Letters to the Editor 6-4-15

Happy with Palm Drive
Editor: I’ve been reading about the folks who don’t want to pay a parcel tax to support Palm Drive Hospital (now Sonoma West Medical Center), and I’d like to comment.  From 1975, I lived way out west of Cazadero, and Palm Drive was my hospital for everything: ruptured appendix, broken wrist-long list.
When I first heard that Palm Drive was in financial straits, I had a bake sale in downtown Cazadero. I baked for three days, sold everything, and made $85 for the hospital (always a bit naive about money).
When the parcel tax was on the ballot, I came in to Sebastopol for a couple of days to work on phoning voters. I couldn’t even vote for it, because I wasn’t in their district, but I would have.
My feeling is this: even if I were poor again, the thought that my contribution might save one person’s life (any person’s), would make me happy to do it.
Sara Scott
Cazadero
It’s teeth chattering
Editor: I’ve listened to both sides of the Measure A debate and I’ve decided to vote Yes. We need to fix our roads before we’re completely lost in potholes and crumbling concrete. I’m tired of driving down the street with my teeth chattering. I’ve spent a lot of money on these teeth and I don’t want to pay for them again.  
Sure, maintaining road infrastructure is expensive and never ending. But unless we no longer need to (among other things) buy food, go to work or school or the movies, it’s what we have to do. Paying for and maintaining the things we really need to take care of ourselves is part of being a grown up.
I understand and share the concern about the politicians using the money for something else if it goes into the general fund. But we can prevent this by strict citizen oversight and pledging to hold anyone accountable for even attempting to use the money in some other way. No campaign contributions and no vote for any transgressor.  
We can do this.
Elaine Huth
Forestville
Atascadero Creek alarm
Editor: The Sonoma County Water Coalition (SCWC) comprises 30 organizations, representing more than 24,000 concerned citizens. SCWC is especially concerned about the preservation of a safe, economical and reliable water supply for all living things. SCWC also works to preserve healthy ecosystems, supports watershed restoration, and protection and careful oversight of all public trust resources, including surface and groundwater quality and quantity.  
Surface and groundwater issues come together in wetlands. SCWC is particularly concerned about preserving the remaining wetlands in the Russian River watershed. Wetlands contribute to groundwater recharge and storage, and also support wetland habitats that filter pollutants and support many species that feed higher-level food chain species, including salmonids.  
We are very concerned that currently-proposed vineyard and winery expansions on properties near Atascadero Creek will further destroy and impair wetlands contiguous with the creek, and add stress to nearby areas that have been designated for protection. We are particularly concerned that the expanded developments will add significantly to groundwater use in and around the village of Graton, where all properties, including businesses and industries, get their water from wells. The potential for groundwater depletion in and around Graton, should the drought extend for many more years, is not known.
We hope you will recommend to the Board of Supervisors that the proposed vineyard and winery development projects not be considered for approval until PRMD has obtained a study that evaluates the current state of ground and surface water supplies and quality in the Atascadero Watershed, including the impacts of current vineyard and winery developments on the groundwater and on the Atascadero Creek wetlands. Such a study also needs to examine the potential for negative impacts of the proposed vineyard and winery expansions, and determine what mitigations may be required.
 A full study of the Watershed and its wetlands is called for in this time of severe drought, so that the Board’s eventual decisions will be based on scientific data, and not on political considerations or standard practices that ignore water supply limitations and their water quality consequences.
Stephen Fuller-Rowell   
Sonoma County Water Coalition
 
Re: The Road Ahead
Editor: Frank Robertson’s piece on Measure A, “The Road Ahead,” took a big detour from the facts.  Normally I agree with a lot of what he writes but in this case, I cannot.  Like some other opponents  of Measure A have done, he has to take a swipe at County employees/retirees to buttress his argument against the measure.   According to him, County employees “easily make $100,000 a year or more counting benefits.”  And what facts does he base that statement on?  None are presented in his commentary.  When I worked as Assistant D.A. for Sonoma County, I did make $100,000 a year, or $50 bucks an hour while prosecuting criminals like Richard Allen Davis. Pretty good bargain for the taxpayers, I think, given what private attorneys make.  
Then Frank says that “Some (county employees) work a few years and can retire and make even more money doing nothing for the rest of their lives while enjoying full health care, cost-of-living  increases, the works.”  That is an entirely gratuitous cheap shot. First, retirees do not get full health care – they get a flat amount that often covers only a small portion of the cost.   Second, retirees have gotten no cost-of-living increases since 2008 and appear unlikely to get them in the future; so where did Frank come up with that?   Maybe he just relies on what he has heard in the gossip mill, or relies on other “letters to the editor” for his research.  
I am not sure what he means about retirees making more money when they retire.  Pensions are not easily earned in County employment. For example, someone who makes $5,000/month, retires at 65, and works 10 years, which is the minimum to get any health insurance, would have a pension of  under $1,500/month.  20 years would get them about $2,900/month.  That’s well below what they earned and a long way from $100,000/year.  Almost half of retirees  get  less than $2,000 a month, with 20% getting less than $1,000 a month.  Not much to live on in Sonoma County.  Fewer  than 3.5% get $100,000, and they are usually top managers, although if you depend on your information from reading the newspapers, you would think all retirees get that.  I worked over 30 years prosecuting murderers, rapists, and child molesters to get a pension. And I assure you it was not easily come by.   
And what does he mean by saying “retirees are doing nothing for the rest of their lives”? Many volunteer to work for the County, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars. Many serve on local non-profit boards, or participate in many other charitable efforts.  I  just finished giving 375 local second graders free swimming lessons, sponsored by the Sebastopol Rotary.  As a D.A. I took a lot of shots in the courtroom, but at least I could respond at the moment.  I think Mr. Robertson presented a very biased, unsupported, and one sided  commentary about County employment.  He should know better.
Greg Jacob
 Sebastopol