receive for your own chapter treasury. Go get 'em!

From Dan Kysor, CCB Governmental Affairs Director: There will be a new governmental affairs report available online at www.ccbnet.org and on the toll free line at 800-221-6359.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

August 3, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on August 3, and will be updated on August 10. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: I am pleased to report that Barbara Kron came home from the hospital last week after undergoing arm surgery. A somewhat lengthy recovery period is at hand, but Barbara is not going to miss our Fall Convention. We send our best to her. Last weekend, CCB board member Barbara Rhodes suffered a serious stroke. However, she is progressing well, and can take calls at 408-574-2789, Santa Theresa Kaiser hospital, San Jose and just ask for her by name. Well, its time to prepare for the 2007 Fall Convention, October 25-28 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Los Angeles. The $80 hotel rate may well beat anything we can provide in the future, so let's enjoy it. New ACB President Mitch Pomerantz will be our banquet speaker, and we can look forward to exciting elections. We will release the names of additional speakers in the following weeks. You may register for a room at the Sheraton by calling 310-645-4600. If you have any problem with the quoted rate, let the CCB office know, and it will be straightened out immediately.

From Rhonda King, CCB fund raising committee chair: CCB Chapters will soon be receiving the Fall Sweepstakes tickets. The grand prize this year is a $500 Wal-Mart shopping spree. Other prizes will be announced at a later date. There are ten tickets per book and each ticket sells for $1. For each ticket book sold by your chapter CCB will reimburse half of the proceeds, in other words $5 for each ticket book sold. In this way, we hope that both the state organization and every chapter can benefit from this fundraiser. Remember, the more tickets you sell, the more money you receive for your own chapter treasury. Go get 'em!

From Cathie Skivers, Chair, CCB Housing Committee: Notice - Now available, affordable housing in West Oakland, CA. at "Mandela Gateway Townhouses". Call 415-495-4663 for information and application.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 27, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 27, and will be updated on August 3. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Cathie Skivers, Chair, CCB Housing Committee: Notice - Now available, affordable housing in West Oakland, CA. at "Mandela Gateway Townhouses". Call 415-495-4663 for information and application.

CCB Orange County Chapter is putting on a Karaoke Party! When? August 11, 2007 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM. Where? Anaheim Reformed Church, 530 N. Dale Ave., Anaheim, CA. Cross Streets: Crescent and Dale, across from Braille Institute. Cost: 15.00 per person. Cuisine: Italian. RSVP by August 1, 2007 to Julie at 714-782-0409 (message). Please indicate if you prefer vegetarian or meat.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 20, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 20, and will be updated on July 27. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Dan Kysor, CCB Director of Governmental Affairs: Dan brings us the great news that the cost of living adjustment for SSP recipients is on the table as the legislature has backed this plan. There is also good news on the transportation front. The 1.2 billion dollar cut to community transit agencies has been reduced by a little less than half that amount.

For Southern California Access Services riders: There will be a special afternoon meeting at Access Paratransit scheduled in order to hear issues regarding service animals and using Access Services. The meeting will be July 26 from 1:00 to 3:00, 706 W. 6th street, lower lobby training room. There is a sub-committee of the Community Advisory Committee formed for this purpose, but we rarely get people there from the rider community. At this time, there is a demand for a way problems can be discussed and hopefully, solved. We know you have issues. Please come and share them with the committee and members of Access staff. These issues could include scheduling, space for dogs, denied rides because of guide dogs, or issues with other passengers. Please spread the word. We need your help.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

July 13, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on July 13, and will be updated on July 20. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: As I am sure just about all of you know, last week's ACB convention was a rousing success. President Chris Gray oversaw an outstanding convention, and turned the reins over to newly elected president Mitch Pomerantz. Our congratulations to both of them, and we'll be seeing Mitch as our banquet speaker at the Fall CCB convention. Early in the ACB convention, Barbara Kron fell and broke her wrist. She's having surgery next week and we wish her the very best.

