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Opinion
I have been pondering how society unravels the chaos between school board members and the community going forward.
A method that comes to mind to help repair the fragmented relationship between community and public schools is engaging as collaborative team members which includes mutual respect and understanding the responsibilities that each of us holds for setting a better example to our future generation.
Another action to assist the relationship between the public and school board members is moving past one-sided personal agendas by the general public and choosing to honor diversity which sets a tone for being all-inclusive to everyone involved thus helping students succeed during their formative educational years.
Growing knowledge about the job description for school board members reduces confusion for what these elected positions are tasked with.
Remembering this body of individuals are held to certain parameters set by higher elected overseers will lessen demands for them to make decisions about policy they don’t have the authority to bring into action.
With a behavior and mindset shift toward partnership, a path toward cohesiveness will begin.
Bringing suggestions to the table is welcomed and encouraged which creates food for thought so positive growth happens ultimately resulting in a firm foundation for students to thrive. As adults, methods such as this sets a good role model for students who look to us as guides when presented with challenges.
Life can be hard, having a guide to help navigate the way eases some of the burden for developing minds.
Currently the Middletown Unified School District has school board positions to be filled through a district vote.
Charise Reynolds is a candidate on the ballot. I have taken the opportunity to talk with Charise and read her résumé. All the boxes have been checked for qualities and qualifications needed. Electing her will fulfill a needed presence for having someone to co-partner with other board members; school staff; parents; students and the community at large thus creating much needed unity within the education system.
Charise shared the following thoughts with me for why she wants to be part of the MUSD school board.
“I just want unity. I want parents, school staff and board members to be able to express themselves in a manner that invites collaboration and understanding. I also want to bring back that same level of caring, kindness, and community that we had after the Valley Fire. I want all parents to feel heard; I want all staff to feel appreciated; and, I want all students to feel safe, welcome, and represented. That’s what I want for our district.”
Charise has the support of many in the community as well as receiving endorsements from the following people who feel she will work hard and diligently as an MUSD school board member.
Anna Ravenwoode, schoolteacher, LCOE Board Member Lake County Office of Education (Area 5) Kelseyville.
Cecilia Aguilar-Curry, State Assembly member, District 4.
Doug Harris, trustee, Board Area 7 Yuba Community College District.
Jessica Pyska, Lake County District 5 supervisor.
I too have faith in who Charise is not only as an upstanding citizen in Lake County but also as someone who will bring continuity, commitment and knowledge needed to hold a seat on the school board.
My grandchild will enter school in several years. As a grandparent, Charise is someone I want looking out for the best interests of not only my grandchild but all students in the MUSD sector.
Darlene Holzapple lives in Clearlake, California.
A method that comes to mind to help repair the fragmented relationship between community and public schools is engaging as collaborative team members which includes mutual respect and understanding the responsibilities that each of us holds for setting a better example to our future generation.
Another action to assist the relationship between the public and school board members is moving past one-sided personal agendas by the general public and choosing to honor diversity which sets a tone for being all-inclusive to everyone involved thus helping students succeed during their formative educational years.
Growing knowledge about the job description for school board members reduces confusion for what these elected positions are tasked with.
Remembering this body of individuals are held to certain parameters set by higher elected overseers will lessen demands for them to make decisions about policy they don’t have the authority to bring into action.
With a behavior and mindset shift toward partnership, a path toward cohesiveness will begin.
Bringing suggestions to the table is welcomed and encouraged which creates food for thought so positive growth happens ultimately resulting in a firm foundation for students to thrive. As adults, methods such as this sets a good role model for students who look to us as guides when presented with challenges.
Life can be hard, having a guide to help navigate the way eases some of the burden for developing minds.
Currently the Middletown Unified School District has school board positions to be filled through a district vote.
Charise Reynolds is a candidate on the ballot. I have taken the opportunity to talk with Charise and read her résumé. All the boxes have been checked for qualities and qualifications needed. Electing her will fulfill a needed presence for having someone to co-partner with other board members; school staff; parents; students and the community at large thus creating much needed unity within the education system.
Charise shared the following thoughts with me for why she wants to be part of the MUSD school board.
