Shasta Voices….a Voice of the People in Northern California

As a Board member of Shasta Voices, I wanted to share the November Newsletter from Mary Machado, our director, as it really reflects the attitude of the Board, and the 800 member organization in general.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving season, Shasta VOICES would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to the people and events that helped us all get through another rough economic year in our community.

Thanks go out to the City Council members from Anderson and Redding, and the Shasta County Supervisors who finally killed the “Fix 5/SCRIP” proposed impact fees in April. After considering all sides of the issue, they just said no to the idea that local new homebuyers should foot the bill for adding a lane in each direction on I-5.  As suggested by Shasta VOICES from the beginning, the federal government has agreed that this is, in fact, their responsibility.  Federal funding is now being sought for this project. 

Redding City Manager Kurt Starman deserves a round of applause for proposing a commercial construction incentive program that helps provide flexible cash flow and a financing option by deferring impact fee payments.  This was approved by the City Council in April.

A special thank you to Redding City Manager Kurt Starman, Shasta County CAO Larry Lees, public employee union representatives Chris Darker and Steve Allen for their support and participation in the Shasta VOICES “Privatization of Public Services Study” which was completed in August, and the “Public Pension Forum”  held on September 24th.  Their input has been and will continue to be invaluable going forward.

Thanks also go out to our Shasta County Regional Transportation Agency, together with all its jurisdictions, for aggressively pursuing any and all Obama Stimulus funds (called ARRA funds) available to our community.  Approximately $25 million has been received so far for transportation related projects, with more pending approval. 

Other ARRA funds totaling about $3.3 million have also been received in the area for “workforce services” and “weatherization” based on the combined efforts of the Shasta Builders Exchange, The SMART center, and Shasta College.

Everyone who drives Bechelli Lane is very appreciative of the recent repaving and other improvements made to the road from Cypress Avenue to Bonneyview Road.  During this great recession, it’s reassuring to know that the City of Redding is willing and able to maintain its streets.

Thank you to the Redding firefighters who have made wage and benefit concessions that not only offer real money savings in these dire times, but demonstrate the leadership necessary to actually put public safety first.

Lastly, thank you to all the supporters of Shasta VOICES.   We are making a positive difference to the economic opportunity in the community because of you.  We are looking forward to another successful year in 2010.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

California Water….what is the Story?

This came to me from  www.savecalifornia.com  and presents an interesting view of the water and dam situation in California.

The California Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzegger have approved a convoluted “water deal” that is supposed to quench the thirst of California individuals, farmers and local governments.

Yet beyond the hype, this water deal — which goes to the voters on the November 2010 ballot — will not build more dams and doesn’t fix California’s worsening water crisis. At its core, the water deal is fiscally irresponsible. It would mean more bureaucracy and more government ownership of land. It would actually remove existing dams without providing guarantees to build new ones. It gives $6.4 BILLION in our taxpayer dollars to liberal environmentalists’ projects. And it raises the price of water on us all, taxing us for overuse.

Sacramento’s bad water deal will raise your rates if you have a yard or children. Regular users will suffer, the government will control more land, and the environmental wackos will control more government. Why don’t we have enough water? It because, under pressure from utopia-seeking environmentalist groups, the liberal Democrats who run the California Legislature and our liberal Republican governor refuse to build more dams to store water year-round.

Having water throughout the year requires storage during the dry months. Yet California hasn’t built a new dam since 1968, despite the population doubling since that time. What’s in the new water plan you get to vote on next year? Pork for the same environmental groups that oppose new dams!

If you are a Sarah Palin fan….good news!

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she’s back on Twitter. 

Palin took to the social networking site earlier this year, tweeting about state government, national politics, and everything in between. When she quit as Alaska’s governor in July, she promised to keep her fans updated through tweets. But that didn’t happen, and Palin instead posted regular updates on her Facebook page, which has nearly 1 million followers. In a Facebook posting Monday announcing more dates on her book tour, Palin said she’ll provide Twitter updates from the tour. Her Twitter feed is SarahPalinUSA. 

Her book, “Going Rogue,” will be published Nov. 17. Her tour starts the next day in Grand Rapids, Mich. There are 13 stops planned before Thanksgiving, including three Florida visits Nov. 24 in Jacksonville, The Villages, and Orlando.

