Letters
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- Written by: Eric Mills
This nonsensical event was dropped from the rodeo program throughout New Zealand years ago, at the recommendation of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, which deemed the sheep "not built to carry the weight."
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors banned "mutton busting" back in 2019 for these same reasons. Other jurisdictions should follow suit.
There's also a serious health risk. Every rodeo arena is infected with E. coli. Back in 2010 a three-year-old little boy in Texas, one "Bubba" Kirby (see Google), fell off his sheep and got a mouthful of arena dirt. He went into a two-week coma, swelled up twice his normal size, and suffered heart, lung and kidney failure, nearly dying in the process. Parents beware!
Every animal welfare organization in North America condemns rodeo due to its inherent cruelty. Rodeo is mostly macho hype, having nothing to do with life on a working ranch.
The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales), The Netherlands and Germany have all outlawed rodeos. Can the U.S. be far behind?
Lest we forget, this godawful pandemic was HUMAN-caused, a direct result of our gross mistreatment of animals, both wild and domestic.
Boycott all rodeos, their corporate sponsors and advertisers. Follow the money.
Eric Mills is coordinator for Action for Animals, based in Oakland, California.
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- Written by: Congressman Mike Thompson
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, a chance to remember the lives lost to gun violence and the families and communities impacted by these tragedies.
It is also a reminder that gun violence continues to be an alarming threat to the health and safety of our communities.
As the chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I have been working with my colleagues to ensure Congress is taking the necessary steps to combat this epidemic.
My bipartisan bill, H.R. 8, which passed the House on March 11, 2021, aims to expand background checks to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of those who may be a danger to themselves or others.
Experts agree that expanding background checks is the fastest and most effective way to help prevent gun violence. It is long overdue for the Senate to act.
I was proud to hear that Senate Majority Leader Schumer has committed to holding a vote on H.R. 8.
It is time for the Senate to pass H.R. 8 and send this important bill to the president’s desk.
Our work is not finished, we must protect our communities from gun violence.
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: Christine Y. Davis
When I was younger, my family used to visit Clearlake and spend time at one of the properties they owned. I always had a great time and hold those memories dear to my heart. The days of grilling in the park, walking the various shorelines enhanced my familial connections.
I could hear the dogs barking in the background, but do not remember worrying about whether or not those dogs were lurking in dark corners, strolling in packs or invading my yard in search of food or shelter.
Over the past few years that has all changed and roaming dogs have become somewhat of the norm. It is not unusual to encounter one or more dogs while gardening in your unfenced yard, walking to your car in the Walmart parking lot or while watching your children play in the local park.
Roaming dogs are everywhere and many of them are aggressive, unvaccinated and just plain unruly. This presents a quality-of-life issue for the citizens of Clearlake.
This new norm invades the lives of the elderly and does not allow them the freedom to walk the neighborhoods in which many of them have lived for decades. Roaming dogs present a clear danger to children playing in front of their homes.
Why should an elderly citizen be faced with having to decide if it is safe for them to walk down the street to the market and why should a parent have the burden of wondering when a roaming pack of dogs appears in their yard? The answer is simple: They shouldn’t! This quality of life issue is countywide and deserves attention.
I decided to take a drive on several different days and at several different times and was amazed that on each drive I was presented with a dog or dogs out on a walk-a-bout. This did not just happen on one occasion but on multiple occasions.
And before you ask, yes, I have called animal control and on some occasions, I have even picked the dog up and attempted to return it to the rightful owner. Whether dead on the side of the road or darting in between traffic, the dogs are there. I kept asking myself, who let the dogs out?
It is important to acknowledge that Clearlake Animal Control does the very best they can with the resources allotted to them via the city budget. There are no additional state funds allocated to Clearlake for the control and care of roaming animals.
As summer approaches and the inevitability of children playing becomes reality, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. These are your children, your grandparents and sometimes even yourself, that will be assaulted by the roaming dogs.
A mother should not have to worry whether or not her child will be rushed by a wandering dog nor should local residents have to survey the street before attempting to enter their car. No citizen should be curtailed from enjoying the many wonderful opportunities Clearlake has to offer simply because they fear the roaming dogs.
I encourage all of us to take a look around at what is happening and to decide to do something about it. Stop calling animal control with raised voices because they do not possess the capacity to immediately respond to the dog roaming on your street. Stop placing the blame on them and place it where it belongs, with the small budget allowed to address a big problem.
Attend the city council meetings to express the desperate need for more funding, offer to foster for animal control, offer to go to the improved shelter and tend to the animals that cross the threshold on a daily basis. Do something!
Leash your own dog and stop telling everyone how friendly they are as you walk them off leash through neighborhoods where children play freely as summer approaches. Be proactive. Get involved. Leash and contain your own dogs.
Large scale improvement starts with one small step. Take the step!
Christine Y. Davis lives in Clearlake, California.
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- Written by: Susan Cameron
These are the dedicated people who care for homebound senior and/or disabled residents. Most of them spoke of the need for a wage better than what fast-food workers earn.
You see, the county sets the terms of their employment and benefits. So far, the county is willing to set the pay scale at only minimum wage. Meanwhile, local fast-food restaurants are advertising jobs for $1 over minimum wage. This leaves care workers, and me as well, wondering why our county representatives don’t value them enough to pay a decent wage.
There is currently a shortage of care workers, partially due to better paying jobs being available. Additionally, it can be demanding work, caring for another’s body and soul. My recent experience as a volunteer for Friendly Visitors attests to this shortage.
A woman I visit has been without an IHSS care worker for over two months. I have worked through the county Social Services division to obtain referrals to potential care workers. In calling potential IHSS care workers, six so far, I find them either fully booked or they simply do not return my call. In the meantime, I have increased my volunteer hours to keep her showered and basic needs attended to. I am quite sure that better pay would attract more workers to this profession.
What motivation does our Board of Supervisors have to negotiate a contract with IHSS workers to pay them more than minimum wage?
One: Pursue economic development. IHSS workers are the largest block of workers in Lake County, with 1,800 people working in the profession. This care program is funded mostly through federal and state dollars. It costs Lake County 16 cents on the dollar. That means a one dollar raise brings 84 cents from federal or state sources to circulate in our economy here. Research shows that when low wage workers get a raise, they spend most of that money, thus fueling the local economy.
Two: Alleviate poverty. Lake County has the distinction of consistently ranking either last or next to last in household median income. That means we are the poorest or second poorest county out of 58 counties in California. Our county representatives have the power to elevate household income by providing a better wage to their largest block of workers.
Three: Demonstrate compassion. Lake County has another unfortunate distinction; we consistently rank either last or next to last in health outcomes. While the reasons for this are many, the fact remains that we have a very large population who experience the conditions of aging prematurely. U.S. Census data shows that 13.4% of our population is disabled and 23.1% are over 65, compared to 8.6% and 16.5% nationally, respectively. That means Lake County has a greater need for workers who care for the aged and disabled.
Several years ago our supervisors held community visioning sessions. That resulted in a Vision 2028 document. One stated goal is: “Consider and promote the well-being and economic resilience of every Lake County resident.”
Our supervisors need to stand behind their words.
Susan Cameron lives in Hidden Valley Lake, California.
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