Letters
The Lakeport City Council met on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The major item on the agenda was the rent control initiative, which has officially secured enough signatures to get on the ballot in November 2014.
This initiative was the result of the efforts of an all-volunteer group of seniors, “Save Our Seniors,” with the encouragement of the people of Lakeport.
I will not bore you with the details of the meeting, but I want to describe the significance of the meeting as I saw it: On the one hand, there was the power of the people, utilizing grass roots democracy, to protect our seniors. On the other, is the power and the money of the park owner’s association, threatening to challenge the legality of the initiative, and destroy the City of Lakeport with legal fees.
In the middle is the city council, wishing that somehow, the issue would go away.
The council, according to California Code, had three options: Adopt the initiative (in which case it becomes law in 10 days), send it to election (to appear on the ballot in November 2014), or send it back to staff for 30 days for a study of the effects of the passing of the initiative.
Prudently, the council opted to send the initiative back to staff for review.
Here is the problem: The council has the power to vote not to allow the initiative on the ballot, on the basis of the fact that the legality of the initiative is questionable. Then, it would require the Save Our Seniors Committee to take the city of Lakeport to court in order to get on the ballot.
I confess that I am not a lawyer, but, in authoring the initiative, I did “copy and paste” the items from the rent control ordinances of several municipalities in California that have withstood legal challenge.
The part that is new in this initiative is tying rent control to Social Security: the rent can’t be raised unless Social Security benefits go up, and only by that percentage. So, everyone wins. The owners get more when we get more.
Under current law, as the space rent increases, we tenants just get poorer. This notion of tying rent increases to Social Security is what is called in law, “a matter of first impression.” In other words, the court has never seen it before.
Now, Social Security is tied to “CPI chained,” an index put out by the United States Government. So, for a judge to rule against our initiative, he would have to assume that CPI chained was a fair index to use to determine Social Security benefits, but not to determine rents.
In other words, he would be ruling that it is fair for the elderly poor to be made poorer by the government. This could not stand.
The staff has 30 days to report back to council with recommendations.
We in Save Our Seniors have spent hundreds of hours speaking with the public and gathering signatures. We have worked hard to use the democratic process, and, after months of tabling, I can say we have the overwhelming support of the people of Lake County.
We ask only to let the people decide at the ballot box. We demand that the city council give us our chance; let the initiative go to ballot and let the people decide.
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
The Lake County Library’s 2013 summer reading programs for children and teens have ended and it’s time to thank the people, businesses and organizations that made the programs possible.
The 2013 children’s program was the biggest and most ambitious summer reading program that the Lake County Library has put on, with much of the increased activity coming from the new Middletown Library.
With abundant space now available, Middletown’s volunteers are at last able to present the kind of program that they have wanted to do for some time.
Thank you to the Friends of the Lake County Library for new books for the program at all branches, and for generous financial support for materials, supplies and food for various events.
Thanks to the Friends of the Lake County Library, Lakeport Library now has a camera for photographing library events, starting with Lakeport Library’s awards parties.
Thank you to volunteer Jo Bennett who ran the program at Redbud Library. Thanks go to Joan Reynolds of the Healthy Start program at the Lake County Office of Education for lunch boxes; Laurel Chambers at the Network for a Healthy California for providing cookbooks; Mr. Elma Smith, volunteer, provided a planter box; Main Street Nursery in Lakeport supplied plants; Layne Paving in Clearlake delivered soil. Barbara Jo was the program’s musician.
Lakeport Library’s teen program had support from many people. Thank you to the Friends of the Lake County Library which provided craft materials for the program.
Thank you to Cornelia Sieber-Davis and Mireya Turner at the Farmer’s Market for arranging programs; Francesca Zito for the cooking demonstration at the Farmer’s Market; Coleen Rentsch and her propagation farm; John Cerwin for demonstrating jewelry made from heirloom seeds; Alethea Eason for reading from her book, Hungry; Kerrie’s Quilting for sewing supplies; Christy Luis and Bruno’s Shop Smart for help with the cupcake decorating event; and Lorrie Gray of the Hunger Task Force for the visit to the community garden.
The Friends of the Library provided food for the kids’ program awards party. Lakeport’s story time runs all year long, but in the summer it moves from the library to Library Park. Many parents were very helpful with craft projects and special food treats in the park.
Thank you to volunteer Marcine Crowhurst who ran the program at Middletown Library. Thanks go to all of the following: the Friends of Middletown Library went to all Middletown-area schools to promote the summer reading program.
Financial assistance came from both the Friends of the Lake County Library and Friends of Middletown Library; St. Helena Brewery in Middletown provided all the pizza for the awards celebration; the Middletown Senior Center kept the Otter Pops frozen for the party. Gehlen Palmer opened the library early so that preschool story time could happen at 11:15 a.m.
Thanks go to the parents for bringing their children to the events and making reading a priority (that goes for the families who participate at all of the library branches.).
Those who helped with the pre-school weekly story time were Colleen Comstock, reading logs and general assistance; readers Patty Buck and Marcine Crowhurst; helpers Cheyene Buck and K. Rose Decker. Elementary story time volunteers: Marcine Crowhurst, Alethea Eason, Patty Buck, Jacquie Stricklind, Barry Hart and Saro Deacon. Luann Napier craft coordinator and volunteer also created the "Pizza the Size of the Sun."
Reikor and Saro Deacon were the music leaders. The reading log clerk was Fran Rand and assistants were Patty Buck, Veronica McGee and Alethea Eason. Jacquie Bogue printed the award certificates. Tammy Balecci assembled the reading log packets. Dr. Ian van Zyl and “Dr. Sue” from Happy Smiles Dental Practice presented a dental health program. Star Gardens donated soil and sunflower seeds.
Prizes for drawings came from Hardester’s Market, Big Chill, Funtopia, Jolly Cone and Happy Smiles Dental Practice.
County librarian Christopher Veach and library employees Barbara Green from Lakeport Library and Linda Bushta at Upper Lake Library provided valuable assistance as Middletown Library held its first summer reading program.
At Upper Lake Library, Barbara Green from Lakeport Library provided assistance. Thank you to volunteers Noel Marsh, and Dawn McAuley, Andrea Saldana, Megan Grant, and Claudine Pedroncelli, who helped the little ones with crafts every Wednesday, and to Heather Sanchez, substitute story reader.
Library employees have already begun to plan for the 2014 summer reading program, incorporating ideas to improve and expand on 2013’s experience. Children and teens are invited to participate next year beginning in June.
Jan Cook works for the Lake County Library in Lake County, Calif.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
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