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Opinion
Citizens of Lake County: Beware of the secessionists among us! A small-but-vocal minority of states-rights libertarians are attempting to pack the county supervisors’ chambers on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with a cockamamie scheme to separate from the state of California and form their own state called Jefferson.
The state they’re proposing would be an impoverished rural backwater, lacking a major university, an international airport, a deep-water harbor or a city of any significance. During a previous failed effort, separatists in 1941 actually proposed Yreka as the capital of Jefferson. Have you ever been to Yreka? Yikes.
They hearken back to the good old days of the Civil War, when West Virginia became a state by first seceding from the union, then seceding from Virginia to rejoin the union.
And their example of West Virginia is actually an excellent case study in poverty, pollution, and poor health when a small, rural area cuts itself off from the larger, more prosperous, more functional state.
Compare West Virginia to the rest of the country now to see just how bad it could be for Lake County to exit California. Here are Quick Facts from the most recent census: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/54000.html .
Lake County already suffers from the dubious distinction of being the poorest county in the state of California. I care about my property value and you should too. We should be emphasizing our place at the heart of the prosperous Wine Country rather than considering joining the potato farmers to the north in a sentimentalized fantasy of bygone agrarian independence.
This entire State of Jefferson effort would be laughable if the secessionists didn’t take themselves so seriously. It’s little wonder that their propaganda is swaddled in half-truths and half-baked “patriotism.”
On Tuesday a small number of libertarian malcontents will swarm the supervisors chambers, shouting about taxes and the 10th Amendment. Remind them of West Virginia and maybe they’ll go away.
Nancy Harby lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Nancy Harby
For those folks who might not know Marc Hansen, he was a rock star! He and lifelong friend David Raitt were the front men of The Hansen & Raitt Band, a rock and roll-blues-funk band well known in Mendocino County and beyond.
But there was one thing that he was even better at than rockin' out, and that was being an amazing father.
I would like to introduce myself to those of you who do not know me, but if you knew Marc Hansen then most certainly you would already know of me. My name is Karissa, Marc Hansen is my pops, and I am trying to raise money to save his land … my land.
As many of you might know already, my dad Marc Hansen died in a car accident with his sister, my aunt, Elise Hansen, about an hour from my home on their way to visit me here in Oregon on Valentine's Day in 2012.
It wasn't an unfamiliar trip, for he drove that road at least five times per year to visit me, my husband and our four kids.
There was the black ice on the road and it caused my dad to lose control of his car and into oncoming traffic. That road is treacherous and takes at least one life every year.
I never thought in a million lifetimes that something like this would become part of my life story.
This was devastating for me and my family and honestly has been the hardest thing that I have had to go through.
But even harder and more unexpected was when the other party involved in the accident filed a claim against my father's estate for $275,000 for physical (a shattered knee and broken wrist) and emotional damages.
Through much negotiating I was able to get the amount down to $160,000 – $50,000 of which is to be paid out by my dad's car insurance, leaving his “estate” to provide the remaining $110,000.
Now my dad was a man who prided himself on living by simple means. He didn't have much in the way of “assets” that could satisfy the demands of the lawsuit.
What he did have though was his land. A little eight-acre slice of paradise along Mill Creek outside of Ukiah, Calif.
He always told me, “All you really need in order to live on this earth is a little piece of land,” and I have known the importance of that land since the time I could begin to know things.
Basically through the way of things, I was forced to put the property up for sale. I've been fighting this now for three years.
As hard as this has all been though, I had accepted the facts as they were and came to terms with selling the property.
It was originally listed at $250,000 and due to forces beyond my control it now sits at $190,000 and it is still not selling. Unfortunately the house is so old that there isn't even any recorded information on when it was built.
My dad was unable to keep up on the maintenance and it fell into disrepair around him. Due to this condition of the house, potential buyers are being faced with financing issues and so there my home still sits.
I'm starting to panic now because time runs out in May. May is when the case will be put on the court's calender for the judge to determine the outcome. Both of my lawyers have impressed upon me the importance of avoiding that forced sale scenario because I will lose and I will most certainly get nothing out of it.
This is a devastating reality for me. I always knew that the place would be there for me when the time was right, I mean my pops always told me that I am an “indigenous species to the canyon,” … I was born in that house. I always felt connected with it … I was even baptized in the creek.
In racking my brain, trying to figure out how to not lose out entirely on the land my dad made sure to be able to leave me, my thoughts went to this: “It would only take 1000 people to donate $100 each and that would save it.” The more I got to thinking about it, the more convinced I am that there are enough people out there who would support this cause.
So this is where I am at now, I am asking anyone who knew Marc Hansen, or any one else for that matter, for a little help to save my dad's land.
Anything would help and there are no words to express my gratitude to those of you who do donate to this cause.
With your donation I will send you a copy of Marc Hansen's studio album which he recorded in L.A. in the 1980s: "Rock N' Roll Is After You" on which lifelong friend Bonnie Raitt sings background vocals.
The fundraising page can be found at http://www.gofundme.com/helpsavemarchansen or by visiting www.gofundme.com and searching Marc Hansen.
Thank you for your support.
Karissa Carpenter lives in Southern Oregon.
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- Written by: Karissa Carpenter
Walter Cronkite said, “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”
I am writing this letter to express my concerns about the recent decisions of officials who are supposed to be dedicated to the well-being of this community.
I am grateful to the head librarian for his foresight and plan to give the library at least a one-year reprieve, but I am concerned about the long-term.
“What a school (community) thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels about education,” said Harold Howe.
As a retired teacher, I can only think that the supervisors have not had the opportunity to visit our Lakeport or Clearlake library.
At almost any time of day there are patrons of all ages, browsing the shelves, doing research, working on the computers, checking out books, books on CDs and films.
The library also offers talks on a variety of subjects throughout the year, many of them are interactive and well-attended. Story time and activities for children are favorites of young mothers.
Ray Bradbury, a well-known science fiction author, said, “I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”
I would ask the Board of Supervisors members to make libraries in Lake County a top priority for the educational health of this and future generations.
Michelle Gonzalez lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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- Written by: Michelle Gonzalez
As a resident of the city of Clearlake, I have seen the horrific things that marijuana can do to people, neighborhoods and the community at large.
Violent home invasion robberies, where people were injured and others were killed!
During harvest season, there is a stench that fills the air.
People with asthma have difficulty breathing, and others don’t let their children go outside during the harvest season.
Beautiful houses are rented out, for one purpose only ... to become an illegal grow house.
Most of these “renters” are from out of the area. They don’t care what condition they leave the house or neighborhood in. It's not their concern.
A deadly cocktail of chemicals is used for growing and leaches into the groundwater table.
Water is diverted from creeks and used for illegal grows, and our natural landscape is destroyed.
Guard dogs bark relentlessly, and gunfire can be heard throughout the day and night.
I, for one, am tired of this!
If you feel the same way about our city of Clearlake, please sign our online petition for a “zero tolerance” city of Clearlake.
The petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/clearlake-city-council-a-call-for-zero-tolerance-in-the-city-of-clearlake-ca?recruiter=60510860&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive .
Roger Kinney lives in Clearlake, Calif.
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- Written by: Roger Kinney