LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – 10-20-11

Response to Gurney
Editor: I’ve set aside my resentment and indignation to submit what
I hope will be taken as a well-measured response to Sebastopol City
Councilmember Sarah Glade Gurney’s article in the Sonoma County
Gazette’s October issue regarding panhandling and
homelessness.
People, with and without homes, can be obnoxious. I’ve observed
plenty of bad public behavior, including the utterance of foul
language, by persons apparently with homes, and even in front of
children. This is especially common among younger people. If
parents won’t teach their kids better, I guess we old-timers will
have to get used to it and get over it. Much the pity.
When a proper facility is unavailable, men have always made do with
some reasonably discreet alternative, as behind a bush. Even
persons without homes use restrooms when available. I’ve never
known anyone to use a dumpster for the purpose and it strikes me as
more trouble than it would be worth to attend to my business. And
how do we know it was a homeless person that vandalized a public
restroom? We don’t.
By the way, it seems to be acceptable for dogs to pee all over park
lawns where any of us, including children, might walk barefoot, sit
or lie down.
I object to public spitting, again a common, that is, vulgar,
practice among persons with and without homes. It’s unsanitary and
simply disgusting.
Please stop it, you’re grossing me out.
I would bet my backpack and all its contents that the vast majority
of individuals who use and are otherwise involved with drugs, and
virtually any unlawful activity, have homes. And I would appreciate
it if everyone, mostly “housies,” would better control their
barking dogs and screaming children and stop honking car horns
unnecessarily. The noise is an infinitely greater plague,
detracting far more from the quality of our lives, than any
panhandling or homeless problem in Sebastopol.
The claim that businesses are suffering a 10 percent loss in
revenues is anecdotal at best and even if it’s true, I defy anyone
to correlate it to homelessness and panhandling.
I’ve not observed the other behaviors by vagrants (as compassionate
people, surely we could use a kinder word) cited by Ms. Glade
Gurney such as blocking entrances, abusive behavior, nor aggressive
panhandling. Perhaps there have been isolated incidents but hardly
cause for alarm or overreaction among rational people.
Some of the homeless are from Sebastopol or very nearby. Some are
very young and don’t get along with their parents but don’t have
the means to have their own places or share with two or three
others. Many young people can’t, as we all know. Some have mental
disorders. It broke my heart to see a 20-year-old girl foraging in
trash cans for food and too disturbed or wary to accept the food I
offered her. These are your children, Sebastopol.
Fred Mramor
former Sebastopol resident
The Occupancy’s signs
Editor: The creative signs at the Occupy Santa Rosa gatherings that
I attended on Oct. 15, 16, and 17 impressed me. Other signs in many
languages at over 1,500 sites in more than 80 countries indicated a
global uprising for more participatory democracy.
In Santa Rosa, for example, pink-clad, three-year-old Liliana
Averill explained that she was making a sign that is “a love heart
because I love my mom and my dad,” who is apparently unemployed.
Her older, also pink-clad sister Jasmine sported a t-shirt saying
“Big Sister” and a “Be good” sign. These are among the essential
messages of this movement, which is more than merely a
demonstration or protest. Some signs were whimsical and
humorous.
“Fight the Big Cats,” read one dog’s sign. Other signs included the
following: “The People are Too Big to Fail,” “They Got Bailed Out;
We Got Sold Out,” “This is So Not Over,” and “Prepare for the
Beginning.”
As a college teacher, I am glad to see signs with quotes from the
classics, such as Goethe’s “None are more hopelessly enslaved than
those who falsely believe they are free.” The movement’s activists
are correct that they represent the 99 percent who are enslaved by
the 1 percent who rule here in the United States.
Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz writes that we now have a
government that is of the one percent, by the one percent, and for
the one percent. What happened to “of the people, by the people,
and for the people”?
Many occupying Santa Rosa’s City Hall over-night are students at
the Santa Rosa Junior College. Some of my Sonoma State University
students were there, as well as some of our current and retired
faculty, such as David Walls, a Sebastopol resident and activist
with moveon.org. I wore my California Faculty Association t-shirt,
which says “Save public education! Keep the doors open!”
What can our college students expect of their futures if the 1
percent continue to rule? Huge debts, few jobs, and many moving
back with their parents. Why not occupy, go to the streets, banks,
churches, stock exchanges, and elsewhere with your messages?
Former Sebastopol Mayor and city council member Larry Robinson was
there and later posted the following comment online: “Washington’s
failures are a direct result of policies directed by Wall Street
and for the sole benefit of Wall Street. Most Americans know this
in their guts. We may have finally reached the tipping
point!”
