Opinion

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Written by: Verna Schaffer

Published: 08 June 2011

We live on the lake in Lakeport, and last Saturday morning the east wind was stirring up huge breakers, beating up our ski boat which was tied up to our dock.

Even though all docklines had held and fenders were out, the boat had been banging around all night and the wind was getting stronger.

We went to Hillside Honda to buy new, larger fenders, and the owner Paul Breunig was in his office.

I asked him if one of his service men could pull our boat out of the water since the high winds were projected to last a couple more days (my son's truck was not available).

He said he'd do it himself ... Within minutes, he picked up our trailer while my husband drove the boat to the Fifth Street ramp, and in about 15 more minutes, the boat was parked in front of my house, greatly relieving my state of mind.

And he refused to let me pay anything for this service.

Thanks, Paul, we really appreciate your kindness.

Verna Schaffer lives in Lakeport, Calif.

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Written by: Judy Thein

Published: 05 June 2011

On June 9 the proposed 2011-12 budget will come before the Clearlake City Council for adoption.

The proposed budget includes staff changes providing salary increases for all noncontract employees, increases in management salaries, and increasing general fund part time positions to full time positions.

While these changes are all being proposed, public safety is in jeopardy.

Presently, our police department is down 14.5 officers. The current staffing level consists of one chief of police, one administrative sergeant, three patrol sergeants, one acting watch commander, seven patrol officers, one detective, one part-time sergeant investigator and five dispatchers to cover continual 24-7 shifts.

This does not cover officers who must appear in court which can further reduce this level. This is an alarming description of staffing levels for our police department which provides for a population of nearly 15,000 people.

What is even more alarming is that our officers and dispatchers are working under tremendous handicaps because of the grossly understaffed department. They are working beyond capacity, trying to keep up with the needs of our community.

Soon the state will be releasing additional felons from state prisons back into our community. All of this has the capability of jeopardizing officer safety and community safety as calls for service will continue to increase.

Another alarming factor is the recent overtime costs incurred in the police department because of the lack of staffing.

During a recent two-week payroll period, $10,000 was spent in overtime and 123 hours of comp time was incurred for an approximate total of $13,000 for a two week period. We cannot continue to do this.

The dedication of our officers to our community embodies the description of public safety. There are members of law enforcement personnel who are willing to forgo any salary increase at this time in order to begin building back the level of staffing within their department. They are offering this sacrifice for the betterment of our community.

Each day our officers are faced with difficult decisions. Fortunately for the city of Clearlake, our officers and dispatchers are dedicated to public safety at the highest level possible. Each day this dedicated team stands prepared to give their lives to protect the citizens of Clearlake. They, along with our citizens, deserve better than what this proposed budget is offering.

Three years ago, we made difficult decisions to reduce costs which included reducing city services with the intent of keeping our city viable. Both employees and our community worked together during these difficult years. Because of those decisions and the tenacity of all, we were able to keep our city viable while building a once invisible reserve into a small reserve at this present time.

Now is not the time to spend resources on increasing personnel costs. If we do this, then we are misleading the public concerning the sacrifices that were made.

While all employees certainly deserve salary increases for their hard work and dedication to the community, our first priority must be to concentrate on restoring public safety which directly affects the citizens of our community.

Once public safety is restored, then we can begin looking at other areas for adjustments.

I encourage anyone to come to the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday, June 9, at 6 p.m. to support restoring public safety.

Judy Thein is a member of the city council of the city of Clearlake, Calif.

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Written by: Missy Hill

Published: 04 June 2011

Jenni Rivera-Cervantes gets some help from her older sister, Diana, while drawing the winners for a fundraiser raffle on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at Wild West Day in Upper Lake, Calif. The funds raised will go toward helping the little girl's family with medical and travel expenses because of her recent diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Photo courtesy of Missy Hill.

A fundraiser on Saturday, June 4, during Wild West Day in Upper Lake raised $633.30 to help 4-year-old Jenni Rivera-Cervantes, who recently was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

I would like to thank all the sponsors: my family for the cord of wood, Tallman Hotel, Lakeview Supermarket, Judy's Junction, Ana Santana for a flower arrangement.

Thanks also to my husband for manning the booth when I needed a break and for literally dragging people off the street to buy tickets; Tammy Alakszay for helping all day; Nor Cal Moto & Speed Equipment for giving me the space; to Jenni who came down to draw the winning tickets; to Lake County News for running her story; and to everyone who bought tickets.

I felt an amazing sense of satisfaction for being able to pull this all together with everybody's help!

Missy Hill lives in Upper Lake, Calif.