- Corrected
- Save Us From Ourselves
- L.A. Fire Lessons
- Save The Damn Dams
- Don’t Blame Green Energy
- An ‘Orange’ Section
- Inconsiderate People
- Tour De Chaos
CORRECTED
Editor:
Thousands of retirees who had worked, however briefly, as postal employees, teachers and police were deprived of some Social Security benefits no matter how much they contributed to the Social Security Administration. The government claimed this would be double-dipping.
Recently the windfall elimination provision was passed by bipartisan votes in both houses of Congress although some Republicans in the House and Senate voted against this provision, claiming Social Security would be insolvent without an infusion of $200 billion by 2035.
To date, the U.S. government has invested $175 billion in support of the war in Ukraine, and the citizens of America receive no benefit whatsoever from this investment. And yet a percentage of Republican legislators would not support a bill that would dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands of Americans? Dwight Eisenhower warned us of the perils of the military-industrial complex, and evidently a percentage of Republican legislators did not get the memo.
Richard Cardiff
Sebastopol
SAVE US FROM OURSELVES
Editor:
Lots of folks are fed up with government regulations. Easy to understand why. But many regulations chafe us because they’re deliberately underfunded, leading to long lines and inefficiency. The corporate sector detests the regulatory power of government — the only institution capable of controlling them — but those regulations shelter us from pollution, unfair wages, fake medicines, unsafe products and environmental rape. They cost a few cents on the dollar, but since corporations own our airwaves we are constantly exposed to conservative opinions skillfully translating our impatience with government services into resentment of government itself.
Most folks continue to suffer without affordable day care, health care or living wages on a nose-diving planet, but enough drank Donald Trump’s Kool-Aid to facilitate his obliteration of our safeguards as president. While our attention is deflected, Trump proposes an accused predator to run the Justice Department, a reputed drunk to run the Pentagon and a Vladimir Putin fan for intelligence chief, and trumpets Bitcoin (which he once described as a scam) while promising to weaken any regulations disciplining them.
Rather than understanding the power of the wealthy corrupting our political system to their advantage, and instead of altering that system to protect ourselves, we believe the people fleecing us. This will not end well.
Peter Coyote
Sebastopol
L.A. FIRE LESSONS
Editor:
First, climate change has made historical staffing levels of professional firefighters inadequate to protect residential structures. Second, fire-flow provisions of residential water supplies may be inadequate to deal with wildfires.
The first lesson may encourage unprofessional firefighting by residents disregarding traditional evacuation procedures. But increased supplies of firefighting water should be prioritized above increased numbers of firefighters, because more firefighters will simply hasten exhaustion of existing water supplies.
Increased water storage is the first of two measures necessary to increase availability of water for firefighting. Less obvious is the need for larger diameter water mains to convey water quickly to fires from storage locations. Additional water mains are the usual means of increasing flow capacity. Constructing a new water supply exclusively for fire hydrants would be an alternative to providing additional piping to the drinking water supply historically connected to hydrants. Treatment and storage facilities required for drinking would be unnecessary for water used exclusively for firefighting.
In Sonoma County, elevated impoundments like Lake Ilsanjo could be used as water storage for firefighting, and flow in these hydrant water mains could be reversed to pump treated wastewater when precipitation fails to sustain lake levels.
Albert Wellman
Santa Rosa
SAVE THE DAMN DAMS
To the County Supervisors, Local Media and General Public:
The proposal to remove the Potter Valley water project dams is one of the most misguided ideas of our time. These dams, which divert water from the Eel River through the Potter Valley tunnel to the Russian River, have provided immense benefits to millions of people, protected communities from devastating floods, and turned arid lands into thriving agricultural hubs. Removing them would undo more than a century of progress.
When these dams were originally constructed, their primary purpose was flood control for the Eel and Russian River regions. Before their installation, seasonal floods caused widespread destruction in villages and towns near Humboldt Bay. Over time, these dams not only mitigated flooding but also created valuable reservoirs, including Lake Pillsbury and Lake Mendocino, which support communities, agriculture, and ecosystems.
Today, over 7 million people depend on this water supply for drinking, farming, and irrigation. The water has transformed the region, enabling the cultivation of grapes, fruit, vegetables, and other crops in Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties—areas now renowned for world-class wine production. Without this reliable water source, these agricultural industries would collapse, taking with them the livelihoods of countless farmers, workers and the general public.
The broader impact of dam removal:
Removing these dams would have disastrous consequences:
- Property Values:
- Homes and properties near lakes and rivers would lose 40-50 percent of their value.
- Wells, currently shallow and reliable, would need to be re-drilled at a prohibitive cost of $1,000 per foot.
- Flooding Risks:
- Without the dams, flooding will return to the Humboldt Bay and Eel River areas, putting homes, infrastructure, and lives at risk. Who will be responsible?
- Agriculture:
- Farmers currently pay around $20 per acre-foot of water. Without the project, irrigation costs could skyrocket to $100-$200 per acre-foot, forcing many out of business.
- Economic Losses:
- Lower property values and diminished agriculture will devastate local economies and strain county budgets, including funding for reassessing properties. Where will we get the money for this?