CCB Orange County Chapter is putting on a Karaoke Party! When? August 11, 2007 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM. Where? Anaheim Reformed Church, 530 N. Dale Ave., Anaheim, CA. Cross Streets: Crescent and Dale, across from Braille Institute. Cost: $ 15.00 per person. Cuisine: Italian. RSVP by August 1, 2007 to Julie at 714-782-0409 (message). Please indicate if you prefer vegetarian or meat.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 29, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 29, and will be updated on July 13. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Gabe Griffith: Due to traveling and attending the ACB convention in Minneapolis, there will not be a connection on July 6. The next connection will be coming out on July 13.

From Jeff Thom, CCB President: One of our attorneys, Linda Dardarian, is interested in speaking to CCB members about access issues at Sutter Health hospitals. If you receive health care at Sutter Health hospitals or have been a Sutter Health patient at any time over the past 5 years, please call Linda at 1-800-822-5000, or send her an email at ldar@gdblegal.com

From Dan Kysor, CCB Governmental Affairs Director: Dan reports great news this week as three of our bills pass out of their respective policy committees. Our bill to add reader services to the in-home support services program, AB 238 Beall, cleared the Senate Human services committee and now moves to its final fiscal committee. AB 959 Soto also passed out of the Senate Human Services committee and moves to Senate Appropriations. This bill makes improvements to the blind vendor revolving loan program. Finally, our bill to conduct an investigation of accessibility to California's veterans homes cleared the Senate Veterans Affairs committee. SB 560 Wiggins garnered much concern by the committee. Dan would also like to let you know that he will be keeping the CCB office open during the ACB convention.

From Ardis Bazyn: The California Council of the Blind has partnered with GT Trends to provide a travel website which will benefit CCB. It will help to raise necessary funds for CCB. When you book travel at www.ccbnet.gttrends.com CCB will receive 50% of GT Trend's commission from all travel products purchased. You can register for free to purchase and receive updates and special promotions. If you are experiencing difficulties using this web site please contact me and I will help you out. You can reach me at abazyn@bazyncommunications.com

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 22, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 22, and will be updated on June 29. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe@griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Executive Director and CEO Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. and City Attorney Dennis Herrera today announced a comprehensive agreement with representatives for the blind and visually impaired community, in which the City will commit at least $1.6 million over the next two and a half years to install accessible pedestrian signals. The state-of-the art signaling devices will assist visually impaired pedestrians by emitting a rapid ticking sound in tandem with the familiar "WALK" symbol displayed for sighted pedestrians. Other accessibility features include locator tones and vibrating push button to help those with visual impairments locate the devices, and the ability to provide helpful audible information such as street names when pedestrians press the pushbutton for one second or longer.

For sale: Pacmate BX400 firmware version 4.0 with 40 cell Braille display. Will include Wireless lan card and additional 1gb Compact Flash. The unit was hardly ever used. I will let it go for $2,500 or best offer. Contact Louis Herrera at the following: lherrera@gte.net or call (818) 894-3722

Therapeutic Living Centers for the Blind (TLC) has an opening for a Children's Program Director. This position Reports to the Associate Director of TLC. General Description: The Children's Program Director will work closely with the Executive Director and the Associate Director of TLC on the design and implementation of a new Blind Children, Parent and Family Program. Participate as an integral member of a planning and design team that will create a wide-array of direct and support services for infants, toddlers, preschool-age students and school-age children in a wide geographic area including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding areas.

Guide Dogs for the Blind is seeking a Senior Systems Specialist to provide advanced expert support primarily with respect to network hardware and software, remote user connectivity, and T1 connectivity. This position will also manage projects independently and train new personnel, interns, and volunteers in technology issues, including access technology. For more information and instructions for applying please visit www.guidedogs.com

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 15, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 15, and will be updated on June 22. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe%griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From Jeff Thom: If you are planning on attending the ACB convention and haven't already signed up for the CCB breakfast please do so by Monday June 25.

From Cathie Skivers: I thought members would like to hear that Marilyn Koehler has already found employment. She is working as an admin assistant and teachers aid at "Fast-track-kids".

