So... Last time the turning basin was dredged was after the 2006 rains. However, the project NOT only dragged on for two years, it was NEVER completed, because some meddling bureaucrats complained that dumping the dredge spoils in the place SPECIFICALLY set aside FOR the dumping the Petaluma River dredge [...]
We've reached another year marked by the sense that we're stuck in a rut. We can blame politicians, people with different political or religious beliefs, or Wall Street, but in truth we must heed the words of that timeless sage, Pogo, who famously said, "I have met the enemy and [...]
Yes, I know that in many parts of oh-so-Progressive Petaluma, the Christian practice of celebrating the birth of Jesus is politically incorrect, if not openly frowned upon. To which I say, Merry Christmas. As to whether a cultural construct such Santa will bring Petaluma solutions to it's perennial problems, I [...]
Caveat emptor...like never before. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just resigned from the Cinnabar School board after more than 12 years as a trustee. No, not from frustration - though there was plenty of that courtesy of the narrow-minded, self-serving, boneheads in Sacramento. The reason was that Colleen and I moved to Cotati and, as a result, I no longer reside in the district - a requirement for trusteeship. I grew up in Los Angeles during the salad days of California, when the Golden State lead the country in education, productivity and imagination. Today, thanks to decades of ever-increasing state-employee entitlements, a ferocious anti-business mindset, and pie-in-the-faith in liberal fantasies, California still leads the country...in population exodus, business relocations, and crushing debt. People get so exercised about the encroachment of Hispanic influence on our culture, when the real threat to California is that it's turning into Greece.
John and Chris tell me downtown merchants report that delivery trucks are shaving their turns with dire consequences to the street corner lights. Yikes. I guess downtown is getting more and more crowded. I don't recall hearing about the possibility of these sorts of consequences in any discussion of the wonderfulness of "urban infill." As a young man I visited Les Halles, the storied produce / meat market once located in the heart of Paris. Not long after I was there, due the noise and impact on the local infrastructure the French - exemplars of all right thinking in the minds of many - moved the market to the outskirts of town. Perhaps they recognized the value of urban "out-fill."
In the spirit of thankfulness, let's praise the kind souls who work, and sometimes even sacrifice, to meet the needs of others. Whether they do so year-round or as just they perceive the need, may God bless them as they bless those they serve.
As an official "senior," I can personally attest to at least a glancing awareness of this phenomenon. Recently, Colleen (who is not yet a senior) and I were looking for a home in Petaluma to rent and we came across this posting on Craigslist for a home in Victoria for $800/month. We thought this was way too low. But we wanted to stay in Petaluma if possible so we e-mailed the poster. However, when the poster replied, saying among other things that he would "mail us the keys" upon receipt of the first and last month's rent, he included a phone number from Nigeria. So, we contacted Timo Rivetti, the listing agent on the sign out front. Timo confirmed that it was indeed a scam. So, I guess we weren't actually scammed, but we sure felt foolish.
There are many great people who work for the City of Petaluma and labor mightily to serve its citizens. Unfortunately, there are others who seem to view Petaluma's inhabitants, aka the people who's taxes pay their salary, as the enemy to be foiled at every opportunity. Ellis Creek Water Project's new Master of the Universe appears to fall into that latter group.
The union of chronic protesters (Local #94952) - AKA Occupy Wall Street / Petaluma franchise - were assembled last Saturday at Penry Park. The Argus stated that there were 150 in attendance. From what I saw, that would have meant counting everyone at least twice. The most charming sight was a about 6 people marching in a tight circle carrying protest signs - a sight that was clearly visible to nobody but the six.