Mid-Year Report
By Joan Stone

I am happy to report that SCBA is having a really good year. Membership is better than it has been for some time and, under the excellent stewardship of our executive director, Carol Prosser, our financial house is in order. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support. Members are the lifeblood of the association.

The year so far has been busy and enjoyable year. Most memorable has been our participation in a number of events to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

In particular, we were delighted to host a reception on May 17 in conjunction with the Judicial Council’s statewide symposium. The event was extremely successful. The excellent food and drinks, presented in the lovely setting of the Fragrance Garden at the Library & Courts II Building, were very much appreciated by all of the participants, especially those who had spent the day in the confines of the Convention Center. We also had the opportunity to present an SCBA resolution honoring Chief Justice Ronald M. George and the Brown v Board of Education Judicial Council Work Group which will be displayed in the Supreme Court building in San Francisco.

We received lots of praise from the members of the Judicial Council, the State Bar Board of Governors and the judges, justices, lawmakers and lawyers who attended. This was an outstanding event I that brought credit to the entire Sacramento legal community. I want to take this opportunity to give special thanks to the generous sponsors listed on page nine who made it all possible.

We also recently hosted the bench bar reception where we were delighted to honor Third District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Arthur G. Scotland as our judge of the year. It seems particularly apt that the judge of the year chosen during my term of office has the same name as my native country. I want to thank the members of the Blue Ribbon committee charged with the task of nominating our judge of the year for 2004. Thank you to chair Charity Kenyon and to committee members Justice Ron Robie, Judge Tom Cecil, Magistrate Judge Kim Mueller, Mike Sands, Windie Scott, Paulino Duran and Joe Genshlea and congratulations to Justice Scotland on the well-deserved award.

We are fortunate in Sacramento County to enjoy an excellent relationship between the bench and the bar. The shared camaraderie and mutual respect were very much in evidence at the well-attended reception.

Lack of space prevents me from discussing all the activities that SCBA participates in. However, I do want to let you all know that I am having a wonderful time representing SCBA at meetings and events sponsored by organizations such as Volunteers in Parole, Center for Youth Citizenship, Sacramento County Law Library, Bench Bar Coalition and the State Bar. I thank you all for the opportunity.