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Opinion
- Details
- Written by: Anna Ravenwoode
According to a county staff report dated July 8, 2010, the developers of Plum Flat Subdivision are requesting a rezone from rural residential, (RR) (low density) to planned development residential (PDR) (high density) to construct a residential subdivision on a 105-acre parcel.
And if the added request of a general plan of development is approved, their initial 30 parcels can expand to 104 with the approval of a specific plan of development.
Increased residential density: This increase in density requires a full environmental impact report to inform the surrounding community as to whether this project will create significant environmental impacts.
Discrepancies: All parcels immediately surrounding this project, are zoned either RR or rural lands (RL), or have potential agricultural use as indicated by a grading permit issued for a vineyard; and the existence of a walnut orchard to the north. Due to these immediate zoning differences and agricultural possibilities, a full EIR should be completed to protect agricultural land and reduce urban sprawl.
Lack of Infrastructure: While the developer vacillates between a community or individual septic system, the most obvious problem is that currently, no infrastructure exists. Combining this problem with a speculative water supply, shows this Project needs more planning and a full EIR, to inform and allow public comment on “how” waste water will be treated; “where” the water supply will be found; and “where” the related municipal water system will be located within the project. In addition, how will the water supply use affect the surrounding Clear Lake Rivera water quantity and quality.
Access: How can “potential environmental impacts related to traffic and circulation be mitigated to insignificant levels” (page 17 (A) (3), if there has been no final decision on access to the project. All possibilities for access, (and a through traffic study on each alternative) should be documented in a full EIR for public comment and review.
Absence of California Law regarding Oak Woodland Protection: The California Laws which govern Oak Woodland Protection include the: California Environmental Quality Act, Professional Foresters Law and Public Resources Code Section 21083.4.
California Law regarding Oak Woodland Protection: The definition of an “oak woodland” has been determined by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection as: “any significant stand of oak trees, with a canopy cover of 10 percent or greater.” The Board of Forestry has the authority to regulate oak woodlands at the local or state level. The most important aspect of the Board of Forestry definition is how it applies to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Under California law, when a local jurisdiction is making a determination involving CEQA, they must ask: Does this Project have a “potentially significant impact” on oak woodlands? The staff report dated 7/8/10 for the 7/22/10 Planning Commission hearing does not address this question. Under California Law, only a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) can legally and accurately answer the above question.
Therefore, greatest need for a full EIR is to answer the above question regarding the 70 acres of oak woodland habitat and seven acres of mixed oak woodlands within the Plum Flat project boundary. The removal of 77 acres of native species for a high density subdivision requires a determination by an RPF under CEQA.
Conclusion: Deny the request for rezone and general plan of development and deny any proposal for adoption of a mitigated negative declaration. The only legal way to move forward on this project is to comply with CEQA, which is a public disclosure document, and require a full EIR on this project.
Anna Ravenwoode lives in Kelseyville.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Some of you have been with us since the beginning – 2005. Others are new to our reports. This report is to serve as an update, by way of explanation, as to why we haven't published reports since April.
I'll keep this brief. In mid-April, I began to get quite ill. By the beginning of May, I nearly lost my life to renal (kidney) failure. I've been hospitalized on and off four times now, just coming home to my family two days ago. I hope now, and pray fervently, that the worst is behind me. I'm not yet strong enough to return to work, but have hopes of doing so – mostly on a social basis – next week. Once I'm back in the mix, I'll do my best to begin to bring you regular updates as in the past.
All I ask is for your patience and perhaps for your prayers for me, my family and for our business to persevere through this. My wife and I believe that we'll come out of this on the other side stronger than we were when it began.
If you have an opportunity to come by our store in Clearlake, we would love to hear from you. My wife Brianna, Jerry and Nicole have done a phenomenal job keeping things running in my absence.
And to those of you who have been so supportive the last few months, all we can offer is our sincere gratitude. Your love and kindness have blessed us enormously. I miss you all.
Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Conrad Justice Kiczenski
In recent letters that I have submitted to Lake County news outlets I have encouraged people to come to the next Lake County Community Radio Board of Directors meeting, which takes place this next Sunday, July 18, at 3:30 p.m., in KPFZ's main office at 149 N. Main St. in Lakeport.
I am writing this letter to inform the people of Lake County that I have decided not to attend this meeting and I feel a responsibility to explain why.
It is my humble opinion that the Lake County community has an enormous amount of untapped, talented and resourceful people who need to be seriously organized and inspired to participate in local media outlets such as KPFZ.
I feel that the amount of community involvement currently at KPFZ does not do justice to the enormous potential that I see. For example, many of the shows you hear on KPFZ are not “live” and are in fact “repeats” of already established shows. This means that so much of the time you hear KPFZ there is not even a live programmer in the studio. I feel that this creates somewhat of a “dull” or “stagnant” listening environment that needs to be “livened' up by organizing and inspiring more community members to become active, volunteer, and submit program applications to the station.
