LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bus tickets to Guerneville
Editor: We applaud the efforts of Sebastopol to address their
homeless problems. The homeless are everywhere and the reasons are
many and varied. Unfortunately, the idea of giving bus tickets to
remove people from Sebastopol and to transfer them to Guerneville
is not an acceptable solution to the residents and businesses of
Guerneville and the Russian River area. The population of
Guerneville is less than 2,000 and lacks the infrastructure of an
incorporated village, town or city. At times the population appears
to be higher due to visitors who come to this area to enjoy its
beauty and the attractions it has to offer.
Sonoma County Redevelopment is currently spending tax payers’
money to help attract more tourism to the area with rebranding,
logo and tag lines. The facade program to spruce up storefronts in
Guerneville is beginning to show some results. Survival as a
destination for tourism is crucial. The area cannot tolerate being
designated as a drop-off zone for transient individuals who have
arrived from other towns.
Kathleen Shaffer, Sebastopol councilwoman, was quoted in Sonoma
West’s article about the homeless (“Homeless issues creeping into
Sebastopol consciousness,” Feb. 24). She made the suggestion of
buying bus tickets to Guerneville and Santa Rosa for the homeless
that are in Sebastopol. She is also a member of the board of
directors for West County Community Services which has its
headquarters in Sebastopol and has been operating the temporary
winter shelter intended for local homeless in Guerneville this
year. Why doesn’t WCCS reach out to Sebastopol and focus on solving
the homeless issues there? The method of shuffling transients from
community to community has gone on all over the country for years
and is obviously not working.
A River Area Shelter and Downtown Task Force has been recently
formed and will be meeting to develop solutions for the behavior
issues and the resulting problems in Guerneville. Our businesses
must survive. They pay taxes and also provide employment for many
people who, in turn, pay taxes that support many services including
those for the needy. The River area is a forgiving and generous
area but it is time for those who serve the homeless to be
responsible to the entire Community.
Margaret Kennett
President, Russian River
Chamber of Commerce
Satire falls flat
Editor: Congratulations to Rollie Atkinson for a thoughtful,
lucid editorial last week on the economic efficiency challenges
facing local government leaders, and to David Abbott for an
incisive, heartfelt commentary on the plight of public service
employees. 
As for Frank Robertson’s modest proposal to ban City Council
meetings (“Smart thinking,” Feb. 24), I understand the attempt at
political satire, but fail to see the humor. The Sebastopol City
Council did not pass a moratorium on SmartMeters, but did consider
the matter in response to widespread community concern. This is
grass roots democracy at work.
People have a right to be heard by their elected
representatives, and deserve respect for expressing their views. We
are in real trouble when we attack the speaker rather than the
speech. As a newspaper columnist, Frank gets a hall pass to say
what he pleases. That does not excuse his tin ear or ad hominem
attacks.
Words matter. At a time when people wanting to participate in a
democratic process are being killed in Tripoli and Tucson by
deranged individuals, Frank’s tone-deaf characterization of
participants in Sebastopol’s public forum as “irrational” could not
be more offensive. I will give him the benefit of the doubt on his
unfortunate word choice in asking “who’s calling the shots in
Sebastopol.”
Regarding the Nuclear Free Zone, Sebastopol dares to dream. Yes,
we may invite cheap jokes with this proclamation, but at least we
embrace optimism over cynicism. I should add that we are proud that
Nagasaki has recognized us in its Atomic Bomb Museum for our
support of world peace.
Guy Wilson
Mayor, City of Sebastopol
Take tongue out of cheek
Editor: Frank Robertson’s column in the last issue of Sonoma
West Times & News (“Smart thinking,” Feb. 24) was probably
meant to be funny. It didn’t strike me as humorous, but rather
perhaps, merely as a vehicle for his stern cynicism.
The very first City Council meeting I ever attended, back in
1987, before I moved “to town,” took up the question of whether or
not a tree should be trimmed or cut down. The Council mediated
between the strongly held opinions of two neighbors. This brought
home to me that here was a City Council who cared about more than
just the town’s budget.
Sebastopol’s identity and the reason many have chosen to live
here, is largely the population mix, their talents and character
and ergo, the diversity of their interests and issues. To criticize
the town for its very essence and principles is shallow and
opportunistic, rather than cleverly perceptive.
So lay off, Frank. Take your tongue out of your cheek: recognize
that the town is composed of people who care about where they live,
and see our Council for what it is — leaders of the town, elected
by their peers, to address their concerns.
