Letters 10/14/2024

• Mayor Peters Responds To Hit Piece
• Prop S — For The Albion Fire Department
• Either Or
• Rather Than Complain…
• All We Get…
• High Risk In The Hills
• Sorry, You Don't Qualify
• If The Stoners Can….
• The Last Straw
• Twin Evils
• Walz Out-Coached
• Where The West Ends

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MAYOR PETERS RESPONDS TO HIT PIECE

Editor,

Mr. Chris Hart, co-owner of the Skunk Train, has fully endorsed two of my opponents. That is his right. So we all know where this is coming from.

However, Mr. Hart, need I remind you we are meeting in mediation negotiations next week to try and resolve our differences out-of-court. I think we can both agree on that course of action. As a negotiating partner at the table during ongoing mediation, you don’t negotiate through the press. Ever. In most negotiations, there is language actually preventing either side from doing so. I’m surprised Mr. Hart, co-owner of the railroad, failed to realize this. In view of this fact, his team certainly doesn’t want to be negotiating in bad faith. His attack piece is an obvious political ad thinly veiled as an Op-Ed. Moreover, it is directed at a member of the upcoming mediation team. Namely me.

On behalf of the constituents I represent, it is better not to comment on Mr. Hart’s allegations through the media. I will be negotiating in good faith. I’ll respectfully decline any further comment on his misrepresentation of the candidates forum other than to suggest to readers that they should watch it for themselves if they haven’t already.

This town is not for sale.

Lindy Peters

Fort Bragg

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PROP S — FOR THE ALBION FIRE DEPARTMENT

Dear Albion and Little River neighbors;

Support Albion Fire District's new tax assessment

Our volunteer fire department needs our help. This election ballot includes Measure S, a $600 property tax measure that we need to pass to keep our fire and rescue service staffed, equipped and fully trained.

Our aging population and increased property and housing costs have reduced our pool of volunteers, requiring the need to hire rescuers/fire fighters in addition to our paid chief. Our volunteers are treasured and appreciated; it’s just that there are no longer enough of them to keep us safe.

In addition to the need to hire 2 or 3 staff to make up for this lack of sufficient volunteers, there have been big increases in equipment costs and training requirements. All this means our fire department needs a lot more funds than it did when we passed the last property tax assessment, now expiring, ten years ago.

Our lives and homes depend on the Albion-Little River Fire Department to protect us from fires and accidents. Let us show them our appreciation by funding them adequately. With the current tax ending, please vote in favor of this new and badly needed fire tax assessment: Yes on S!

Tom Wodetzki

Albion

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EITHER OR

Editor:

The Immigration Reform and Control Act, passed in 1986, prohibits employers from knowingly hiring workers who are in the United States illegally. To improve this law, require employers to submit proof of citizenship or other legal documentation to the most appropriate labor department(s). Unlike in 1986, employers would be held responsible with increasingly severe fines.

Employers might complain about the added bureaucracy, but they won’t complain out loud about not being able to exploit undocumented workers. Politicians will be denied a non-voting scapegoat. On a positive note, working class people may look around and see that the vast income inequality they experience has nothing to do with the working class battling each other for inadequate paying jobs. Some of the ultra rich bathing in their accumulated wealth might not like this.

Just as child labor laws protect children from joining the workforce too early in life, employer responsibility laws will help stop illegal immigration. So either truly hold employers accountable to only hire documented workers or stop complaining about illegal immigrants.

Bruce Loring

Santa Rosa

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RATHER THAN COMPLAIN…

Editor:

It has been seven years this month since the devastating fires, specifically Santa Rosa and Redwood Valley. The tragedy in Redwood Valley took the lives of my niece’s children, Kressa and Kai. They will never be forgotten — Kressa for her artistic flare, Kai for his love of baseball.

There are, however, good things that come out of tragedies. If it weren’t for the 2017 fires, we probably wouldn’t have increased awareness via the Nixle app, the Watch Duty app and others to help fend off fires before they get out of control.

For those complaining about PG&E’s public safety power shut-offs, we didn’t have those in 2017. If we had, it’s very possible my sister would not have lost her two grandchildren, and my niece would not have lost her only two children.

Rather than complaining, be thankful measures are being taken to avoid this type of devastation. Be thankful this type of tragedy didn’t happen to your family.

Jenifer Johnson

Santa Rosa

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ALL WE GET…

Editor:

Three months ago, Democrats were demanding that Kamala Harris be dumped from the Democrat ticket. Then Joe Biden imploded during his debate with Republican Donald Trump. Within weeks, Biden was convinced to pull his name from the ballot. Suddenly, Harris was no longer considered the word salad, inept, braying, frequent guest on television gabfests. She morphed into the savior of America. She was praised by the bought-and-sold liberal media, Hollywood dolts and other celebrities. These groups never challenged her. And many people who buy into the media were duped.

