Letters

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Written by: Jay Murphy and Madeline Wenn-Murphy

Published: 26 May 2010

This campaign season seems to have brought out the worst in letters to the editor and anonymous bloggers whose agenda is to attack District Attorney Jon Hopkins. Lies and false rumors are repeated and printed again and again. One case is cited as the reason to not only destroy Jon's reputation, but to dismiss his entire 38 years in the criminal justice system.

 

Jon Hopkins' career in public service has always focused on protecting the community and assuring a quality of life that makes Lake County a safe place to live.

 

He has successfully prosecuted tough cases that send the message to criminals that their behavior will not be tolerated here.

He's strong on DUIs, elder abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, drugs, gangs and violent crimes. His integrity is beyond reproach.

Jon also had the qualifications and experience to run the District Attorney's Office; his opponents do not.

 

We are voting for Jon Hopkins on June 8 and urge you to do the same.

 

Jay Murphy and Madeline Wenn-Murphy live in Kelseyville.

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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 26 May 2010

The Tuesday, May 11, 2010, annual Spring Dinner and Art Sale fundraiser for the Lake County Land Trust at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville was a big success. Land Trust President Pete McGee wishes to express his appreciation to everyone involved with the event, as well as to those who attended to support the land trust’s projects in Lake County.

Thanks go to Marie Beery and her able staff for hosting and presenting the dinner. Marie has been hosting this fundraising dinner for the Land Trust for many years and it is greatly appreciated. David Neft, of Middletown, contributed his excellent piano playing for the social hour period of the event. Dennis Darling, of Foods Etc. contributed $300 to help support the dinner. Excellent Lake County wines were provided by: Dusinberre Cellars, Gregory Graham Wines, Langtry Estates, Moore Family Winery, Shannon Ridge Winery, Six Sigma, Steele Wines, Tulip Hill and Wildhurst.

Many local artists donated paintings that were either sold at the event, or will be available at the October land trust dinner. Artists contributing their work this year were: Jack Ballance, Judy Cardinale, Marcie Dowdy, John Eells, Jacqueline Farley, Meredith Gambrell, Renee Geare, Barbara LaVasseur, Lyle Madeson, Phil Mathewson, Bob Minenna, Timothy Moen, Patty Oats, Betty O’Quinn, Ann Orpustan, Carmen Patterson, Linda Richmond, Richard Seisser and Jackie Smythe.

The Lake County Land Trust is dedicated to preserving Lake County’s natural resources through education, cooperation and preservation. Go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org for more information or if you would like to become a contributor.

Roberta Lyons is a member of the Lake County Land Trust. She lives in Lower Lake.

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Written by: Steve Brooks

Published: 25 May 2010

Sheriff candidate Francisco Rivero’s position concerning the marijuana problem in Lake County is disturbing. To a small crowd in Upper Lake on April 20, Rivero said, “I believe that the sheriff’s department should back away from 99.9 percent of the enforcement of marijuana inside this county.”

What does this 99.9 percent mean in real terms? In 2009 alone it meant well over one million marijuana plants worth at least $5 billion tax-free dollars protected by more than 100 heavily armed gangsters.

Criminal marijuana is big business and it directly impacts tax-paying, law-abiding citizens:

• Our local National Forest properties are made dangerous by heavily armed criminals.

• Large, criminal marijuana grows wreak havoc on vital Lake County habitats and pollute our public waterways.

• Rural and isolated property owners are at risk from heavily armed predators seeking privacy for criminal grow sites – grow sites worth millions in tax-free dollars.

• Recently, our communities’ public streets have become the scenes of reprisals and threatening behavior toward those who oppose Lake County’s predatory criminal growers.

With his position statement, Francisco Rivero has effectively drawn a line in the sand – with those who chose to obey the laws and pay their taxes on one side and the criminal tax evaders on the other. On which side does Rivero’s 99.9 percent have him standing?

The Rivero for Sheriff Web site proudly displays the endorsements of people who are under federal indictment for marijuana cultivation and tax evasion. Other endorsers are listed who face state charges for being armed while transporting marijuana. I am thankful that Sheriff Mitchell doesn’t seem to get the felony drug crowd vote.

The issue at hand does not concern medical marijuana. Our problem is not a couple of privately owned plants in somebody’s backyard. This is about big money and the violence needed to keep it and there have been multiple murders committed by career criminals – right here in Lake County to prove it.

Here’s the good news – in 2009, we arrested dozens of armed criminals and halted the distribution of large amounts of foreign chemicals into our waterways. We’ve hit the criminal growers hard, and repeatedly.

Let me be candid with you, Sheriff Mitchell doesn’t ask deputies to get cats out of trees or increase revenue with traffic tickets. He requires us to take the fight to those who would criminally and violently destroy our way of life. If you’ve lived in our county since the 1980s, you’ll see we’ve done a good job of it.

Unfortunately, as long as there’s illicit money to be made in drugs, desperate groups will try to plant marijuana in rural Lake County. None of that is news.

What is disappointingly noteworthy is a sheriff’s candidate who shares the position of organized crime. The brave members of our department do not.

As long as Sheriff Mitchell runs our department, this will be a bad place to be a criminal.

Steve Brooks is a detective with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He lives in Kelseyville.