Rue Furch for Fifth District Supervisor

[Zeno Swijtink]

Wacco Community,

Rue Furch is running for Fifth District Supervisor, for the seat presently occupied by Mike Reilly, who is retiring. She is the best of the pack, and I recommend her.

Check out her website at

https://.www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com

Zeno

****

From: "Rue Furch for Supervisor"
To: [email protected]
Subject: A message from Rue
Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:36:27 +0000

Hello there,

Time is racing by and I want to let you know how much we are accomplishing and how wonderful the response has been.

Last Saturday night I got to ride in a Monte Rio fire truck in the Guerneville Festival of Lights parade. *If you've never attended - try to make it next year. *The whole community turns out and the parade is a knock out. *People of all ages waved and honked all along the parade route. *It was absolutely wonderful.

I need your help - in identifying events and meetings I should attend. *If you would please send anything you think I should be aware of to Jane, she'll get it on my calendar. *(Jane is fantastic) *I'll try to attend as many as I can. **Just send the usual information: who, what, when, where - and any pertinent details that would help us find the place, dress properly, RSVP if required, or whatever to: [email protected]. If the details are in an attachment, Jane also requests that you note it conspicuously in the email.

So many people are pitching in - the old adage "many hands make light work" is really showing. *Our campaign organization is growing and we're having a wonderful time.

And - if you are considering becoming more involved and/or contributing additionally to the campaign - please don't hesitate. *We're gathering steam and together we can do so much more. *Every dollar you are able to send to me before the end of 2007 will be totaled up by the press in January and used as a gauge of my support. *Please send whatever you can afford. *Each of us has different means - but all of us have something to offer. *Whatever you are able to do, I promise you - I'll be your advocate, your Supervisor. *Send your support to the campaign mailing address (below) or use the web address: https://www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement; your dedication to the beautiful place we call home. *As time goes by, I know how critically important the makeup of the next Board of Supervisors will be to all of us - and I know we must win.

Have a wonderful holiday season, ... and thanks again and again.

Friends of Rue Furch
P.O. Box 1853
Sebastopol, CA *95473

[don]

Hey Zeno

I've known and liked (and still do) Rue for many years (decades actually) and I would like to hear what brings you to the conclusion that "She is the best of the pack" Seems that there are many good candidates for the position and I'd love to see more discussion about all of them, so will you expand on this?
Thanks
don

Wacco Community,

Rue Furch is running for Fifth District Supervisor, for the seat presently occupied by Mike Reilly, who is retiring. She is the best of the pack, and I recommend her.

Check out her website at

https://.www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com

Zeno

...

[Zeno Swijtink]

Hey Zeno

I've known and liked (and still do) Rue for many years (decades actually) and I would like to hear what brings you to the conclusion that "She is the best of the pack" Seems that there are many good candidates for the position and I'd love to see more discussion about all of them, so will you expand on this?
Thanks
don

I think she is the best because of her unique experience of many years on the Planning Commission and her participation in many multi-stakeholder processes where she has been a good listener and has worked to bring people together for positive action. She also has the advantage of not being an insider on party political partisanship.

I copy an endorsement Rue Furch received from Dave Henson and Brock Dolman



******

Dear Friend -

We’re supporting Rue Furch in the race for Sonoma County 5th District Supervisor, and we’re asking that you support her too. Here’s why:

There are five seats on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In recent years, strong voices for ecological and economic sustainability have been in the minority on the Board. With current 5th District Supervisor Mike Reilly leaving the Board after having served west county well for three terms, we will lose the strongest voice we now have on the Board advocating for a sustainable and socially just future for Sonoma County.

While there are several good people running for the 5th District seat, we feel quite strongly that Rue Furch is the best choice. We have known and worked with Rue for over a decade, and are confident that she will be a principled, passionate, visionary, responsive and effective supervisor.

We are living in a time of unprecedented human-caused degradation of the earth’s ecological systems. While we all share responsibility to work for change at the state and national levels, it is by working together here, in our own Sonoma County, that we can achieve the most rapid change – and to serve as a model for the rest of our country.

The Board of Supervisors is the most important local venue for our own self-governance. It is imperative that we build a majority on the Board of critically thinking, ecologically literate and progressive supervisors if we are to move rapidly toward a hopeful and sustainable future.

Electing Rue Furch in the 5th District will be a major step in achieving this goal for Sonoma County.

We support Rue because for the past 30 years she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to progressive public service, including serving the past 16 years on the Sonoma County Planning Commission. We have watched Rue be a consistent and effective advocate for sustainable policies on core issues such as water, housing, development, agriculture, forests and health services.

We have been equally impressed by her ability to work with others on the Commission with whom she (and we) often strongly disagree – an extremely important skill in an era where we need old-paradigm thinking to quickly adapt to evolving conditions.

Rue’s lifetime of accomplishments has been repeatedly honored, including:
· Agent of Change Award – Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa, 2007
· Upstream Swimmer Award – Sonoma County Conservation Action, 2006
· Environmentalist of the Year Award – Sonoma County Conservation Council, 2005
· California County Planning Commissioner of the Year Award, 2004
· California Woman of the Year Award (California Assembly), 1988

We are asking you to take action, right now, to help us elect Rue to the Board of Supervisors. Most importantly, Rue’s campaign needs financial contributions. Rue is running a cost-effective grassroots campaign, but it is necessarily expensive to win the large and diverse 5th District– especially against some wealthy candidates who are bankrolling their own campaigns.

Like us, you likely give to many causes. We have both given generously to Rue’s campaign because having an outstanding advocate in the 5th District is the most effective way to make change on virtually every critical issue facing Sonoma County and the Bay Area. Please join us by making a generous contribution to Rue’s campaign. Checks can be made out to Friends of Rue Furch, and mailed to PO Box 1853, Sebastopol, CA 95473. You can also donate on Rue’s Website: https://www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com/.


