Letters
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- Written by: Gene Paleno
How soon will we have a vaccine? I had heard that a vaccine is more than a year away. Although there is still no vaccine for the swine flu, it too passed. That same program passed on the welcome news that there are, at least, five companies in California alone working on a vaccine. There are millions of good people, out there, who are desperately working to heal this wound… and they will succeed.
Lake County, at this writing, has not yet reported any infections. Meanwhile, let us not allow fear to manage our lives. There are things you and I can do to get us through this bump in the road.
Know you are not alone. People know you are there and they want to help. They will, once they know you need help.
Call a friend. Help somebody you know who needs your help. Maybe it will be only a phone call to their neighbor to look in on the person suffering anxiety. Listen to them tell you their fears about COVID-19 and about whatever is causing their anxiety. It will help them feel better and you will feel less anxious.
Write down your fears, or email them to a friend. My dear daughter wrote an entire email page to me about the way she felt and how my phone call to her had helped. I answered that email like the first, to tell her how much better she had become at writing. That page she wrote, like a phone call, helped take the poison out of her fears. I felt better as well.
Move around. Do some light exercise or calisthenics. A few toe touches, waist twisting, knee bends (if your knees are better than mine) all help. Mind and body are friends. When your body feels better, your mind is clearer and more positive.
Do something you love to do. To lose yourself in a project or activity, or work toward some goal you wish to reach, gives you the power to forget to be sorry for yourself and will make you feel like a winner.
Reach out for small successes, whether it’s a crossword puzzle, cleaning the refrigerator, ironing some article of clothing, repairing a hole in a sock, or emptying the garbage for recycling. A success of any kind, whether small or great, always makes you feel more above the fight and more in control.
I would wish to help every person who needs help. Since I cannot, I will continue to practice what I preach. One thing I know is that you and I will get through this. Have no fear. You are stronger than you know. Here is a salute to a better tomorrow and a better world for everyone.
Gene Paleno lives in Witter Springs, California.
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- Written by: Anna Rose Ravenwoode
So what is Proposition 13?
This was a state construction bond for $15 billion to repair public school health and safety hazards, specifically testing for lead in drinking water, and its remediation.
Other projects included renovations of school heating and cooling systems, building upgrades and renovations and new classroom construction for grades K-12.
Nine of this $15 billion bond would be awarded to K-12 schools. Priority would be given to rural school districts, with English language learners and foster youth.
The remaining $6 billion would be awarded to California State University and University of California educational systems.
The expressly stated top two spending priorities of Proposition 13:
1. Testing and remediation of K-12 health and safety hazards; and
2. Small or rural school district financial assistance, specifically slated for counties without the economic development capacity to fund their own school projects.
In short, this bond measure was tailor-made for the rural school districts within Lake County.
We all know that money is constantly circulating throughout our state and national economy. If this proposition passes, the bond money would come from the state to individual school districts.
It would then be used to hire and pay: local engineers, building contractors, and subcontractors: electrical, heating and cooling, carpentry, roofing, etc. to repair existing school buildings or construct new ones. The only requirement in the bond language was that any contractors be “state-licensed.”
So if Prop 13 passes, how much tax money will each person in California owe to pay off the bond debt?
The bond required a payback of $750 million a year for the next 35 years. If you take the 40 million population of California and divide it into the $750 million annual payback requirement, you get $18.75/year, per person; or $1.56/ person per month. (For a family of four that would be $6.24 per month to help upgrade our public schools.)
If Proposition 13 does not pass, it appears the majority of California taxpayers (approximately 55%) have voted their priorities. That $1.56 you saved, per person (instead of helping our children go to school in safe buildings and drink lead-free water) must be a relief.
Just before the election, I received my packet in the mail from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The packet letter began with the statement: “Politicians literally taxing retirees out of their homes.” The remainder of the information provided was also false.
Proposition 13 is not a parcel tax on your home or commercial business, nor is it an assault on the original Prop 13 which lowered local property taxes. These false statements were mailed to California voters and presented as “true.”
The truth is: The Proposition 13 on the March 3 ballot is a construction bond which would be paid back from the state general fund. The general fund is financed by state personal income taxes, sales and use taxes and corporate taxes. It is not funded by local property taxes, nor would it create an added parcel tax to your home or business.
Proposition 13 was supported by the California Chamber of Commerce.
So hold onto the $1.56/monthly savings if Proposition 13 does not pass. With that money you can buy one cigarette, a candy bar or almost one half gallon of gas. And explain to your children or grandchildren why you could not afford to put them in a safe public school.
Anna Rose Ravenwoode is a life-long educator. She lives in Kelseyville, California.
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- Written by: Nancy Rhoades
As a long-term Kelseyville resident, I want to emphasize the importance of picking the right candidate – one that will set the direction for the future.
This county is at a tipping point – our financial position is dire and we still face high risk from multiple disasters. Our new supervisor must be able to act decisively on both of those top priorities and more.
How can we judge the candidates' abilities?
I would suggest you take the time to view the District 5 candidates' forum held by the Lake County News on Feb. 19.
The only candidate who has a true mastery of the facts is Jessica Pyska. She also has a strong track record of accomplishments to prove that she not only has the knowledge but she also knows how to form alliances – locally, statewide and at the federal level, inspire communities and utilize innovative solutions that work.
Please vote for Jessica Pyska on March 3.
Nancy Rhoades lives in Kelseyville, California.
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- Written by: Harry and Roberta Lyons
Each touches on issues they believe are important to voters and provides the solutions they believe would work best.
One of the candidates can provide much more detail on a broad range of topics. Her experience shows. She has been dealing with the various levels of local and state government for the past four and a half years on the priority issues for Lake County – fire protection and recovery and ramping up the devastated economy. She has shown her ability to bring grant money to the County.
Additionally, she has attended every Board of Supervisors meeting for the past eight months, met with the heads of all the county departments and built strong relationships with the county supervisors and state officials and talked to hundreds of Lake County residents.
One issue that particularly tells the story is fire insurance, which is indeed a big problem for our County – not just for homeowners, but for the ancillary real estate industry businesses, and for all those who would like to move to Lake County – another blow to our hard hit property tax rolls.
One of the candidates sent out a mailer recently stating, “I will use my years of business experience to take on the big insurance companies and renegotiate fairer rates for Lake County homeowners.”
The more experienced candidate has been in constant contact with our state Assembly member and senator who represent Lake County reporting the devastating impact of the fire insurance cancellations and increases.
In researching the issue, she discovered that a Lake County zip code had been omitted from the mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders in certain areas of the state.
She immediately notified Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry and State Sen. McGuire who represent Lake County and asked them to do all they could do to correct the error. She received assurances that they would take the matter to the state insurance commissioner. A couple of weeks later, a revised list was issued including the once-omitted zip code.
Getting things accomplished to improve the lives of Lake County residents comes from building strong partnerships with all who have a part to play, not by going it alone. Relevant experience counts.
Please join us in voting for Jessica Pyska for District 5 supervisor. Her extensive list of endorsements from organizations and individuals spanning all political ideologies demonstrates that her partnerships are already strong and she will be effective from day one for all members of her district and Lake County.
Harry and Roberta Lyons live in Lower Lake, California.
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