As long as its citizens feel that the Council listens and acts,
when it is possible, on what the people bring before it, the
Council will be performing the duties for which they were
elected.
Helen Shane
Sebastopol
Don’t be so serious
Editor: I got the e-mail asking for a rebuttal on Frank
Robertson’s perspective on the proposed SmartMeter ban in
Sebastopol (“Smart thinking,” Feb. 24), but I have to say, I
totally appreciate his sense of humor.
Yes, there are potential issues around SmartMeters, cell phones,
leaf-blowers and quite honestly, a society too hyped-up on
caffeine. But if you can’t read Frank without getting upset because
he copped an attitude about your most fervent mission, then you
need to lighten up folks.
Yes, Sebastopol is at the forefront of trying to protect its
citizens from society’s ills. Good on ya.
People in West County need to get out into the rest of the world
more often though, to see that what we take seriously, others don’t
even think about. It’s tough to be at the forefront of any mission
to change the way people look at subjects. But someone has to start
the conversation, and West County people are especially good at
bringing attention to what’s important.
But with that in mind … it’s dangerous to take yourself so
seriously that you can’t appreciate a light-hearted approach to
your heavy subject. If you get too dark and against too much,
people will start turning away from your smart ideas because they
don’t want to hear you complain anymore. Nag, nag, nag.
So please all you serious folks, take a moment to chuckle, and
even laugh at your own seriousness, so you can approach the subject
as FOR something — healthy lives, healthy people, healthy
communities.
You’ll get a lot more people listening to what you have to
say.
Vesta Copestakes
Forestville
Just the facts, Frank
Editor: Frank Robertson seems to miss the message behind the
SmartMeter rejection with his name-calling attempt to neutralize an
upheaval against corporate mandates and badly planned dangerous
technology (“Smart thinking,” Feb. 24). Twenty-six Californian
cities and counties, Dayton Ohio, Maine, Texas and Hawaii feel
similarly. Name calling is a form of character assassination
without facts. Actually it is pretty infantile. Get some facts
Frank. The wireless stuff you broadly support as new technology has
real problems. An effective corporate black out and media washing
does not stop that. News articles in the US start with “a new study
suggestions concerns …” or “RF stimulates …” instead of the fact
that in 1997, Dr. H Lai and Singh found low level wireless caused
DNA breaks (both strands) and that has been supported with peer
studies in China 2005 and Switzerland 2009. Radar illness is the
electro hypersensitivity. Swedish studies show immune system
response and depression in double blind human and animal studies.
An oncologist, presenting new brain tumor shrinking drugs on San
Diego TV, tells how he avoids wireless devices, especially with his
family.
Also missing in your tirade against concerned people, (rape is
pretty devastating) many of the complaints come from direct
experience. There is an exodus of normal straight impacted folks
out of Smart meter cities, who have heart arrhythmia, brain fog or
seizures from the so called safe stuff. Safe based on an obsolete
standard challenged by at least seven resolutions of world wide
scientist. I know 10 relocated families now in my county. The safe
technology is being taken out of schools and libraries in Europe,
and French government is posting signs advising parents to not give
their children cell phones and making laws to keep them out of
children’s hands. How about 10 % of Sweden is electrically
hypersensitive. A sensitivity provoked by this technology. That’s
one in ten, Frank. In a room of 100, 10 of those folks will soon
need to leave, if a cell phone is on, or the restaurant or library
is wireless.
Privacy concerns, damage to personal home equipment, disruption
of safety devices like GFIs and then absurdly high overcharges. No,
not everyone (40,000 written complaints), but I think it should be
no one. One does not build confidence in the CPUC mandate or
Utilities application seeing boggled expensive installations in
Kern County (three times,) replacement in neighborhood of bad S
Meter batches or the General Accounting Office fretting about
homeland security issues in the Smart grid, our power system in a
50 page report January 2011. And who pays for it? You and I, Frank.
We rate & taxpayers, pay with our hard earned money and our
health.
Get some facts, Frank and then let’s talk.
Greg Krouse, Philo, CA
Smell the coffee
Editor: Citizens across the country are protesting and refusing
Smart Meter “deployment” by PG&E, which has one goal:
maximizing short-term profits. Why are they “deploying” this
job-eliminating technology so fast when we need job creation? This
is not just a “goofy” Sebastopol thing, nine local governments,
including three counties, have enacted moratoriums due to health,
safety, accuracy and privacy concerns.