This company is known worldwide and assists with education of children. Marilyn loves kids and while I know she misses us, she is thrilled to have found a job she will enjoy so much.

From Dan Kysor, CCB Director of Governmental Affairs: Dan reports great news regarding the funding for digital talking books. Thanks to CCB and ACB members from around the nation, the House Appropriations Committee has voted to appropriate 12.5 million dollars for this program as opposed to the originally proposed 7 million. This also includes discretionary funding that the NLS librarian may choose to allocate for the conversion from cassettes to this new digital talking book program. Again, cheers to all of those CCB members who let their voice be heard. For more info on this and other state legislative news, listen to this week's update on Dan's "Capitol Report" either on the toll free line or our website.

Items for sale:

HumanWare BrailleNote 18-cell display notetaker with ethernet, IR port, PCMCIA slot, parallel port, 3.5 floppy, with WinCe 2.12 full version. Asking price $1000 or best offer.
Humanware Braille Window 80-cell display with serial port, and parallel ports. Asking price $1500, or best offer.
- For more information contact Dean Hudson at 415.533.0281 or rdhudson66%gmail.com

Connecting Through Dance will be holding their Lucky 7 Ball on Saturday, July 7, 2007 from 7-11pm. The cost is $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. The location is Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA. For more info visit www.connectingthroughdance.com or call 510-501-4713.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

June 8, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on June 8, and will be updated on June 15. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe%griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Well, the unpacking has a ways to go, but everything is up and running at the new CCB office, located at 1510 J St., Suite 125 in Sacramento. Our 800 number remains 800-221-6359, but our local number is now 916-441-2100. Remember that you can reach Governmental Affairs Director Dan Kysor at those numbers. There are many people to thank for their efforts during the move, but due to space constraints, I want to mention two of them. We owe a debt of gratitude to Lonnie King for providing voluntary skill and time to help with some electrical work. Secondly, staff member Ed Branch has put in an incredible number of hours organizing the move driving back and forth an unbelievable number of times, and just doing everything to ensure the smoothest possible move. Thanks to both of them and everyone who helped. We all need to raise our voices on the issue of appropriations for the National Library Services digital books program. Currently, the recommendation to the House Appropriations Committee is to provide only half ($7.5 million) of the amount sought by NLS to implement the program. This amount will be inadequate for the production of the necessary digital players and the digitization of books, as currently planned. We need to communicate with the Californians members of the Appropriations Committee. Those members are Jerry Lewis (San Bernardino), Barbara Lee, (Berkeley), Mike Honda, (Santa Cruz), and John Doolittle who represents various locales in northern California, including Sonora, as well as some suburbs of Sacramento. For more details, including a draft letter, you can call Dan Kysor's capital report. This item may be acted upon by late next week so it is important for all of us to act on this soon.

From Dan Kysor: There is a new capitol report but due to the technical reasons it is only available on the phone line. Please call 800-221-6359 to hear Dan's capitol report.

Items for sale:

HumanWare BrailleNote 18-cell display notetaker with ethernet, IR port, PCMCIA slot, parallel port, 3.5 floppy, with WinCe 2.12 full version. Asking price $1000 or best offer.
Humanware Braille Window 80-cell display with serial port, and parallel ports. Asking price $1500, or best offer.
- For more information contact Dean Hudson at 415.533.0281 or rdhudson66%gmail.com

The annual East Los Angeles Chapter fund-raiser luncheon is already upon us. It will be held June 16th, 2007 at Mrs. Garcia's home which is located at 1226 South McBride Ave. in East LA. The cross street is Olympic. All this merriment will begin at 11:00 AM and go until 2:00 PM. The donation will be $12 and for children under 6, it will be $6. Our menu will consist of Steak Picado, and or Chicken, rice, beans, Potato Salad and Pie Ala mode. There will be Margaritas for $2, wine and beer for $1.50, sodas for $1.00, and water for $.50. Marie Herrera will create a lovely wine basket. Plan to spend your money as we will have a fifty-fifty raffle and the usual contests such as guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar, and guessing the number of pages in a book. Please RSVP by June 5th by contacting our President Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722, our Treasurer Maria Lopez at 323-268-4526, or our Secretary Ramona Craig at 310-851-2149. Hope to see you there.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 25, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 25, and will be updated on June 8. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe%griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

Due to the office moving next week there will likely not be a connection. Please look for the next one to come out on June 8.

