City’s waste policy needs to change
I own a house in Clearlake which is a primary residence and I have a problem with Clearlake’s waste policy and its arrangement with C & S Waste Co. I have spent about half my time outside the area until recently; I am retired and I liked to move around.
One day about six months ago I came back to my house to find three waste containers in front of my gate. There was little advance notice of this. I immediately thereafter received a whopping bill of approximately $150. This company had provided not an iota of service but was demanding $150. After being turned down for a waiver which I believed I was entitled to, based on compliance with legal requirements, I sent an appeal to the city of Clearlake; I never received a response. At this time my circumstances have changed and I can use their service.
Interestingly, the bills have been constant up to now: C and S is now demanding $300 for absolutely no service rendered, before the start of any service. Additionally, they offer no senior or income-based discounts; even PGE and the water company, to their credit, offer such. It costs $6 to leave a large bag of garbage at the dump. I’m told it’s about $100 for two or three months of C & S service; I’ve heard complaints of having to pay substantial bills even when a person is not ready for waste to be picked up. Bottom line: This policy needs to change. No one should be forced or coerced into using this waste company. It’s about time the laws are reviewed. I’m at arts200@prodigy.net if anyone wants to contact me. We need collective action but sometimes one person can make a big difference:
—Glenda Wasserman, Clearlake
Appreciation for local elected officials
As the new year begins it is a good time to reflect on and acknowledge the good works done by our locally elected officials. I invite readers to do the same for Lake County’s elected officials within their specific districts or towns. Doing the work of local government is difficult and it is challenging to identify folks who are willing to run the gauntlet of open and harsh criticism each and every day of their public service. Verbal attacks and threats of personal harm are no longer uncommon. Of late, there are occasions where a sufficient number of candidates cannot be identified because of the expense and personal vulnerability encountered when campaigning.
Once elected, the harshest criticisms often come from individuals or groups with special interests. While that special interest is important to those individuals and groups, an elected official is sworn to look out for the good of the constituency as a whole. They are also bound by work place standards such as respecting the relationship and boundaries between staff and elected persons. Hopefully each elected official is guided by a moral compass and a set of personal ethics. When charged to do the work of local government they are guided and also restricted by laws, codes, regulations and available funding. Elected officials are regular citizens who step forward with a vision and a desire to do something important, something beneficial, something lasting for their communities.
I challenge readers to take the time to offer a word of gratitude and encouragement to their locally elected officials including school boards, city council members, law enforcement, and other county officials. Let’s express value for the scope of work that has been completed by elected officials at the expense of their personal time, sincere dedication, heavy workloads and frequent barriers to success around which they must work.
To that end, I offer my gratitude and encouragement to those elected officials who serve the Kelseyville area which include:
Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees: Rick Winer, Gilbert Rangel, Sabrina Andrus, Michael Brown, and Weston Seifert.
District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska
Lake County Office of Education Superintendent Brock Falkenberg and Area 5 Trustee Itzia Rico
Sheriff Luke Bingham
Judges Shanda Harry, Andrew Blum, Michae Lunas and David Marham
County Teasurer/Tax Collector, Patrick Sullivan
Auditor Controller, Jenavive Herrington,
Assessor Recorder, Rich Ford
District Attorney, Susan Krones
—Mary Borjon, Kelseyville
