Letters
Lake County is a great place to live. It has clean air, good schools for the kids, college campuses conveniently located on both ends of the county, two hospitals, well maintained major roadways, open spaces, an up and coming wine industry.
There are lots of mom and pop shops and businesses instead of huge malls that give Lake County a unique atmosphere.
There is also a good amount of quality housing for very reasonable prices compared to the rest of the state that attract buyers for second homes as well as retirement. We are not so far away from major metropolitan areas that it makes a trip to Lake County a major ordeal.
The jewel of Lake County is our lake. Everything seems to get its life; it’s identity from the beautiful lake that many of our small communities nestle up to.
Recently we have seen news reports that several business have been closing down due to lack of customers that are turned off by the condition of the lake. There are reports that tourism is down because of the economy and the lake’s condition.
Even though we know that Clear Lake is a natural lake, that it has been this way for thousands of years, there are reports that the lake has been steadily getting worse over the past couple of decades.
Some of our Realtors report that many of their buyers expressed a concern over the condition of the lake and we have heard reports of business not wanting to locate in Lake County because of the smell.
Our Realtors are very concerned about these issues that seriously impact the economic survival of Lake County. We need a healthy clean lake to support our businesses, wildlife and property values.
The Lake County Association of Realtors (LCAOR) understands the benefits that will be achieved with the passing of “Measure E.” This includes the enjoyment of the lake for recreational purposes: boating, water skiing and fishing.
Tourism will increase leading to profitable businesses in Lake County which then results in more jobs. Also benefiting will be the wildlife that depends on the lake as their natural habitat.
We expect a clean, healthy lake will bring about increased property values resulting in more tax dollars for Lake County to work on other projects.
LCAOR supports this small increase in the Sales Tax which will be held exclusively for the preservation of our beautiful Clear Lake.
“Measure E” is a win-win for business, nature, county residents and the visitors who come to enjoy the beauty that nature has given Lake County.
Ray Perry is president of the Lake County Association of Realtors, serving Lake County, Calif.
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- Written by: Ray Perry
John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath. It is a novel about the 300,000 souls escaping the dust bowl and migrating west to California.
Some were from Oklahoma, but they were all called, derisively, “Oakies.” They sold what they could, at bargain basin prices and bought cars and headed west.
There is a standalone chapter about a used car lot owner. The owner of the lot knows the farmers are desperate and is a sociopath (someone who knows the difference between right and wrong, but does not care).
The owner of the lot has a selling frenzy, taking advantage of the farmers’ desperation, and overcharging for junk vehicles. The farmers have to go 2,000 miles with their family and possessions aboard those jalopies.
I was thinking about how the novel was timeless. In fact, the situation in our senior mobile home park is analogous to the plight of the “Oakies,” except, we are the “oldies.”
The new owners have raised the rent. Under current law, there is no legal limit as to how much they can raise the rent. There is only a practical limit: starving us out, which would kill the geese that lay the golden eggs.
There is no choice for us. We have nowhere to go, and no means to get there. And, even if we had the energy and the means, we can’t easily sell our mobile homes, and as the space rent goes up, our equity plummets. We are a captive audience.
Meanwhile, the owners are making an 8.5 percent (before the last raise) return on their investment of almost a million and a half dollars. Evidently, they want to boost it higher, and the easiest way to do this is to increase NOI (net operating income).
This can be accomplished by raising the space rent, and they can do that with impunity, because the only limits they have are conscience and satiety.
In this regard, satiety is unattainable because they can’t answer the question, “When is enough, enough?
So, I made a presentation before the Lakeport City Council. I brought a petition for rent control signed by almost every resident of the park. They listened politely, asked some questions, thanked me and sent me on my way. I was unfamiliar with the process, so, I was surprised at the outcome: none.
My next step in the democratic process is the initiative. This will require signatures from a percentage of the registered voters in Lakeport.
I am writing to let you know that I will be around and about in the near future, asking for your help. Let’s put it on the ballot and let the citizens of Lakeport vote “yes” or “no.”
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
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