The memorial Service for Jewel McGinnis will be held on Saturday, June 9th, at Saint Luke's Church in the Fellowship Hall, 1755 Clay % Van Ness, San Francisco, CA from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

From Marilyn Koehler: To: Jeff Thom, Board of Directors, Cathy Skivers, Ed Branch and all of my wonderful friends at CCB. As you all know Thursday, May 31st is my last day working for CCB. But each and every one of you will hold a special place in my heart. I will miss each every one of you. I have spent over 7 wonderful years with CCB and they were some of the most wonderful and happy years of my life and I will cherish them allot. My co worker, Ed Branch, is an awesome friend and co worker and the person that takes my place in Sacramento will be very fortunate to work with him. Leaving CCB brings allot of tears to my eyes as I do not want to leave but I am unable to move. I have shed many tears with the idea of having to leave such wonderful people and organization. I also want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the most beautiful special award plaque that was presented to me at the Banquet at the spring 2007 convention in Sacramento. What a wonderful surprise and I will hold each and every one of you in my heart and thank you for everything. Please keep in touch with me, I would love to hear from you. My home email is mjkelvis%sbcglobal.net and you can call Jeff, Cathy or Ed for my home phone number if you would like it. I would love to hear from all of you. I will miss you all so very much and you all mean so very much to me. I have a saying "When God closes a door, He opens another for you" so I know he has a job in mind for me. I WILL MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!! Love, Marilyn Koehler

From President Jeff Thom: I would like to give you an update on the office relocation to Sacramento. The last day in our Hayward office will be May 31, and thus Marilyn Koehler's last day as well. We will certainly miss the passion and dedication that she brought to this job, although we hope to see her in the future at CCB events. The 800 number will remain the same when we open for business on June 4, at our 1510 J Street, Suite 125 location in Sacramento. The number is 800-221-6359. Even during the first few days of June, you should be able to leave messages on that number. Beginning June 4, our new local number will be 916-441-2100. Dan Kysor will also be at that number, as well as reachable at our 800 number. You will also be able to reach him during non-working hours, as he will be able to forward calls to his cell phone. For CCB members attending the 2007 ACB Convention in Minneapolis, the California Council of the Blind will be holding its Candidates caucus breakfast at 7 AM on Wednesday, July 4. Breakfast is free, but limited to CCB members only, as we listen to candidates for ACB office. You do not register for this event through the ACB registration process, but merely phone or e-mail the CCB office to provide us with your names. The sooner you do this, the easier it is to provide an accurate number of meals, so remember to contact us as soon as you can. I am pleased to announce that commencing June 1 CCB will have a new volunteer web master, Joel Isaac. Joel has experience in this area and we are extremely excited to have him on board with us. If you would like to contact him he can be reached by e-mail at webmaster%ccbnet.org

From Dan Kysor: we are pleased to report that our assembly joint resolution, ted lieu, passed out of the senate judiciary committee and now has its final hearing on the senate floor next week. After that, the resolution will have passed and will be sent to the U.S. department of the Treasury and to President Bush urging them, on behalf of the California state legislature, to drop the appeal to provide accessible currency.

