Letters

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Written by: Connel Murray

Published: 19 August 2013

With the death of former state Sen. Pat Wiggins, thousands of California home wine and beer makers lost a true champion.

In 2008 the state Alcohol Beverage Control agency, citing a little-known legal ruling, threatened to shut down amateur wine and beer contests and exhibitions including the Napa Classic, the Lake County Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival, county fairs and even the State Fair, all of which had held such events for years.

Closure would have dealt a heavy blow to the many charities and other community groups who relied on these nonprofit events for their funding.

Pat Wiggins came to the rescue. In an incredibly short period of time she drafted curative legislation and then fast-tracked it through the state Assembly with virtually no opposition.

Labeled SB 607, it effectively legitimized activities that had taken place since the end of prohibition.

Now, unfortunately, in Sen. Wiggins' absence, the ABC is once again employing even murkier resolutions to curtail home wine and beer making.

Competitions have been eliminated from many fairs, and the Napa Classic – the major fundraiser for the Dry Creek Volunteer Fire Department – was canceled, while the Lake County event was revised to completely eliminate amateurs. The latter has threatened the viability of its sponsor Clear Lake Performing Arts and the fine music groups who have benefited from the festival in the past.

We can only hope that Sen. Wiggins’ successors will pick up her dropped torch and quickly pass additional legislation to once again permit our amateur wine and beer makers to resume their traditions.

Connel Murray is a member of Clear Lake Performing Arts. He lives in Kelseyville, Calif.

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Written by: Mike Tabacchi

Published: 14 August 2013

A common thread of history exists which unites our area communities. Join me in this brief visit back to the Wild West.

In 1888, entrepreneur William H. Spiers purchased a stage coach line and won a contract for mail delivery. His Calistoga-Clear Lake Stage Line brought visitors to the county’s popular resorts and spas.

It took three hours to travel the 17 miles from Calistoga to Middletown. The Clear Lake line included stops in Coyote Valley, Guenoc, Lower Lake, and Clear Lake. Another line branched off from Lower Lake and served Kelseyville and Lakeport.

Travelers were carried in the California “mud wagon,” which was built in Sacramento for $500. This unique carriage accommodated 20 passengers, their baggage, mail sacks, and a Wells Fargo strong box containing gold for the Great Western Mine payroll.

What account of the wild west would be complete without an outlaw?

The life of Lawrence Buchanan “Buck” English compares with that of Billy the Kid. Buck English “graduated” from San Quentin in 1882 and walked the streets with a six-shooter strapped to his side.

At age 18 he robbed a Lower Lake stage and took the booty from its strongbox. For 20 years, he and his brothers roamed our countryside rustling cattle, stealing horses and robbing solitary travelers.

Note: For many years, Martha Webster contributed these historic accounts of our community in the Middletown Days edition of the Times Star. She contributed to me in many ways as a mentor during her membership with the Middletown Area Town Hall.

Martha passed away last winter following a lengthy illness.

Mike Tabacchi lives in Middletown, Calif.

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Written by: Bob Bridges

Published: 29 July 2013

Have you noticed that the Lakeport city staff continues to pursue spending over $750,000 of your 100-percent increase to your water bill to purchase new water meters for all of us (whether we need one or not).

This is being done even though it was the consensus of the “rate hiking” city council that the 100-percent rate increase they proposed on us was to prevent critical equipment failure, service interruptions and fines from the state and not to buy things that the city staff merely wanted but were not necessary.

So while all of us take shorter showers, defer flushing toilets and let our lawns and gardens turn brown, city staff is draining over $750,000 out of the city economy to pay some, out of county business, for meters that are unnecessary and unneeded.

This is money that would otherwise be spent locally on food, medicine, fuel and other necessities that the city staff wants you to forgo, while our city withers just like our yards.

Ask your city council person if it is true that the new meters will read 10 to 15 percent higher than your present meter?

Have you also noticed that while the city urges you to conserve on water, they are busy approving water connections for development projects and deferring connection charges for out-of-town developers?

Tell your city council to insure that our precious water money is not wasted on unnecessary projects like water meters and only spend our money on critical and necessary items as they agreed when they increased our water rates by 100 percent.

The city staff obviously wants to ignore the voices of the 800 property owners who protested this burdensome increase.

They seem unconcerned, that their spending of borrowed money outside of the county, is what leads cities to bankruptcy.

The city council needs to take control of their bureaucracy that is ignoring council direction.

Is the city staff working for us are we working for them?

Bob Bridges lives in Lakeport, Calif.