.Letters to the Editor: March 2, 2016

An interview enjoyed; an intended pun; a shocking discovery!

I Like Mariko

I enjoyed Tom Gogola’s recent interview with State Senate candidate Mariko Yamada (“Equal Time,” Feb. 24). I’ve known Mariko for over 15 years, and I know she would be a fantastic state senator. While my primary home is in Davis, where Mariko was my county supervisor and then assembly member, my wife and I spend a lot of time in Sonoma County.

I worked with Mariko trying to bring public power to Yolo County and know she has been active in trying to make nursing homes and assisted-living communities responsive to residents and their families.

We’ll have many choices in the June primary, and Mariko has my trust and vote for the 3rd State Senate District.

Davis

Mad as Hell

The Republican majority in Congress is always on the right but almost always wrong. Ironically, in its vindictive obstructionism orchestrated to strike down the Obama administration, the Republicans have created their own Frankenstein monster in the form of Donald J. Trump. The Republican Congress has sipped its own hemlock, expecting the executive branch to die but not to issue executive orders.

If this presidential run has shown anything, it has demonstrated that the people are fed up with the partisan rancor and gridlock. Even now, the Party of No does not get the message, as evidenced by the hard stance taken by Mitch McConnell and the Republican candidates on Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Scalia. George Washington issued a warning against bitter partisanship. When party trumps (pun intended) country, we lose both party and country. The victims are the citizens of this nation. At last, the voters in the primary appear to be saying, “I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take this anymore.”

Santa Rosa

Downcycle

This morning, I loaded the back of our car with recycling to take in to refund and to shop. I got to Safeway in Guerneville and found the recycle center was completely gone—lock, stock and barrel. Say what? When I got home, I went online to find another collection center, hopefully close by. What I found shocked me. Did you know that all of the neighborhood recycling centers next to stores and markets across Northern California that accepted California redemption value (CRV) items have closed as of Jan. 1? The company running the business claims it is not making enough money.

There are still half a dozen centers located along the 101 corridor that pay CRV refunds, and there are multiple sites for simple dumping that do not pay CRV refunds. All of the payout centers are located 20 to 50 miles from here, in the West County. What is the time, effort and gasoline cost to get there? Does this encourage conservation? Of course you can still dump your CRVs in the recycling can next to your house, but you paid the CRV. Do you smell something fishy here?

Guerneville

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