Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/124104
4A Daily News – Thursday, April 25, 2013 Opinion Public apology 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. Editor: I would like to make an apology to Supervisor Garton, the other supervisors and the county administrator who were insulted by my question at Tuesday's board meeting. I asked whether any of them were in a position to benefit from their decision to approve the installation of solar farms in rural Tehama County. From what I have seen of our county leaders there has never been any indication that any of them have ever acted less than responsible or ethical. I do say I am sorry to each of them for my poor judgment in asking that question. Cal Mahoney, Red Bluff Antelope meeting Editor: Excited the County of Tehama and City of Red Bluff are having a meeting to address the problems with Antelope water, the slough and the homeless living there at their joint meeting May 2 at 6PM at Board Chambers. Unfortunately, when the last group of people asked about the homeless problem, the nay-saying of City Staff and Councilmen was not encouraging. Councilmen Rob Schmid asked citizens to take action. Citizens have taken action. Several volunteer groups have worked very hard to make Red Bluff a better place. Our elected officials need to take action and do the right thing by us. Recently, I formed a group 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 Tehama Colusa canal are pump- going to do about it? How are ing and selling more of our water you going to take action to fix and how it has already affected this problem they created and our groundwater in the Antelope when? Pat Johnston, Red Bluff area. Driving down the freeway I showed him the docks hanging off of the dirt banks connected to river homes; how our beautiful Red Bluffs? are now an ugly Editor: Cement and Steel The cost to taxpayBluffs: how ugly and Your ers for the proposed uninviting our town Corning High School looks with no water solar panels includes under Antelope Bridge, federal, state and local but lot?s of homeless taxes. There are no encampments, garbage tax free solar panel subsidies. and drugs. The full cost of solar energy Going behind Del Taco we is twice the typical 13 cents per looked at trash and watched two young men do a drug deal, while kilowatt hour (kWh) that most smoking a crack pipe, only to run of us pay for our home natural up the bank, jump into a green gas, nuclear and hydro electrical SUV and drive away. We had a energy. The Fed can borrow 40 great lunch at Rockin? R Restau- cents for every dollar spent and rant, as the owner Mike Roberts charge it to future inflation, shared with us his problems with higher taxes or recessions but homeless using his water, going the state and local government through an ash tray for employ- is by law obliged to take suffiees looking for cigarette butts, cient funds from taxpayers to loitering and how when he tried balance the budget. Of course, Governor Brown to clean up the bank by his uses high taxes, smoke and mirrestraint, the homeless cussed him out and told him to leave rors to hide deficit spending. Solar panels are not cost them alone, that this was their effective for taxpayers who slough. The same thing happen to me must subsidize the federal, state and KRCR Stephanie Montano and local costs to purchase, reporter on the Antelope Bridge install and maintain them. If the city wants to use solar getting some B-roll. In the last week, I have seen three young panels for student learning, a men descend under the bridge, small panel with learning modwho were obviously not home- ules can be obtained for about less. Has this become an area $1,000, I've had one since 1987 for engineering study. where drugs are easy to score? Please Corning City Council I ask all elected officials and agencies, who were involved in and School Board members, the removal of Lake Red Bluff, don't burden taxpayers with so Southern California could more out of control spending. Joseph Neff, Corning steal our water? What are you Deny solar at high school Turn Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, 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. 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 called Tehama Action Team and can find us on Facebook. We are going to have a cleanup of the slough, below the bridge, May 18, if the stars align. We need tractors, chain saws and lots of people. Hopefully, the County and City invites the people who removed Lake Red Bluff, without compensating us and stole our ground water by over pumping water for the Central Valley. I hold the Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Governor Jerry Brown and Senator Jim Nielson. Apparently, when it comes to North State water, there is no blue and red, only green. I will extend a personal invitation to them before the meeting and hope all who care will do the same. I would like to thank Assemblyman Dan Logue, who sent his aide Steve Thompson to go on a tour with me. I showed him the devastation we have suffered from losing Lake Red Bluff. I showed him the by-passes, which could a have been used for safe fish passage; PATH?s successful homeless shelter for women and children. PATH President E.C. Ross shared his frustration with trying to get a bigger shelter, while fighting the constant boulders the City of Red Bluff have thrown in their path. We looked at the wasted money other government agencies have invested into the Diversion Dam area, while other agencies destroyed the main attraction. The boat ramp below the Diversion Dam is the most exposed, I have ever seen it and shared my concerns the Bureau of Reclamation and Commentary Powerball fever I admit it. I have Powerball fever. Despite last night's jackpot being only a measly $116 million, I've been hooked since California became the 43rd state to join the lottery a few weeks ago. Who doesn't love the chance to become uber-rich by doing it the hard way — through good old fashioned luck. And I can feel good about myself when I play because an itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny portion of my $2 ticket goes to help schools. Then there's the name. Powerball blows MEGA Millions and SuperLotto Plus out of the stratosphere. Nice try with the all caps Millions, but I prefer a name that sounds like a CGI James Bond villain any day. Powerball also shows how effective our governmental agencies are when they need to be. On Nov. 28 the Powerball jackpot reached $587.5 million — at the time a US lottery record. The very next day our own California Lottery Commission voted unanimously to join Powerball. The first day Powerball tick- ets went on sale I was at my neighborhood gas station and the employee asked me whether I wanted to buy a ticket. I noticed everyone got the same welcoming treatment to the lottery's hippest new game. How could I not want to be part of such a well-oiled machine of government regulation and private business. Of course the wife and I have been dreaming of ways to supplement our income for a few months now. Back around the holiday season right around the time California announced it was joining the Powerball my wife passed her Pharmacy Technician Certification Board test. Through years of hard work absorbing all she could and studying she was going to rise from cashier to pharmacy technician — and get a rather nice pay bump as well. Her employer promised to promote her — just as soon as she received her state certification. As it turns out, while in most states passing the national PTCB test is enough to start a new job, California has laid out its own That seemed preposterous certification process. As far as we can tell it mostly and I didn't believe her — I'm has to do with waiting, patience still in trouble for that — and decided to set out myself to try and delays. Some aspects seem rational, a to contact a live person. After navigating live scan for instance or through the phone doling out a check to menu system I finally the state so it can get its heard the same mescut. sage she kept getting But for the most part — phone calls would it's just been waiting. not be returned to any About two months applicant unless it had into the waiting process been at least 90 days my wife received a letsince the state ter form the State received their applicaBoard of Pharmacy. It tion. informed her that her She came to the birth date and name conclusion she'd ask were wrong on her high Rich her high school to school transcript. resend her transcript She had an sealed anyway hoping they copy sent to the board made a mistake and so she had no idea whether they simply weren't then wait for the state to respond matching up her maiden name or with another mail-delivered letperhaps her high school erred ter. I decided to walk to the store and sent her sister's transcript for another Powerball ticket. instead. We both crossed our fingers. She tired to call the State Board to find out what was Rich Greene can be wrong. And tried to call. And reached at 527-2151, Ext. 109 tried to call. by email at She told me she found out an or applicant isn't allowed to talk to rgreene@redbluffdailynews.co m. a live person on the telephone. Greene