What are her ideas and policies to make America better? We don’t know. All we get from her is nonsensical tripe repeated over and over to different groups. No accepting responsibility for the failed border policy when she was in charge of it. Crime? Economy? Taxing corporations? Fracking? Every time she is asked a question, out comes the verbal mess punctuated by laughter and no answer. Now that she is a serious candidate and gets asked a question, her response starts with “I grew up in a middle-class family …” She won’t talk to the press unless they are part of her circle. What is she afraid of?

Anthony Morgan

Cotati

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HIGH RISK IN THE HILLS

Editor:

Despite the risk of catastrophic wildfires and blizzards and the lack of affordable insurance, it’s easy to understand why residents of the San Bernardino Mountains want to stay. What’s not easy is addressing the long-term sustainability of our housing choices in high-risk zones.

The San Bernardino Mountains aren’t alone in this dilemma — 446,000 more people moved in than out of the U.S. counties with the highest risk of wildfire in 2021 and 2022. The reality is that some of the most dangerous wildfires, heat waves, floods and droughts are found in some of the fastest-growing residential markets.

If we’re going to avoid a vicious and costly recovery and rebuilding cycle, we need to change our land use policies. One of our best tools is adopting the use of “sacrifice zones” — allowing state and local governments to pre-emptively limit or prohibit development in disaster-prone areas where human development has not yet occurred.

It may seem abstract, but it has worked — “urban growth boundaries” in places like Pitkin County, Colo., and Washington State and “conservation zones” in Hartford, Conn., and Shreveport, La., have protected communities from catastrophic loss, while ensuring that property values do not decline as a result of repeated devastation.

Giving current residents resources to rebuild and protect against future disasters is important, but continuing to build developments in high-risk areas and expecting a different outcome is misguided and dangerous.

It’s time we stop pretending we can outsmart nature. Sometimes nature tries to tell us, “You shouldn’t live here.” And, quite frankly, we should listen.

Jonathan Rosenbloom

Albany, New York

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SORRY, YOU DON'T QUALIFY

Editor:

“Corporate greed,” said the man ahead of me when he paid for groceries. Groceries? Try medications. For five years, I have taken Methotrexate for psoriasis — inflammation of the skin due to a poor autoimmune system. Thinking the medication may harm my kidneys and liver, the doctor suggested a Skyrizi injection. “I stay away from injections; I’ve heard they are expensive,” I said. “There are ways around the cost,” the doctor assured me.

Never have I asked for help, but I requested it, hoping to receive a discount. The pharmacy needed my OK to start sending it. When I called, only a machine asked questions, so I called my health insurer to ask about the cost. My illness increased when I heard: Each injection is $21,000. My co-pay: $3,257. Such abuse!

I receive my teacher pension, so I wasn’t surprised when a letter from AbbVie arrived: “Sir or Madam: Sorry! You don’t qualify for assistance” — No courtesy to address it to me. Double greed. But why is it allowed? We in the middle-income bracket don’t deserve a break? I’ll stay with the tablet. The man at the grocery store was right.

Yolanda Vera Martinez

Santa Rosa

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IF THE STONERS CAN….

Editor:

After reading about 7,000 participants at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds setting a world record for the most joints lit at once, I’m left wondering why it’s not OK to smoke a cigarette at any county-owned property yet it’s OK for 7,000 people to light up marijuana at this county-owned facility (“Santa Rosa cannabis festivalgoers set world record for most joints lit at one time,” pressdemocrat.com). This is from Sonoma County’s ordinance: “Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed areas owned, leased or operated by the county. Smoking shall be prohibited in all unenclosed areas owned by the county.”

Carole Galeazzi

Santa Rosa

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THE LAST STRAW

Editor:

I get that this is a country of changing demographics at every level: racial, economic and educational to name a few. We are increasingly dissatisfied. The country has experienced an unprecedented epidemic, countless, unending natural disasters and political unrest. People are afraid and tired. Many of us are beyond depressed at the choices at hand. Perhaps because of social media, and media in general, we don’t know whom to trust or what to believe in anymore. Now we face a national election for president and are trying to do the only thing left to us to do. Vote. And not necessarily with the confidence that we need and always thought would be there.

Thanks in large part to Donald Trump and his numerous conspiracy theories, family and friends are being lost. I don’t see how this can be happening. All else aside, we can’t hand over what’s left of our democracy to the likes of Donald Trump.

Judith Gage

Santa Rosa

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TWIN EVILS

Editor:

Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was a reckless action designed to provoke Iran and bring about the expanded war that Benjamin Netanyahu has wanted for years. Who benefits from this? Only two people: Netanyahu and Donald Trump.

Netanyahu wants an expanded war so undecided voters in the U.S. will vote for Trump in the mistaken belief that he will be able to resolve the conflict. In fact, a Trump presidency would make things even worse. Both Netanyahu and Trump are evil and desperate men willing to take us past the brink of world war to serve their own ambitions. And we Americans are the only people who can stop them.

