‘Stable genious’ takes a 180 degree turn on the environment
The self-proclaimed “stable genius” in the White House has recently been telling audiences that he is an environmentalist! At a recent rally he said, “I think I know more about the environment than most people. I want clean air, I want clean water.” He went on to claim his administration has done more for the environment than any other presidency ever! Really? Let’s look at what he’s done instead of what he said.
This is the President that claimed wind turbines cause cancer and wildfires can be prevented by sweeping under trees! He even bragged about gains in air and water quality brought about by regulations he subsequently gutted. He took credit for clean air statistics based on scores compiled before he became President. He pulled us out of the Paris Accord, which made us the only country in the world not in the agreement after Syria joined in. Under the Trump administration, climate data has been stripped off government websites while over eighty environmental regulations have been reversed. He even went so far as to claim climate change is a Chinese hoax!
Trump’s first director of the EPA Scott Pruit, was a lobbyist for the big oil corporations and repeatedly denied climate change was real. In fact, he had several lawsuits against the EPA at the time he was chosen to run it! When forced to leave because of corruption, Trump nominated Andrew Wheeler. At his confirmation hearing Wheeler was grilled about his proposals to roll back mercury emission standards, weaken clean water regulations and scrap other climate change regulations.
So why has the stable genius (who declared bankruptcy six times) taken a 180 degree turn on the environment in his speeches? It’s all about winning the 2020 presidential election. His base doesn’t care, they wouldn’t care if he shot someone dead on 5th Avenue just as he said on the campaign trail. It’s because he’s been told young people, independents and Democrats consider climate change a major issue. He’s been told his regressive policies and stubborn denial of science may have consequences come November 2020. So if you’re a Trump supporter you have to ask yourself this one question: do his actions speak louder than his words?
–Steven MacDonald, Kelseyville
Countywide tax defaults are a serious concern
Thank you Alan Flora, Chief Andrew White, and Bruno Sabatier for your address to the Board of Supervisors regarding the ‘critical” need to step up the snail paced selling of defaulted properties in Lake County. This has been and remains an extremely problematic situation for all of us, in both incorporated and unincorporated portions of the county.
A few years ago, I stood and voiced my concerns about the numerous countywide tax defaults at the Presbyterian Church in Kelseyville. My concerns then, as are now, regarded the close association of tax defaulted properties with overgrown and dangerous fire fueled lots scattered throughout our communities. If fires have put us into these financial straits and we now have no tax base, why not step up and process more tax defaults through performance based budgeting, collect more needed revenue, and clear lots to avoid another disaster by focusing more on prevention. County Administrative Director, Carol Hutchinson, responded by stating that it took at least five years to begin the process of collecting tax defaults, which I already knew. What was not addressed was how poorly this process was and currently is actually taking place.
Since that time I’ve heard a great deal of talk about how Lake County Tax Assessor’s office is quasi-independent of the oversight of the Board of Supervisors. I’ve heard that other counties have more closely aligned control over tax collections. I do know one thing; no tax default sale was organized for 2019. That is a real problem! If the City of Clearlake has 1500 properties over five years in default, imagine what actually exists in the rest of the county. What about the “paper lots” above Lucerne? I’d love someone to tally the countywide number of properties in default over fiver yeasr in the county. So if we take the number of lots Barbara Ringen, from the assessors office has indicated in the Record Bee, 300 (or 500), Flora’s statement rings true, there is something terribly wrong with this business as usual.
At one point Konocti Harbor Inn, prior to the new ownership, was in 5+ year default (that’s a lot of taxes). As a past President of Clear Lake Riviera Community Association, I witnessed a huge number of dangerously overgrown lots in tax default. The time and energy and lack of cooperation with the county to deal with these numerous lots were, and still remain, staggering.
The County Tax Assessor’s Office and Code Enforcement both need a shot in the arm by creating enough staff to more effectively generate county income to decrease blight and increase fire prevention. We often talk about increasing taxes but perhaps we need to focus more on tax collection. Currently, we have a serious problem.
—Tom Nixon, Kelseyville
