Samaritan House, which Rotarian Laura Bent, at left, serves as CEO, has experienced huge COVID-induced increases in demand for services: 25,000 clients are being served, compared to 10,000 pre-pandemic. Last year it distributed 177,000 diapers, up from 80,000, and has taken on new services, primarily housing. 

At right is luncheon speaker Steven Greenhut, author of Winning the Water Wars, a book he says he hopes will move the state from "managing water scarcity" to "managing water abundance." Among his bon mots: human use of water in California consumes only 5.7% of the total supply.