SmartMeters violate FCC safety rules and are not UL listed. No
environmental impact studies have been conducted and it is
questionable whether this technology will reduce energy
consumption. More than 3 percent of the population is electrically
sensitive and immediately sickened by these not-so-SmartMeters.
If you have attended Sebastopol city council meetings, you have
heard some of these people speak. What if you were in their
shoes?
We are all being negatively affected by the pulsed RF radiation
from cell phones, Wi-Fi and now SmartMeters, maybe we don’t get
sick immediately or if we are sick we don’t make the connection,
but down the road this may be the factor that tips us towards
cancer or autoimmune disease. Six thousand five hundred doctors
have signed the Freiburger Appeal stating that electromagnetic
sensitivity is the probable cause for numerous illnesses they are
seeing in many of their patients.
Shame on you for belittling Sebastopol’s two smartest city
council members and Sebastopol citizens who are fighting to protect
the local population from this new health threat. Wake up Frank
Robertson.
Susan W. Vican
Sebastopol
Don’t raid our coffers
Editor: The following letter was sent to California Governor
Jerry Brown from teh Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce.
Dear Governor Brown:
The Sebastopol Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center Board
of Directors is writing you today to express our opposition to the
provisions in your January Budget Proposal that would eliminate
redevelopment agencies in California.  
Eliminating the redevelopment agency from our City of Sebastopol
would be in violation of the passage of Proposition 22, preventing
state raids of local government funds, including redevelopment
funding.
Our community relies on funding from this agency to support not
only affordable housing, infrastructure and community improvements
but other opportunities to stimulate the economy through public-
private partnerships that create vitality locally.  
The Sebastopol Chamber Board feels that the use of redevelopment
funds should remain at the local level of decision making,
determining what is best for our individual community. This
proposal is another attempt by the state to raid local tax dollars
and impede the will of the voters and at the same time provide
little financial gain for the state.
We strongly encourage you to reconsider this attempt to
eliminate redevelopment funds and consider the economic
implications it will have on our communities throughout California.
Let’s find a better way to bring financial relief to the State.
Majid Zeinal
Board President, Sebastopol Chamber
Teresa Ramondo
Executive Director/CEO
Kudos to Shaffer
Editor: Commendations to the Sebastopol Christian Church,
Kathleen Shaffer and the small group of community membersʼ
willingness to address the communityʼs homeless population
(“Homeless issues creeping into Sebastopol consciousness” Feb. 24).
Shaffer, a Sebastopol City Councilmember and a West County
Community Services Board member, attended one of the homeless
meetings and plans to hold future informational meetings. It should
be noted that she was not acting as a Council member nor a WCCS
board member. Shaffer stated in the article that she had spoken to
ministers of Sebastopolʼs churches to see what could be
accomplished.
Community Housing Opportunities West (CHOW) working under
the umbrella of West County Community Services might be utilized to
inventory available facilities in Sebastopol. West County Community
Services, a non-profit located in Sebastopol, could provide
counseling, mental health services and other vital services. The
proximity of Palm Drive Hospital and its services would be
available to assist the homeless in need of emergency and medical
attention. With the services and facilities available in
Sebastopol, there would be no need to bus the homeless to other
shelters.
Federal grants might be available to create programs
utilizing the services of the Sebastopol Police Department, Sonoma
County Sheriffʼs Department, Sonoma County Department of Health
Services, Catholic Social Services and Veteranʼs Affairs. By
working cooperatively they will be able to protect citizens and
assist those in need. Funding from the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development may be available in the spring when the 2011
Homeless Count is available. If federal grants are available,
Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Lynn Woolsey should be
contacted to assist with funding.
Associate Pastor, Kristen DelMonte, at the Sebastopol
Community Church and the Community Youth Group are also to be
commended for their work with the homeless. Sebastopol stepping up
at this time should be applauded. By joining with Santa Rosaʼs
homeless programs, Petalumaʼs COTS and Guernevilleʼs homeless
program, Sebastopol will be a welcome addition.
Samuel Pullaro, retired superintendent
Guerneville School District
Herman Hernandez, owner
Frank Howard Allen Realtors Russian River
Richard and Donna Hines
owners Patʼs Restaurant and Bar
Frank and Nancy Lambert
owners Lambertʼs 76
Michael Kennett
owner Fern Grove Cottages. Guerneville