So, if you are a “twitterer” on Twitter…check this out. It will be interesting to see how many followers she has, and gets, on Twitter. If you are not a Twitter…check Sarah out at Facebook. Social networking is just incredible.

What Is A Veteran?

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day 2009, I looked up a definition, and here is what I came up with:

First, one would think that the  question would be an easy one to answer. In the millions of laws passed over two centuries by Congress, you would think that at least one of them would define the term “military veteran.”

Most dictionaries define “veteran” as (1) A person who has served in the armed forces, or (2) An old soldier who has seen long service.

Using the dictionary definition, one would be a military veteran with just one day of military service, even with a dishonorable discharge.

I like the following definition, which was once penned by an unknown author:

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount of “up to and including my life.”

In actuality, there is no standardized legal definition of “military veteran” in the United States. You see, veteran benefits weren’t created all at one time. They’ve been added one-by-one for over 200 years by Congress. Each time Congress passed a new law authorizing and creating a new veteran benefit, they included eligibility requirements for that particular benefit. Whether or not one is considered a “veteran” by the federal government depends entirely upon which veteran program or benefit one is applying for.

Well, bottom line for me is “a  military veteran served his or her country in a military organization”, and I will leave it at that. Starting last Saturday at the Veteran’s Parade in Shasta Lake City, CA….about 100 entrants showed up to parade in front of thousands, and all were extremely well received. Then on Sunday, the Shasta County Republican Party hosted the Annual Honor our Veterans Dinner, and 300 were there to celebrate Veterans and what they have done to keep our country free. Monday night, the Redding Tea Party paid tribute to Vets, and the Liberty High School of Redding sang patriotic songs…an inspiring evening for all. On Wednesday, November 11, at the new Veterans Cemetary in western Shasta County, a county-wide ceremony will be conducted with a Air Force flyover. At 2 PM, Shasta College will dedicate a Veterans Grove at the Redding campus, with the Student Body honoring Veterans. As a veteran from the Vietnam era, I am proud to call myself an Air Force veteran, and to all that have served, I say “Thanks…..you deserve every tribute that proud Americans can give”. We are all proud to be an American.

Hatchet Mountain Wind Project is a Reality

A few weeks ago, I was invited, in that I am a candidate for the Shasta County Assessor-Recorder in 2010, to take a look at the Hatchet Mountain Wind Project located on Hatchet Mountain just 7 miles west of Burney in Eastern Shasta County.  Hat Creek Construction Company, a huge construction company in Burney and one of the largest in the North State, and a key player in the entire project, was just starting ground work on the project, so my timing was good.

My briefing was almost mind-boggling, when the long range economic impact and the obvious huge source of alternative energy was explained, for although I had heard of the project, I had no idea of the overall effect to the entire north state of this project.  

California’s Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern) had closed financing and begun construction of its  Hatchet Ridge wind project, the first large-scale wind project to begin construction this year in California. 

The project, developed by Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), is located on a portion of Hatchet Mountain and  is expected to reach commercial operation before the end of 2010.

Here are some of the numbers that go with the project. Hatchet Ridge will generate power equivalent to the amount of energy needed to serve nearly 44,000 California homes annually. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will purchase the power, including the renewable attributes, under a 15-year power purchase agreement.

In addition to providing clean, renewable energy for Californians, Hatchet Ridge will create approximately 100-200 construction jobs over the next year and six to eight permanent jobs during operations. There will also be an economic ripple effect in the area from the purchases of goods and services for the wind farm and increased business for service industries.

From an income from the projct point of view, Hatchet Ridge will invest $5 million in the local community over the life of the project through the Shasta County General Fund, the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, and the Burney Foundation Regional Education Fund as well as by paying substantial local taxes. A huge win-win for all.

Pattern selected a unique six-bank club to provide a debt facility to fund the project costs during construction, which converts to a term financing facility upon commercial operation. The lenders include Natixis, UBOC, LBBW, Calyon, SocGen and WestLB, all major international firms, needed for a project of this size.

RES America Construction, Inc. will construct the project, which will consist of 44 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines. The Siemens SWT-2.3-93 wind turbine is a proven technology with more than 2,000 operating worldwide and is well-regarded throughout the industry. This will be one of their major projects both in California and the nation.

I read the following from the CEO of the major company making the project happen, and it kind of says it all:

“We are pleased to close financing and commence construction on the Hatchet Ridge Wind Farm. We are very excited about starting construction of our first project only four months after forming Pattern Energy,” said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. “This project is the result of years of dedication and collaboration with RES Americas, Siemens, PG&E, local government, project property-owners, and the community. We are very appreciative for the local support we received that helped make this project a reality.”

