Homeowners face liability from Spring Valley fire danger
On Saturday, April 28, District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing held a town hall meeting in Spring Valley, with an entourage of county officials. The meeting began with a slide show display with a letter to the editor titled “Supervisors don”t know what they are doing in Spring Valley.” It got a good laugh when she said she had to agree with the title.
Then the entire text of the letter was skipped over to the last sentence, which was circled, and called for the campground to be closed during the Burn Ban.
Supervisor Rushing then called for a show of hands in support, or against. Those against were in the vast majority, but that straw vote was based on no information. In fact when I was called on as the person who wrote the letter, she cut me off in less than 10 seconds.
I am worried about the liabilities for homeowners and residents, due to fire dangers, injury and death, as well as fire coverage by our homeowner”s insurance policies. My insurance agent assured me that fire damage would be covered, but there would be a liability to the person who started the fire, and to the operators of the campground, the members of the SVLPOA, for injury and death due to fire from the campground.
How many of those hands that went up to support NOT closing the campground, would have been raised if they had known they were taking on a liability of possibly $100,000 or more?
Supervisor Rushing has quoted Kelly Cox”s statement that the county doesn”t want the campground, and never did, and that she couldn”t see anyone from the county fighting to stop a transfer of it to Spring Valley, but she would need a large group of property owners to make that statement before she would propose it to the BOS.
This is a serious life-threatening situation, and it deserves prompt attention. Please Supervisor Rushing, hold another meeting immediately, on this topic, and facilitate the transfer of the campground to the Spring Valley subdivision, so it can become a private campground, and be in compliance with the county-wide burn ban, and eliminate the danger to our homes, our lives, and the huge financial liability to the SVLPOA.
Don Scott
Spring Valley
LLHS needs more volunteers to serve on its Senior Boards
The second round of Senior Boards for Lower Lake High School will be held on Saturday morning, May 19. I would like to extend an invitation to the community to become a Senior Board Judge. If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact Joan Mingori at Lower Lake High School, 994-6471, ext 184.
Joan Mingori
LLHS Career Center technician
Why have a no-fly list at all?
Why have a no-fly list at all? It is supposed to safeguard flyers, but ends up restricting the free movement of people who have done nothing wrong.
It is especially egregious that the list is populated by gossip and innuendo from unreliable informers and torture by secret agencies without the possibility of the passenger confronting his accusers or the secret evidence.
We do need to safeguard flyers, but this can easily and safely be done while respecting human rights better. Change the no-fly list to a special-scrutiny list. Let the listees be carefully examined for possible weapons. Require their luggage to go in the hold. Let the listees be seated furthest from the cabin. Let all the airplane crew know of them.
This will still be hugely embarrassing to the listees, but at least they will be able to fly, to go on vacation, to keep their jobs, to be with someone close facing death.
Tom Trottier
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
