Letters for August 9, 2018

Getting on board

Re “Creating community” (Newslines, by Ashiah Scharaga, Aug. 2):

I’ve never cared for Charles Withuhn’s Surrender-dignity Village. Two beds-in-a-shed, gated, monitored, social-worker programs, pay a stipend, expected to enter mainstream society in six months: all the dignity of a halfway house for paroled felons. “I’m from Susanville prison. You?” “Oh, me? Bidwell Park.”

What I read of Bob Trausch and Leslie Johnson’s model of Simplicity Village (SV) has appeal. Even with a community kitchen and bath, if they are otherwise true tiny houses, they provide dignity. A modern commune for seniors. An alternative for affordable housing.

I am concerned about the costs for 24/7 employees, etc., which look to be over $200,000 per year. Grant money stops. I’d like to see SV sustainable. Lower the fixed costs? Add a revenue-generating industry?

I think if we are going to get a viable alternative to expensive housing, we have to look outside the “taxpayer-funded” box. If SV is just getting homeless off the streets with tax dollars, the daunting numbers of homeless suggests an emergency shelter during the cold and wet winter months might be a more life-saving use of those taxpayer funds.

That being said, and not that what I think matters, I find myself getting on board with Simplicity Village. Who’d a thunk?

Peter Bridge

Ord Bend

‘Armpit-dwellers’

Re “Noxious and uninformed” (Letters, by Mike Birch and Colleen Cecil, Aug. 2):

People who select to represent them in Congress a Piltdown Man like Devin Nunes are indeed armpit-dwellers. Those who trundle off to Washington a howling imbecile like Jeff Denham, whose current legislative obsession is prohibiting people from gnawing on their dogs and cats, they too live in an armpit.

Nunes is from Tulare, Denham from Turlock: they are brothers in armpits. Both Tulare and Turlock were wrong from the start, and their founders knew it. We know this because the name “Turlock” is a corruption of the Gaelic word for “dry lake,” while Tulare was named after a nearby ex-lake sucked bone-dry by white people ravenous for water. A dry lake is a perfectly useless thing. Sad, really. Pathetic. Just like Tulare. And Turlock. Who cares that Melissa Daugherty confused the two? It’s not like she claimed Donald Trump is an acceptable human, and his supporters possess functioning cerebrums. That would have been a real boner.

Kevin Jeys

Paradise

Apparently there was a flurry of letters condemning Ms. Daugherty’s recent reference to Turlock as the “armpit of California.” I will have to admit that I, too, was shocked at her observation as having spent my life working all over this state I can tell you there are numerous other locations in the Imperial Valley that much better meet that description.

However, in rereading her July 26 editorial, I have to believe that in the haste of meeting publication deadlines she simply misapplied her analogy and meant to say that Congressman Nunes represented “the armpit of the House of Representatives.” Of that assessment there is little room for argument.

Dean Carrier

Paradise

Learn from Fred

Re “Talking tragedy” (Weekly dose, July 26):

To the PBS suggestions might be added Mr. Rogers’ advice. He has said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Between the firefighters, rescue people and just ordinary folks, there are plenty of helpers we can all be grateful for. And when seen in town, introducing a youngster to any of these people is a wonderful way to help children regain a sense of safety and appreciation.

Carolyn Whitfield

Chico

Simmer down, snowflakes

Re “Fact skeptic” (Letters, by Lucy Cooke, Aug. 2):

There has been a lot of whining by conservative snowflakes over the political lampooning of Donald Trump. Please keep in mind that presidents are always favorite targets of political cartoonists. I clearly remember the caricatures of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I feel your pain, but just suck it up.

Here’s a hint: Urge your president to stop tweeting. He can’t spell, has no facility for the English language and he constantly gets confused with his own lies. He is his own worst enemy. Never has a sitting president provided more material for a creative cartoonist.

As for the Russian apologist who was also published in the Chico E-R, you might consider immigration. It is possible to immigrate to Russia. I just checked. But you must have a Russian citizen as a sponsor. Perhaps Vladimir Putin would put in a good word for you if you sent him a copy of your letter to the editor. But in reality, it’s a long and arduous process and they don’t want you either.