“I just want unity. I want parents, school staff and board members to be able to express themselves in a manner that invites collaboration and understanding. I also want to bring back that same level of caring, kindness, and community that we had after the Valley Fire. I want all parents to feel heard; I want all staff to feel appreciated; and, I want all students to feel safe, welcome, and represented. That’s what I want for our district.”
Charise has the support of many in the community as well as receiving endorsements from the following people who feel she will work hard and diligently as an MUSD school board member.
Anna Ravenwoode, schoolteacher, LCOE Board Member Lake County Office of Education (Area 5) Kelseyville.
Cecilia Aguilar-Curry, State Assembly member, District 4.
Doug Harris, trustee, Board Area 7 Yuba Community College District.
Jessica Pyska, Lake County District 5 supervisor.
I too have faith in who Charise is not only as an upstanding citizen in Lake County but also as someone who will bring continuity, commitment and knowledge needed to hold a seat on the school board.
My grandchild will enter school in several years. As a grandparent, Charise is someone I want looking out for the best interests of not only my grandchild but all students in the MUSD sector.
Darlene Holzapple lives in Clearlake, California.
- Details
- Written by: Darlene Holzapple
What's going on at the District Attorney's Office? I ask this as the wife of the former DA, Don Anderson. Though we met at the end of his second term, I have learned much about
the selfless man I married, and the righteous way he conducts his life and career.
There seems to be a small "clique" of attorneys, led by Rachel Abelson, that have been casting generalized accusations of Don's "unethical" and “incompetent” behavior without even giving as much as one example! If you saw something unethical, shouldn't you have said something? Unethical behavior from any co-worker, including your boss, does not bode well for your own ethics if you did not have the fortitude to discuss it or bring it up with him. Only when he endorsed the opponent did any issue of ethics suspiciously arise.
How do you even find time to be commenting on anything about a DA from four years ago? This must make voters ask why. Why comment on a former DA instead of touting your own record of successes? That seems to be a classic diversion technique of many politicians who have no glowing record of their own. Your record on crime, successful trials and combating human trafficking are issues that should be on the forefront of your mind and campaign!
Rachel, you may find personal satisfaction in trying to slay Don's reputation, but how does Don’s winning California’s Prosecutor of the Year substantiate your claim of incompetence? Don has not only won every case he ever prosecuted, but he has also won every jury trial against the current DA’s tenure. Is this incompetence? Many cases the current office brought to trial proved to be a waste of taxpayer money. Where does the incompetence really rest?
So now it's election time. We voters see through deflecting, which is never a good look. I advise the "clique" to look in the mirror, not the rearview mirror, and start talking about what you've accomplished, if anything. We should hear plans for going forward to bring safety to our street and law and order to our communities. Good luck Anthony Farrington!
Lois Anderson lives in Lakeport, California.
the selfless man I married, and the righteous way he conducts his life and career.
There seems to be a small "clique" of attorneys, led by Rachel Abelson, that have been casting generalized accusations of Don's "unethical" and “incompetent” behavior without even giving as much as one example! If you saw something unethical, shouldn't you have said something? Unethical behavior from any co-worker, including your boss, does not bode well for your own ethics if you did not have the fortitude to discuss it or bring it up with him. Only when he endorsed the opponent did any issue of ethics suspiciously arise.
How do you even find time to be commenting on anything about a DA from four years ago? This must make voters ask why. Why comment on a former DA instead of touting your own record of successes? That seems to be a classic diversion technique of many politicians who have no glowing record of their own. Your record on crime, successful trials and combating human trafficking are issues that should be on the forefront of your mind and campaign!
Rachel, you may find personal satisfaction in trying to slay Don's reputation, but how does Don’s winning California’s Prosecutor of the Year substantiate your claim of incompetence? Don has not only won every case he ever prosecuted, but he has also won every jury trial against the current DA’s tenure. Is this incompetence? Many cases the current office brought to trial proved to be a waste of taxpayer money. Where does the incompetence really rest?