Environmental misconceptions
Some argue that the dams are harming salmon populations, but the reality is more complex. The decline of the salmon industry began in the late 80’s and 90’s, due to international overfishing practices, not because of the Potter Valley project. In fact, the dams have coexisted with sustainable salmon runs for most of the century.
A better solution
Rather than dismantling these vital dams, we should focus on preserving and enhancing the water project. PG&E, which has operated the project for years, plays a critical role in the region’s infrastructure. If maintaining the project is financially challenging for PG&E, a small surcharge—just $1 per month—on water bills in the affected areas could generate $12 million annually to sustain operations.
Additionally, as a gesture of fairness, Lake Pillsbury and surrounding government-owned shoreline could be deeded to Native American tribes for housing, recreation, and cultural development. In exchange, tribes could manage and maintain the lake and dams, preserving this essential resource for future generations.
Let’s build, not destroy
At a time when water shortages are growing more severe, removing dams is counterproductive. Instead, we should focus on increasing water storage capacity. For instance, raising the height of Lake Mendocino’s dam by just 10 feet would double its storage capacity. We need forward-thinking solutions that address our water needs, not short-sighted actions that harm our communities.
In closing, I urge you to consider the following questions:
- Who will pay for the removal of these dams, and who will profit from the process?
- Who will be held accountable for the flooding and property damage that will inevitably follow?
- Why has Lake County, home to Lake Pillsbury, been excluded from many of these discussions?
Rather than dismantling critical infrastructure, let’s work together to preserve it. The Potter Valley water project has served us well for over 100 years. Let’s ensure it continues to benefit our communities for generations to come.
Phillip Ed Nickerman
Potter Valley
DON’T BLAME GREEN ENERGY
Editor:
The Legislative Analyst’s Office just published a report on California’s steep electricity rates. Not surprisingly, the three investor-owned utilities — PG&E, San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison — top the list of the highest rates. And not surprisingly, the report blames California’s green energy policies for a lot of the costs.
Looking more carefully at the report, however, we find that the investor-owned utilities “are overseen by corporate boards and, as such, have a responsibility to their shareholders to maximize their profits.” The report also points out that the utilities pay for “various other activities.” Let’s stop blaming green energy for our bills and take on the investor-owned utilities.
Paula Fogarty
Santa Rosa
AN ‘ORANGE’ SECTION
Editor:
Growing up in southern Marin our family subscribed the Independent Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle. The daily Chronicle’s sports section was printed on green newsprint, easily distinguished so it could be set aside, usually to line our trash bin. This worked well since no one in my family had much interest in sports, except the occasional reference to the Giants or the 49ers when doing well.
I propose news agencies adopt an orange section dedicated to everything and anything to do with Donald Trump. This way the goings-on would be confined and easily discarded for lack of interest or other emotions evoked by his oxygen-depleting screeds. I for one would welcome less news about him and fewer pictures of his smirks and snide and otherwise insincere facial expressions. Also, the orange section could include a daily sidebar of fact-checking and reality correcting data.
Richard S. Pierce
Santa Rosa
INCONSIDERATE PEOPLE
Editor:
What makes people so inconsiderate? Why do people think it’s acceptable to leave their shopping carts in a dedicated handicapped parking space or the grid area next to it?
Recently, my husband called out to a man doing just this in a Safeway parking lot: “Why are you leaving your cart there?” “It’s not hurting nobody now, is it?” returned the man. My husband replied that it would be a problem when a handicapped person wanted to park there. This remark was met with a grunt and a threatening, “You wanna make something of it, man?” A short shouting match continued, and finally I was able to drag my husband away. I grabbed the cart and herded my husband and it to the Safeway entrance.
I know my husband is right in calling the man out, but these days I think it’s a dangerous thing to do. Things could have come to a head with a gunshot, a stabbing or, at the least, coming back to find our tires flat and car keyed.
We should all remember there may come a time when we will need to use the handicapped spot. It’s sad we are living in such a graceless, selfish time.
Meredith Kinton
Healdsburg
TOUR DE CHAOS
Editor:
Watching the disaster in Los Angeles unfold, part larceny, mostly incompetence, reminds me of our local government. They don’t plan, they react.
The main things we worry about are water, electricity, money and quality of life. It doesn’t look like any of these concerns follow a plan. Housing: Build 100-unit tower with no parking in the vicinity. You can’t find a parking space with a Geiger counter. These will have multiple families living in each unit. No water, no infrastructure, no grocery store, but box checked. We are already experiencing planned power outages; PG&E is too busy plowing in power lines to increase output if they could.
To accommodate a few enthusiasts, let’s turn over half the road to bicycles. You’ll occasionally see a few guys ride by looking like Tour de France riders. Beyond that, nobody is using the lane. How about using that money to fix the potholes? Our roads are a disgrace.
Traffic is awful, importing poverty and crime isn’t helping at all. We have platoons of folks wandering around at night trying doors and cars, stealing tools and bikes. We are looking more and more like “a good try equals success” L.A.
David Haynes
Santa Rosa
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