Editorial

I have logged over 70,000 miles in the last 30 years at sea. In this time, I have seen many dangerous situations as well as unnecessary accidents as well as deaths, that could have been prevented with a bit of common sense as well as preventative measures. By writing this article I hope it helps to give a helping hand to all that enters the water this year, by boat or simply just swimming in our waters.

Last August, I was called to help a man with his dying wishes.  He had three.  The first was to go to Zen Hospice in San Francisco for his final days.  The second was that a Tibetan Llama accompany him with prayers and chanting for the last part of his journey, and the third was for medical cannabis so that he could reduce his reliance on prescribed opiates and die with a “clear mind.”

The Library Commission meeting on Monday, May 7th was remarkable for the Commission’s inability — or adamant refusal — to listen to points of view other than their own, especially with regard to their pet project, self-check machines. The documents that were meant to inform an incisive conversation about the self-check equipment were over 58 pages long and did not include any information from the employees who have been the “testers” for the equipment. The documents were posted on the website less than two days before the Commission meeting, and were still being revised hours before the meeting itself. A large number of employees and community people came to the meeting, and several commented on the self-check machines.

I was recently reminded of a 1912 article published in The Healdsburg Tribune which reported that Healdsburg would soon have eight passenger trains daily. The article describes the increased convenience for Healdsburg businessmen who would be able to make a round trip to the City in one day, and for the San Francisco businessman “whose family might be spending the summer at one of the many resorts” in our area. I assume the link across the bay to San Francisco was a ferry from Sausalito. Anyway, it sounds pretty good to me and I hope I'm alive and kicking if and when the SMART train is running along the same route as 1912 trains and replicates their service.

This is Part 2 of the “Cost Savings” commentary. In Part 1, the councilmembers discussed factors that led to the current budget conditions, as well as actions that have been taken in the past year to address the budget issues.

Part I

Exactly two years ago, I wrote a commentary on this page declaring that I would be away from the paper on maternity leave for a few months and that I was leaving the paper in very capable hands while I was away. I wrote that while I would be stepping back from the endless deadlines and late night meetings, I knew I would be up against a different set of challenges as I gave birth to my first child.

A serious issue

We are a group of Healdsburg residents who represent a variety of political affiliations and opinions. But we are united in our belief that Healdsburg residents, City Council, City staff, and employee unions need to work together NOW to solve the financial/pension crisis that Healdsburg, like so many other communities, is facing.

Crowds can be powerful, dangerous, glorious, murderous. Think of the crowds in the streets of cities in the middle east in what has been called the Arab Spring, a spring that has blossomed in hope for justice and freedom, a spring that has also suffered the chill of brutal repression. Think of the crowds of the Occupy events around the US, citizens gathering in protest, in hope, in resentment, and sometimes in crazy violence.