Gary Janosz

Chico

Speaking of apologists

Recent polling shows 4 in 10 Republicans/Trump supporters do not care that the Russians meddled in the election. It’s OK because Trump won. Apparently the party of patriotism agrees with Karl Marx, the father of socialism, that “the end justifies the means.” This is irony at its best. Russia is an adversary, an enemy of the United States, an antagonist to Western democracy, but Trump supporters seem not to care.

Trump supporters blindly follow their pied piper. They stuck with him after he bragged of sexual assault, gave comfort to neo-Nazis, paid off a porn star and tore babies from the arms of their mothers. Budget hawks supported a tax bill that adds $1 trillion to the deficit. Poor whites stayed with him after he led attempts to take away their health care. Farmers stayed with him despite a trade war that will cost them dearly. They care not that he uses the presidency to profit his corporation.

A recent letter stated, “We need to show respect for the president of the United States and teach our children to do so.” We should do nothing of the sort until this president shows respect for the United States.

Roger S. Beadle

Chico

Regarding the rep

My thanks to our Congressman, Doug LaMalfa, for yet another insightful suggestion on how to deal with troublesome constituents. Said constituent, myself in this case, asks a question about the Helsinki summit when it appeared our president, standing beside Vladimir Putin, sold the United States down the Volga River.

How should our Congressman answer? In a letter to me of Aug. 3, 2018, he astutely referred to a heavily redacted House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Committee report. This report from Rep. Devin Nunes is dated March 2018. Four months ago!

How clever of Congressman LaMalfa! He answers a question about the present with a document from the past. And not just any document, but one that has “glaring gaps” and is now generally ignored as superficial. So, in one swoop, our Congressman avoids the question and presumes his constituent’s ignorance of current-day issues. Brilliant!

Lynn Elliott

Chico

With the 2018 general election in about 90 days and the admission by President Trump via Twitter this past weekend that Donald Trump Jr. knowingly met with Russian government representatives on June 9, 2016, in Trump Tower for the purpose of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, the voters deserve a direct answer from incumbent Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Yes or no—do you, Mr. LaMalfa, support Donald Trump Jr.’s act to conspire with a hostile foreign power to influence the 2016 election? And if no, what actions are you going to take to hold the Trump administration accountable for violation of United States election law prohibiting the receipt of campaign assistance from a foreign country. Mr. LaMalfa, the voters deserve to know your position on this straightforward question of critical national importance.

Paul Cayler

Chico

“I think there’s a lot of bad science behind what people are calling global warming.” —Rep. Doug LaMalfa.

It’s time to make climate change deniers like Rep. Doug LaMalfa own their denials. Carr Fire now referred to as the LaMalfa Fire. Next District 1 fire = LaMalfa2 Fire, etc.

Beau Grosscup

Chico

Stop the chopping

Last month, Enloe cut down trees on its property on Arcadian Avenue. Enloe says that this property will be a community park. Chico State cut down several trees on Warner Street for construction. Chico Unified School District has cut down trees for the new stadium. These were all large, mature, healthy trees.

Mature trees are not easily replaced. When these trees are cut down, we lose our cooling shade, the natural beauty, and a plant that is cleaning our air by sequestering carbon. Yes, planned growth and construction are necessary. What would be ideal is if the architects and land owners would make every effort to save our urban forest as they plan their projects.

What can you do to help? Call or email Enloe, CSUC and CUSD and ask them to stop cutting down mature trees. Enloe, surely the trees in a planned park could have been saved. Tell Chico Unified that you wish they would save the trees along Ceanothus. Chico State, you’re eliminating the trees that make your campus so attractive. Isn’t there a better way? Please speak up for our urban forest! Help keep Chico the “City of Trees.”

Candy Murphy

Chico

Editor’s note: The author states that she’s with the Chico Tree Advocates group.

Hypocritical much?