In addition to making a contribution, we urge you to take these other actions in support of Rue Furch for 5th District Supervisor:

· Volunteer – Rue’s campaign needs help with mailings, knocking on doors, and making calls. Call Rue’s campaign line at: (707) 246-1301.
· Ask Your Friends to Vote for Rue and Donate to Her Campaign – It is remarkable how many people actually don’t vote. Friends don’t let friends not vote!

Thanks for taking the time to read our letter. We hope you’ll join us in supporting Rue Furch for 5th District Supervisor!

Sincerely,



Dave Henson
Executive Director
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center*

Brock Dolman
Director, WATER Institute
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center*

* Titles used for identification purposes only

[riverosprey]

Hi Don and Zeno...

I agree Rue has been a leader in West County for many years helping educate people to what we should be doing for a better future; I love Rue. But everyone should wait and listen to all candidates positions and what their experience is in West County/Sonoma County politics before making a decision. Check out their websites:

https://www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com/

https://www.maddy4supervisor.com/

https://www.jimforsupervisor.com/

https:// www dot dankahane dot com/

https://www.tomlynch4supervisor.com/

Be informed...in addition to our great concerns for the environment there are also issues with developing a sustainable economy and reform of government spending and services. Over the last seven years in Sonoma County we have seen the median household income decrease by 2% while the County salaries and benefits have increased 70%. We have a moral obligation to take care of the poor, the victimized, to educate our children and to try to keep at risk youth out of the criminal justice system...and out of the continuing cycle of poverty from teenage pregnancy. The County has taken a huge windfall of property tax increases and given it to themselves with increased salaries and benefits while cutting services each of the last four years!

We need someone with fire and passion who is part of creating a bold vision toward creating a sustainable future together with all the great minds of the West County. We need someone with demonstrated leadership who is going to go in there at the bottom of a 4-1 vote and "Move the Agenda". We are going into a recession on the threshold of a demographic event of 76 million baby boomers starting to retire with no money set aside for social security and medicare. A perfect storm approaches of debt and deficits, peak oil and unprecedented numbers of retirees. Strong leadership and bold vision is necessary.

Take your time forming a decision. Look at all the websites. See what all the candidates experiences are and what their positions are on the issues. Like Shakespeare said..."past is prologue". Don't let any candidate get away with their campaign consultants advice to "not talk about the issues" especially on their websites. Like Barack Obama says," we need to have the courage to discuss openly the issues we face...".

And lastly we are a boisterous bunch here in the West County and we need someone with a good sense of humor to represent us ;0P..........

Peace and Love,
T.L.

[thewholetruth]

Reading up on Rue Furch and then Maddy Hirshfeld made me wonder why Rue doesn't mention her sexual preference like Maddy does. Is being gay a leadership quality, or is it a public service quality? If one's sexuality has aNyThInG to do with running for public office, why doesn't Maddy chastise Rue for not telling everyone what gender SHE sleeps with?

Perhaps Ms. Hirshfeld is hoping that people who are so shallow that they vote by sexual preference will vote for her.

Granted, some folks are so shallow that they plan on voting for a criminal for president, a blatant liar at the national level during her campaign this year, simply because she's a woman. Frankly, supporting liars with criminal backgrounds only serves to make it harder on the next woman who runs for president, same as if John Kerry were to make up some story about being in battle during the Vietnam war would cost HIM AND the next Democratic candidate the opportunity for election. I can't believe that anyone in America is so dumb that they would vote for a public leader based on their gender or sexual preference. Can you? That's like voting for someone based on the color of their skin or because of their prior employment (like being a famous actor, for example).

Can you imagine if one of the other candidates touted their work for straight people's rights? Wouldn't we all find that a little bizarre? Just as bizarre as I find Maddy's inference that Sonoma County people are so stupid that they might vote for someone based on their sexual preference.

Bizarre, that, IMO. Totally bizarre.

If I emailed Jim Maresca or Rue Furch and asked them what their sexual preference was, do you think they might tell me it's none of my business? I would agree with them. That's why I wonder why Maddy Hirshfeld is making it my business...as if it's relevant to the County Supervisor position. Which it's not.

In fact, what do you think the media, or even the posters here, would do if Jim or one of the other candidates started touting themselves as "Strongly Heterosexual", as if that somehow made them a better candidate than gay candidates? That's what Hirshfeld is doing.

Don

Hi Don and Zeno...

I agree Rue has been a leader in West County for many years helping educate people to what we should be doing for a better future; I love Rue. But everyone should wait and listen to all candidates positions and what their experience is in West County/Sonoma County politics before making a decision. Check out their websites:

https://www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com/

https://www.maddy4supervisor.com/

https://www.jimforsupervisor.com/

https:// www dot dankahane dot com/

https://www.tomlynch4supervisor.com/

Be informed...in addition to our great concerns for the environment there are also issues with developing a sustainable economy and reform of government spending and services. Over the last seven years in Sonoma County we have seen the median household income decrease by 2% while the County salaries and benefits have increased 70%. We have a moral obligation to take care of the poor, the victimized, to educate our children and to try to keep at risk youth out of the criminal justice system...and out of the continuing cycle of poverty from teenage pregnancy. The County has taken a huge windfall of property tax increases and given it to themselves with increased salaries and benefits while cutting services each of the last four years!

We need someone with fire and passion who is part of creating a bold vision toward creating a sustainable future together with all the great minds of the West County. We need someone with demonstrated leadership who is going to go in there at the bottom of a 4-1 vote and "Move the Agenda". We are going into a recession on the threshold of a demographic event of 76 million baby boomers starting to retire with no money set aside for social security and medicare. A perfect storm approaches of debt and deficits, peak oil and unprecedented numbers of retirees. Strong leadership and bold vision is necessary.

Take your time forming a decision. Look at all the websites. See what all the candidates experiences are and what their positions are on the issues. Like Shakespeare said..."past is prologue". Don't let any candidate get away with their campaign consultants advice to "not talk about the issues" especially on their websites. Like Barack Obama says," we need to have the courage to discuss openly the issues we face...".

And lastly we are a boisterous bunch here in the West County and we need someone with a good sense of humor to represent us ;0P..........

Peace and Love,
T.L.

