Ces Butner, President of Rotary Club of Oakland
Call to Order – Ces Butner
President Ces Butner called our 5,323rd “Civic Thursday” meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland to order at 12:30 p.m. and welcomed all of our Zoom guests.
Thought for the Day – Pat Williams
Pat Williams shared two quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.:
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
"Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."
Oakland Rotary Vision
President Ces led the recitation of the club's vision and previewed the meeting lineup.
Martin Luther King Jr. Presentation
Past President Charlie Adams gave us a history lesson on Martin Luther King Jr. The national holiday honoring Dr. King started in 1983. The MLK memorial in Washington D.C. was completed in 2011. Its official address is 1964 Independence Avenue, in honor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The inscription on the memorial is from Dr. King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech:
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."
Charlie urged us to rise above the despair of today to march forward with love.
President's Update - Thermometer
President's Update
President Ces announced that 92% of our members have donated to The Rotary Foundation campaign. He is thrilled to have led in changing the culture of our club. We are only a few members short of reaching our goal. The leadership team will reach out to the remaining members to secure their participation. Ultimately, our donations come back to the Club to use in making Global Grants.
Family Dog Walkers - Winter Williams
Meeting Sponsor – Winter Williams, Family Dog Walkers
Winter Williams, a true Renaissance woman, introduced us to her business, Family Dog Walkers. When she joined Rotary two and a half years ago, she was a business banker and music promoter. At the time, dog walking and boarding was a side interest. She spoke of how important pets are in our lives. We need levity and furry faces in our lives especially now as we shelter in place. She also reminded us that dogs, as well as humans, can get stressed during the pandemic. With her love of music, she has put together a playlist, nearly 2 hours in length. Winter can be reached at www.familydogwalkers.com
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Past President Ed Jellen introduced Rotarian and Past President of Rotary Club of San Leandro, Diane Dorn, Visiting Rotarian and Past President of Oakland Uptown Club Frank Parray, Carrie Hamill brought a guest Trisha Connors, Pamela and John Claussen brought a guest Anne Scott,
Scott Baird
New Member Induction – Scott Baird
President Elect Dudley Thompson introduced new member Scott Baird. It only took Dudley five years to get Scott to join the club. Scott is the manager of Coast Counties Peterbilt. He is a golfer and attended the last two Masters Tournaments. He is also a poker player and finished 118th in a recent tournament. We will have to find out how much money Scott won in that tournament. Welcome Scott!
Jobs Needed for Saroni Lena Scholars
Janice Brickley and the Saroni Lena Committee are looking for summer internships and jobs for the Saroni Lena students. The positions should be for at least 20 hours per week and for 8 weeks with minimum wage.
Students are looking for positions in finance, business, law, politics, government, media, public relations, real estate development, construction trades, criminal justice, law enforcement, non -profits, social services, hospitality, engineering, entertainment, healthcare, and medicine. In other words, just about every Oakland Rotary Club classification.
Saroni Lena Scholars and the institution they are attending are: Vesna Sot (UC Merced), Grace Hernandez (UC Davis), Jose Sandoval (UCLA), Antwan Adams (UCLA), Amanda Huynh (Stanford University), Juliana Dang (UC Berkeley), Nathan Van (UC Irvine), Bryan Resuleo (UC Merced), Lilly Tran (UC Berkeley), Kevin Huang (UC Santa Cruz), Edgar Galvez (UC Davis), Vivian Feng (UC Berkeley), Saryah Colbert (UC San Diego), and Yu Jun (Ariel) Chen (UC Berkeley).
You can find student resumes on ClubRunner or by using this link: https://tinyurl.com/y3u732cb
Contact Rotarians Janice Brickley at janicembrickley@gmail.com , Steve Blair at blair5200@gmail.com, or Sam Miller at samuel.r.miller48@gmail.com for more information.
Housing Insecurity Task Force
David Naveh, reporting from Tel Aviv, gave an update on the Oakland Community Neighborhood project. The task force has developed a community village model for homeless families, has located two possible managers, and identified two possible sites., The task force is looking to take the next steps after a meeting with Mayor Libby Schaaf. Rotarians Peter Sherris, David Naveh and John Claassen can answer your questions.
David Metz
Speaker for the Day – David Metz
Past President David Stein introduced David Metz, president of FM3 Research. FM3 Research conducts public opinion research for candidates and ballot measures. It has worked for the City of Oakland, the Oakland Unified School District, the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and has done polling in all 50 states.
David reviewed some of the recent findings of the 2020 "Pulse of Oakland" poll conducted for the Chamber. Six hundred twenty-four Oakland voters likely to vote in November, 2020 were interviewed in October, 2020. Challenges in obtaining responses to the poll include the shift from landlines to cell phones, more texting, and suspicions about polling. Findings included:
- Voters are increasingly pessimistic about the city's direction
- Issues of high concern include homelessness, housing, the economic impact of coronavirus, the cost of living, and the cost of rent
- Issues of lower concern include traffic congestion, growth and development
- Perceptions of city government are mixed
- Voters increasingly feel less safe in the city and in their neighborhood
- Most voters learn about city government from social media (35%)
In discussing trust in polling, David noted that the public pays a high amount of attention to polling but has a low amount of trust in the results of polling. He made the following comments about Inaccuracy in recent national polling:
- Problems were localized and connected to federal races
- Georgia polling was very accurate
- Maine polling for the US Senate race was inaccurate
- California polling is accurate
- Turnout models were inaccurate
- Latinx opinions are not accurately captured
- Trump voters were not "shy" about giving their opinions but were less likely to respond to polls due to a lack of trust in institutions
- Progressives may be more likely to respond to polls
Bellringers
Executive Administrator Jesse Bowdle recognized the generous members who rang the bell:
Steve Blair and Fred Morse for Janice Brickley and the Saroni Lena program
Joycie Mack and Marie Saverimuthu for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Marie Saverimuthu for Thai Pongal
Adjournment
President Ces Butner adjourned another busy meeting at 1:30 p.m. with his signature comment “that’s the way it went” and the reminder that Rotary Opens Opportunity for Service Above Self as he rang the bell.
Italina Kirknis
Next Meeting, January 21 – Italina Kirknis – Online Presence Tips
David Kirsten announced our speaker will be Italina Kirknis, an online presence expert and speaker. She will show us how to upgrade our presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram in order to gain more visibility and drive a steady stream of clients to our businesses.
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