we are ignoring history and giving

MORAGA away the future, as bad politicians

are elected by good citizens who
didn’t vote.
ROTARY Guests weren’t introduced, but

NEWSLETTER frequent guest Larry Tessler was

spotted among the zoomers.
October 20, 2020
_________________________________
Next Meeting: October 27
Zoom at noon
Program: Jeff & Wendy; Wildlife
Photographers
Greeter: Debbie Koo
____________________________
To participate next week:
Zoom connection information for next week’s
meeting will be distributed early next week.

Breakfast with Rotary

Upcoming Speakers:
Nov 3 – Mary Gadeken; Polio Plus
necklaces
Nov 10 – Ana Moon: Moraga Education
Foundation
Nov 17 – Nancy Davis Kho –The Thank
You Project
Dec 1 – DG visit: Mark Roberts
~~Sixteenth Meeting of
the 2020/2021 Rotary
Year~~
President Brian South rang the
real bell to open our meeting.
Greeter Mary Sue Erickson gave
some quotes from Abraham
Lincoln; the best is: If we don’t vote
~~ANNOUNCEMENTS~~
President Brian announced that
since we had a special Candidates
Forum today, so we would not
have essential topics such as
Happy Bucks, Birthday or
Anniversary recognitions, Mystery
Box, or Encore.
Pres. Brian announced that our
Dinner with Rotary event will be
on Thursday November 12 at the
Town Bakery & Café in Rheem.
The menu will be a half-rack of
smoked pork ribs, mashed
potatoes, salad, and a chocolate
chip cookie. Cost will be $35, of
which $10 is a donation to Rotary. They solicited ideas of how to best
The brochure is on the Club web use a million dollars. One of the
site now, so that you can responses said that the Philippines
personally invite all of your friends had a high polio infection rate, so
to participate. The flyer has been they decided to vaccinate all the
sent people who have participated children in that nation against polio,
in the September Dinner with with excellent results.
Rotary.
By that time, Dr. Sabin had
Pres. Brian announced that our introduced an oral polio vaccine
Club participated in a sudden that could be given by non-medical
District project of delivering people, so the many volunteers of
oximeters to many small elderly Rotary could be used to good
residences in our county, funded effect. Dr. Sabin said that it would
by a recent grant. These devices take $100 million to vaccinate all
are important in diagnosing Covid the world’s children, so RI initiated
cases, and 360 of them were a world-wide campaign to raise that
distributed by local Rotary Clubs. much money. Actually, about
$240 million was raised, and
Pres. Brian announced that
enabled RI to enter discussions
October 24 is World Polio Day,
with the World Health Organization
and that there was nobody better
and other health groups, leading to
than Cliff Dochterman to recap
the Polio Plus project.
the origins of the Polio Plus
project, the largest project ever
undertaken by the entire Rotary
system.
Cliff recounted that in about 1979,
the RI President, Clem Renouf of
Australia (see Rotary magazine of
October 2020 page 62), proposed
that RI should collectively conduct
large international projects, and
appointed three academics to
study the matter—a man from U of
Arkansas and from U of
Tennessee, and Cliff from UC
Berkeley. e-waste crew
2020 Voting Information for
Moraga Residents from the
Town Website
Drop off your Vote-by-Mail ballot
anytime 24/7 beginning October 5,
2020 at 8:00 a.m. through
November 3, 2020 8:00 p.m. in the
new permanent ballot drop-off box
at Saint Mary’s College (1928 St.
Mary’s Road), in the first parking lot
on the left when you drive in. View
the map and photos of box
location - front and side views.
Different than in years past, there
will NOT be a ballot drop-off box at
the Moraga Town offices as the
building is still closed to the public
due to the pandemic. There are
also drop-off boxes located in
Lafayette and Orinda. All ballots
from drop-off ballot boxes will be
handled by County Elections
personnel only and will not be
mailed through the USPS.
The County Elections Division is
strongly discouraging voting in
person due to COVID-19. Those
who still want to vote in person will
need to go to their correct polling
location (Moraga Library, 1500 St.
Marys Road or Moraga Valley
Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga
Valley Lane). There will be an Early
Voting Site at the Moraga Library
for anyone to vote or drop off their
Vote-by-Mail ballot during the
following times: Friday, October
30, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm; Saturday,
October 31, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm;
CLOSED SUNDAY; Monday,
November 2, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm;
and Tuesday, November 3, 7:00
am to 8:00 pm. NOTE: On
Tuesday (Election Day) all
Moraga voters need to report to
their own polling location listed
on their ballot if they wish to
vote in person. Visit the Contra
Costa County Elections website
at www.cocovote.us for more
voting information or call 925-335-
7800.
~~PROGRAM~~
The program today was a forum for
Moraga Town Council candidates
to make a five minute statement
and to answer questions. All
candidates were invited, and those
participating were David
Stromberg, Renata Sos, Teresa
Onoda, and Ursula Schilling.
All the candidates were very aware
of the current housing development
mandates from the State, and will
craft their policies to comply with
them while preserving the
character of the Town.
David Stromberg has been on the
Town Design Review Board,
Chairman of the Planning
Commission, and is on the Board
of Moraga Community Foundation.
His priorities are preserving the Greeters/Invocators
beauty of Moraga, bringing more
Volunteers:
businesses, building out the
Moraga Center Specific plan, and • 11/03 = Cliff Dochterman
keeping the Town financially • 11/10 = Angelo Costanza
secure. • 11/17 = Evie Michon
Renata Sos was appointed to the • 11/24 = Gary Irwin
Town Council, and is running to be • 12/1 = Herb Wehmeyer
elected to the next term. She has
lived in Moraga for 20 years, and
wants to support local businesses,
keep Moraga a safe and
welcoming place, promote
volunteerism among the citizens,
and maintain a culture of respect.
Teresa Onoda has served a term
on the Town Council with one year
as Mayor, and had to deal with the
Canyon Bridge closure and the
second Rheem sinkhole. After a
couple of years off, she is running
for Council again. She wants to
strengthen our retail businesses, Remember these days?
preserve our semi-rural ambiance,
and become more of a college
town.
Ursula Schilling has lived in
Moraga since 1974, and brings her
sincerity and enthusiasm to the
town council, and wants to
collaborate to solve problems.
Moraga Rotary Directors 2020/2021
President Brian South
President Elect Brian South
Past Co-Presidents Evie Michon & Debbie Koo
Executive Secretary Evie Michon
Secretary Jennifer Brophy
Treasurer and Youth Services Chair Rich Render
Club Administrator Debbie Roessler
Foundation Chairman John Erickson
Community Service Chairman Tony Schoemehl
Public Relations Chairman Gary Irwin
Fundraising Chairman Frank May
International Service Chairs Dianne Wilson & Debbie Koo
Membership Chairman Roger Gregory
Director at Large Mary Sue Erickson
Director at Large Linda May
Advisor to the Board John Erickson
Advisor to the Board Jim Campbell
Advisor to the Board Cliff Dochterman
District Governor 5160 Mark Roberts
President, Rotary International Holger Knaack

This month’s Newsletter Editor – Gary Irwin