Letters (April 20, 2023)

• Ticknology
• Hola, Carrie Shattuck!
• Carrie Shattuck Replies:
• PG&E Screws Ratepayers
• Not Now
• The Other Bragg
• All Day Every Day
• Rapid Response Mental Health Unit
• Reparations, How To
• Chambers Erupt

TICKNOLOGY

To The Editor,

Watch out! Of all the counties in California, Mendocino County has the highest incidence rate for Tick Bites. Spring and Summer are the most likely times to get bitten.

Recently, I got a nasty tick bite and knew that I needed to get that tick tested. The excellent laboratory in Palo Alto had closed. What to do?

I contacted the most reliable resource that I knew about: The Bay Area Lyme Foundation. With their own reputable reputation, I was confident when their Development Programs Manager was able to refer me to TICKNOLOGY, a Colorado based laboratory. This lab test also detects the presence, or absence of other pathogens that can be transmitted in a tick bite. I am happy to report that my tick was clear of all those dangerous pathogens. The results were returned promptly, in a clearly readable form, at a cost of $35.

The lab contact is Heather Szerlong, PhD, at 1612 Laport Ave. Unit 9, Fort Collins, CO 80521. The phone is (970) 305-5587.

Want to know more about ticks and Lyme Disease? The April 22-23 Wildflower Show at the Fairgrounds will have free literature available. The Bay Area Lyme Foundation has generously supplied materials for your education. See you there?!

Beverly Dutra 

Philo

HOLA, CARRIE SHATTUCK!

Hi, Carrie Shattuck, 1st District Supervisor candidate. Thank you for introducing yourself in the AVA with your letter on April 12th.

I have a quick question:

Have you been out to Covelo ever?

My Supervisor is Hashack. But good luck in the elections coming up! Thanks for participating in public service.

Ginny Chichester

Covelo

CARRIE SHATTUCK REPLIES:

Hi, Ginny Chichester,

I have been to the beautiful valley of Covelo and attended the Blackberry Festival, quite a few years ago. I ran into John Pinches, my brother-in-law and Supervisor, at the time, making his usual appearances at the local functions, wanting to hear the concerns of the community.

Recently someone commented here that we needed John for his budget knowledge. He has offered to share his budget knowledge with me, as soon as he is no longer snowed in. I am very much looking forward to absorbing all the years of budget knowledge I can get. I have the 2022-23 budget book, all 661 pages, and have been studying it.

I watched and learned from John what it takes to be a good Supervisor. It’s about the People, the ones who really drive the county.

People not Politics

Carrie Shattuck, 707-489-5178, votecarrie2024@gmail.com, Ukiah

PG&E SCREWS RATEPAYERS

Editor,

If a person was to examine the decisions of the California Public Utilities Commission over the past decade you would conclude that the CPUC was a wholly owned lobbying subsidiary of PG&E.

It was designed to protect the ratepayers from price gouging. So, why do you allow the president of PG&E to have a compensation of $52 million per year? That’s $1 million per week or $200,000 per day. The average ratepayer works all year for what this person makes in one morning.

Why should PG&E customers have to pay an extra $50 million just to pay one person?

The answer to any rate increase request should be “Take it out of executive compensation. When your pay scale is $1 million or less per year we'll talk.”

Unfortunately, the CPUC voting record gives me very little hope that change will ever happen. The rape payers (sic) will continue to pay and PG&E will celebrate every rate increase with bonuses for its execs.

Sadly,

Dr. Don Phillips

Manchester

NOT NOW

Editor: 

While families in our area are struggling with rising costs for food and trying to provide healthy meals for their children, extremist Republicans in Washington are proposing massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — the key program helping millions put food on the table.

Republicans have introduced legislation that, for the first time, would subject parents or grandparents with children 7 years or older to a harsh time limit of three months of SNAP benefits if they cannot meet burdensome work requirements. Right now, adults with any minor child are exempt. To put it clearly — these proposals would take food away from hungry children. If this legislation passes, 4 million children would see a massive reduction in their food assistance.

SNAP is one of the strongest tools our nation has to combat hunger. Our elected leaders should be strengthening SNAP benefits and protecting them against attacks, not doing the opposite. Our families are counting on our members of Congress to stand up against these attacks and protect SNAP.

