Letters to the Editor: 11/17/2016

Progress
EDITOR: Can you see it coming – lurking behind the glossy facade of unfettered growth? Jobs, opportunity, stability! Leading the charge, the almighty Barlow (with attached new hotel); conceived – with an enthusiastic nod from our revenue-centric majority leadership – designed, engineered, developed,constructed, managed, leased and staffed, not to mention even patronized… by outsiders. Who needs us?
Rents and housing costs skyrocket, evictions prevail; long term, low-income residents — dear friends many —  relocate to God knows where. “Rent controls, affordable housing” they say, as resolution in name only.
   Make way for the trendy, brave new pre-packaged lifestyle; quaint, impersonal iterations of wine-soaked, image-obsessed mediocrity. Tourism. No longer room for humanity, for community, for integrity; such outmoded distraction. We are but dupes; corporate wealth (obscene) buys our votes, and their quisling toadies slither into influential office. Progress.
Robert Beauchamp
Sebastopol
We did it
EDITOR: We did it! The Sonoma County Library would like to express gratitude to the voters in Sonoma County for the passing of Measure Y, a one-eighth cent sales tax that will bring much-needed additional revenue to our public libraries. The success of this measure could not have been possible without the support of those who devoted time and energy in demonstrating their dedication to the Library.
We are humbled by and grateful for the support our residents have shown for our libraries. We will now be able to fully achieve the goals within our Strategic Plan and focus on important priorities for our communities.
Sonoma County’s libraries are one of the few places left in the community that benefit everyone. Through the passage of Measure Y, the Sonoma County Library plans to address local library priorities. The additional revenue will allow the Library to address the following priorities: opening Mondays and expanding library hours, maintaining the library’s children’s book collection, keeping qualified librarians, constructing dedicated technology labs, providing educational services for the public, and expanding our services and programs to library patrons.
In alignment with the Sonoma County Library’s Strategic Plan, the increase in revenue allows the library to carry out efforts around education and discovery, innovation and community engagement. The Sonoma County Library continues to be a mainstay in the communities throughout the county, executing our mission to bring information, ideas, and people together to build a strong community. Our 14 branches will remain as places that benefit everyone, including children, families, employers, seniors, and the disabled.
Brett Lear­­
Sonoma County Library Director
Sebastopol