The annual East Los Angeles Chapter fund-raiser luncheon is already upon us. It will be held June 16th, 2007 at Mrs. Garcia's home which is located at 1226 South McBride ave. in East LA. The cross street is Olympic. All this merriment will begin at 11:00 AM and go until 2:00 PM. The donation will be $12 and for children under 6, it will be $6. Our menu will consist of Steak Picado, and or Chicken, rice, beans, Potato Salad and Pie Ala mode. There will be Margaritas for $2, wine and beer for $1.50, sodas for $1.00, and water for $.50. Marie Herrera will create a lovely wine basket. Plan to spend your money as we will have a fifty fifty raffle and the usual contests such as guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar, and guessing the number of pages in a book. Please RSVP by June 5th by contacting our President Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722, our Treasurer Maria Lopez at 323-268-4526, or our Secretary Ramona Craig at 310-851-2149. Hope to see you there.

Are you interested in an opportunity to learn about Window Eyes? Are you wondering about how your current speech software might work with Vista? Do you wonder if there is speech software that will work with Vista right now? Even if you are a Jaws or dolphin hal user, are you looking for an alternative that can supplement your quest for independence? If the answer is yes to one or more of the above questions, then, we have the opportunity to hold two Window Eyes training seminars during the fall convention provided by GW Micro, the creator of Window Eyes, and sponsored by The CCB Technology committee. One seminar would be a session geared toward beginning users, and will be free of charge. The second seminar will be for those of you who are intermediate/advanced users, and would cost a nominal fee. For more information, and to determine how many people would be interested in one or both seminars, please contact Louis Herrera at lherrera%gte.net no later than June 10th. Also, please use the subject line Window Eyes training. A decision will be made by June 15th.

From Walter Chavira: I am looking for a karaoke machine, with double cassette, mikes, and stereo sound. If anyone has such a machine, please call me at 661-361-3983.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 18, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 18, and will be updated on May 25. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe%griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: It is with sadness that I report the loss of a long-time member of the CCB family, Jewell McGinnis of San Francisco. For more than half a century, she has been advocating on behalf of the blind and visually impaired of this state, and most especially for the residents of San Francisco. Never one to shy away from a battle, Jewel will certainly be missed.
I would like to give you an update on the office relocation to Sacramento. The last day in our Hayward office will be May 31, and thus Marilyn Koehler's last day as well. We will certainly miss the passion and dedication that she brought to this job, although we hope to see her in the future at CCB events. The 800 number will remain the same when we open for business on June 4, at our 1510 "J" Street location in Sacramento. The number is 800-221-6359. Even during the first few days of June, you should be able to leave messages on that number. Beginning June 4, our new local number will be 916-441-2100. Dan Kysor will also be at that number, as well as reachable at our 800 number. You will also be able to reach him during nonworking hours, as he will be able to forward calls to his cell phone.
For CCB members attending the 2007 ACB Convention in Minneapolis, the California Council of the Blind will be holding its Candidates caucus breakfast at 7 AM on Wednesday, July 4. Breakfast is free, but limited to CCB members only, as we listen to candidates for ACB office. You do not register for this event through the ACB registration process, but merely phone or e-mail the CCB office to provide us with your names. The sooner you do this, the easier it is to provide an accurate number of meals, so remember to contact us as soon as you can.

From Catherine Skivers, Chair of the CCB Housing Committee: New Housing Announcement from Mandela Gateway, located at 1350 7th Street between Mandela Parkway and Union Streets, Oakland, CA, is a new affordable 168 unit community. Call 510-451-1575 no later than Monday, May 28, 2007 to obtain an application by mail.

CCB Governmental Affairs Director Dan Kysor reports this week that the governor's may budget revise is out with no cost of living increase to the state supplemental payments portion of ssi/ssp. A 1.2% federal increase is expected. Dan notes that over the last 15 years, 11 years have seen a freeze to the state ssp cost of living adjustment. He urges everyone to contact their legislator to lift the state freeze. Contact Dan if you need him to assist you locating your legislator.
Our bill to improve on the blind vendor revolving loan fund, AB 959, has now moved on to the Senate. For further legislative information, check out the Capitol Report on our toll free line at 800-221-6359 or on the web at www.ccbnet.org

