I recently wrote that this growing county was endangered from the right. Developers, if uncontrolled, would build this gorgeous place into a sloppy, miniature Los Angeles. County supervisors, vigilantly eyed by us, have avoided that. Now we face danger from the left.
Jackie and I settled here not just because of beauty and climate but because of the people”s welcoming arms. This is a charming, tolerant, good-natured place.
We learned to live on a small fraction of our San Diego income and instead of growing wealthy we grew happy. The day after settling in we came home to find fresh vegetables on our doorstep from our neighbor”s garden. When we stopped for gas, Jim Alexander introduced himself and welcomed us. We soon learned the names of checkers at the grocery, as well as names of the owners, Brunetti and Deuchar. At the Department of Motor Vehicles, we got neighborly treatment, not bureaucratic hassle.
Our sheriff jails crooks with satisfying regularity; the district attorney efficiently separates bad guys from good guys, and our judges are tough enough to pound nails with their fists. Rare obscene gestures and no driveby shootings entertain us. Courteous folks who love it here fill the courthouse. Other counties would kill to get Kelly Cox, Gerry Shaul, Kim Clymire or Diane Fridley, to name a few.
Lake County supervisors answer to Ed, Jeff, Gary, Tony and Rob, not Mr. or Sir. They meet to discuss potholes, air, water, and motorcycle property destruction. Some may think we”re time-warped to Mayberry RFD, but it”s charming – and irreplaceable if lost.
These supervisors” elections now attract influential money from the outside. I”ve seen Bay Area folks in action. If they take over, our supervisors will squabble about global warming, Iraq, abortions, homelessness, oil drilling and same-sex marriage. Not potholes.
Randy Ridgel
Kelseyville