[ChristineL]

Many of us in Guerneville who dealt with Jim Maresca while he was the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce already know his postion in terms of gay/straight issues. Should he win this election, we will be the forgotten community. Most of our tourist income comes from gay events, most of our sevices survive due to the frequent fundraisers held by gay groups (including our health clinic, senior center, and charge to scale day care center). He did everything he could to not back, assist, promote or support our major events while here. In a way he does have a "straight rights only" platform, it's just not publicized.

Reading up on Rue Furch and then Maddy Hirshfeld made me wonder why Rue doesn't mention her sexual preference like Maddy does. Is being gay a leadership quality, or is it a public service quality? If one's sexuality has aNyThInG to do with running for public office, why doesn't Maddy chastise Rue for not telling everyone what gender SHE sleeps with?

Perhaps Ms. Hirshfeld is hoping that people who are so shallow that they vote by sexual preference will vote for her.

Granted, some folks are so shallow that they plan on voting for a criminal for president, a blatant liar at the national level during her campaign this year, simply because she's a woman. Frankly, supporting liars with criminal backgrounds only serves to make it harder on the next woman who runs for president, same as if John Kerry were to make up some story about being in battle during the Vietnam war would cost HIM AND the next Democratic candidate the opportunity for election. I can't believe that anyone in America is so dumb that they would vote for a public leader based on their gender or sexual preference. Can you? That's like voting for someone based on the color of their skin or because of their prior employment (like being a famous actor, for example).

Can you imagine if one of the other candidates touted their work for straight people's rights? Wouldn't we all find that a little bizarre? Just as bizarre as I find Maddy's inference that Sonoma County people are so stupid that they might vote for someone based on their sexual preference.

Bizarre, that, IMO. Totally bizarre.

If I emailed Jim Maresca or Rue Furch and asked them what their sexual preference was, do you think they might tell me it's none of my business? I would agree with them. That's why I wonder why Maddy Hirshfeld is making it my business...as if it's relevant to the County Supervisor position. Which it's not.

In fact, what do you think the media, or even the posters here, would do if Jim or one of the other candidates started touting themselves as "Strongly Heterosexual", as if that somehow made them a better candidate than gay candidates? That's what Hirshfeld is doing.

Don

[BizWrangler]

I remember in 2005 when there was a huge banner hanging from Club Fab advertising an upcoming gay men's weekend. Jim Maresca met with those responsible for the banner and told them it was 'tacky' and wanted them to take it down. His lack of diplomacy or sensitivity ended up infuriating many in the gay community, and they pretty much withdrew from the Chamber while he was ED. In addition, Stever Fogel's partner, Mike Klugow specifically refused to meet with Jim, saying he would meet with anyone else but Jim, to discuss recouping money from Steve's estate to pay back what was embezzled.

In the end, it was not Jim who was responsible for getting the money from Mike Klugow. It was actually Philip Hampton who brought this to a good resolution. I know because I am a friend of Michaels, and he is not happy Jim takes credit for that. I was there, I was the Notary for the document signing, and I was on the Board of Directors of the RRCOC that year.

It is no secret that we have a large gay population in the 5th District, as well as many others of different lifestyles. Whomever becomes the new Supervisor needs to have good people skills and not be so biased against any particular group of people, especially our highly productive and supportive gay community. I have many other issues why I do not think Jim Maresca is the right person for the job based on my personal experience as a Board member. This is only one. I agree with Christine's assessment.

Many of us in Guerneville who dealt with Jim Maresca while he was the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce already know his postion in terms of gay/straight issues. Should he win this election, we will be the forgotten community. Most of our tourist income comes from gay events, most of our sevices survive due to the frequent fundraisers held by gay groups (including our health clinic, senior center, and charge to scale day care center). He did everything he could to not back, assist, promote or support our major events while here. In a way he does have a "straight rights only" platform, it's just not publicized.

[Zeno Swijtink]

Wacco Community,

Rue Furch is running for Fifth District Supervisor, for the seat presently occupied by Mike Reilly, who is retiring. She is the best of the pack, and I recommend her.

Check out her website at

https://.www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com

Zeno

I am forwarding the endorsement of Rue by Stephen Fuller-Rowell, leading force in the Sonoma County Water Coalition. The Sonoma County Water Coalition (SCWC) now includes 33 organizations representing more than 25,000 citizens. The unifying momentum behind this coalition is a shared concern for the water resources of Sonoma County.

This is a important endorsement of Rue's candidacy. Please share this with friends and neighbors, and support her by making a donation thru her website https://www.ruefurch.com/

From: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 01:03:38 EDT
Subject: My endorsement for the 5th district
To: [email protected]

Please forward this email to anyone for whom it would be informative/helpful.

Until now, I have withheld endorsing any candidate for supervisor in the 5th district. This has allowed me to maintain my objectivity while processing responses to the Water Coalition's questionnaire on water issues. Additionally, the Water Coalition does not endorse candidates for public office.

Responses from five of the seven remaining candidates for 5th district supervisor are now pasted on the Sonoma County Water Coalition website at:

https://www.scwatercoalition.org/que...-County-5.html.

Speaking for myself, I am struck by how many of these responses I agree with. We are most fortunate in having such an excellent selection of qualified and committed candidates to choose from. I believe our district would be in good hands with almost all of these candidates.

What is noticeable is that most of these candidates endorse sound water management policies that most of us can wholeheartedly support. In the case of Rue Furch, however, she is in a class of her own: she helped craft many of these policies. She has attended almost every Water Coalition meeting since the organization formed in early 2004, and has shared a conscious about water issues that broadened the perspective of many who listened to her. She has also worked tirelessly on the Planning Commission to incorporate many of these policies into the new General Plan.

As mentioned above, none of the organizations in which I am active endorse candidates. I repeat that I speaking for myself when I say that I have no hesitation about voting for Rue Furch and strongly encourage others in the 5th district to do the same.

