Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/33908
4A Daily News – Monday, June 13, 2011 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y 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 let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. 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 submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. 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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 The Tehama County commissioners are poised to outlaw marijuana dispen- saries now that the planning commission voted 3-0 to ban them without the two mem- bers favoring them present. If the commissioners concur it will be as predicted when I last wrote on this topic with regard to Tehama County’s propensity to play kick-the- can when implementing state mandates near and dear to the hearts of liberal mind- ed Californians. Under state law, the California Compas- sionate Use Act of 1996 (Prop. 215) patients and their "primary caregivers" are pro- tected from criminal prosecution for personal possession and cultiva- tion of marijuana, but NOT for dis- tribution or sale to others. In 2004 the ironically enumerated Senate Bill 420 was passed to among other things authorize patient "coopera- tives" or "collectives" to grow, dis- tribute and/or sell medical marijua- na on a non-profit basis to their members. By voting to deny zon- ing for cooperative dispensaries anywhere in Tehama county our commissioners will be in clear vio- lation of state law and will likely face legal action to guarantee patient access to safe, local, and permitted sources of medica- tion. Hopefully the Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point Red Bluff city coun- cil will display greater respect on July 5th when con- sidering the plight of the homeless and the efforts of Poor and the Homeless (PATH) to construct a permanent home- less shelter on Breckenridge Street. This matter came before the council in February last with passionate discussion of its pros and cons before a vote to rezone the parcel accordingly. Since then a million dollar con- struction grant has be extended to complete construction. We can be sure that fear based NIMBY con- cerns will be raised in a bid to stop this project so it is vital that sup- porters again express the impor- tance of a permanent shelter for those without homes to sleep in safety. The planned facility will provide the homeless wishing to improve their lives a safe shelter where they can restore hope, live with dignity and ultimately lift themselves from poverty. Now to an issue not as near and dear to my heart as it is to the lower parts of my anatomy as I travel on Highway 99E between Los Moli- nos and Red Bluff. months ago a great number of con- struction signs were posted to alert drivers of bridge work to be done at six sites on this busy highway. With a flurry of activity contractors quickly removed a smooth and ser- viceable bridge tarmac to etch underlying concrete. Immediately thereafter the men in orange just as rapidly disappeared leaving com- muters with a bumpy, pothole stricken, and hazardous stretches of roadway – particularly so for those on motorcycles. Admittedly the weather has been less than cooper- ative, but now that sunny skies returned one must wonder why the road workers have not. Fortunately efforts to repave Highway 99W between Proberta and Red Bluff went off without a hitch much to the appreciation of my vehicle suspension and derriere as I take the long way around to get from my home north of Los Moli- nos to Red Bluff. Despite years of Over two study and evaluation this last ten miles of historic Highway 99 con- tinues to be among the most haz- ardous of its 425 mile length. This latest project adds insult to injury by exposing drivers to increased danger with an unnecessarily extended effort to improve it. Dur- ing construction work semis and gas trucks should be diverted to I-5 and South Avenue unless serving local need and many argue this change should be made permanent for safety and the quality of life of those living along heavily trafficked residential and agricultural commu- nities of Los Molinos and Dairyville. If any of these peeves resonate with you please take action by attending community meetings and contacting responsi- ble authorities. Rather than quietly sit by as a powerful few influence public projects please redress their path by redirecting our county commissioners effort to stereotype medicinal marijuana users as nefar- ious ne’re-do-wells by denying them local dispensaries, by encour- aging the Red Bluff city council to stay the course for the homeless shelter, and by pressuring Caltrans by calling 225-3426 to address the dangers of Highway 99E between Los Molinos to Red Bluff. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Environment, Tea Party take center stage Commentary Two issues involving the envi- ronment deserve attention this week. One is a bill, sponsored by our own popular Congressman Wally Herger (popular as judged by the large voting margins of his winning campaigns), that could be a great help in the fight against the environmentalists: HR1996, “The Government Savings Litigation Act.” Another is the public meet- ing, put on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), tomor- row at 6 PM at the Community and Senior Center on South Jack- son at Luther, on the proposed California Foothills Legacy Area (CFLA). The website for the pro- posal is http://www.fws.gov/cno/refuges/p lanning/. Enter “CFLA” in the search window and you will have access to the public documents, which are fairly short at 2 pages or so. First, be aware that Tea Party Patriots have cancelled their week- ly meeting at the Westside Grange to attend the public FWS meeting, and there will also be Tea Party Patriots from Corning and Red- ding in attendance as this is the only Northern California venue for the CFLA proposal. I expect it will be well attended; please be encouraged to say hi to members of the Tea Party, ask them any questions you might have about the groups, and perhaps plan to attend meetings near you. They are involved and show up, which is over half the battle. So, is the California Foothills Legacy Area a benign, completely voluntary and beneficial proposal to accomplish conservation-ori- ented goals within the private property system? Is it yet another permutation of a larger and not-so- benign plan to limit, reduce and perhaps eliminate people from areas deemed (by environmental- ists) to be essential to their goals of cordoning off habitat for species preservation? Or something in between? To begin with, among the “100 agricultural organizations, envi- ronmental interest groups, as well as state and federal agencies including California Cattlemen‚s Association, California Farm Bureau Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, The Nature Conservan- cy, California Department of Fish and Game, Natural Resources Conservation Service” are certain- ly groups that people across the political spectrum can count in their respective corners. However, if you are inclined toward suspi- cion regarding the beneficence and private property respect by any of those listed organizations, you may want to pay close attention. They have all “pledged to work together in the California Range- land Conservation Coalition to preserve and enhance California‚s rangeland for species of special concern, while supporting the long-term viability of the ranching industry.” Apparently, the area north of Red Bluff, including part of Shasta County and extending into the foothills east and west, is one of the „hotspots of richness and abundance for migratory birds and threatened and endangered species “(and) are critically impor- tant” to said birds and species. Who knew? Also, “California‚s grassland, oak savanna, and oak woodland habitats” account for only 18 percent of the State‚s land but have „a total of 197 federally- listed threatened and endangered species. “California rangelands are among the least pro- tected and most threat- ened habitats in the State. Intact, privately-owned rangelands face threats from increased low densi- ty, rural residential hous- ing development in the foothills and conversion to other uses.” To empha- size the “threats,” we are told that for 22 years end- ing in 2006, “over 400,000 acres of range- land” were “lost to devel- opment” with the 50 year forward estimate of “nearly 1 million acres” of 20+ acre lots potentially “lost to development.” It reads like these people think it is nearly diabolical to let folks sell their own land to others in order to give people a chance to own and live on larger parcels amongst the marvels of rural Cali- fornia. Probably best to just get used to living on top of each other, don’t you think? Not to worry, though, since they will all be strict- ly “voluntary easements” volun- tary but permanent. Also, if you own land adjoining a parcel with a “conservation easement,” you’ll never have anything to fear from wildlife biologists wandering around finding species or habitat on your side of the fence, will you? Plan to attend, and listen carefully. Back to Congressman Herger’s bill, HR1996, “The Government Don Polson The way I see it Savings Litigation Act.” It is designed to prevent abuse by envi- ronmentalists by requiring claimants to show a “direct and personal monetary interest” in the lawsuit. No more lawsuits of opportunity by remote legal guns-for-hire with deep pockets. It gives for-profit entities a more equal footing against big bucks envi- ronmental groups (Sierra Club is worth $56 million, for instance). It caps attorneys‚ fees at $175/hour; some environmental groups were being reimbursed for attor- neys‚ fees at $500-$600 an hour. In further removing the financial incentive to file less-than-meritori- ous litigation, it caps total reim- bursements at $200,000 and allows no more than three awards in a single year per party. Finally, in proposing greater transparency in funds distribution, it establishes an online database so people can easily see who has received funds. While our civil legal system is a necessary recourse for fighting wrongdoers, it should not be a tool for what‚s called “Big Environ- mentalism” to legally crush their opponents with their financially well-endowed benefactors footing the bill. That’s my view. Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988.He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com. Peeves about pot, PATH and potholes