Letters to the Editor 9-15-16

Something fishy here
EDITOR: Last year the city council passed an ordinance stating that all new buildings must have solar panels, yet a new house on Murphy Street, built a few months ago does not have solar panels. Is there something fishy here? 
The city just black-topped Brookside Street, a cul-de-sac, and Orchard and Springdale, all of which really didnt need it — as only residents living on these streets use them — yet Leland, on which I see many cars drive continuously between Robinson Road and Jewell, has never, in the 20 years I’ve lived here, been black-topped or repaired. Is there something fishy here?
Leonard Baron
Sebastopol
Disingenuous irony
EDITOR: Commentaries from the Noreen Evans campaign have reached new lows in the rhetoric and disinformation that have characterized their attacks on Lynda Hopkins. Since they cannot find anything to criticize about what Lynda has to say, they have resorted to fear and smear. 
Lynda is a progressive Democrat, as are most of her active supporters. She is an environmentalist and small farmer with a degree in land use planning.She supports environmental protection, urban boundaries, affordable housing and supportive services. These are not agenda items of big business or the1 percent. 
She was not hand picked by anyone. She decided to run because she believes that she can be part of a better and fairer Sonoma County in the future. She’s received support from local business because she is smart, pragmatic and eager to work with everyone. 
Noreen Evans is the candidate with the history of questionable financial support, including big energy, big pharmaceuticals, Indian gaming, payday lenders and wineries. True, Noreen was in the legislature where this type of support is more common than we would like. But it is a disingenuous irony that her campaign accuses Lynda of being controlled by interests that Noreen has represented in the past.
Samantha Nichols
Santa Rosa
Might also like to know
EDITOR: The lead article in the Sonoma West Times and News of Sept. 1 on the pre-war Japanese gravesite found was well received. Readers of Sonoma West might also like to know that Jean C Fisher, working on scripts for the West Sonoma County Historical Society cemetery walk, first directed our attention to these graves. Hideko Oga helped with initial understanding of the Japanese writing on the headstones. Steve Lang, manager of the Sebastopol Cemetery, was very helpful in sharing with us all that he knew about these graves and also in allowing us to work in the cemetery. Steve Stedman, President of the WSCHS, insisted that no action be taken without the cooperation and approval of the community of Japanese Americans here in Sebastopol. Nao Noguchi acted as intermediary with the community of Enmanji Temple. Brad Daval did research, and obtained burial records from the county. Brad also repaired the broken headstones. Alex Stanley, curator at the Luther Burbank Experiment Farm, organized the work. And Alex personally undertook to remove many overhanging dead tree branches. Cybele Peregrine took many photographs of the site, before, during and after the project.  And the volunteers at the Luther Burbank Experiment Farm and officers of the West Sonoma County Historical Society voted unanimously to take on this project. It did take a village. It was indeed a community effort.
Jim Passage
Sebastopol
Red light runners
EDITOR: I propose that the Sebastopol Police department change their “Slow down Sebastopol” campaign to “Red light runners must be stopped.” One only has to stand at the intersection of Main Street and Bodega Highway where you will witness red light runners on nearly every single light change. How often are people traveling east through this intersection caught out in the middle blocking those trying to turn left to go down Main Street? The police departments lack of enforcement at this major artery has allowed people to think that running red lights is the new norm since there are no consequences. As for dealing with speeders the most dangerous and obvious violations occur between the intersection by Screaming Mimi’s and Whole Foods Market where people fly through the intersection and then rudely merge and shove their way over in front of others because they don’t have the patience and courtesy to slow down and wait their turn. Most locals are wise to the fact that you routinely set up radar enforcement across from the post office and up Healdsburg Avenue near Harvey Henningsens Studio. Station your officers near the two intersections I’ve mentioned and I guarantee you will be able to quadruple your revenues from traffic violations.
Gary B. Robb
Sebastopol
Both sides
EDITOR: For the sake of continued transparency, I recently met with a public affairs firm in Santa Rosa about my campaign for Sebastopol City Council. After that meeting and subsequent discussion with persons belonging to the political establishment of Sebastopol, I was told that this public affairs firm is despised locally and if word got out about my meeting, it would ruin my campaign.
In fact on August 14th, Noreen Evans attacked this same public affairs firm on her Facebook page by sharing the firm’s claim to be “working at the intersection of business and government” and she then asks, “Where is the public interest in that intersection?”
Craig Litwin, the write-in candidate for Sebastopol City Council has publicly endorsed Noreen Evans for Supervisor. Nevertheless, on that same day that I met with the Santa Rosa public affairs firm detested by Ms. Evans, Craig Litwin had just finished his meeting with the same firm. Mr. Litwin’s meeting was right before Lynda Hopkins who had her meeting just before mine.
Does Noreen Evans know about Craig Litwin’s business relationship with the public affairs firm named as her nemesis? If so, she should ask Craig about the “intersection of business and government” and where his public interest is because evidently, Mr. Litwin is clandestinely playing both sides for his own personal gain in what he calls “politics as usual.”
Michael Anthony Carnacchi
Sebastopol