CITYSCAPE ROUNDUP:City Council member appointed

Laguna Beach City Council member Elizabeth Schneider, 55, has been appointed to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schneider has served on the council since 2002, and has owned the marketing and outreach consulting firm, ADworx, since 1994.

Schneider previously served as mayor of Laguna Beach in 2005 and 2006.

The position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Schneider is a Republican.

Meeting and Valentines Day party for seniors

Laguna Beach Seniors is planning a general membership meeting and Valentine’s Day party at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the senior center, 384 Legion St., Laguna Beach.

Entertainment will be provided by Bree Burgess and Friends of the Lagunatics and No Square Theater, who will perform music of “love, hearts and flowers.”

For more information, call (949) 497-2441.

Community assistance grants available

The last day the city of Laguna Beach will accept applications for the community assistance grant program for fiscal year 2007/08 is Feb. 23.

The objective of the program is to assist local nonprofit/public organizations in funding new projects and/or expanding services within this community.

Grant recipients in the past have included social service, cultural, senior and youth organizations.

Applicants may mail or drop off completed applications until 5 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the city’s Community Services Department, 515 Forest Ave.

Dawkins DVD showings continue Thursday

Some 40 people attended last month’s showing of the “The God Delusion,” the first half of the Richard Dawkins DVD “The Root of All Evil?”

The second half, “The Virus of Faith,” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Community Meeting room on the third floor of the Laguna Beach Wells Fargo Bank building, 260 Ocean Ave.

Admission is free and all are welcome. The series is hosted by Laguna Beach resident Niko Theris and is sponsored by Atheists United of Los Angeles.

In “The Virus of Faith,” Dawkins presents his view of religion as a cultural virus that infects the young and is passed down the generations.

On March 22 and April 26, Dawkins’ “The Ancestor’s Tale -- A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution,” will be shown. For more information, call (949) 494-7443

Taxpayers group to host meeting with mayor

The Laguna Beach Taxpayer’s Assn. is planning to hold “An Evening with Mayor Toni Iseman” on Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Bank, 260 Ocean Ave.

Questions for the mayor may be sent to Martha Lydick at [email protected] before the meeting, so the mayor can have time to research the information sought before responding.

To reserve a seat, contact Lydick at (949) 497-7053.

Harman seeks to require proof of ID for voters

Senator Tom Harman recently introduced Senate Bill 173, which if enacted, would mandate proof of identification prior to casting a vote in any state election.

“There are certain fundamental principles to our democratic system of government that exist at each level of government. The most basic principle is one person, one vote,” said Harman.

SB 173 seeks to proactively combat voter fraud by requiring a voter to provide a valid form of identification to establish their identity and proof of residency.

The types of identification used could range from a California driver’s license, ID card or any other identification that the Secretary of State deems appropriate.

“Identification is essential in maintaining the integrity of the voting process and without requiring proof of identification, one person, one vote is meaningless,” Harman said.

“If people can manage to provide ID when paying with a check or credit card, there should be no undue hardship for them to provide ID when choosing their representatives.”

SB 173 also establishes a task force within the Secretary of State’s office composed of senior citizens and the disabled to successfully implement the provisions of this new mandate.

California has been home to some of the most brazen examples of voter fraud, with recent occurrences in Bakersfield, San Diego and even Orange County, Harman said.

SB 173 now awaits committee assignment.

Harman represents Laguna Beach.