Take steps now
With multiple fires raging across Lake County and Northern California, it’s clear that climate change isn’t a distant threat. Climate change is here now.
Fortunately, California is already showing that we can take serious steps to fight climate change while improving public health and the economy.
In 2006, the legislature set a goal to reduce statewide greenhouse gas pollution to 1990 levels by 2020. Just under 10 years later, we are more than halfway toward meeting that goal. In the process, California has attracted billions of dollars in private investment in clean energy businesses, which now employ over 400,000 people. We are also on track to cut billions in health costs. And our state’s GDP has steadily increased as emissions have fallen.
This year, our state representatives will vote on even more ambitious emission reduction targets and investments in the clean energy economy.
Two bills, already passed in the state senate, would continue California’s leadership in fighting climate change. SB 32 sets a greenhouse gas reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050; SB 350 sets goals of reaching a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use from motor vehicles; generating 50 percent of our electricity from renewable power sources; and doubling energy efficiency in existing buildings, all by 2030.
Let’s take these fires as the wakeup call they are and act boldly on climate change.
You can help by calling Lake County’s Assemblymember Bill Dodd at (707) 576-0400 and asking him to vote “yes” on SB 32 and SB 350.
Rebecca Curry, Kelseyville
Spread the fun
In these past decades that has seen the rich get richer and the working class made to pay for that fact, would it not be a great idea to level the playing field when we can? Those of us who love the lake and all it can provide for both locals and visitors to it, a project could be put in place that would help do just that.
We have many community beaches spread around the lake that have seen a great degree of lack of use. One way our county could use it more wisely would be for the county to award concession operation at each beach, for the purpose of renting affordable fishing boats and motors at each of them along with a snack/drink bar for use by the visitors to those beaches.
There was a time when each community had someone offering boat and motor rental to the working class who enjoyed fishing. Nick’s in the Oaks, Don Bait Shop in the Highlands, etc. If these new concession’s were given to two organizations who could operate them and use and split the funds gained to help upgrade their own organizations, the school districts and the volunteer fire departments in the same communities that the beach concessions were established. Better up graded equipment could offer a better education and fire/lifesaving services to be used by those who need such services. The schools could offer classes in small engine repair to keep the motors in good running order.
Volunteer fireman, and student and their parents could save on the cost of building docks and storage for the boat rental part as well as concession stands and storage units for both. Local material suppliers could be tapped to help keep those same costs down also. Due to the services both those organization bring to the citizens of the county, civic clubs might also be willing to pitch in for this project. Adult business retirees might be available to volunteer their time in teaching and managing these concessions. A local bank might be interested in overseeing the accounting side of those programs.
The boat rental program would bring more working class visitors to both fish and camp for the weekends or during their vacations. Many other retail business would also benefit from this increase of visitors. All positive outcomes from a very under utilized area within the county. At the present time, those who can afford the $50,000 bass boats are being catered too, a relatively small group, leaving the much larger market on the sidelines. The county leadership could bring this re-birth of fair and just treatment back to the economy that once helped build the retail businesses around the lake.
Jim Hall,Clearlake Oaks