As a side note, I am saddened that our leading local daily newspaper should have ignored most of the issues that concern us in the 5th District when they announced their endorsement yesterday. Additionally, it is unfortunate that the candidate they endorsed for the 5th district has not yet responded to the Water Coalition questionnaire. There is also nothing substantive about water issues on his website. We have no idea where he stands or how he intends to deal with the deepening crisis in this critical area.

Please call me if you would like to chat about these issues.

Stephen
707-823-3414 (h)
707-829-7619 ext 3161 (o)

[Zeno Swijtink]

I am forwarding the endorsement of Rue by Stephen Fuller-Rowell, leading force in the Sonoma County Water Coalition. The Sonoma County Water Coalition (SCWC) now includes 33 organizations representing more than 25,000 citizens. The unifying momentum behind this coalition is a shared concern for the water resources of Sonoma County.

I am also posting an endorsement of Rue Furch, who is running for Fifth District Supervisor, by Jane Nielson, a leading member of SWiG, the Sebastopol Water Information Group.

This adds to the Sierra Club endorsement. All agree that Rue is the sharpest of the pack, the one most knowledgeable, the best prepared to help lead the county in a critical period that requires wise and creative decisions in the area of water, energy, employment, food availability and transportation.

Elections are this Tuesday!

Zeno

************

To all my friends with environmental concerns,

In this 2008 election, the race for Fifth District Supervisor is an extremely important one for the future sustainability of Sonoma County as a whole. California, the North Bay Region, and Sonoma County all face many complicated and difficult environmental issues. Our lives and our economy ultimately depend on a healthy environment, and County decision-making over the next decade will determine whether or not we move toward better protection for our forests and their soils; the fragile hillsides; and the Russian River, its tributaries, and the endangered fish species that it supports. I want a Supervisor who can effectively promote such environmental values.

The County's current and future environmental problems were my key consideration when deciding which candidate to support, and the reason that I decided to back Rue Furch. All candidates have assured us that they care about the environment, but only Rue has proved to me that she deeply understands the complexities of environmental issues, along with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

I've attended many County meetings when the officials have cast votes on lengthy and complex issues, based on nothing more than the staff's report. Rue is very different--she always reads project or program proposals and background documentation, not to mention environmental reports (including appendices) for herself. She commonly seeks additional background information.

Rue also is skillful at navigating the minefields of competing financial and political interests. Because of her deep knowledge and faithful "homework," she is very good at persuading other officials to consider public and environmental concerns. Her gentle and informed persuasion works a lot better, and protects the environment better, than "tough" approaches advocated by some of her opponents.

Over her 37 years of Sonoma County residence, divided among many west County communities, Rue has fought to: prevent Santa Rosa from discharging wastewater to the Russian River, Laguna and Ocean; limit Russian River gravel mining and conversion of forests to vineyards; protect vernal pools and the California tiger salamander; include a Water Resource Element in the County General Plan update, and otherwise sustain clean water supplies; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and reduce light pollution. When endorsing Rue, the Sonoma County Sierra Club group wrote: "Her detailed background knowledge of County administration and County planning history means that she will be able to hit the ground running on such critical issues as comprehensive water planning, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and designing a new energy future."

But Rue also has devoted much time and energy to improving Sonoma County schools, supporting its small businesses and sustaining small farmers, providing affordable housing, developing alternative traffic strategies, and promoting social justice and humane immigration policies.

In short, I believe that the qualities and accomplishments detailed above make Rue Furch the most able and the most experienced candidate running for the Board of Supervisors this year. I urge you to vote for Rue for Fifth District Supervisor.

Jane Nielson

[Zeno Swijtink]

From Brock Dolman of the Water Institute at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center.

From: Brock Dolman
Sender: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 18:42:54 -0700
Subject: [DutchBillCreekWatershed] An endorsement of Rue Furch for the 5th district

Hi West County Watershed concerned folks,

Many of us deeply understand that decisions relating to sound water policies aka “land use policies” form the very foundation of true sustainability and beneficial ripple affects on all social sectors that support our future aspirations for watershed integrity and resilience of our Basins of Relations. Having an Ecologically Literate policy maker named Rue Furch seated at the board of Supervisors table is critical!

Therefore, I find the following studied endorsement of Rue Furch by one of the supreme water warriors in West County - Stephen Fuller-Rowell – to be a significant dose of experience based reality vs. the developer/media/Farm Bureau induced spin. If you don’t vote for nor believe in the world view of these other folks otherwise, then why believe their editorializing towards ‘manufacturing your consent’ now?

Don’t let the spin machine of those that believe our watersheds are commodities not communities distract you from true leadership *– we are smarter than that!

As Stephen says “Rue is in a class of her own” having demonstrated for decades her deep and lasting leadership on so many of the critical social, health, labor and environmental issues facing our district.

Brenda Adelman, the 30+ year water warrioress of the Russian River has firmly given Rue her endorsement because of her personal experience of Rue’s commitment and knowledge base on the issues that some many of us on these lists care about.

Dennis Rosatti & the folks with Sonoma County Conservation Action are also fully behind Rue. See their call for help below as well.

Based on my personal experience with Rue over the past 14 years, I unequivocally concur with Stephen, Brenda & SCCA’s endorsements, along with many many other notable people in our community. I have directly worked with Rue on all manner of watershed protection as co-members of the Russian River Watershed Council for the past 10 years.

Additionally, I credit Rue with having consistently offered myself and many others indefatigable mentoring in “How to Think like a Watershed”, from the perspective of sound progressive policy making.

As the saying goes: All politics is local – I would add that All Water is local – lets bring the two together under the leadership of someone who knows both!!

Vote Rue Furch for 5th District Supervisor!

Encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same!

Sincerely yours,
Brock Dolman

[took out a copy Brock send around of Stephen Fuller-Rowell's endorsement, which I already posted on this WaccoBB thread]

Hi Folks!
The June 3rd election is only 5 days away! This is your shining opportunity to join our community in volunteering for Rue Furch for Supervisor. Rue is the candidate who most strongly represents our local environment and is most qualified for the job of County Supervisor. She needs our help during the next few days - then she will make fantastic decisions and represent us well in office!

