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Opinion
There have been newspaper articles and much discussion at the Northshore town hall council meetings recently about approving some sort of tax to fund the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
I am wondering why no one is asking where the money is that Lake County is saving every month by not paying the 56 deputies that the sheriff’s department is short.
I estimate there is somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000 that is not being spent each month on deputy salaries and benefits.
Where is this money? Why can’t the county use these funds to help pay the high health care costs that are supposedly keeping candidates away from our county? Why can’t these funds be used to raise wages and hire 25 new recruits instead of the full staff of 56?
I believe the money is already available to make some changes and I am not willing to ask a population already struggling financially to pay additional taxes when there are unanswered questions about the funds that are budgeted and not being spent for a full staff of deputies.
Instead of looking at ways to reach into the pockets of residents, how about requiring our county officials to find ways to solve the sheriff’s department problem with the funds they have available and are not using?
Finally, if our surrounding counties are able to supply affordable health care for their sheriff’s deputies, why is it so difficult for Lake County to shop and secure affordable health care coverage?
Dan De Bonis lives in Lucerne, Calif.
I am wondering why no one is asking where the money is that Lake County is saving every month by not paying the 56 deputies that the sheriff’s department is short.
I estimate there is somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000 that is not being spent each month on deputy salaries and benefits.
Where is this money? Why can’t the county use these funds to help pay the high health care costs that are supposedly keeping candidates away from our county? Why can’t these funds be used to raise wages and hire 25 new recruits instead of the full staff of 56?
I believe the money is already available to make some changes and I am not willing to ask a population already struggling financially to pay additional taxes when there are unanswered questions about the funds that are budgeted and not being spent for a full staff of deputies.
Instead of looking at ways to reach into the pockets of residents, how about requiring our county officials to find ways to solve the sheriff’s department problem with the funds they have available and are not using?
Finally, if our surrounding counties are able to supply affordable health care for their sheriff’s deputies, why is it so difficult for Lake County to shop and secure affordable health care coverage?
Dan De Bonis lives in Lucerne, Calif.
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- Written by: Dan De Bonis
Its disappointing that our local chamber doesn’t move their fishing tournament scheduled for this weekend to a date that our lake isn’t at flood stage.
We lakefront property owners deserve more than this.
Really, assuming out-of-area fishermen in a competitive tournament fishing for money don’t respect or follow rules like max 5 mile per hour speed limits, while on the lake.
Boat wakes and wakes from winds do major damage to many of us lakefront properties.
Rick Gunier lives in Jago Bay near Lower Lake, Calif.
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- Written by: Rick Gunier
I took a Democratic Party online poll the other day. One of the questions asked me to check the boxes for the three issues that are the most important to me.
I was surprised and disappointed to see that "halting our endless wars" was not one of the choices. "Fighting terror" was.
What happened to the Democratic Party that it drags its feet on such issues as opposing war, single payer health care or a Green New Deal?
The answer, of course, is corporate donations from weapons manufacturers, drug and insurance companies, and oil companies.
These corporate donations have undermined our political system and blocked positive change for so long. That's why we are having the progressive political revolution that we are having.
Take our congressman, for instance. He's not necessarily on the wrong side of these issues, but he isn't working for them with any deliberate energy. Instead he works on explosive container protocol bills, tax breaks for wineries and post office name changes.
There was a time when Democrats had control of the executive branch and both houses of Congress, but because their collective donors prevented them from prosecuting Wall Street fraudsters, getting us out of Afghanistan or doing anything significant about massive inequality, they rapidly lost traction.
Establishment politicians don't change much, and what they do change, they change incrementally over a period of decades.
We need real change now. We don't have time for political football games. And we have these problems at every level.
Please consider running for office. Any office. City council, supervisor, school board. We, the people, ARE the change we've been waiting for. I'm doing it. Won't you do it with me?
Jason Kishineff is a Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s District 5. He lives in American Canyon, Calif.
