The Santa Clara County School Boards Association is offering a candidates' workshop for prospective school board members on May 22.

The workshop will be held from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the offices of the United Way, 1922 The Alameda in San Jose.

Current school-board members will talk about the roles and responsibilities of school-board service. A representative from the Registrar of Voters will speak about campaign filing.

The event is free and open to all prospective candidates or those who may have an interest in board service. Registration will take place on-site.

For more information, contact the school-boards association at 408.453.6515.

Merchants recoup bad check losses

Twelve years old and going strong—that's the Santa Clara County Bad Check Restitution Program.

The program has recovered more than $3.5 million for victims of bad checks in the county since it was implemented by District Attorney George Kennedy in 1992. The program's objective is to provide full restitution for merchants without adding to the financial burden of the criminal justice system. The assistance provided is free and at no cost to taxpayers.

Through the program, Santa Clara County merchants recoup their losses without paying any collection fees. And first-time bad check writers are given the opportunity to avoid criminal prosecution by attending a mandatory eight-hour intervention class in addition to paying restitution.

Complaints should be filed as soon as possible from the date of the transaction. For more information, call victim services at 877.520.6137 or contact Melissa Sifuentes at 877.208.8491.

Topic is identity theft at forum

The city of Cupertino and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office will hold a free presentation on identity theft May 27 between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. at Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road.

Experts from the U.S. Postal Service, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and the district attorney's office will present important identity-theft-prevention information.

All members of the public are invited and do not need to make reservations.

For more information, call the city manager's office at 408.777.3202.