So here’s the deal: You show up to walk door to door and distribute literature for Rue and engage in exciting conversation with some West County folk, and we’ll feed you yummy ice cream! And all this action occurs in the densely populated areas along the Bohemian Highway! That’s Camp Meeker, Occidental, Freestone, Monte Rio, and yes, Bodega, even though they’re a little ways off.

Saturday we’ll be meeting at 10:00 am, and eating ice cream in the morning just sounds devilishly good! Sunday we’ll be meeting at 1pm, which is still a good time to eat ice cream. In fact, I can’t think of a bad time to eat ice cream!

Lactose intolerant people worry not! I share your affliction, and we’ll have some Soy dream for your eating pleasure!

Join us! Details Below!

Denny Rosatti
Executive Director
Sonoma County Conservation Action

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday, May 31

Bohemian Hwy Ice Cream Walk! (How could you not want to be there!?)

10am: Meet at Camp Meek Post Office. Be ready to walk in beautiful western Sonoma County and eat yummy ice cream!

Sunday, June 1

Bohemian Hwy Ice Cream Walk! (2nd chance if you missed it the 1st time! Or join us twice!)

1pm: Meet at Camp Meek Post Office. Be ready to walk in beautiful western Sonoma County and eat yummy ice cream!

Monday, June 2

GOTV Reminder Calls (list will be emailed, no need to meet)


Tuesday, June 3

GOTV Poll Watching (for Santa Rosa and Sebastopol precincts)

10am-4pm: 3806 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa

GOTV Reminder Calls (Call all Rue supporters who have not yet voted, as determined by poll watching)

4-8pm: 3806 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa


You all are fantastic and you DO make a difference! Please call me (571-8868) or Guy Connor (695-6783) to let us know which shift works for you.
Many thanks!

Jenna Brager
Know Your Neighbor (KYN) Program
Sonoma County Conservation Action
[email protected]
707-571-8868
www.conservationaction.org

[tommy]

I've read all the great endorsements for Rue. Regardless, her not paying property taxes when she was on the Planning Commission (the County Planning Commission?) to me is an indication of her irresponsibility as a leader. All too often, in our culture, our leaders are found to not follow laws that all of us "little" people follow. I understand she paid the taxes and fees eventually, but I have a hard time voting for a politician who has demonstrated irresponsibility in a previous position. Environmentalism is a wholistic field, based on caring for details, such as those nasty property taxes.

[EMinogue]

In a mailer I received for Rue Furch titled "What will you do when the wells run dry?", I question whether the candidate has toured the water treatment center for Santa Rosa. It was mandatory as part of my Biology class and it looked to me as if all of the treated wastewater was adequately treated before reuse for irrigation.

Has the candidate toured the facility?

[Helen Shane]

It's not surprising that the PD totally shuts out of the discussion for 5th District Supervisor race in today's endorsement any mention of one of the front runners, Rue Furch.

In the opinion of many West County (and West Santa Rosa) people, if you liked Ernie and Mike, and believe they were effective representatives of our very diverse district, you're going to LOVE Rue. Both these fellows have endorsed Rue. Apparently Rue has someone or some campaign nervous enough to make up falsehoods and then circulate them.

In a May 21 editorial endorsing a dark-horse candidate for the 5th District County Supervisor seat, the Press Democrat added an attack on rival candidate Rue Furch. That attack was clumsily worded in a way that implied that Rue had spent over $80,000 to remodel a structure on her property during a time that she was having trouble paying property taxes. This implication is utterly false, and the PD owes Rue a timely apology.

The facts: Rue and her partner applied for a permit to remodel the structure, but the implication that they went ahead with the remodel is quite wrong. Rue DID NOT even begin to remodel the structure until late 2007, after arrangements were in place for paying the tax bill in full.

That huge, attention-getting cost estimate came from a contractor's estimate of $30,000 attached to the permit application plus the County's per-foot add-on, used to calculate the permit fee. To date, the "remodel" consists of painted interior walls, and electric power and phone installation. For additional information, and the many positive reasons for voting for Rue, please go to https://ruefurch.com.

[BizWrangler]

It's time for some basic property tax facts. NO ONE gets away without paying their property taxes! Anyone who has owned a home or owns one now understands that if they don't pay their taxes, in due time they will lose their home! One does not 'not pay their taxes', they only delay paying them and then when they do, they also have interest/penalties added onto their bill. Just because a homeowner can't pay at the time they are due does NOT imply that they are attempting to get away without paying them, or 'using the system' to get out of paying them. Nope. Does not happen. CANNOT happen, and Rue knew this all along. To imply otherwise is just plain STUPID.

I can understand people who have never owned a home, never been late paying their bills or taxes, and never suffered from a down turn of their income buying into the hype that Rue Furch tried to get away with not paying her property taxes. That's simply a bunch of phooey, folks.

People with financial experience and who have suffered financial setbacks in life quickly learn what bills are reported to the credit bureaus (and thus must be paid on time each month to keep a good FICO score) and which ones can be delayed - at a cost of added interest/penalities, because they are not reported. Property taxes can be a big chunk of change to come up with when due, and lots of "little people" for whatever reason, are not always able to pay them on time. This is especially true for self-employed entrepreneurs or folks with small businesses. They know they're going to have to pay the piper sooner or later, and intend to do so when their finances improve.

I take issue with other candidates attempting to defeat Rue by implying she tried to get out of paying her property taxes. That is twisting the facts to make her look like she is dishonest and trying to buck the tax system. I have no problem what so ever with the fact that Rue had to delay paying her property taxes. It happens every day, to every day people. I do have a problem with another candidate who actually has lied about his accomplishments, and has attacked Rue by twisting these tax issues to make Rue look bad. That's underhanded and deceptive.

For those of you who bought into that negative hype about Rue and her property taxes, you should read her blog on her website and get BOTH sides of the story before you just accept what you've been told to believe. Keep in mind what you were not told by others....she never EVER intended to NOT pay her taxes. And praise be to those of you who have never suffered a cash flow crunch and found yourselves hard up for money. May you always be able to pay each and every bill on time for the rest of your lives. For the rest of us 'little people', we just do our best as we can. If anything, Rue understands our challenges better than most because she is one of US.