The annual East Los Angeles Chapter fund-raiser luncheon is already upon us. It will be held June 16th, 2007 at Mrs. Garcia's home which is located at 1226 South McBride Ave. in East LA. The cross street is Olympic. All this merriment will begin at 11:00 AM and go until 2:00 PM. The donation will be $12 and for children under 6, it will be $6. Our menu will consist of Steak Picado, and or Chicken, rice, beans, Potato Salad and Pie Ala mode. There will be Margaritas for $2, wine and beer for $1.50, sodas for $1.00, and water for $.50. Marie Herrera will create a lovely wine basket. Plan to spend your money as we will have a fifty fifty raffle and the usual contests such as guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar, and guessing the number of pages in a book. Please RSVP by June 5th by contacting our President Louie Herrera at 818-894-3722, our Treasurer Maria Lopez at 323-268-4526, or our Secretary Ramona Craig at 310-851-2149. Hope to see you there.

The Golden Gate Chapter of the California Council of the Blind is having a luncheon on June 2nd. We would appreciate your attendance and participation at our Spring Luncheon which will be held on June 2nd at Powell's Place, 1521 Eddy Street at Fillmore in San Francisco, beginning at 11:30 a.m. By popular demand, our speakers will be Bernice Kandarian and Roger Peterson of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the California Council of the Blind. Many other guests will attend and various prizes will be awarded. Limited seating is available. The price for the lunch meal will not exceed $20.00.

Are you interested in an opportunity to learn about Window Eyes? Are you wondering about how your current speech software might work with Vista? Do you wonder if there is speech software that will work with Vista right now? Even if you are a Jaws or dolphin hal user, are you looking for an alternative that can supplement your quest for independence?
If the answer is yes to one or more of the above questions, then, we have the opportunity to hold two Window Eyes training seminars during the fall convention provided by GW Micro, the creator of Window Eyes, and sponsored by The CCB Technology committee.
One seminar would be a session geared toward beginning users, and will be free of charge. The second seminar will be for those of you who are intermediate/advanced users, and would cost a nominal fee.
For more information, and to determine how many people would be interested in one or both seminars, please contact Louis Herrera at lherrera%gte.net no later than June 10th. Also, please use the subject line Window Eyes training. A decision will be made by June 15th.

From Walter Chavira: I am looking for a karioki machine, with double cassette, mikes, and stereo sound. If anyone has such a machine, please call me at 661-361-3983.

Thank you for reading,
Gabe Griffith

May 11, 2007

Welcome to the California Connection, the weekly news service provided in English and Spanish by the California Council of the Blind. This news release has been revised on May 11, and will be updated on May 18. Remember that in order to have a message in on the next connection, please provide the message either to the office or to me directly at 925-689-5039 or gabe%griffith.net by Wednesday before the connection is recorded, or it will need to be placed in the following connection.

From President Jeff Thom: CCB will be sponsoring one student to attend the 2007 American Council of the Blind Convention in Minneapolis, June 30 to July 7. We will pay transportation, room and food expenses. If selected, you will be expected to attend the Convention General Sessions and the convention banquet. You will also be strongly encouraged to attend sessions of the National Alliance of Blind Students. Thus, if you are a CCB member and are attending a college, university, vocational school, or high school, and are interested in this opportunity, please contact me either via e-mail at jsthom%comcast.net or by phone at 916-995-3967. We need to know why you would like to attend, and what you believe you will derive from this opportunity. In order to make a decision by mid-May, it is necessary that you apply by May 13. At its 2007 Convention in Minneapolis, ACB will be holding its first auction to raise money for the organization and to give many a fun-filled evening. The auction will take place on July 4th. It would be a tremendous help for any CCB chapter or member that is able to do so to donate an auction prize with a value of $25 or more. As a member of the auction committee, if you can donate something, let me know by June 1 so that I can send along the information. We are attempting to catalog auction items in order to allow individuals to know ahead of time what will be available. You may contact me by phone or e-mail at the above information. For CCB members attending the 2007 ACB Convention in Minneapolis, the California Council of the Blind will be holding its Candidates caucus breakfast at 7 AM on Wednesday, July 4. Breakfast