Letters for July 15, 2010

Built to be an eyesore

Re “Make it go away” (Cover story, July 8):

The article on Chico architectural eyesores was interesting. Without exception, the appearance of these buildings is the result of neglect. I would like to bring to your attention a brand-new architectural eyesore, Sutter Hall, which is just nearing completion at the university.

On Legion Avenue, facing our neighborhood, we are presented with a monolithic five-story wall built to the edge of the sidewalk and broken up with some windows and industrial roll up doors. It shows an utter lack of imagination and demonstrates a complete disregard for the historic and attractive residential neighborhood it is facing.

This building design even violates the university’s own master plan, which calls for buildings on a human scale and a campus perimeter that matches the scale of its surroundings.

Under threat of a court challenge to the EIR, promises were made by [Chico State President] Paul Zingg to the neighbors regarding input on exterior colors and landscaping. Now that the building is nearing completion, these minor concessions have been forgotten or ignored by his staff.

This architectural eyesore will blight our community for decades to come. Unfortunately, like the others in your article, no amount of effort can reverse this abomination.

Lee Laney
Mansion Park Neighborhood
Chico

Shortcut brings blight

East 11th angles onto Nelson, two short, narrow blocks that are used by non-resident drivers as a shortcut. Drivers not wanting to wait for the light at Park Avenue and 12th Street to turn east onto 12th from Park and those heading west on 12th to avoid the light in order to turn onto Park have blighted our neighborhood.

Both streets are narrow, and the speed bumps on 11th and again on Nelson are totally ineffectual. Vehicles scrape bottom or crash over them all day and all night, sometimes losing cargo. The noise is continuous.

New trucks and equipment will soon be arriving to tear down the old buildings on the corner of Park and 11th streets before building the slated new apartments, and then more trucks to build the apartments will be using 11th Street as well.

City Council: Please act on this.

Rob Cossetta
11th Street resident

Wrong kind of car

Re “Web of Deception” (Cover story, by Tom Gascoyne, July 1):

Your story notes that Tony Symmes wrote a $17,127 check for a monthly payment on a 1955 Aston Martin DB35. The next sentence reads, “The purchase of a car made famous by James Bond apparently paid off.”

James Bond did not make the Aston Martin DB35 famous; James Bond drove a 1963 Aston Martin DB5. The DB35 was a purpose-built racing car.

In the era of Google, it takes only a second to get the facts straight.

Kevin Triplett
Live Oak

Questions for Rep. Herger

Mr. Herger, where do you come down on [House Minority Leader John] Boehner’s suggestion that the Social Security retirement age be raised to 70?

I think it is an outrage! Five more years of hard work to pay for two illegal wars and how many more deaths? Mr. Boehner is obviously out of touch with the rank and file American.

Mr. Boehner apparently does not realize that out of the 50 million Americans who depend on Social Security, 9 million of them are disabled. What about our disabled veterans who have fought for me as well as for Mr. Boehner?

Also, it is my understanding that Social Security, by law, cannot contribute to the deficit.

Jane Casa
Chico

The ‘shame’ of the raids

Re “Co-op owners say they feel ‘violated’” (Newslines, by Meredith J. Cooper, July 8):

Being one of the terminally ill patients, these co-operatives and collectives are the only way I can obtain my medication. I live in an apartment, and I’m on Social Security and can barely afford my bills, let alone medication, but at least with some of these nice young men and women around here that run those establishments I am able to acquire cheap and affordable medication.

Without my medication I cannot keep down the cocktail of synthetics my doctor gives me to take on a daily basis. Please take the power back out of the hands of the drug dealers and put it back in the hands of taxpaying individuals where it belongs.

At least with these businesses around I don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to be robbed trying to receive medication. I think it’s a shame that something that was legal till the 1930s should be looked down upon so negatively in what is supposed to be the age of information.

Mike Gelado
Chico

I am currently vacationing in the great state of Massachusetts. After reading about the raids by local law enforcement, I am ashamed to say that I come from Chico—the great Gestapo city. I can’t believe that a number of citizens and all of the “officers” involved lost any and all common sense and/or rational behavior and went ahead with this discriminatory action.

Gordon S. Curtis Jr.
Chico

Concerned about animals

Re “Pets” (From the Edge, by Anthony Peyton Porter, June 24):

It is so refreshing to see this point of view about animals in captivity. I feel exactly the same, to an extent where I even chauffeur spiders and mosquito-eaters to freedom as opposed to swatting them or leaving them trapped between the window and screen.

I often preach the same viewpoint to friends and family, sometimes resulting in the rolling of eyes or a condescending laugh. Still, I will keep doing what I am doing. What’s right is right, and I will continue to voice my concerns about the animals many people keep simply for “amusement,” as you say.

Anna Ashley
Chico

Make the right choice

Let there be no mistake. We have choices in California. We can continue the economic policies of the Bush administration that handed this country over to big corporations by lowering taxes and regulations, filled regulatory commissions with corporate allies, cut public education funds, and privatized many traditional support systems. This form of corporate welfare has shifted more money to the top thin stratum of the very wealthy and knocked the middle class into near poverty.

Unfortunately, according to a ridiculous change in the California Constitution, our governor, with a one-third Senate minority, can control California finances. And unfortunately this combination embraces the economic policies I described above. Their policies are turning California into a third-world state.

Most distressful of all is that our three representatives to the State Legislature, Assemblymen Dan Logue and Jim Nielsen and Sen. Sam Aanestad, belong to this minority voting bloc that continues again and again to protect the wealthy against the middle-class and poor.

Use your head. Vote Nov. 2, and vote wisely.

Linda Furr
Chico

Low-water blues

Re “Murky options” (Newslines, by Alistair Bland, July 8):

We have lived on the East Branch of the North Fork of the Feather River for 15 years, and each year the river gets a bit shallower and a bit warmer. We’ve been taking temperature readings for years. There seems to be more and more of that aquatic weed plant anacharis. Once this gets established, there is a buildup of silt around the base.

Dredging the river seems like a good alternative, to deepen the river, clear silt build-up, increase flow and lower the temperature. A thermal curtain seems like a big expense that may not have much of an effect farther downriver.

Rocki Eriksen-Norris
Twain