So now it's election time. We voters see through deflecting, which is never a good look. I advise the "clique" to look in the mirror, not the rearview mirror, and start talking about what you've accomplished, if anything. We should hear plans for going forward to bring safety to our street and law and order to our communities. Good luck Anthony Farrington!
Lois Anderson lives in Lakeport, California.
- Details
- Written by: Lois Anderson
I would like to start out by thanking our veterans. My grandfather was a World War II veteran in the Navy. He was stationed in the South Pacific. My grandmother lost two of her brothers who were on activity duty in World War II. My father-in-law is a Navy veteran and my husband is an Army veteran.
Susan Krones is not only my boss but she is also an Army veteran, coworker and friend since I began working in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
I’ve had the ability to repay our veterans by participating in the Lake County Veterans Court treatment team for many years as the representative for the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. While resources are thin, District Attorney Susan Krones and Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Hinchcliff have continued to allocate resources to make sure that we have a member of our office involved.
After I passed the State Bar on my first try I started looking for my first legal job. I grew up in the Bay Area. I started my legal career in Lake County under Gary Luck as a deputy district attorney. No one thought I would stay. I’ve never looked back. I have been here for over 20 years. I own a home here and I’ve been raising my family here.
Rich Hinchcliff has been my supervisor since he became the chief deputy. When he takes his rare vacations I often fill in on some of his duties such as putting out schedules and letting the court know what is going on with jury trials and long cause matters with the court. I’ve trained, supported and supervised less experienced lawyers in my office.
I love this county and I love my job which includes protecting the community and the victims of crimes. I’ve been nicknamed the “Hammer.” I’ve been known to do the most trials in the office.
Since 2017 I’ve not taken more than a couple of days off for vacation. With COVID and the changes in the law which has made protecting the community more difficult I have continued to work as hard as possible.
For the first time in my career I’m considering leaving my position and possibly the county.
Life and work was difficult under Don Anderson. I and others had Rich Hinchcliff to protect the office from Anderson’s immoral and incompetent actions. If Anthony Farrington is elected the employees of the District Attorney’s Office will not have the protection from a chief deputy who is as knowledgeable and moral as Rich Hinchcliff will not work for him. He won’t have the support and knowledge of Susan Krones or other senior deputy district attorneys. He is likely to have very few staff left to run the office.
Anthony Farrington does not have a good reputation in the local legal community for competence. He has been known to not be knowledgeable in the law and in legal procedures. In fact one of the few members who is endorsing him is Don Anderson, who has a similar reputation in the legal community.
Anthony Farrington has no idea how to handle a felony case. He has no idea how the criminal justice system works as evidenced by his speeches, website, and misleading political and paid-for fliers.
Anthony Farrington’s most recent letter to Lake County News has particularly aggravated the attorneys in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. He suggests law enforcement doesn’t support Susan Krones. The real issue is that many in law enforcement are afraid to support anyone out of fear of retaliation.
I’ve known Susan Krones for many years and she is not that type of person. I think the rest of us fear Anthony Farrington because he is not a true believer in the cause but a true believer in himself as a politician.
So as president of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office I’m proud to announce that I personally endorse Susan Krones as do senior deputy district attorneys Art Grothe, Ed Borg, Rich Watson, Nicholas Rotow and Neil Sachs.
This support is a majority of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office so I can officially announce the Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association supports Susan Krones.
She also has the support of deputy district attorneys who formerly worked with her, Trang Jensen and Sharon Lehrman. She also has the support of Cal Fire Captain Chris Vallerga Jr. and California Highway Patrol Officer Jeremy Jensen.
I personally handled the criminal case in which Antony Farrington was a victim and his stepfather was a defendant. We have a very awesome Victim Witness Division that works hard to help victims, assist them and keep them informed.
I didn’t use their assistance and instead spent my own time trying to explain to Mr. Farrington how the criminal justice system works and how fair a disposition his skilled attorney was offering. This case involved fraud with probate issues and was civilly resolved prior to resolution of the criminal case. This is a case that most district attorney’s offices would not have filed. This was a case that was handled appropriately.
What Mr. Farrington suggests in his most recent letter could only be made possible if we didn’t file 75% of the cases that we do. That is the only way that our statistics could look better. If he had any skill or knowledge like Susan Krones he would know that. Mr. Farrington’s case against his stepfather would never have been filed under his suggested guidelines.
