City Life Communications: City Life Home Page

By Margie Anne Clark, Editor-in-Chief

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - In an unprecedented move to encourage volunteerism in the Golden State, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the first-in-the-nation executive order to establish the new position of Secretary of Service and Volunteering.
Schwarzenegger’s action is envisioned to improve coordination of volunteer efforts between California's state departments and agencies.

The order was signed by Schwarzenegger on Tuesday during a press conference held at California State University Northridge’s Plaza Del Sol. Newly appointed Secretary of Service and Volunteering, Karen Baker will be a member of the Governor's Cabinet. Baker, 46, of Sacramento, has served as executive director of California Volunteers, formerly known as California Service Corps and the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism, since 2005.

“Karen Baker does a fantastic job managing California Volunteers," Schwarzenegger said. “By elevating the state's volunteer profile we will make it easier for people to figure out where to go and what to do when they want to give their time or their resources.”

Schwarzenegger said that while government can give direction and impetus, real change has to come from people working together in their communities.


"I want to move civic engagement to the highest levels of state government, which is where it belongs,” said Schwarzenegger. “Californians' desire and will to serve are there in abundance. We must do everything we can to harness this incredible resource.”

First Lady Maria Shriver – whose father Robert Sargent Shriver Jr.'s career and the Kennedy family legacy were founded upon service to country - stressed the importance her husband’s action which is expected to raise the profile of service in the state of California to a national level.

“I'm a big believer in uniting people to create change and achieve a positive legacy in their own lives, in their communities, in their state and beyond and it is through the act of service that this goal can be attained. Today as we elevate service, we elevate our fellow Californians to be 38 million strong,” said Shriver, who serves as California Volunteers' honorary chair.

In statements to Gov. Schwarzenegger and First Lady Shriver, presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama lauded Schwarzenegger’s call to action.

“Service to one's country and community is the most noble of things an American can give. For a state the size and influence of California to elevate service and volunteering to such a prominent position in government says a lot about the state's people and about the priorities of Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver,” McCain said.

Sen. Clinton said the new position will help to ensure that California's volunteers are fully integrated at the highest levels into the state's efforts to build a better California.
“I commend California for taking civic engagement and volunteerism to a new level by announcing a cabinet level secretary of service and volunteerism,” Clinton said.

Sen. Obama praised Schwarzenegger’s action as a defining moment in the nation’s history.

“The Governor's decision to elevate civic engagement to such an important level reminds us that the call to serve is one that transcends partisanship and has the power to unite this generation around a common purpose,” Obama said. “America is a great nation precisely because Americans have been willing to stand up when it was hard, to serve on stages both great and small, and to rise above moments of great challenge and terrible trial,” Obama added.

For more information on events, programs and volunteer opportunities through California Volunteers, including the California Volunteer Matching Network (CVMN), please visit CaliforniaVolunteers.org at http://www.californiavoluntee
rs.org/

In the top photo, Gov. Schwarzenegger introduces Karen Baker as the first-in-the-nation Cabinet member for Service and Volunteering. Photo by Duncan McIntosh, Office of Gov Schwarzenegger.

In the second photo, Schwarzenegger stresses the importance of volunteering. Photo by Duncan McIntosh, Office of Gov Schwarzenegger.

Sacramento, CA - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today delivered remarks at the Sacramento finish line of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. This is the third year for the Amgen Tour of California, an internationally sanctioned, professional cycling road race involving 136 riders from 27 countries.
The course covers nearly 700 miles in eight days and is run in seven stages, beginning in San Francisco on February 17 and ending in Pasadena
on February 24. Riders finished stage two of the seven stage race in Sacramento.
The cyclists will put pedal to the metal and cruise into Santa Clarita this weekend amidst cheering crowds and VIP events.

Seen in the photo above, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger congratulating cyclists at the 2008 AmgenTour of California.

Photo by William Foster, Office of Governor Schwarzenegger.

By Margie Anne Clark
Editor-in-Chief

SIMI VALLEY - Like a late 20th Century vignette of Camelot, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum opened a new exhibit, Nancy Reagan – A First Lady’s Style on November 10 in Simi Valley.

The exhibit showcases more than 50 years of Nancy Reagan's fashion, beginning with her 1952 wedding dress and concluding with the suit she wore for President Reagan's funeral in June 2004.

In recounting the Reagan story - starring two star-crossed lovers whose biggest double-billing played out on the world stage for all to see - Russ Jenkins, exhibit designer and owner of WRJ Design Associates LLC was on hand to give visitors an early glimpse of Nancy’s collection.

“She was a tremendous example of a first lady,” Jenkins said as he thumbed through the pages of a pictorial book that is currently available for purchase at the Library. The colorful book puts into context many of the fashions that will be on display for the duration of the exhibit which runs through Nov. 10, 2008.

“The public will be able to see the beauty of her gowns that she wore during their travels and wonderful dinners,” explained Jenkins, of Nancy’s carefully preserved and donated cache of Tulle, satin, gabardine and lace. “The dresses are absolutely spectacular and show the history and legacy of Mrs. Reagan,” he added.

If fashion can be defined as a universal language of who we are and where we are going, then Nancy Reagan spoke it fluently – and with a radiance and grace that defined a presidential legacy.

Indeed, Nancy’s timeless style during the Reagan years of the 1980s may well have served as an elegant reflection of her husband’s magnanimous optimism.

"We are creating a nation once again vibrant, robust, and alive,” President Ronald Reagan once said during his second inaugural address on Jan. 21, 1985.

Through it all, polished and poised, Nancy - whose charming allure never ceased to captivate her iconic husband throughout their 52- year marriage - was always by his side.

Jenkins’ WRJ Design Associates LLC, is a New York firm that specializes in exhibition design. Jenkins explained that Imagery and architectural elements resembling the White House will carry the audience through the exhibit and highlight milestones of history. The exhibit will focus on Nancy’s duties as first lady, her philanthropic endeavors and the love story that she and the president shared.

The glamorous and often poignant exhibit opened amidst a celebrity-studded private gala reception on Nov. 8 in Simi Valley. Diane von Furstenberg served as master of ceremonies appearing with such luminaries as James Galanos, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.

Jenkins noted that the first lady’s collection includes pieces by Galanos, Herrera, de la Renta, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Valentino Garavani, Adolfo and Yves Saint Laurent.

“Through her generosity in donating most of her closet, Mrs. Reagan has given us a wonderful opportunity to understand her role of representing our country. She was a tremendous first lady,” Jenkins said.

“The display also showcases the incredible talent of the American fashion designer, while reflecting Mrs. Reagan’s taste of eye for style,” Jenkins said, noting that in 1988, the Council of Fashion Designers of America bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award upon Nancy Reagan.

In a written statement, the former first lady and actress, who went on to become an icon of American couture fashion at its finest, expressed her gratitude for the privileges she enjoyed during her White House years.

"I am delighted that these designers are being recognized for their incredible talent. It was an honor to wear each of these pieces, and every gown, dress and suit brings back wonderful memories; moments in my life that I will remember and cherish forever.”