2 big reasons for referendum success

The developer of Valley’s Edge and his allies appear to have decided on a line that the thousands of signatures on the referendum can be explained by out of town professional signature gatherers lying to people. They are not doing themselves any favors with this line, simply because the people of Chico know better.

This was, by far, the largest volunteer activism mobilization in the history of Chico. More than 270 different volunteers gathered signatures. Some got only a few. Some brought in many. Most of those people got signatures largely from their friends, neighbors, and families. So trying to tell people that their long-time neighbor or their grandmother was lying to them is not going to go over well.

Yes, there was some use made of professional petition circulators. But 78% of all signatures were turned in by local volunteers. And, lest anyone think otherwise, this mobilization crossed every possible line. Signatures were turned in by people barely old enough to vote and people over 90. By Republicans and Democrats. By very wealthy people and very poor people. By avid hunters and by vegan environmentalists.

The petition drive succeeded spectacularly for two reasons: One was a lot of hard work and good organizing. The second was because this development is massively unpopular. The city council now has a choice: They can simply rescind their approval of the development. Or they can take it to an election, where they will learn just how unpopular it is.

— David Welch, Chico

Standing in way of low-cost housing

Want to limit or stop an activity? Penalize it. .. tax it … require permits, add fees, zone against it … reduce the profit.

Any guess what the current government penalty is for building a low income house? What does PG&E charge to set a power pole? I’ve been out of the building business for a while, so I will let a current contractor tell us what a building permit costs today. Might be good if tiny houses on tiny lots had no such penalty.

— Ron Imhoff, Chico

Thankful for life in a more-‘perfect’ time

I started dressing like a boy in the early 90’s. Short hair, overalls, collared shirts and neckties. Born and raised in Chico, I attended CUSD all the way through and am so thankful.

I’m thankful for my third grade teacher, Bart Panek, who helped me remember how to spell “together,” who disciplined a classmate for making fun of my name and who accepted me just as I was no matter how I dressed.

I am thankful for the CUSD school board policies that enabled administration, faculty and counselors to contact my parents and offer opportunities for me to talk about what I was going through and how I was feeling.

I’m thankful for my mom who took me to get the haircut that matched all the boys in my class and who took me to get my ears pierced, and bought me long dangly earrings.

I’m thankful for my dad who never let me think I was anything less than perfect and never let me forget that I was perfectly loved.

I’m thankful for my stepparents, who were there every step of the way too.

No one ever told me I was born broken, never told me something was wrong with me that needed to be fixed. They just let me be me.

I am now a full grown woman, still in Chico, healthy and happily married to a wonderful man. We have three children aged 17, 15 and 10, who do not attend any CUSD schools … Boy, am I thankful.

— Morgan Dietz, Chico

In recognition of our history-making Senator

I met US Senator Dianne Feinstein when she ran for Mayor of San Francisco. George Moscone won but he was assassinated (11/28/78) and Dianne, as the President of the Board of Supervisors, became Mayor.

In 1992, Dianne and Barbara Boxer were elected to the US Senate. I was pleased to be part (CA Democratic Party staff) of those two wins. Jane Dolan (I’m her husband) and I became friends with Dianne and she came to Chico several times including at Chico State in 1990, with a crowd of over 5,000.

As a Vietnam Veteran I appreciated her bill banning Assault Rifles. Dianne was also the author of the California Desert Act which put 7 million acres under protection.

Here’s a few comments by Columnists, “She practiced civility; She’s a constant manager; She was a workhorse; an important voice on national defense; her work benefits people,” and more.

Years ago, Jane and I were at an event and Jane told Dianne of the need for funding for the Hamilton City levee. Dianne waved to a staff person, told the woman, Jane has the details, add it in the Budget bill. The newly rebuilt levee withstood all the recent big storms to protect Hamilton City from massive floods.

Dianne invited us (Jane was unable to go), to a private dinner in D.C. (20 people including then-Senator Harris), the night (1/3/19) after she was sworn in for what I thought might be her last term. Yes, Dianne made history.

— Bob Mulholland, Chico

The ‘ballooning’ costs of national defense

Amazing how we can send up a $220 million F-22 that costs $85,000 per hour to fly and launch a $400,000 Aim9 missile to shoot down a $200 private weather balloon and then do it two more times. BTW: we never found any of the balloons!

— Bob Kromer, Chico

More war won’t make the US safe

Replying to Tom Reed 2/16. Like most Democrats, you believe that violence, weapons are the way to resolve Russia’s very valid complaint about the US insisting on Ukraine joining NATO, intending to put US/NATO weaponry/bases right on Russia’s most vulnerable border.

Perhaps you believed the US government /media lies about Iraqi WMD. That Putin wants to establish a Czarist “Greater Russia” is just one more US government/media lie.

Putin did NOT want to have to use military force to protect the ethnic Russians living in Eastern Ukraine, and to make it clear that the US and NATO were not going have military bases on Russia’s border. The US would not tolerate Russia having a military base in Cuba, Canada or Mexico.

Watch the movie “Thirteen Days” about the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Read Putin’s own, UNSPUN words, Munich 2007, Davos 1/21, and the 2/24/22. The speeches should be read by all wanting a livable future and are easy to google, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/speeches

You and Democrats are suckers, believing that more war and a bigger defense budget will make the US safe.

Such stupidity condemns US society to further deterioration, because the gargantuan and growing defense budget gets the money that should be used to improve the unhealthy, poorly educated, very violent US society. A 9/22 Pentagon study shows that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service due to being overweight, using drugs, education deficits or having mental and physical health problems.

That Democrats/Socialists embrace war is a tragedy.

— Lucy Cooke, Butte Valley

When ‘clean’ policies lead to dirty air

Once again the Democrats’ politics have proven a disaster for California citizens. Their war on clean burning natural gas has driven the price of gas into the stratosphere. The taxpayers react by firing up those long dormant woodstoves. Now the air is really dirty. Who votes for these bozos?

— Bill Smith, Chico

A life well-lived by a former president

Those of you who don’t know but want to know how to live a Christian life, look to the example of Jimmy Carter.

— Michael Bertsch, Chico