By Jim Hall ? letters to the editor
Our federal government has used American taxpayers” funds to shore up and re-invest in the banking industry, auto industry, and other industries that have fallen on hard times. Is it any less legitimate for a county government to step in and use taxpayer dollars to invest in a local start-up business that offers a very high degree of profit, future taxable property taxation, new jobs, business to local suppliers, plus offers a high quality, local made, product that is used by all the folks living in the county?
The citizens of Lake County have always paid a greater price for goods shipped in from the larger cities where most manufactures are located, due to having to cross over mountains, etc. to get here. They also pay a high price for those goods that are produced using union salaries, while not gaining any local benefits from the spending power of those higher salaries in the county itself.
The high profit product that has a very large usage is bread. The county, along with the local school system, could take advantage of state and federal funding grants to choose a number of local high school graduates to send to a world renown and award winning San Francisco Baking Institute, funding the cost of the program with the students” legally contracted commitment to return to the county and take positions as bakers/management in producing not only the higher quality artisan types of bread but the daily-used grocery store quality breads also.
This three shift, 24-hour a day operation would also need delivery drivers, office workers, warehouse people and retail salespersons. The same operation would use locally grown products, such as eggs, walnuts, almonds, pears, grapes and other fruits and vegetables that are or could be grown in the area.
The quality of artisan breads fits right into the ever growing wine industry that is now part of Lake County”s allure for the tourism trade too. Fine breads, cheeses and wines will always be enjoyed together.
Bread can be retailed in many different areas, large and small grocery stores, convenience stores, discount stores, etc. And, a great source of use and sales will be the county”s school system, that would be the foundation for such a project. Add the hospitals and jail to this list and it brings a solid reason for the county and its taxpayers to invest in such a project.
The project would be sold to the bakery employees, making it a local employee owned business that has gained the needed start up capital from the country taxpayers through guaranteeing loans from the local banks. A form of ownership, could be to make it a non-profit organization with a board of directors made up from one representative from each township in the county. Excess income could be used for community improvements to all the townships in the county
The project would offer a quality product, fair prices for the product, due to lesser costs for shipping, labor, land and building, while adding jobs, greater sales and use of locally grown products, sales to local vendors of raw materials and supplies. It also would bring a green industry to the county. Copy on packaging also will bring good advertising of the county to outside areas of the county. Packaging supplies could be done by local printers. Delivery vehicles would be serviced and fueled by local retail auto outlets. More support for local jobs. Out-dated products could be turned into other saleable goods, such as locally produced bread pudding, bread crumbs, seasoned croutons, etc., that could be sold outside the area.
Some of the labeling would offer advertising to the county”s townships, thusly, Lakeport Sourdough Bread, Clearlake Maid Bread, Nice Homestyle Rye, Lucerne Old World Danish, Upper Lake Seven-Grain Bread, Kelseyville Homestyle Bread, Blue Lakes Donuts, The Oaks Whole Grain Wheat.
Jim Hall grew up in Clearlake Oaks. He spent a long time in Hawaii and Ohio, but