I was surprised and disappointed to see that "halting our endless wars" was not one of the choices. "Fighting terror" was.
What happened to the Democratic Party that it drags its feet on such issues as opposing war, single payer health care or a Green New Deal?
The answer, of course, is corporate donations from weapons manufacturers, drug and insurance companies, and oil companies.
These corporate donations have undermined our political system and blocked positive change for so long. That's why we are having the progressive political revolution that we are having.
Take our congressman, for instance. He's not necessarily on the wrong side of these issues, but he isn't working for them with any deliberate energy. Instead he works on explosive container protocol bills, tax breaks for wineries and post office name changes.
There was a time when Democrats had control of the executive branch and both houses of Congress, but because their collective donors prevented them from prosecuting Wall Street fraudsters, getting us out of Afghanistan or doing anything significant about massive inequality, they rapidly lost traction.
Establishment politicians don't change much, and what they do change, they change incrementally over a period of decades.
We need real change now. We don't have time for political football games. And we have these problems at every level.
Please consider running for office. Any office. City council, supervisor, school board. We, the people, ARE the change we've been waiting for. I'm doing it. Won't you do it with me?
Jason Kishineff is a Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s District 5. He lives in American Canyon, Calif.
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- Written by: Jason Kishineff
I am wondering why there is such an aggressive attitude towards Pacific Gas and Electric after the horrific fires we have experienced.
Nothing I discuss is in any way questioning or attempting to minimize the terrible losses experienced by thousands of our Northern California neighbors as a result of these terrible wildfires.
I would like to define the causes of these wildfires in a manner that I believe most would not question. In simple terms these wildfires result from:
1) Forest lands, brush, in other words “fuel” that is dry and ready to ignite. This fuel is ready to burn for many reasons: drought years (an act of God), excessive density due to stopping or preventing the controlled fires and cutting that properly “manage” the forests (an act of government and those of us that want to live in the forest and want no fires or cutting), excessive dead trees due to infestation by beetles and other insects that prey on unmanaged forests and trees. Basically, both from weather extremes and lack of management the west has millions of acres of fuel waiting for wildfire.
2) Wind and low humidity. Most significant wildfires in northern or southern California occur when we have significant offshore winds (drying, blowing from land to sea). Low humidity, dry fuels waiting to burn, and gusty winds usually exceeding 50 mph create a perfect storm waiting for a spark. These winds and low humidity are typically agreed to be an act of God.
3) To be fair, I must acknowledge that many (almost half of our scientific community) believe that manmade climate change (aka global warming) has a significant influence on items 1 and 2 above. Climate change could be either a result of sun/natural activity (another act of God) or could be a result of our use of fossil fuels (aka driving a SUV). If this is a factor it could be God or us, but not PG&E.
4) When we have the conditions described in 1 and 2 we are vulnerable for a wildfire. The dry fuel and dry winds are just waiting for a spark to provide combustion. An elderly lady with improperly installed electrical components created a spark and caused the deadly Tubbs fire devastating parts of Santa Rosa. A failure on a trailer being towed by local citizens created a spark that caused the deadly Carr fire in Redding. An improperly installed spa resulted in a spark that caused the deadly Valley fire in Lake County. PG&E acknowledged that they had incidents with their power lines near Paradise that could have sparked the deadly Camp fire, the final judgement is not yet available. The lawyers are available. The point is that a spark from anywhere will start a wildfire when conditions as described in 1 and 2 exist.
As the facts show, the originator of the “spark” is not totally responsible for the devastation, others causing the volatile conditions share in the blame (e.g. God).
One could argue that someone or something will create a spark, sparks happen all the time, in most situations the spark (e.g. from your lawnmower) results in nothing, when the conditions are perfect (or terrible) the results are devastating.
The media and the lawyers (and our state) do not seem to isolate the lady who sparked the Tubbs fire or the trailer owners who sparked the Carr fire or the spa owner that sparked the Valley fire as being totally and intentionally responsible for death and calling them murderers (as they do PG&E). They do share some blame along with God and climate change, but we can all understand that the wildfires are complex with shared causes.