If this occupancy movement remains peaceful, it will grow and
attract many millions of followers around the world. It has chosen
a worthy target, Wall Street, and appropriate strategies and
tactics. It focuses on defining the problems here in the 21st
century, which are numerous, as the gap between the wealthy and the
poor grows.
Readers might consider a visit to the City Hall to see for
yourselves and talk to those occupying. Food donations are
welcome.
The U.S. government has been steadily loosing any moral authority,
which the occupy movement is helping the American people to
gain.
Shepherd Bliss
Sebastopol
Two bad apples?
Editor: A few months ago Supervisor Carrillo stood by while Sonoma
County forced the sale of three acres of privately owned property
at a public auction. The only bidder present was Paul Hobbs, LLP
who purchased the parcel for $1,000. I would estimate this to be
less than 1 percent of its true value. The land is located in the
scenic corridor north of Sebastopol. It was immediatly clearcut to
make room for the wine industry which makes up 90 percent of the ag
land in the county.
A few months before this, Efren and our Board of Supervisors voted
to amend the General Plan twice and rezone property to allow the
Best Family Investers, LLC to clearcut an apple orchard and build a
33,000 sq.ft. bottling plant and 5,000 sq.ft. tasting room in a
residential neighborhood along the same scenic highway. The county
is not even requiring an Environmental Impact Report.
Efren, Sonoma County government and the Planning Department are
rewriting the General Plan and zoning laws to accommodate corporate
wine industry interests. This is a classic story of the ultra rich
getting ultra richer by seeding local government with cooperative
politicians who appoint their own planning commissioners.
Efren must think the people are too stupid to realize that his
attention grabbing headlines, well after the irrevocable damage is
done, are a weak attempt to portray himself as an environmentalist.
Efren has been selling Sonoma County to the highest bidders for
three years.
There’s more than one bad apple in this story.
Thomas Morabito
Sebastopol
What’s the cost?
Editor: Thank you for the well written article, “One bad apple,” in
the Sonoma West Times & News (Oct. 13). As a resident with no
connection regarding the above, some natural questions came to the
fore: How much would those permits and regulations you identified
cost the parties involved? If each permit were thwarted and
appealed, sans lawyers, would that incur any additional expense on
such parties?
After all administrative appeals were exhausted and petitioning the
courts became the only means of redress, how long and how much
would that cost, if you know of any such cases?
On average, how long does it take to get those permit actions
completed? While you mentioned the cost relative to the fines, this
clarification would help gauge the depth of outrage you ask of the
community. While I strongly uphold community standards, noted are
the current headlines regarding the dismantling of our government
and while I oppose the actuality of those crying for this, the
spirit of such is clear.
Lastly, one of the outrages I find myself feeling is that a
publicly elected official puts into print their sense of support to
a private enterprise. That, along with their nebulous reasons as to
why, gives me cause to ponder as to whether I vote for her/him
again in any election. I thought there were laws against
such.
Leonard Carl
Sebastopol
Not to be confused with…
Editor: As of Aug. 29, there has been a provocative project
underway in our town entitled “The Core Project: A study to
vitalize the city of Sebastopol.” It is an International Design
Competition intended to generate innovative ideas for renewing the
town center, and is a grass roots effort being done with the City’s
blessing. Please visit the website, www.the-core-project.org, and
contact us to learn more and to get involved.
We present this information here in response to the article in
Sept. 29 issue (“Downtown merchants make improvments despite bad
economy”). This is a more informal effort by the Downtown Merchants
Association for a facelift on Main Street, which seems to fit in
with the very specific goals of the city’s project Street Smart
Sebastopol. While we fully support this effort, we wanted to make
sure these projects are not confused with “The Core Project”
International Design Competition.
The Core Project is designed to bring in a visionary view of the
development of the town, with hopes for a more long term impact. As
the City proceeds with an update of its General Plan, how can we
make the city center an economically thriving and aesthetically
vibrant place, far into the future? And in the present time we must
ensure that our language is used carefully, in order to best
support all efforts to make our town a better place.
The Core Project Steering Committee
Lars Langberg, Cary Bush, Paul Fritz, Holly Hansen, Charles Marr,
Corey Hitchcock, Eric Spillman, Tina Grob
Invest in solar
Editor: I have had solar panels for seven years and they
consistently supply 50 percent of our electrical use.
Many jobs would be created if more homeowners invested in solar
panels, this in turn would lessen the need for power from the
utility provider.
Jacqueline Holmes
Occidental