He also has a client who wrote a letter in his support. Our office and Victim Witness went above and beyond to prosecute her offender. I also personally took on the misdemeanor case. In the end we had to dismiss charges as she was unwilling to testify (which I placed on the record in open court).
That case involved a family law restraining order and Mr. Farrington could have taken the offender to court to seek civil remedies yet he did not. Private attorneys usually require payment for services unlike attorney’s in the District Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Farrington is an excellent speaker. The problem is that he is either lying or is completely ignorant of how the judicial and criminal justice system works. The information that comes out of his mouth is laughable to those who do know how the system works.
Susan Krones is not a politician. Her heart is in it. Those of us who have worked with her have seen her fight the losing battle of getting better results after the passage of many laws that have made it difficult to protect our community.
She deserves your vote. Please vote for Susan Krones for district attorney.
Rachel Abelson is a senior deputy district attorney and president of the Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association. She lives in Kelseyville, California.
Susan Krones is not only my boss but she is also an Army veteran, coworker and friend since I began working in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
I’ve had the ability to repay our veterans by participating in the Lake County Veterans Court treatment team for many years as the representative for the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. While resources are thin, District Attorney Susan Krones and Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Hinchcliff have continued to allocate resources to make sure that we have a member of our office involved.
After I passed the State Bar on my first try I started looking for my first legal job. I grew up in the Bay Area. I started my legal career in Lake County under Gary Luck as a deputy district attorney. No one thought I would stay. I’ve never looked back. I have been here for over 20 years. I own a home here and I’ve been raising my family here.
Rich Hinchcliff has been my supervisor since he became the chief deputy. When he takes his rare vacations I often fill in on some of his duties such as putting out schedules and letting the court know what is going on with jury trials and long cause matters with the court. I’ve trained, supported and supervised less experienced lawyers in my office.
I love this county and I love my job which includes protecting the community and the victims of crimes. I’ve been nicknamed the “Hammer.” I’ve been known to do the most trials in the office.
Since 2017 I’ve not taken more than a couple of days off for vacation. With COVID and the changes in the law which has made protecting the community more difficult I have continued to work as hard as possible.
For the first time in my career I’m considering leaving my position and possibly the county.
Life and work was difficult under Don Anderson. I and others had Rich Hinchcliff to protect the office from Anderson’s immoral and incompetent actions. If Anthony Farrington is elected the employees of the District Attorney’s Office will not have the protection from a chief deputy who is as knowledgeable and moral as Rich Hinchcliff will not work for him. He won’t have the support and knowledge of Susan Krones or other senior deputy district attorneys. He is likely to have very few staff left to run the office.
Anthony Farrington does not have a good reputation in the local legal community for competence. He has been known to not be knowledgeable in the law and in legal procedures. In fact one of the few members who is endorsing him is Don Anderson, who has a similar reputation in the legal community.
Anthony Farrington has no idea how to handle a felony case. He has no idea how the criminal justice system works as evidenced by his speeches, website, and misleading political and paid-for fliers.
Anthony Farrington’s most recent letter to Lake County News has particularly aggravated the attorneys in the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. He suggests law enforcement doesn’t support Susan Krones. The real issue is that many in law enforcement are afraid to support anyone out of fear of retaliation.
I’ve known Susan Krones for many years and she is not that type of person. I think the rest of us fear Anthony Farrington because he is not a true believer in the cause but a true believer in himself as a politician.
So as president of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office I’m proud to announce that I personally endorse Susan Krones as do senior deputy district attorneys Art Grothe, Ed Borg, Rich Watson, Nicholas Rotow and Neil Sachs.
This support is a majority of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office so I can officially announce the Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association supports Susan Krones.
She also has the support of deputy district attorneys who formerly worked with her, Trang Jensen and Sharon Lehrman. She also has the support of Cal Fire Captain Chris Vallerga Jr. and California Highway Patrol Officer Jeremy Jensen.