No question, the project is impressive. The Shasta Couny Planning Commission recommended approval in October 2008, and after many months of study, with both proponents and opponents represented, the project moved forward. In many respects, with this project being one of the largest economic development projects in the history of Shasta County, this renewable energy project may literally be “the wave of the future”, in the form of wind. To all that have been part of this project, congratulations…and economic benefit to the people of Shasta County will be long-lasting.

Who is Gianna Jessen?

Posted May 08, 2009 at 23:34 PM

ronlargent

Thursday night, a few months ago,  we were privileged to hear Gianna Jessen speak at the CareNet Pregnancy Banquet….what a great job she did. Here is a little bit on “who she is….:

Gianna Jessen does not quit. Giving up is not an option to her. Gianna has what she refers to as the “gift” of Cerebral Palsy. She weighed a mere 2 lbs at birth and the doctors said she would never be able to hold up her head, sit up, crawl or walk. She began to walk by the age of three years old with the help of leg braces and a walker.Gianna doesn’t believe that her Cerebral Palsy takes away her life, but, rather, enriches it. . . she walks with a slight limp today and runs marathons. On April 30, 2005 she completed her first 26.2 mile marathon after running just over 7 hours and was presented with the coveted blank blank award! On April 23, 2006 she completed the London Marathon as well. She is now determined to run marathons all over the place, because she was never supposed to even walk! Gianna understands the plight of orphans, being one herself. She was placed into the foster care system early on in life, eventually being taken into the loving home of a woman named Penny. Penny has been a mother to 56 foster children in her life. Gianna was later adopted by Penny’s daughter, making Penny Gianna’s grandmother. According to Gianna, Penny saved her life. Gianna is a Christian. Her life was given to her by the grace of God. She shouldn’t be walking, but more miraculous still; she should not even be alive. Gianna’s biological mother was 17 when she had a saline abortion in her third trimester. Many Americans don’t realize it is legal to have an abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. After being burned alive for approximately 18 hours in the womb from the saline solution, Gianna was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic. Her medical records state, “born during saline abortion”…this is what caused her Cerebral Palsy. Gianna’s travels and experiences have led her all over the world. Her life has been covered by many major news media outlets, including, most recently, the BBC News and World Radio, Sky News, and The Good Morning Show in England, reaching many people with a message of hope and conviction. In November 2005, Gianna spoke in several colleges all over Ireland and in December of the same year, spoke at a meeting held at the House of Commons in London. She has returned to England this year to speak in several parochial and public high schools. Gianna’s audiences include: churches – church youth crusades and women’s ministry retreats; various corporations as a motivational speaker; secular and Christian youth organizations and schools – middle school age through college, as well as several times before Congress – most recently having her testimony read before the Supreme Court in Carhart v. Gonzales Redding Real Estate     ronlargent.com     ronlargent@kw.com

Cottonwood Town Hall Meeting

A very informative, enlightening, and enjoyable evening was held Wednesday at the Cottonwood, CA Town Hall Meeting, hosted by Supervisor Les Baugh. Les, and the Community Committee, chaired by Mary O’Keefe, the Director of the Community Center, had an excellent line up of panelists to deal with many issues and items of interest facing the residents of the South County of  Shasta County. The panel included Shasta County Admin Officer Larry Lees, Sheriff Tom Bosenko, County DA Jerry Benito, County Resources Director Russ Mull, County Public Works Director Pat Minturn, Dan LIttle and Phil Baker from CALTRANS, and Cottonwood Fire Chief Jim Flaherty.

The topics ranged from public safety to subdivisions, from downtown traffic to developments in the planning stage, and from Gas Point Road congestion to expanding the lanes on Interstate 5 into Redding. In addition to the “purely local” concerns, the panel addressed more far reaching questions, such as the status of the local and state economy and how that situation will impact Shasta County. Discussion was held on current public works projects for the south county, and many expressed interest in more parks in this section of the county.

The audience of 150 were encouraged to write down their questions and Supervisor Baugh received them and distributed each question to the panel member that was involved in that issue. And, Baugh also had a number of questions addressed to him that he handled very well.

