Rose Ann Vuich

Rose Ann Vuich, a conservative Democrat from the Central Valley who built a reputation for unswerving honesty as the first woman in the state Senate, died Thursday at her home in Dinuba. She was 74. The cause of death was complications of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Vuich integrated the all-male preserve of the Senate in 1977 and was a forceful advocate for Central Valley agriculture for the next 16 years. "What's in it for Dinuba?"

Rose Ann Vuich, a conservative Democrat from the Central Valley who built a reputation for unswerving honesty as the first woman in the state Senate, died Thursday at her home in Dinuba. She was 74. The cause of death was complications of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Vuich integrated the all-male preserve of the Senate in 1977 and was a forceful advocate for Central Valley agriculture for the next 16 years. "What's in it for Dinuba?"

Testimony in the corruption trial of state Sen. Joseph B. Montoya came to a close Tuesday with the disclosure that crucial documents subpoenaed by prosecutors last year have been found in one of the senator's Capitol offices.

Testimony in the corruption trial of state Sen. Joseph B. Montoya came to a close Tuesday with the disclosure that crucial documents subpoenaed by prosecutors last year have been found in one of the senator's Capitol offices.

The Capitol pendulum has come full swing for Sen. Rose Ann Vuich, a Democrat from the sleepy San Joaquin Valley farming village of Dinuba and the first woman elected to the California Senate. In 1977, then-Sen. George Deukmejian, the Senate Republican leader, praised her as "an independent individual (who) is not going to be dictated to either by the governor's office or by the leaders of the Legislature. We have concluded that every decision she makes is in an honest and independent fashion."

Sen. Rose Ann Vuich, the state's first woman senator, has been chosen for induction into the California Public Education Hall of Fame. The Dinuba Democrat will be honored in ceremonies recognizing graduates of California public schools who have made significant contributions to society. An Orosi High School graduate, Vuich will receive the award Dec. 13 at the annual conference of the California School Boards Assn. in San Francisco.

A bill that would raise California's maximum unemployment benefits from $166 to $188 a week and tighten eligibility standards is on its way to Gov. George Deukmejian. The Senate gave the measure final legislative approval Friday on a 22-13 vote despite opposition from business interests, which wanted to make it even tougher to qualify for the benefits. Deukmejian vetoed a similar measure last year. The bill, sponsored by Sen.

State Superintendent of Banks Louis Carter, who built a reputation within the banking industry as a forthright administrator during a difficult period, died Tuesday in his home after a brief illness. He was 53. State officials who announced his death gave no immediate cause, but friends said Carter had been suffering from cancer. Carter, who also served in the Administration of former Gov. Ronald Reagan, was appointed to the top post in the Department of State Banking in May, 1983, by Gov.

Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier), the first legislator indicted in a federal corruption probe in the state Capitol, went on trial Monday on 12 counts of extortion, bribery, racketeering and money laundering. U.S. District Judge Milton Schwartz, joined by prosecutors, Montoya and his attorneys, spent much of the day questioning individual jurors in private in an effort to impanel a jury that has not been influenced by media coverage of the case.

The Capitol pendulum has come full swing for Sen. Rose Ann Vuich, a Democrat from the sleepy San Joaquin Valley farming village of Dinuba and the first woman elected to the California Senate. In 1977, then-Sen. George Deukmejian, the Senate Republican leader, praised her as "an independent individual (who) is not going to be dictated to either by the governor's office or by the leaders of the Legislature. We have concluded that every decision she makes is in an honest and independent fashion."

Former California Assembly Speaker Gordon Hickman Garland, an expert in water issues and most recently a Sacramento lobbyist, has died of a heart attack. Garland, a San Joaquin Valley rancher who was elected Speaker in 1940, only four years after reaching the Legislature, was 88 and died Tuesday in an Exeter hospital. A conservative Democrat who often clashed with fellow Democrat and then-Gov. Culbert L. Olson, Garland was elected to the Assembly in 1936 and won the post of Speaker in 1940.

CARPINTERIA--Dip into what's billed as the world's largest bowl of guacamole at the California Avocado Festival, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Festivities will include food, arts and crafts, contests and entertainment, children's activities and a petting zoo. Downtown. 4-9 p.m. Sept. 29; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 30; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 1. Free. (805) 684-0038. WELDON--The Kern Valley Turkey Vulture Festival, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, celebrates the birds' migration.