Hire local
EDITOR: It is very unfortunate that our county board of supervisors, after proclaiming that we should buy local and hire local, have decided to hire lawyers from San Diego and Dallas, Texas to represent Sonoma County.
Where is the common sense in that? Put your money where your mouth is. It seems to us that Sonoma County attorneys, many of whom have gone through this disaster themselves, would have more empathy and sensitivity to our fire victims.
These out of town firms do not have any presence in our community and do not know this area. They will cost more, because of course they will have to charge travel time and lodging. Sonoma County attorneys are more familiar with Northern California courts and with the people of this area. They also have better access to the evidence.
We have faith in our Sonoma County trial lawyers, many of whom have generously supported our local fundraisers and charities for many years. We believe the North Bay and Sonoma County in particular have some of the finest attorneys in the state.
We have a lot of decent, honorable attorneys, investigators and other legal support groups who would do a great job representing us. Let our own guys lead us out of this mess. That would create the best chance for the people of Sonoma County to receive full justice.
Or does it just come down to who has the best marketing team? Welcome to the corporate culture.
Douglas and Roseanna Boaz
Healdsburg
Paint the bridge
EDITOR: My wife and I purchased a second home and business in Cloverdale a few years ago, and we love it here. We have already noticed a few improvements and obviously the Cloverdale government is trying to improve things. How about the improved quality of the outdoor street art? Thank goodness the lime-colored pig, which was constantly vandalized (probably by art lovers), is gone!
We are real estate people and “a coat of paint does wonders!” How about painting the East First Street bridge over the Russian River? This would make a world of difference in appearance and probably wouldn’t cost too much.
Steve Sloan
Mill Valley
Yes to Mother Nature, no to RoundUp
EDITOR: I am writing to thank Lou Preston for a thoughtful and much-needed letter in this week’s Reveille – ‘We don’t need RoundUp.’ I agree. We seem to have a most distressing urge to poison everything and everybody.
My understanding of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is to use the very least destructive way to deal with a pest situation, be it weed or bug.
A weed is just a plant growing in a place you don’t want it. So, from least destructive to most destructive, it goes like this: Admire it – some weeds are actually pretty, ignore it, move it down, pull it out. No RoundUp.
If you think weeds are unsightly, I will argue that there is nothing quite as unsightly and depressing as these long strips of dead grass (victims of RoundUp) and damage to bushes along walkways.
It you argue that RoundUp is perfectly harmless, remember that that was what we said about DDT. Perfectly harmless till we discovered it was not. Don’t mess with Mother Nature!
Thinking back to my own childhood (long before RoundUp!), I don’t recall playgrounds and parks full of weeds – I do remember picking bouquets of dandelions.
Kirsten Sullivan
Cloverdale