Allan Jones

Cotati

THE OTHER BRAGG

Editor: 

I vote to change Fort Bragg in Northern California to Fort Bragg. Let’s honor Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, not Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. And save a bazillion in new stationery.

Suzi Long

Fort Bragg

ALL DAY EVERY DAY

Editor: 

I enjoy watching the news with my morning coffee and a quick catch up in the evening. Recently, however, every channel has been colonized by Donald Trump. I am admittedly partisan: to fact, science, dignity and respect for my nation’s institutions. I cannot think of a person who has done more to erode them all than this man who now apparently commands all airtime, to the exclusion of discussions we should be having if we hope to survive as a nation and species.

Storms, fires and floods are devastating communities everywhere, but I’ve yet to hear a single policy discussion or plan on TV to reduce atmospheric carbon. Even if we manage the goals of the Paris accords, climate distress will not change. Until we draw down carbon in the atmosphere, these traumatic events will continue. Next to this, Trump’s indictment is insignificant.

The search for profit has transformed information into sensational stories and he said/she said opinions. The networks’ search for cash and dominance mirror Trump’s concerns, and so he wins by feeding Trumpism to his base from every news venue. There’s news we may want, which we have much of, but there is too little of the news we need. Time to start reading again.

Peter Coyote

Sebastopol

RAPID RESPONSE MENTAL HEALTH UNIT

Editor,

What happened in the Old National Bank in Louisville on Monday (“Louisville shooter livestreamed attack”) might have been prevented, if Kentucky had a better supported mental health system. Even though the Louisville police acted with the fastest possible response (two officers confronted the shooter in less than three minutes after the 9-1-1 call), the AR-15 assault gun that was used could have been taken away from the shooter had such a red flag law been in place and if the police had known the shooter, Connor Sturgeon, was suicidal. Sturgeon “legally” bought the assault rifle on April 4 at a Louisville gun shop. The investigation is ongoing, yet Sturgeon was a bank employee. What was lacking before Monday was a psych response unit composed of professionally trained police officers, accompanied also with volunteer mental health counselors. Also, with some citizens ready to act on any leads or information from family or friends that someone is having a mental crisis.

Now five are no longer alive and officer Nicholas Wilt, 26, required brain surgery yesterday. He was on only his fourth shift and may die in the University of Louisville Hospital ICU. Pray for him.

Frank Baumgardner

Santa Rosa

REPARATIONS, HOW TO

Editor: 

I can’t remember who wrote about giving up to $800 billion to people of color in California as reparations for past discrimination and suffering, but it seems it would take too long for most who qualify. It got me thinking about how to get something done faster. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

― Free K-12 and college tuition and books paid by the state.

― Return all lands seized by the state.

― End redlining.

― Guarantee equal pay and job benefits, across the board.

― Relax credit requirements for property purchases.

― Guarantee 7% interest rates on credit cards.

― Guarantee halved interest rates on home and property purchases.

― Reduced taxes on property for some extended period, perhaps two to three generations.

Many of these actions should also be taken for Native Americans and Hispanic American citizens.

Bart Burg

Guerneville

CHAMBERS ERUPT

To the Editor:

This afternoon, I watched with sadness the eruption of anger and frustration directed at Auditor-Controller Chamise Cubbison by the Board of Supervisors during their budget hearings.

It was towards the end of the meeting at approximately 4:30pm. 

Their feelings were understandable.

My question is this: Why doesn't each county department have something like an advanced version of a QuickBooks set-up?

Why?

My other question is: Why doesn't the county use ERP software? 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is widely available. A lot of it is cloud computing. 

Off the shelf ERP is available at SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Vena, DELMIAWorks, Tipalti, Phocas Software, Multiview, DataSnipper, Budgyt, Spreadsheet Server, and other vendors.

The Board of Supervisors needs to direct the county's IT department build out a "future-proof" platform that is a single data model with flexible deployments and streamlined integrations.

Shared data and cross-team workflows should make collaboration seamless. AI-powered automation should drive efficiency.

It's 2023, for God's sakes. This platform is possible.

The platform also needs to have the capacity for real-time insights built into it. The Board of Supervisors and the CEO both the information they need anytime, anywhere, on any device.

The platform will help improve day-to-day operations with 24/7 access to government business tools and functions.

Come on, guys! It's time for county accounting to come into the 21st century.

John Sakowicz

Ukiah