LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Keep library open
Editor: The following letter was sent to Sonoma County Library
Director Sandra M. Cooper by Mayor Guy Wilson on behalf of the
citizens of Sebastopol.
Dear Ms. Cooper:
Sebastopol community members are very concerned that the Sonoma
County Library Commission is considering closing our library on
Mondays and shortening the hours open to the public on two
additional days because of the County budget shortfall. My fellow
City Council members and I have received numerous messages
imploring us to protect our local library from this unwise
proposal.
At our Council meeting on April 19, we held a public forum to
discuss the situation. We heard testimony affirming that the
Sebastopol library is a central meeting place for our small town.
Business people are there in the evenings. Retirees use it daily.
School children use it as a study facility. Families with small
children use the facility in the mornings; parents who
intentionally do not have television in their homes borrow dozens
of children’s books every week to nurture reading and learning
habits. For many, the library computers are their only access to
the Web. Sebastopol schools enjoy high academic achievement rates,
thanks in large part to access to our library and its professional
staff.
Other communities in Sonoma County face the same curtailment of
library hours with harsh consequences. We all share grave concerns
over the loss of such a valuable resource. If the Commission
chooses to impose drastic reductions in library hours, Sebastopol
and other towns will be forced to pursue local fundraising to pay
staff salaries so as to maintain current hours of operation. In
that case, we trust the Commission will allow locally raised funds
to be used to pay staff at specified local branches. However, if
the Commission would oppose such a plan, please let me know
promptly.
Sincerely,
Guy Wilson
Mayor, Sebastopol
Carrillo wrong choice
Editor: We in the community of coastal activists are surprised
to hear that Sonoma County Supervisor Carrillo is seeking
appointment to the California Coastal Commission. The public cannot
trust that Carrillo’s votes would protect the coast from industrial
and development impact and preserve the landscape, public access,
and use of our California commons. Carrillo’s flagrant vote to
allow Dutra to build an asphalt plant at the gateway to Sonoma
County, across from popular Shollenberger Park, on a site that
violates a voter mandated scenic corridor, is a measurement of
Carrillo’s values.
Aside from that, Supervisor Carrillo is new to elected office,
and should spend his time finding out what his Fifth District
constituents want.
Coastal Commissioners should have respect for the body’s
initiative origins and the voter mandate to protect our scenic
coastline. I sincerely don’t think Mr. Carrillo is ready or capable
of taking on this important position.
Richard Nichols
Sebastopol
A safer place?
Editor: If we could have taken a fraction of the money and
energy spent in killing one man and apply it to the schools and
social programs that serve our community, I’ll bet we could have
vastly improved the lives of many Americans. That one man now
becomes a martyr to his followers while many children do not
receive the help they need to succeed in life and seniors and
mental health clinics are coping with extreme budget cuts. I don’t
get it. Really? Is the world a safer place?
JT O’Neill
Sebastopol