I remember reading an article in the News & Review from May 3, 2018, headlined “25 ideas to reduce gun violence.” Yet once again, when I opened my News & Review this week, the advertisement pullout is for … you guessed it, guns. And then I opened it up and what did I see? More guns and rifles and accessories, oh boy!

Does anyone else think this is hypocritical? I understand that advertising is needed to support the paper and also that some of the readers are hunters and would find the pullout helpful. But what’s next? An ad to re-elect “him”?

Aaron Bor

Chico

Drinking in the dump

An ode to Tad Devine, Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Tad? Can you tell me where he’s gone?

He fooled a lot of people and helped elect comrade Trump, now we’re living in the dump.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Bernie? Can you tell me where he’s gone?

He fooled a lot people and helped elect comrade Trump, now we’re living in the dump.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Jill? Can you tell me where she’s gone?

She fooled a lot of people and helped elect comrade Trump, now we’re living in the dump.

Thanks to help from the Russians, Tad Devine, Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein, hand me another bottle of wine.

Ray Estes

Redding

Beware, residents

If you’re a homeowner you might be surprised that your Butte County Planning Commission has drafted a policy on short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO) that will allow “motels” to operate next door to your home.

Investors are buying homes in our county and using the global internet to solicit unvetted customers. The short-term rentals (STR) can have up to 10 overnight guests and up to 10 day guests. The owner does not have to live on-site. Neighbors living within 300 feet will be notified after the permit is issued. There is no appeal process. If you have a complaint, it must be “verified” and you must phone their off-site “property manager.”

Bed and breakfast owners must have a use permit, not the automatic STR administrative permit, and, like room rentals, the host/owners live on-site. Home rentals are totally different.

Most all California counties restrict STR to certain zones due to fire danger, hydrants, private roads, shared wells, etc. The proposed Butte plan allows STR throughout the entire county. Police will spend time on complaint enforcement.

A homeowner could have hundreds of strangers a year partying next door. The Carr Fire was started by a vehicle. In the foothills especially, it would take only one hot muffler or loose chain in the dry grass to create a tragedy.

Contact your county supervisor and Planning Commission.

Dan Raner

Forest Ranch

Pot lessons

Boulder, Colo., is much like Chico, but as the poster-child for legal cannabis one difference is surprising: Only 54 percent of Boulder voters approved legalization, while 61 percent of Chico voters supported it.

That’s why on Aug. 2 I flew to Boulder specifically to query city employees and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce on the experiment’s efficacy. What I learned was: Unless well-designed, it’s easy to get deep in the weed.

Boulder city employees refer to the early days of legalization as the “Wild West” and cite a lack of planning as the culprit in a challenging roll-out. Six weeks after medicinal cannabis became legal, Boulder had 127 applications that took 11 months to process, and anxious entrepreneurs rented up every available storefront. By 2012 Boulder clearly needed a breather, so a moratorium was declared and their Marijuana Advisory Panel (MAP) was formed.

By including a diverse assemblage of Boulder citizens, businesses, safety personnel and cannabis purveyors, the MAP has made great strides in achieving the city’s goals of the “safest, cleanest, most professional” practices in Colorado.

When asked their advice for Chico, the answer was “start strict and ease up once you’ve had some success, not like we did it.”

Scott Huber

Chico

Bad, young drivers

Summer is getting shorter and shorter, and the students are slowly creeping back into town. Once again, your defensive driving skills are going to be tested on a daily basis. I would like to find out how many accidents were caused by senior citizens from the end of May until now. My guess is 0-1, yet seniors are losing their privilege to drive at an alarming rate.

They go to the DMV and are asked to take their written test on a computer and are taken out for their “driving” test to areas of town where they have never been or will go in the future. They are immediately taken out of their “comfort zone.” The end result—fail!

Personally, I am more threatened by 20-year-olds who speed while on their phone than a senior going 25 mph and holding up traffic. The 20-year-old is out “spinning donuts” while the senior is eating them! I really believe the DMV needs a complete overhaul and needs to be much more selective on who is driving and who should not be driving.

Martine Stillwell

Chico