Why do we treat PG&E differently? Deep pockets? Or is it more complex? I have been a PG&E customer for 77 years, I only wish all companies I deal with have performed as well while providing critical services to all of us. Yes, I have called them on stormy nights to restore my power.
Breaking up, or breaking down PG&E will likely result in less safety, poorer service, and higher rates. Especially if our state government gets involved in managing these services. If we want to change something, let’s look at the PUC that directs utilities such as PG&E, improvement is needed there. PG&E is getting a bum rap.
Ed Calkins lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
Nothing I discuss is in any way questioning or attempting to minimize the terrible losses experienced by thousands of our Northern California neighbors as a result of these terrible wildfires.
I would like to define the causes of these wildfires in a manner that I believe most would not question. In simple terms these wildfires result from:
1) Forest lands, brush, in other words “fuel” that is dry and ready to ignite. This fuel is ready to burn for many reasons: drought years (an act of God), excessive density due to stopping or preventing the controlled fires and cutting that properly “manage” the forests (an act of government and those of us that want to live in the forest and want no fires or cutting), excessive dead trees due to infestation by beetles and other insects that prey on unmanaged forests and trees. Basically, both from weather extremes and lack of management the west has millions of acres of fuel waiting for wildfire.
2) Wind and low humidity. Most significant wildfires in northern or southern California occur when we have significant offshore winds (drying, blowing from land to sea). Low humidity, dry fuels waiting to burn, and gusty winds usually exceeding 50 mph create a perfect storm waiting for a spark. These winds and low humidity are typically agreed to be an act of God.
3) To be fair, I must acknowledge that many (almost half of our scientific community) believe that manmade climate change (aka global warming) has a significant influence on items 1 and 2 above. Climate change could be either a result of sun/natural activity (another act of God) or could be a result of our use of fossil fuels (aka driving a SUV). If this is a factor it could be God or us, but not PG&E.
4) When we have the conditions described in 1 and 2 we are vulnerable for a wildfire. The dry fuel and dry winds are just waiting for a spark to provide combustion. An elderly lady with improperly installed electrical components created a spark and caused the deadly Tubbs fire devastating parts of Santa Rosa. A failure on a trailer being towed by local citizens created a spark that caused the deadly Carr fire in Redding. An improperly installed spa resulted in a spark that caused the deadly Valley fire in Lake County. PG&E acknowledged that they had incidents with their power lines near Paradise that could have sparked the deadly Camp fire, the final judgement is not yet available. The lawyers are available. The point is that a spark from anywhere will start a wildfire when conditions as described in 1 and 2 exist.
As the facts show, the originator of the “spark” is not totally responsible for the devastation, others causing the volatile conditions share in the blame (e.g. God).
One could argue that someone or something will create a spark, sparks happen all the time, in most situations the spark (e.g. from your lawnmower) results in nothing, when the conditions are perfect (or terrible) the results are devastating.
The media and the lawyers (and our state) do not seem to isolate the lady who sparked the Tubbs fire or the trailer owners who sparked the Carr fire or the spa owner that sparked the Valley fire as being totally and intentionally responsible for death and calling them murderers (as they do PG&E). They do share some blame along with God and climate change, but we can all understand that the wildfires are complex with shared causes.
Why do we treat PG&E differently? Deep pockets? Or is it more complex? I have been a PG&E customer for 77 years, I only wish all companies I deal with have performed as well while providing critical services to all of us. Yes, I have called them on stormy nights to restore my power.
Breaking up, or breaking down PG&E will likely result in less safety, poorer service, and higher rates. Especially if our state government gets involved in managing these services. If we want to change something, let’s look at the PUC that directs utilities such as PG&E, improvement is needed there. PG&E is getting a bum rap.
Ed Calkins lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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- Written by: Ed Calkins