Larry Hendel

Bodega Bay

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WALZ OUT-COACHED

To the Editor:

JD Vance won the vice-presidential debate on both substance and aesthetics. He was calm, pleasant and assured throughout. He showed an excellent grasp of policy, a quick mind, a good memory and a willingness to see other points of view and adapt.

Tim Walz, while congenial, often looked red-faced and bug-eyed as if he was about to blow a fuse. His cheerleader persona was apparent, but so was his befuddlement over the facts of his own history, the latest one being his false statements about being in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

One issue in assessing vice-presidential candidates is determining whether they are capable of taking over the top spot if necessary. Mr. Vance’s steady demeanor, level of energy and cleareyed grasp of issues showed him ready for this.

Mr. Walz looked little more ready than Kamala Harris was when she was elected Joe Biden’s vice president in 2020. We don’t need a cheerleader in chief; we need a commander in chief.

Mark Godburn

Norfolk, Connecticut

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WHERE THE WEST ENDS

Editor,

I want to pitch you about the book ‘Where the West Ends’ by Nancy Kay Webb (1944 -2023)

WestEndsBlurb

What Kind of Place (Book) is this Anyway? A narrative contemporary history woven into the history of the south coast of Mendocino - Garcia River and Pt. Arena region.

Aside from the fact the the writing is exquisite - the book deals with issues consistent with the general conditions of "Westerning" (a la Edward Abbey). Persistently and eloquently presented are the issues that face us all - regional history, resource use and development - agricultural and development conundrums, functions of a muiti-ethnic and multi-valued community, community building, and personal history in the midst of all this. And…this is all revealed in a most engaging way (Fascinating and engaging).

Good writing and good exposition of history and the local story. Check out some writing samples - attached. Her writing is just so good and she is so present in the book. I lot of story and history that you just don't know. You will find the book fascinating. The politics, social, and land use issues are rife.

Also included: depiction/discussion of the requisite actions leading to the recovery of the Garcia River. (BTW the Garcia is exhibiting very strong recovery of fisheries (chinook, coho, pink salmon and steelhead trout)and is one of the only rivers in the State showing such robust recovery.

Those who pick this book up, can not put it down. You may think you know the stories. You don't.

The book sells for $27 delivered from me - or on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and BookBaby (Book store) also available in e-book for $5.

I think you will like this book about the Pt. Arena region. The story is fascinating - the development of the region around Pt. Arena and the Garcia River. A Contemporary history of Pt. Arena and the south coast woven into what went on before - from the beginning of time.

Alan Levine

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What Kind Of Place Is This Anyway?

Where the West Ends is story of place: The Garcia River and the City of Point Arena - a narrative history of the region and its inhabitants, past and present (from the Spanish Land Grants and early settlers, including those where here before us - to present) - told from a historical and personal point of view. This book explores views on land use - logging, agriculture, community, and how to restore a river (conditions and actions precedent to initiation of the recovery of the Garcia River).

The writing and research in this book is impeccable.

Nancy Kay was passionate about the Northern California coast and Point Arena in particular. Her book, Where the West Ends, is a compilation of geology, geography, history and personal experiences in and around Point Arena.

Nancy Kay's voice lives on in her meticulously researched and referenced book, one that is unique to the literature about Northern California. She writes about native populations, newcomers, and folks brought to life by real court records from the Point Arena Court House. She explores the use and misuse of rivers and fishing, redwoods and timber, farmers and land use. Nancy Kay speaks of community, while telling stories of place, both historical and contemporary. Her own life experiences bring the book to life, even as she explores relevant topics related to the Northern California coast.

The book is available from me, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookBaby https://store.bookbaby.com/book/where-the-west-ends,

Here is the opening:

CHAPTER ONE

What Kind Of Place Is This Anyway?

The hazards are in the place, woven right into the place itself, so we learn to measure security like this: What a fine day! No storm ripped up my roof, no fox ate my hens, no temblor shattered my windows.

The menace is in the place, elemental, but the menace doesn't reign alone. Its consort is raw beauty. A complicated duality of place. Unapproachable, the Redwood Coast beckons. Inhospitable, it invites. Attractive, it forbids. Exotic/provincial. Bounteous/closefisted. Binary compounds, matched pairs.

A splendid, eye-opening landscape, built of faults, folds, and fog, piles out of the ocean, straight up and out of the ocean floor to be scored, grooved, chiseled, trenched, and gouged by the dozens upon dozens of watercourses perpetually draining the high ground, freshets gushing past boulders and ferns and dark, wind-bent pines on their way to a white and green sea.

The Redwood Coast, shouldered between the wide Pacific Ocean and the low, rounded mountain peaks and ridges known collectively as the Coast Ranges, is raw, new land, land not altogether settled or ready for domestication. To the north, the Gorda Plate cleaves to the North American Plate in an implacable, rock-crushing embrace. In the south and west, the Pacific Plate grinds past the North American Plate. Two hundred miles in fifteen-million years, pushing towards the northwest in sudden, violent lunges.