I wasn't going to endorse any particular candidate because I like Rue, Maddie and Tom, however I've since come to appreciate Rue more and more, and I now support her. Mind you, I've done bookkeeping for a lot of businesses, some non-profits and a public school, and just about everyone has had trouble at one time or another with paying their taxes. It doesn't make them bad or dishonest. They just learned how to work within the system, and understood it will cost them more when they finally are able to pay up. It does NOT mean they try to get away without paying.

I've read all the great endorsements for Rue. Regardless, her not paying property taxes when she was on the Planning Commission (the County Planning Commission?) to me is an indication of her irresponsibility as a leader. All too often, in our culture, our leaders are found to not follow laws that all of us "little" people follow. I understand she paid the taxes and fees eventually, but I have a hard time voting for a politician who has demonstrated irresponsibility in a previous position. Environmentalism is a wholistic field, based on caring for details, such as those nasty property taxes.

[BizWrangler]

Regarding Rue Furch and the tax issue, the following are the FACTS taken from her blog - copied here so you don't have to try to find this at her website:

Real life is seldom as tidy and simple as news stories sometimes make it appear. I’ve come under
fire in Press Democrat news articles and an editorial because of my inability to pay my property taxes a few years ago. I deserve criticismfor that, and am sorry, but the articles and editorial have told only a small, lopsided part of the story.
Let me tell you what really happened.
My partner, Scot Stegeman, and I are both independent consultants. Scot consults in the area of land use and environmental issues. In the last few years I have worked primarily with non-profits, although I have done marketing and other for profit work in the past. In the spring of 2000 we both experienced lean times in our consulting practices. The resulting cash flow crisis meant we were unable to pay our property taxes. In June 2005, after our businesses picked up and we finally got on our feet again, we contacted the County, paid our current year’s taxes in full, and set up a standard five year installment plan that allowed us to pay back part of what we owed each year in addition to paying taxes for the current year.
At that point, we owed the County a total of $47,865 in back taxes, and interest.
We paid $9,573 in 2005, $15,317 in 2006 and made a final payment of $46,495 in December 2007, completely paying all our back taxes plus interest and penalties.
That totals $71,385 that we have paid to the County, including the standard interest that totaled nearly $33,000.
In the spring of last year, Scot’s clients were late in paying him, so he asked the County for
an extension of time to make our spring property tax and installment payment. The county granted that extension.

That’s when Murphy’s Law took over. To our surprise, on June 6th a default notice appeared in
the newspaper. We were dumbfounded .
The default meant we had to pay the entire amount of back taxes, plus penalties and interest by
December 10th.
Because of this, we sought a second mortgage – a task made difficult bythe current mortgage lending crunch.
We contacted an independent mortgage broker. The broker arranged a loan for us with Dennis Hunter. The terms were not particularly favorable, but we believed we could loose our home. I am now in the process of obtaining new financing to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest
on my part.
For the last sixteen years as a County Planning Commissioner I have worked very hard to make decisions that are in the best interests of the public. As a Supervisor, I will continue to serve the people of the Fifth District as faithfully and well.
For more information, you can email me at [email protected]

[Zeno Swijtink]

In a mailer I received for Rue Furch titled "What will you do when the wells run dry?", I question whether the candidate has toured the water treatment center for Santa Rosa. It was mandatory as part of my Biology class and it looked to me as if all of the treated wastewater was adequately treated before reuse for irrigation.

Has the candidate toured the facility?

As a water activist for over ten years and a County Planning Commissioner Rue Furch has been at the waste water treatment center on Llano Road many, many times.

I am not sure what attracted your attention in Rue's mailer but wastewater can be adequately treated for irrigation but still have problems. The Laguna is "impaired for nutrients"

https://www.metroactive.com/papers/s...guna-0326.html

and waste water, after treatment, still has a high load of nitrates that are not dangerous for most people but make it environmentally unfit for dumping in a river or lake. See the article from the Sonoma West & Times copied below.

Another issue that may of may not have been mentioned in Rue's flyer is that the tertiary treatment of waste water that the Llano Road plant provides does not remove a whole series of emergent pollutants, some of the connected with traces of medicine. Environmental scientists consider this a huge risk to the environment.

See the article below by Virginia Strom-Martin taken from my list SonomaWildlife.



*****


https://www.sonomawest.com/articles/...news/nws-1.txt

SR ponders river discharge

Metropolitan area seeks to stop polluting Laguna, may look to river instead

By Frank robertson - Staff Writer

Russian River watchdogs were on guard again this week as Santa Rosa city officials agreed to conduct studies of where to safely dump treated wastewater directly into the Russian River.

River sites from Cloverdale to Mirabel will be studied as potential locations for one or more pipes that would discharge the city's near drinking-water quality effluent directly into the river instead of the Laguna de Santa Rosa during the winter months.

"There are challenges in the Laguna" owing to factors such as water temperature, nitrates and stricter state regulations that kick in over the next five years, said Mark Millan, public information coordinator for Santa Rosa's recycled water program.

But no future river discharges would ever exceed the 4.5 billion gallons per year already allowed by the city's permit, said Millan.

In embarking on the new studies, the city is also looking at non-discharge uses that include increased flows to the Geysers steamfields, urban and agricultural reuse and better conservation especially by commercial users, said Millan.

"We know people are very concerned," with how the city will eventually dispose of wastewater generated by upwardly revised growth estimates over the next 15 years, said Millan.

Direct and indirect river discharge studies are scheduled to be contracted out next week by Santa Rosa's Board of Public Utilities as the city prepares to deal with population increases projected in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park.

But even critics say direct river discharge has at least one environmental plus in that it would end the city's current practice of dumping wastewater into the already polluted Laguna.

Because of that, "We have adopted a wait-and-see attitude," said Brenda Adelman, director of the Russian River Watershed Protection Committee.

The committee has taken a cautiously neutral stance "out of concern for the severely degraded Laguna and our desire to see them get wastewater discharges out of there altogether," said Adelman.

