Letters to the Editor 8-28-14

Three strikes for Ravitch
Editor: So Nicholas Tognozzi gets six months for the killing of Sue and Sharon Hufford with his car (with the help of his cell phone). In 2010 Kaitlyn Dunaway gets five days in jail for killing a 2 year-old child with her car (with the help of her cell phone). And Ms. Ravitch pledges to “continue to aggressively prosecute these cases.” Oh yes, the homeless man who burned down Frizelle Enos in Sebastopol (no one injured) gets four years in San Quentin. And don’t even mention Andy Lopez. I won’t be stupid enough to vote for Ravitch again.
Sally Morrison
Sebastopol
Thank you Supervisor
Editor: On Sunday, Aug. 17, I sent an e-mail to Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo and his Assistant Administrator, Susan Upchurch, asking if Efren could send me the name of the County Road Repairs Offices so that I could get help from them to get the huge pot holes on Redwood Glade near Ridgecrest Road repaired. That section of Redwood Glade is traveled by most if not all our neighbors in this section of 60 houses in Monte Rio. The lack of repair these past four years has really been allowed to greatly impede safe driving. Well, Efren did not send the name of the head of the department, what he did instead is: On Aug. 20, three days later, the road crew was out and patched not only those incredibly deep pot holes on Redwood Glade and Pine Glade, but most of those throughout the entire Rio Campo Neighborhood (across from Northwood).
In other words, he took care of the problem himself rather than just handing it off to his constituents to let them try to resolve their neighborhood’s problems.
Thank you Supervisor Efren Carrillo.
Robbi Ernst
Rio Campo Neighborhood, Monte Rio
Sarah Gurney fan
Editor: Of the fine candidates running for Sebastopol City Council, former Mayor Sarah Gurney’s environmental leadership stands out. Long ago she saw the need to protect the Laguna Uplands, and in 2007 led the Council vote against the Laguna Vista development. Today that area remains open space and habitat for the endangered Sebastopol Meadowfoam.
Sarah has been a leader in water conservation. With Mayor Robert Jacob, she co-chairs a committee to re-landscape City Hall and the Public Library, creating history-based gardens that conserve water and produce food.
Above all, Sarah has steadily led the Council toward a broad community-based vision of Sebastopol. Among many other projects, she:
• Spearheaded application for Sebastopol’s “Slow City” designation by Cittalsow International, to maintain the town’s quality of life and rural connections,
• Co-founded the Sebastopol Walks (now iWALK) program of monthly docent tours in and beyond Sebastopol,
• Supported the citizen-based “bike/walk” that examined alternative travel modes; and,
• Co-authored a “Complete Streets” Ordinance to help implement the vision.
In 2008 Sarah supported community values by galvanizing Council opposition to the ill-conceived Northeast Area Plan, and in 2011 cast the lone vote supporting the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny the proposed CVS/Chase project on the Pellini site. She also pushed the Council to apply for advice from a Sustainable Development Assessment Team (SDAT) of architects, which helped map out downtown connectivity.
With the property owner’s consent and participation, Sarah recently sponsored a workshop on developing the old lumberyard, east of The Plaza, to obtain community input and avoid future conflict. She is a strong advocate for the exciting “Pine Grove Square” — a civic complex on City-owned land above the Laguna floodplain.
As I see it, a vote for Sarah supports Sebastopol’s most reliable advocate for its small-town values and environmental preservation.
Jane Nielson
Sebastopol