In the last couple of weeks I have been inspired to propose radical structural changes in the programming policies at KPFZ which I think would help both organize and inspire more community involvement in the station.
Some of these proposed changes are summarized in the following article: http://lakeconews.com/content/view/14790/927/.
My main goal in doing this was to start a conversation that would hopefully cause a reexamination and growth of the stations programming policies. Not necessarily to force any specific structure, but to propose ideas that would provoke thought, involvement and help the station evolve.
In bringing forth my concerns and proposals to the consciousness of this community, some people have felt threatened and have accused me of everything from having mental problems to sponsoring a disinformation campaign to overthrow the station. Threats have been made to have my show removed from the airwaves of KPFZ if I continued to bring forth the issue on the air. If I allowed myself to attend the next LCCR board meeting I would feel strongly compelled to propose more fundamental structural changes in the way the station operates. This compelling force within me has only served to further alienate myself from the station. For this reason I have decided to drop the issue entirely.
Many people in the station do not share the same concerns that I feel and are comfortable with the way things are currently running at KPFZ. I have also sensed a fear and resistance to the notion of radical growth of the station. I respect these sentiments for they come from very kind and generous people who have dedicated their lives to bringing this station into existence. I am merely a newcomer who is grateful that I am allowed to broadcast on their airwaves.
My deepest respect, thanks and gratitude goes out to the people who stood up for me (and whose stance prevented me from being kicked off the airwaves), especially Station Manager of KPFZ Andy Weiss. People have personally expressed to me that if it weren’t for Andy risking his own job to defend me, my show could have been removed from the air. Andy and many others in the station deserve gratitude from the community for their courage and dedication to true community radio. I am also grateful for the people at the station who listened sincerely and with compassion to my concerns without being viciously defensive. If it weren’t for them I know I would no longer be broadcasting at KPFZ.
My experiences in the last couple of weeks have only confirmed my beliefs that there is too much private personal biases going into the programming policies at KPFZ which have threatened its viability to truly grow.
Other members of the community have expressed concerns to me personally that a certain possessive “paradigm” and exclusive “social atmosphere” at the station has turned them off from participating. I would like to say to the community at large to please not allow the inherent “protective” aspect of human nature, especially among some individuals, from preventing your ability to see the true beauty and potential of this station as a whole. KPFZ desperately needs your input, involvement and love in order to reach its highest potential.
Conrad is 19 years old and lives in Lucerne. He is also the producer of “Guerrilla Radio” on KPFZ. To find more information about his show, visit www.guerrillaradiokpfz.podomatic.com or www.radicaljusticeman.podomatic.com.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
Hate. Isn’t it fun? We humans are naturals at it. And, when we are stressed, our hatred searches for an object. This object is called a scapegoat. We can feel close with our neighbors because we have a common enemy to unite against. Protesting, say, war, can make us fearful, because it could makes us pariahs, and being cast out of the group is a terrifying threat human beings.
But, blaming undocumented Latinos in tough times, that is safe, and, in many circles, accepted. (There are countless Russians and other aliens living in the United States illegally, yet we usually think “Mexican” when we think “illegal.”) We are being squeezed, and there is plenty of blame to go around, but, why Mexicans?
Let us look at some of the key issues. The war in Iraq: That war, as of a few years ago, (and, remember, the meter has continued to run), according to Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz, cost $3 trillion. Mexicans did not cause that war. George Bush started the war, and, while he speaks Spanish, he is not a Mexican.
The financial sector of the economy, unrestrained by regulation, leveraged a meltdown of the economy that drove it to the brink of collapse, vaporizing trillions of dollars. Mexicans did not do that.
The collapse of the housing market: no Mexican conspiracy there.
The influence of giant corporations: They are now unlimited in using money to influence issues. They never let the environment or worker safety interfere with their drive for increased profits: witness the oil spill. We can’t blame the Mexicans for corporate abuses either.
While illegal immigration is not the most important problem that we have, it is a problem. The problem is not Mexicans, however: the problem is Mexico. All of the immigrants that I have spoken to did not want to leave their home and go to a new land with different customs, laws and a different language. But there was no economic justice in Mexico and little opportunity for change. And the United States has not pressured Mexico to change to a more equitable society.
Folks don’t want to work all day for subsistence wages. There is hope to the north, so people attempt to cross the border, even at risk of their life (over 5,000 bodies have been found in the desert).
Undocumented people, it must be admitted, get many services for themselves and for their children, including health services, food stamps and education. But, let us not forget that undocumented people buy goods, pay taxes, pay into Social Security, rent houses and provide cheap labor. So, while some may get free services, many contribute to our economy.
In summary, I hope that we will not give in to an irrational hatred and look at the immigration problem in its totality. And more importantly, let us stay focused on the most important issues: unemployment, war, environmental degradation, education, business regulation and corporate influence.
Nelson Strasser lives in Kelseyville.