I personally handled the criminal case in which Antony Farrington was a victim and his stepfather was a defendant. We have a very awesome Victim Witness Division that works hard to help victims, assist them and keep them informed.
I didn’t use their assistance and instead spent my own time trying to explain to Mr. Farrington how the criminal justice system works and how fair a disposition his skilled attorney was offering. This case involved fraud with probate issues and was civilly resolved prior to resolution of the criminal case. This is a case that most district attorney’s offices would not have filed. This was a case that was handled appropriately.
What Mr. Farrington suggests in his most recent letter could only be made possible if we didn’t file 75% of the cases that we do. That is the only way that our statistics could look better. If he had any skill or knowledge like Susan Krones he would know that. Mr. Farrington’s case against his stepfather would never have been filed under his suggested guidelines.
He also has a client who wrote a letter in his support. Our office and Victim Witness went above and beyond to prosecute her offender. I also personally took on the misdemeanor case. In the end we had to dismiss charges as she was unwilling to testify (which I placed on the record in open court).
That case involved a family law restraining order and Mr. Farrington could have taken the offender to court to seek civil remedies yet he did not. Private attorneys usually require payment for services unlike attorney’s in the District Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Farrington is an excellent speaker. The problem is that he is either lying or is completely ignorant of how the judicial and criminal justice system works. The information that comes out of his mouth is laughable to those who do know how the system works.
Susan Krones is not a politician. Her heart is in it. Those of us who have worked with her have seen her fight the losing battle of getting better results after the passage of many laws that have made it difficult to protect our community.
She deserves your vote. Please vote for Susan Krones for district attorney.
Rachel Abelson is a senior deputy district attorney and president of the Lake County Deputy District Attorneys Association. She lives in Kelseyville, California.
- Details
- Written by: Rachel Abelson
At a recent candidates forum, Tony Farrington finally had to truthfully answer the question that I have asked many times on behalf of Lake County citizens. When asked how many criminal law jury trials he has completed, he was finally cornered and had to answer truthfully, stating, “I have no criminal jury trials.” That is where Farrington’s truthfulness ends.
In the beginning of this campaign, I made several predictions as to his behavior and tactics. He did not let me down.
He has pulled out the stop and utilized every slick politician trick in the book, including posturing, taking credit for the work of others, whining, playing the victim when the truth was told about him and projecting his own serious inadequacies by minimizing the worth of others.
He minimizes endorsements received by Susan Krones and fails to own up to seeking those very endorsements himself (such as Mike Thompson, our senator Mike McGuire, retired judges, past and present supervisors, to name just a few).
Oh, and let’s not forget being in a parade with a grown man dressed as Batman to help him hand out candy along with his false campaign promises. Maybe Batman can come help Boy Wonder with his first jury trial.
Farrington has gone so far as to capitalize on the military service of his family members in his own weak attempt to try and give the perception that he is on the same level as Susan Krones, a true Army veteran of many years. He comes very close to crossing the unforgivable line of stolen valor.
In his latest display of the political melodrama that he has become infamous for, he misleads the public regarding the DA’s number of trials during the pandemic. He whines that only 17 jury trials took place during the pandemic. In reality, while Farrington was hiding on the sidelines, Susan Krones and her staff were bravely holding things together under the worst of circumstances.
During the height of the pandemic, there was a state-funded program (run by Lake County’s Health Department) to find temporary housing for the homeless in local motels in order to keep a very vulnerable population safe. Now Farrington has constructed a bizarre political platform seeking prosecution of these same motel owners.
Farrington has even gone so far as to loan his own campaign $25,000 in order to create a glossy political fear flyer trying to convince the voters that prosecuting business owners will somehow “take back our neighborhoods.”
Targeting those who provide shelter to the homeless will not do anything to prevent violent crime in our county. It would arguably have the opposite effect, as it would put more homeless out on the streets.
Farrington pretends to be outraged by a sentence handed down to a woman recently convicted of vehicular manslaughter. He seems to have conveniently forgotten his satisfaction with the even lesser sentence handed down to one of his fiancees for hitting and ultimately killing a local man (a father of multiple school-age children) who was walking home from work. His then-fiancée was charged with felony manslaughter, drunken driving and felony hit and run. An elected district attorney long before Susan Krones allowed this to take place and then-Supervisor Farrington never expressed any outrage over the soft on crime sentence his then-fiancée received.
