Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/113893
4A Daily News – Thursday, March 7, 2013 Opinion DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Safety for all children Editor: I live in the small town of Red Bluff. You may have or not have heard of a recent abduction and murder of a teen age girl that happened very recently. She was walking home from school in the afternoon. I will not go into the details at this time. Evidently the person charged had criminal history. That aside, I am pleading with you to consider a rollout of a plan to Keep Every Child Safe. I am querying if you would support the implementation and distribution of a technical device given to all children in the state of California. I am not a technological expert by any means, but certainly the tools are there to have a child equipped with a device, such as a ring, bracelet, watch, or pendant, that could have a button that when pushed, it would immediately alert Emergency Services and law enforcement to the location of that child. I feel that what has been implemented thus far has been inadequate and has been an "after the event" reaction. Milk carton photographs and freeway alerts and Megan's Law are all helpful but often the child is not found or when found, has passed away. I believe we live in age where more offenders are living in our communities and children are continually exposed and are an extremely vulnerable population. Safety training for a young child against a grown predator who has the benefit of strength, speed and surprise cannot be the only tool we are equipping our children with. There is also the buddy system however, we do know there are times when schedules may not match, or perhaps ones buddy is not at school that day. I am very uncomfortable not pursuing this idea. I plead with you to partner with me and others in making this device a reality for all children in our state who are at the age where they are becoming more independent and are not always under their parent or guardian's watchful eyes. I am sending this letter to a number of technology firms, businesses and to our state political leaders. I am hoping someone will respond in a positive fashion and take the stance to empower our children to be safe in their own communities. There is no reason why in this day of instant communication devices, that anyone should be at risk due to another's violent and predatory behavior. I have no experience in this type of endeavor but if sending this letter can move someone to action for the benefit and safety of the most vulnerable in our community, then it would be most appreciated. I thank you for your time and consideration and would appreciate a response if you can refer, direct, or assist me in contacting people and organizations who would be motivated to research the production and distribution of such a device designed for children, I will make every effort to pursue that. Kathleen Anne Hamill, Red Bluff Truth about the pumping station Editor: In my worst nightmare did I see that the loss of lake Red Bluff would be so horrific. Our beautiful lake is now a slash of dead earth filled with homeless, drugs and garbage. Our groundwater in Antelope has been depleted. Boat docks and ramps sit on dry ground. Crime spews from it over running our City Park and Antelope businesses. However, our branding guru thinks we need a plaza downtown. No, we need to put all money, time and resources into fixing this hor- involved including the city or the ror brought on us by bureaucratic county to hold proper and legal lies and extreme cowardice by our public hearings with new informalocal agencies and officials! How tion and comment being made on earth did our County and City available. In the original EIR of 2002, allow us to lose this valuable they stated the water in resource with NO comAntelope was pure and pensation? Your free from many contamIt started with a inates including nitrates, flawed, illegal and erroso removal of the dam neous EIR done by would not harm us. At Tehama Colusa Canal that time, the DepartAuthority and the Bureau of Reclamation, as part of ment of Water Resources was water grab by Sacramento politi- doing a study on nitrate problems cians for Central Valley farmers in the Antelope area and many and urban areas, not for the good homes could not drink their water. They said if groundwater was of the salmon or the delta. The BOR and TCCA, Con- affected, it would be mitigated by gressman Doug LaMalfa, Gover- the landowners putting in new nor Jerry Brown, Senator Jim wells. That is wrong. The people Nielson and Judge Wanger both of Antelope should not have to pay from Fresno used the salmon for this, when so many people, like problem to put in a pumping sta- the BOR, TCCA and others are tion, which will be four times big- benefiting financially from the ger than needed to meet agricultur- removal of the lake? None of our elected, appointed al contracts. The real reason is to fill up Sites Reservoir in LaMal- or paid public servants watched fa's County of Colusa and build out for us. The city did not proceed the peripheral canal bypassing the with a law suit, because the ruling delta and delivering the extra water by Wanger was going to leave to farmers and the urban areas as TCCA unable to fulfill their conordered by order of Judge Wanger, tracts. Mind you, they sat on the who originally ruled against the EIR for five years doing nothing to dam and for the salmon, then last mitigate it's problems, only to year ruled against the salmon and spring it on us, last minute. Under farmers of origin and for Central pressure from farmers, dependent on deliveries and politicians Valley urban users and crops. One of the concerns expressed promising help and delivering in EIR was that dropping the lake nothing, the city caved. Last October, when I found out level would affect our groundwater. They opened the gates this the alarming amount of wells year and in September, 23 wells going dry and this being the first went dry in Antelope and every- year of gates out, I became conone is having problems with the cerned and proceeded to put presquality of their water. The river is sure on the city and the county to now 1/3 of its historic high. Some- have a meeting to address these how, this was overlooked by every issues. That meeting was suppose agency paid to protect our ground- to happen in February. We need help. Our community water. The original EIR was in 2002. has never rebound from the mills None of the concerns were closing in the early '80s. We have addressed at the time and it went many poor and elderly home ownaway for five years shortly before ers, who do not have $10,000 Judge Wanger ruled against the lying around for a new well, while dam. BOR and TCCA did not water thieves are getting rich. Pat Johnston, Red Bluff notify any of the public agencies Turn Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 280 Hemsted Dr., Ste. 110, Redding, CA 96002, 530223-6300, Fax: 530-223-6737, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Familiarity sharpens tragedy's sting Circumstances have led to my wife and I sharing one car recently. It's a lesson in give-and-take somewhere between learning to share a bathroom when we first moved in together and deciding what to have for dinner each evening. For the most part we've worked out every conflict, but the other day I found myself stranded downtown without a ride and with my next destination a bit too uncomfortably out of my walking radius. Phone calls to colleagues weren't turning up a solution, when a familiar voice pulled up next to me and suggested I stop staring at my phone to text in the middle of the street. I looked up to see wisecracking American Legion Baseball President Mike Rotter sporting a rather nice winter beard new to his mug since the last time I saw him at the baseball dia- mond. Without hesitation Mike graciously offered me a ride. It was the type of occurrence I love about living in a small town like Red Bluff. Without fail a familiar face seems to be literally around every corner and more than willing to help you out no matter the problem. It's also the type of community connection that feels threatened after the events of last week. Don't get me wrong, I know there's a huge difference between a 32-year-old man getting a ride from an acquaintance in a public place and a teenage girl walking alone in overgrown trails. But it's bothers me to hear some people comment recently that Red Bluff isn't a safe place to be anymore. I believe that view is coming out more based on shock than It works the other reasoning. way, too. There are many When someone reasons why this from this community tragedy crushed our goes on to great emotions. things, we get to share Among them being their success more so Red Bluff is a small because of our tight town. connections. Not that tragedies We know the don't happen in small woman with the Best towns, unfortunately in Show dog from the over time we've had super market. We our fair share. know the boys who It's the connection Rich played baseball on residents in a small ESPN from birthday town have with each parties. We know the other that makes it Gerber singing sensasting. There aren't too many Kevin tion because we went to school Bacon degrees of separation with him. We all get to share the joy of between us. We know our victims per- triumphs, but at the cost that sonally or know someone who sometimes all of us feel empty inside at once. did. We knew them from cheerRich Greene can be reached at leading. We knew them as our DARE officer. We knew them 527-2151, Ext. 109 or by email at rgreene@redbluffdailynews.com. as coworkers. Greene