But direct river discharge studies will be closely monitored, said Adelman. Her group will critique the $3 million studies "with a fine-tooth comb," said Adelman. "We don't want to see them move their problems from one place to another."

Direct discharge is estimated to be the cheaper method at $30 million compared to $90 million for the indirect method which stores wastewater in riverside ponds that percolate into the soil.

Direct river discharge would replace the city's multiple discharge points in the Laguna with one or more outfall pipes somewhere between Cloverdale and Mirabel.

City consultants say they are already meeting with Adelman and other clean river advocates such as Healdsburg's Don McEnhill of the Russian RiverKeeper project to ensure everyone's on the same page.

"We know it's a huge issue," said Craig Lichty of the consulting firm of Kennedy/Jenks that will be working on the discharge studies. "We're hoping that by keeping everyone involved people are going to trust the work that's being performed," said Lichty.

The studies, expected to continue for the next 18 months, will look at all the ways "water is discharged back into the environment," said Lichty, and "the best possible manner it can be managed."

His firm's job is to look at environmental impacts and regulatory limits and "find a solution that fits into the community," said Lichty.

"We're going to look at everything," said Lichty. "At the end of the day if we've done our work we'll know which ones have promise and which do not."

The exact location of the new discharge pipe or pipes have yet to be determined - that's what the studies are for. "We're not sure whether it will be one site or multiple sites," said Lichty.

The direct and indirect discharge studies are part of the city's Incremental Recycled Water Program that is looking at ways to accommodate projected growth in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Sebastopol and the South Park Sanitation District, which all ship their sewage to Santa Rosa's Laguna subregional plant for disposal.

Other river advocates are also watching closely. Fred Euphrat, a Healdsburg consultant who specializes in watershed management, is the President of the board of Friends of the Russian River. "FORR believes that discharge to the Russian River should be kept to an absolute minimum," said Euphrat. "We continue to be concerned with the technology being used to clean Santa Rosa's sewage."

Euphrat is concerned about the ability of the Santa Rosa Geysers Wastewater Pipeline to be used to transfer billions of gallons of wastewater from urban to rural areas. "It's a route between santa Rosa's sewage and the landscapes of Sonoma County," he said. "We support treatment of that wastewater until it's as clean as drinking water."

Direct river discharge will also "have issues" complying with the California Toxics Rule (CTR) intended to protect the river's beneficial uses as a drinking water supply, recreational resource and fish and wildlife habitat, said Adelman.

The CTR, which applies stricter conditions on the content of wastewater released by municipal dischargers, lists 124 substances that must be removed or limited in wastewater released into public waterways. The city has about five years to bring its wastewater disposal methods into compliance.

Santa Rosa officials say the city's Laguna treatment plant on Llano Road produces wastewater that meets CTR standards for most of the new "priority pollutants" without building a prohibitively expensive new treatment facility estimated at $350 million.

But the city's system may not adequately remove seven wastewater components, including chemicals found in personal care items, as well as copper from plumbing.

City officials hope these limits can be achieved through the use of "mixing zones" where wastewater releases are highly diluted with river water.

--

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some
material is provided without permission from the copyright owner,
only for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research
under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These
materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use,"
without permission of the copyright owner. For more information go
to: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml


*****
To: SonomaWildlife
From: SWHWG Newsservice
Sender: [email protected]
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:24:15 -0700
Subject: [SonomaWildlife] LOCAL: Virginia Strom-Martin on Medicine Disposal

Consider this: In the United States the number of prescriptions increased 71% from 1993 to 2006 (from two billion to three and a half billion). At the same time, the population of the United States, increased by about 14%. Sales of over-the-counter medicines increased by 60% in the 1990's. Approximately 50% of all manufactured medications are sold in the United States. Now imagine an increasingly aging population of Baby Boomers and you have a growing chemical soup entering our surface waters with no apparent reduction in sight.

There is no denying that modern medicine has contributed to healthier lifestyles for humans. >From antibiotics to anti-depressants, our lives have become dependent upon pharmaceuticals for cures from our ailments and the older we get the more dependent we tend to become. The average senior takes two to seven prescriptions daily.

But what becomes of old or unused medications that accumulate in the medicine cabinet?

Many doctors and poison control centers advise flushing them down the toilet where they enter the waste stream. Unfortunately, many of these medications have side effects …to the aquatic environment and the critters that live there. During the last decade, concern has grown about potentially adverse effects of drugs released in the environment through treated wastewater. Several studies found that small concentrations remain in waterways nationwide.

The recently released AP investigation found pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of 41 million Americans. Although most of the testing involved metropolitan areas, pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, the source of 40% of the nation's water supply

While many pharmaceuticals do not remain in waterways for long periods of time, the continual input into a body of water can have the impact of a steady concentration of these substances. A 2000 study by the United States Geological Survey of 139 rivers and streams detected significant levels of pharmaceuticals although the concentrations were low. These compounds have proven to interfere with the growth and reproduction of fish, frogs and other aquatic organisms.

Drugs enter wastewater treatment plants from two sources: 1) excretion by the human body and (2) disposal of unused or expired medicines down the toilet or drain. Hospitals and private residences account for the majority of these pharmaceuticals entering the plants. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove biodegradable organic material but they are not designed to remove low concentrations of synthetic pollutants.

In addition to considering more effective treatment which will certainly cost consumers dearly,the plan of action NOW is to address the reduction of pharmaceuticals in the environment by educating hospitals and residents that unused or expired medications should NOT be flushed down the toilet or washed down the drain. Putting them in the garbage risks ground water contamination as well.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency is now focused on this issue, there is limited data on the concentrations of pharmaceutical pollutants and federal programs that allocate grants and low-cost loans to protect water pollution and protect rivers, streams, and groundwater that we drink, are sorely under-funded. The Pharmaceutical Industry is launching an initiative with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focusing on safe disposal methods. Perhaps they should be footing the bill for these programs as the producers and profiteers of medicine manufacturing.

