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Opinion
Wow! Hats off to Linda Hatfield for the amazing letter she wrote which appeared in both the Record Bee and LakeCoNews regarding Any Positive Change. This letter should be required reading for all supervisors and city councils. While city and county government officials are excited and anxious to spend thousands of dollars to hire marketing firms to “rebrand Lake County” to enhance tourism and build the local economy, they must do more than just put lipstick on the pig. Lake County has ranked high on the list of drug use, drug overdose and drug deaths for years.
If we want to change the way the outside world looks at us, perhaps we need to take a better look at ourselves. Any Positive Change has been working for years to do exactly what the name says: make a positive change in the lives of users and therefore impact our community in a positive way. The program has followed guidelines from the US government and the California Department of Public Health. Yet our own Lake County Public Health Department and city and county governments have been, shall we say, less than enthusiastically helpful. Why is Any Positive Change not allowed to set up a needle exchange in the city of Clearlake for example?
Contrary to popular myth, drug use is not a south county issue. There are users and addicts in every part of the county and it will take a countywide effort to make any impact. But until we quit denying the problem, skirting the issue or making it a power play we will get nowhere.
I have known Annina van Voorene for well over 20 years. We used to make home visits together when she was a social worker for Healthy Start and I was the reading program director at Pomo. I will tell you this about her: she is a warrior. She will fight for what she knows is right. And if you really think about it, I hope you will come to agree with her.
Carolynn Jarrett lives in Clearlake, California.
If we want to change the way the outside world looks at us, perhaps we need to take a better look at ourselves. Any Positive Change has been working for years to do exactly what the name says: make a positive change in the lives of users and therefore impact our community in a positive way. The program has followed guidelines from the US government and the California Department of Public Health. Yet our own Lake County Public Health Department and city and county governments have been, shall we say, less than enthusiastically helpful. Why is Any Positive Change not allowed to set up a needle exchange in the city of Clearlake for example?
Contrary to popular myth, drug use is not a south county issue. There are users and addicts in every part of the county and it will take a countywide effort to make any impact. But until we quit denying the problem, skirting the issue or making it a power play we will get nowhere.
I have known Annina van Voorene for well over 20 years. We used to make home visits together when she was a social worker for Healthy Start and I was the reading program director at Pomo. I will tell you this about her: she is a warrior. She will fight for what she knows is right. And if you really think about it, I hope you will come to agree with her.
Carolynn Jarrett lives in Clearlake, California.
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- Written by: Carolynn Jarrett
Last month, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law! This bill invests billions of dollars in rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, creating jobs and addressing climate change.
In California, it provides $25.3 billion for highways, $9.45 billion for transit projects, and $4.2 billion for bridges.
This funding will be used in our district to complete many bridge and road repair projects. Not only will this investment improve our infrastructure, but it will also create two million jobs a year over the next 10 years nationwide.
Additionally, the bill appropriates tens of millions of dollars to California for wildfire mitigation.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will also invest $100 million to expand broadband access in our state and district. This will help the rural parts of our district that had trouble accessing the internet for virtual learning and telehealth services during the pandemic. Broadband expansion is extremely important to small businesses as well.
I am proud to have voted to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and I was honored to join President Biden when he signed this historic bill into law.
Rep. Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes the southern portion of Lake County.
In California, it provides $25.3 billion for highways, $9.45 billion for transit projects, and $4.2 billion for bridges.
This funding will be used in our district to complete many bridge and road repair projects. Not only will this investment improve our infrastructure, but it will also create two million jobs a year over the next 10 years nationwide.
Additionally, the bill appropriates tens of millions of dollars to California for wildfire mitigation.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will also invest $100 million to expand broadband access in our state and district. This will help the rural parts of our district that had trouble accessing the internet for virtual learning and telehealth services during the pandemic. Broadband expansion is extremely important to small businesses as well.
I am proud to have voted to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and I was honored to join President Biden when he signed this historic bill into law.
Rep. Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes the southern portion of Lake County.
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- Written by: Rep. Mike Thompson
Just as a point of information:
I was surprised to read that Konocti Unified student school board members voted to refuse the COVID mandate.
When did student representatives to the Konocti Unified School Board become voting members? When I served on the board from 2002 to 2010 we had student representatives who gave input but who certainly did not cast a vote. These students are not elected and are not accountable to the public the way elected board members are.
I believe this is a mistake to allow student representatives to vote on matters which come before the board. Please cite the legal reference that allows this.
Carolynn Jarrett lives in Clearlake, California.
I was surprised to read that Konocti Unified student school board members voted to refuse the COVID mandate.
When did student representatives to the Konocti Unified School Board become voting members? When I served on the board from 2002 to 2010 we had student representatives who gave input but who certainly did not cast a vote. These students are not elected and are not accountable to the public the way elected board members are.
I believe this is a mistake to allow student representatives to vote on matters which come before the board. Please cite the legal reference that allows this.
Carolynn Jarrett lives in Clearlake, California.
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- Written by: Carolynn Jarrett
Hispanic Heritage Month, which started on Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15, is a chance to recognize the importance of Hispanic and Latino Americans and their contributions to our nation.
For generations, immigrants have come to our country in search of new and greater opportunities. They strengthen our nation and contribute to our economy.
Today, millions of Hispanic and Latino Americans serve vital roles in our communities as leaders in business, government, science, education, military and more.
National Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform that will allow immigrants the right to become citizens and fully participate in our society.
We must especially protect Dreamers, many of whom have only known this county as home, by providing them a path to citizenship.
That’s why I am an original co-sponsor of the Dream and Promise Act of 2021, a bill that will grant Dreamers conditional permanent resident status for 10 years, and eventually provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence.
We celebrate the Hispanic and Latino Americans that make differences in our communities, and we must also continue to work so that they can earn their own American dream.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
For generations, immigrants have come to our country in search of new and greater opportunities. They strengthen our nation and contribute to our economy.
Today, millions of Hispanic and Latino Americans serve vital roles in our communities as leaders in business, government, science, education, military and more.
National Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform that will allow immigrants the right to become citizens and fully participate in our society.
We must especially protect Dreamers, many of whom have only known this county as home, by providing them a path to citizenship.
That’s why I am an original co-sponsor of the Dream and Promise Act of 2021, a bill that will grant Dreamers conditional permanent resident status for 10 years, and eventually provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence.
We celebrate the Hispanic and Latino Americans that make differences in our communities, and we must also continue to work so that they can earn their own American dream.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
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- Written by: Congressman Mike Thompson