President's Message
by Charlene Bullock  

Well, summer is finally arriving. Graduations and parties are taking place, school parties are being planned, and energetic children are looking forward to some sun, fun and swimming this summer. SJALA's Board of Directors is settling back for a quiet summer lull before the activity swings back in the fall.

The Fresno County Bar picnic on May 18 was a huge success again this year. The weather was perfect, the Coombs Ranch was beautiful, and a good time was had by all, and especially the children for whom so many activities are planned around. I want to extend a very special thank you to those who took time out of their busy Saturday on behalf of SJALA to assist with the food preparation and set up, to serve food, and to work in the drink area. This is an annual event at which SJALA works with the Fresno county Bar in a joint effort for a fun and leisurely day for those in the legal community and their families. Thanks to Georgia Vercoe, Peggy Maffei, Pam Buchnoff, Carolynn Weaver, Fred Vongehr, M. Diedre Wilton, Brenda and Mary Fleming along with her granddaughter from Appleby & Company, Barry and Carol O'Neil, Mary Ann from the Emerson office, and to a couple of others for all their hard work. I really appreciated each and every one of you.

The annual CAPA conference will be held June 21 and 22 in Burlingame. The reservation flyer is included in this newsletter. This is always a great seminar, lots of friendly peers, many great gifts from participating vendors, along with the really nice lunch and dinner. There is always something fun planned for Saturday evening, or you can just go on your own and do your own thing. SJALA always has 10 or more members who trek all over the State of California to attend the annual conference, and we are never disappointed. We look forward to this event each year.

Our June 19 luncheon will be the 1st membership meeting until September. Jerry Dyer, Chief of Police for the Fresno Police Department, should provide a very interesting profile of the issues facing our police department today. Please mark your calendars, make your reservations, and come say hello to a few familiar faces and meet some new faces. Since membership meetings are only held quarterly, and we try to keep the prices down, make it a point to get out for lunch and socialize with members of the legal community. Bring your boss, your secretary, or someone new in your office. All are welcome.

SJALA was sorry to lose its elected treasurer, Teresa Petty, due to unforeseen matters which required her attention. Georgia Vercoe graciously offered to complete the year as treasurer, and the Board of Directors approved her taking office at its May Board meeting. Welcome back Georgia. Georgia is one of SJALA's long-time members, and I am extremely pleased to see her back in action again.

Please mark your calendars for the September Lawyers Have Heart Walk which is held annually at Fig Garden Village. Check out the flyer included as an insert in this edition of our newsletter. This is a great day to take a walk for a good cause, to et some healthy exercise, have some great food donated by many local businesses, pick up a few free goodies, and see everyone you ever knew. We will again need some help from our members to assist the Heart Association in this worthwhile event. If you can give us an hour of your time, give me a call between now and the 1st of September so I can sign you up. September will also mark our third membership meeting of the year at a location yet to be decided. Look for the September newsletter for details.