I was there to ask some questions and observe, for as a candidate for the County Assessor-Recorder office in 2010, I think it is crucial that I become as aware of community concerns and issues as I possibly can. What I found in this Town Hall was a very interested and informed group of citizens that all want to make Cottonwood one of the very best rural residential areas in which to live. Their issues and questions were well presented and received.

This is democracy in action, and it was very encouraging, for even in these difficult economic times, citizens want to do their part to “make things better” knowing that the economy will turn around and when it does, they want to be prepared for the future by planning and considering future issues now.

 Hats off to the organizers; to Supervisor Les Baugh; and to all of the participants, for together they all made it a great night. If the various Teaparty organizations want to see how “citizens participate in local government”, just take a look at Cottonwood, CA….a small ranching and farming community in Northern California where the quality of life is about “as good as it can get”….and where the “citizens have a voice and are heard”.

I sure am glad I went to the meeting…well worth it, and a refreshing moment in a busy week.

Ron Largent – Candidate for Shasta County Assessor-Recorder     www.largent2010.com

Joe Gibbs on “Room to be Human”

In 1980, I had the opportunity to get to know Joe Gibbs, just a great man,  when he was coach of the Washington Redskins. Through one of his assistants, Wayne Sevier, whom I knew before I moved to Redding, I met Joe…then we attended church together and our kids went to school together. Although our careers parted, I have continued to watch him and his accomplishments, most recently in the NASCAR circles. His recent book “Game Plan for Life” is a good one, and this is one of the sections on “Room to be Human”. I found it of particular interest and wanted to share it on the blog. Here it is:

We definitely live in a celebrity culture. How many industries—from sports talk to memorabilia sales—are manufactured on the backs of a culture that can’t get enough scoop or goods on today’s headline makers? We know they’re just people, but somehow we’re willing to let them be larger-than-life. It’s in our cultural DNA. 

But even those who impress us with their skill and swagger—the ones who are among the best at what they do—miss a lot of reads in the course of a game. They foul a lot of balls into the stands. They push a lot of shots wide of the fairway. Success is a matter of consistent skill and effort, but nowhere near perfection. There’s never been a superstar who didn’t know how it felt to pace the sidelines, frustrated with his play. 

If you’re in one of those funks where you’re down on yourself for making an unwise decision at work, or underestimating how long something would take, or guessing wrong on a snap judgment call, maybe this would be a good day to cut yourself some slack. Nobody gets everything right, and God understands that about us. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13–14).

 Be fair with yourself today. Don’t let a little pop-out keep you from swinging for the fences.

So true, as we go through the daily trials and tribulations of work and life…thanks Joe.

 

Honor your Veterans Dinner This Sunday at Fusaro Hall

SundayNovember 8, 2009p.m. Social Hour; 5:30 p.m.

Dinner AndersonFair Grounds, Fusaro Hall    

Guest of Honor Commander

Larry Wahl (Ret),  United States Navy

4:00

 GREATRAFFLE PrizesFREE (Veteran’s Spouse/Companion $5.00)

Tickets  $520.00; Veteran’s Table Sponsor $200.00 (10 per table)Yes,

I would like to attend the HONOR OUR VETERANS DINNER THIS SUNDAY AT FUSARO

HALL, Anderson Fair Grounds, November 8. 2009″ 4:00 pM.

Veterans:

This came to me over the internet from my friend Ross….and it has some good thoughts….

Oct 23

Posted by Mr. Internet

A thought struck me as I was on my daily hike in the mountains behind Santa Barbara this morning: “Why do most people live their lives in constant fear, or its low-voltage cousin, worry?”

Granted, there is plenty to be worried about like the recession going double-dip, global warming, Iran glowing nuclear, H1N1, whether or not the Balloon Boy will get his own Reality TV show, etc.  Yet, does it really do us any good to “worry” over anything?

Worry, by definition, is just fear of something yet to be realized.  It is always future-focused, which in its own insidious way robs us of truly experiencing “Now”.  Think about this for a moment, if you could block out all thoughts of “what might happen”, and live completely in the now, all worry would disappear.  Worry gets its strength from the mistaken belief that we will not be able to handle or cope with something down the road.

Have you ever not handled something?  If you are still living and breathing, then you have never failed in that endeavor.  It’s not about whether you can control the future, it’s all about how you respond to it…

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

       John Wooden

Some interesting thoughts….especially from Coach Wooden…one of the GREATS.