His claim of wanting to inspire others in the DA’s office is laughable. I have worked with Farrington for more years than any other person in this county and I cannot find one person that worked in our office who is willing to say that they were ever inspired by him. The reality is, there were several running jokes about how little he did and how much credit he took.
Farrington recently made a sarcastic dismissal of an award earned by one of the most vigorous prosecutors this county has ever known. Rich Hinchcliff, working with Susan Krones, has once again won the State’s Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year Award. He is also the individual who has successfully prosecuted arson (among other very serious felony cases) in this county for decades.
Farrington has a ridiculous campaign platform promising to establish new awards for local prosecutors. At least that is something that might be within his limited skill set.
In fact, maybe someday Farrington will finally manage to complete his very first criminal jury trial and we can all pitch in to get him a participation trophy.
Rob Brown lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
In the beginning of this campaign, I made several predictions as to his behavior and tactics. He did not let me down.
He has pulled out the stop and utilized every slick politician trick in the book, including posturing, taking credit for the work of others, whining, playing the victim when the truth was told about him and projecting his own serious inadequacies by minimizing the worth of others.
He minimizes endorsements received by Susan Krones and fails to own up to seeking those very endorsements himself (such as Mike Thompson, our senator Mike McGuire, retired judges, past and present supervisors, to name just a few).
Oh, and let’s not forget being in a parade with a grown man dressed as Batman to help him hand out candy along with his false campaign promises. Maybe Batman can come help Boy Wonder with his first jury trial.
Farrington has gone so far as to capitalize on the military service of his family members in his own weak attempt to try and give the perception that he is on the same level as Susan Krones, a true Army veteran of many years. He comes very close to crossing the unforgivable line of stolen valor.
In his latest display of the political melodrama that he has become infamous for, he misleads the public regarding the DA’s number of trials during the pandemic. He whines that only 17 jury trials took place during the pandemic. In reality, while Farrington was hiding on the sidelines, Susan Krones and her staff were bravely holding things together under the worst of circumstances.
During the height of the pandemic, there was a state-funded program (run by Lake County’s Health Department) to find temporary housing for the homeless in local motels in order to keep a very vulnerable population safe. Now Farrington has constructed a bizarre political platform seeking prosecution of these same motel owners.
Farrington has even gone so far as to loan his own campaign $25,000 in order to create a glossy political fear flyer trying to convince the voters that prosecuting business owners will somehow “take back our neighborhoods.”
Targeting those who provide shelter to the homeless will not do anything to prevent violent crime in our county. It would arguably have the opposite effect, as it would put more homeless out on the streets.
Farrington pretends to be outraged by a sentence handed down to a woman recently convicted of vehicular manslaughter. He seems to have conveniently forgotten his satisfaction with the even lesser sentence handed down to one of his fiancees for hitting and ultimately killing a local man (a father of multiple school-age children) who was walking home from work. His then-fiancée was charged with felony manslaughter, drunken driving and felony hit and run. An elected district attorney long before Susan Krones allowed this to take place and then-Supervisor Farrington never expressed any outrage over the soft on crime sentence his then-fiancée received.
His claim of wanting to inspire others in the DA’s office is laughable. I have worked with Farrington for more years than any other person in this county and I cannot find one person that worked in our office who is willing to say that they were ever inspired by him. The reality is, there were several running jokes about how little he did and how much credit he took.
Farrington recently made a sarcastic dismissal of an award earned by one of the most vigorous prosecutors this county has ever known. Rich Hinchcliff, working with Susan Krones, has once again won the State’s Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year Award. He is also the individual who has successfully prosecuted arson (among other very serious felony cases) in this county for decades.
Farrington has a ridiculous campaign platform promising to establish new awards for local prosecutors. At least that is something that might be within his limited skill set.
In fact, maybe someday Farrington will finally manage to complete his very first criminal jury trial and we can all pitch in to get him a participation trophy.
Rob Brown lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Rob Brown