In memoriam
Thank you for including two very touching accounts in your October 2 edition. One being the story about Gene Paleno’s cat, Calico, and the other the obituary about the Tuskegee Airman, Leslie Edwards.
—Jude Darrin, Lakeport
Many lessons learned during emergencies
The last four years gave us eight mega fire emergencies where many lessons were learned. Preparation through vegetation setbacks from homes and house hardening were just two. Another important lesson is early response by our fire fighters. Once a fire gets hold at the wrong time of a dry windy year and its good luck stopping it.
The Ranch Fire was a case in point, early response was very light because of other fires competing with local resources and then it went on to burn over four 400,000 North County acres. During one night, eight miles was covered by a fire front that started at one end of the North Shore until it threatened the Spring Valley area at the other end. Fast response in one place will protect all places.
The Ranch Fire was kept away from the towns along the North Shore but the vegetation and danger remains. The cheapest insurance we can buy is the $10.50 per month that Measure N will cost a single family residence. This will increase the fire response along the entire North Shore and also signal the insurance companies that we are serious about fire preparation.
This is not an additional cost, but a replacement assessment to match today’s increasing danger living in the landscape level, wildland urban interface of Lake County. Two thirds of voters must approve a low cost measure that will protect 100% of North Shore citizens. It’s very cheap and smart fire preparation.
—Jim Steele, Clearlake Oaks
Hemp: Property owners need to be included
At a recent Board of Supervisors meeting an ad hoc commitee was purposed and created for the hemp growing industry. Five individuals were selected: Two lake county supervisors, one hemp grower, one legal cannabis grower and I believe the Agriculture Commissioner. However I feel that a property owner being effected by a hemp grow should be included as well.
—Thomas Nickel, Lakeport
Rules affecting local businesses
I was reading in the Record Bee over the weekend of September 23, and I see where our Board of Supervisors are starting to make rules that effect our businesses in many ways.
First of all it is wrong…second of all, it is illegal and before you make rules you need to check to make sure they are legal. This hurts all our business people, hurts our tourists and these business people are the support in the County of Lake.
This is for the new board members that are not familiar with all the rules and regulations:
In 1999 the County of Lake sued me, Ron Rose, for being in a scenic corridor and out of a specific zone. So when the County sued me, I counter sued them in Lake County Superior Court. Thank heavens for a judge that had a lot of common sense…his ruling was if you are there before the rules on doing whatever you are doing, Judge Herrick considered you as a “legal non-conforming grandfathered use”. So when the board starts to make rules, they could open up themselves personally to a lawsuit by any property owner that the rule affected. So our new supervisors need to slow down a little bit and not create their own world and go by the law.
I have thanked Judge Herrick a thousand times for his smart ruling. So at this time all I am asking the Board of Supervisors is to take notice of the facts and the law. That a decision was made in 1999 County of Lake vs. Rose, and Rose vs. County of Lake.
If I can help call me, supervisor or property owner.
—Ron Rose, Lakeport