Recently a working group of stakeholders met at the Cal EPA offices in Sacramento to. consider building a model program for statewide implementation. Fortunately there are many people across the state actively involved in medicine "take back" programs. Most shared their collective experiences with eager consumers who are quite willing to return unused or old medicines to a pharmacy or other collection sites. . The Sonoma County Water Agency has spearheaded a pilot program in the towns of Sonoma and Guerneville where residents can "take back" their unused medicines to several locations for safe disposal by a bio-waste management company. This program started in November and will last through June. It is part of a public education and outreach campaign to encourage lifecycle stewardship of pharmaceuticals. Information flyers have been distributed throughout these two communities and are available at the participating locations listed below.

Please become a part of the solution to this emerging challenge and take advantage of the opportunity to participate in this important pilot project which, if successful, will provide the county with a template for a countywide program. Safe medicine disposal means safer water for humans and fish so don't let your medicine go down the drain!

Virginia Strom-Martin, organizer

Sonoma Participants

Rite Aide Pharmacy/ Maxwell Village Shopping Center
Safeway Pharmacy
Long's Drugs
Sonoma County Sheriff's Dept./Valley Substation Grove St.
Sonoma Police Dept.

Guerneville Participants

Safeway Pharmacy
Lark's Drugs
Sonoma County Sheriff

[Barry]

We are blessed with several capable candidates this time! I would be very happy if Tom Lynch or Rue Furch were elected. I voted for Rue! She's experienced, very competent and a wonderful person whom I've had the pleasure of meeting many times over the years. Clearly her heart is in the right place!

I think her past tax troubles may have the effect of being able to truly sympathize with those who are just scraping by.

She also has the endorsement of Mike Reilly, our wonderful current Supe.

I urge you to for Rue Furch!

Barry

[MsTerry]

I read that tax story a few times, and there is something in there that doesn't make sense.
How did $47,865 become $71,385 overnight?
Do I want to have somebody who has trouble managing their own finances for 5 years, give access to public funds?
If she can't read the fine print on her own liabilities, how is she going to handle complex public ordinances?

At that point, we owed the County a total of $47,865 in back taxes, and interest.
We paid $9,573 in 2005, $15,317 in 2006 and made a final payment of $46,495 in December 2007, completely paying all our back taxes plus interest and penalties.
That totals $71,385 that we have paid to the County, including the standard interest that totaled nearly $33,000.

[riverosprey]

Hi Barry...

Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully it will be Rue and I in the run-off. We have both spoken how nice this would be as we would debate the issues and the future of Sonoma County in a collegial and friendly atmosphere.

I would be willing to put a cap on donations, campaign mailers and advertisements and be willing to have candidate forums throughout the District.

Some of the contributions are from those hoping to influence the independence of our next Supervisor in their favor as opposed to the interest's of All in the District. An agreed upon cap would limit their power.
Also there needs to be a strict pledge for a clean campaign.

Blessings To ALL,
Tom Lynch
www.TomLynch4Supervisor.com
"Together Toward A Sustainable Future"

We are blessed with several capable candidates this time! I would be very happy if Tom Lynch or Rue Furch were elected. I voted for Rue!
Barry

[BizWrangler]

Back taxes, current taxes, interest and penalties = $71,385, not overnight, but over the years.

What specifically do you mean by 'fine print on her own liabilities"? That makes no sense what so ever. She knew her liabilities, and had already made arrangements and had been paying them. I think she has already demonstrated her ability to handle complex issues from her many years track record. I trust her, plain and simple.

In a perfect world, we all would have an abundance of money all the time to meet all of our obligations, and we wouldn't have to be at the mercy of change, economic cycles, and such. At least she took the bull by the horns, knew how to negotiate a payment plan, and how to handle the situation. Someone's clerical error changed all that, and still she handled the situation. It's happened to me, too. Life isn't perfect. Money isn't always a constant stream. Stuff happens. Since it isn't a perfect world, I want someone who knows how to negotiate and handle the imperfect situations that are bound to come along. I have confidence in Rue's abilities.

I read that tax story a few times, and there is something in there that doesn't make sense.
How did $47,865 become $71,385 overnight?
Do I want to have somebody who has trouble managing their own finances for 5 years, give access to public funds?
If she can't read the fine print on her own liabilities, how is she going to handle complex public ordinances?

[MsTerry]

Back taxes, current taxes, interest and penalties = $71,385, not overnight, but over the years.

No not over the years, according to her own words.

In June 2005, after our businesses picked up and we finally got on our feet again, we contacted the County, paid our current year’s taxes in full, and set up a standard five year installment plan that allowed us to pay back part of what we owed each year in addition to paying taxes for the current year.
At that point, we owed the County a total of $47,865 in back taxes, and interest.

2 years later it is $71,385???????
does that mean she pays $15,000 a year in new property taxes?????

What specifically do you mean by 'fine print on her own liabilities"?

Apparently, her actions got her a default notice. If this was a clerical error, I am sure this could have been rectified in a 6 month period.

That’s when Murphy’s Law took over. To our surprise, on June 6th a default notice appeared in
the newspaper. We were dumbfounded .
The default meant we had to pay the entire amount of back taxes, plus penalties and interest by
December 10th.

Sometimes things are not what they appear and definitely not what we would like them to be.

[BizWrangler]

Interest compounds from the date due - and that went back years.

Perhaps you should direct these questions to Rue for clarification. I don't have her tax bills.

Her email address is at her website, and I think it's [email protected]

No not over the years, according to her own words.


2 years later it is $71,385???????
does that mean she pays $15,000 a year in new property taxes?????



Apparently, her actions got her a default notice. If this was a clerical error, I am sure this could have been rectified in a 6 month period.

Sometimes things are not what they appear and definitely not what we would like them to be.

[thewholetruth]

Interest compounds from the date due - and that went back years.

Perhaps you should direct these questions to Rue for clarification. I don't have her tax bills.

Her email address is at her website, and I think it's [email protected]

OTOH, Ms. Terry, perhaps you could just find an Accountability Partner to give your tweezers to. You know, that way you'd be forced to stop picking hairs. :-P

I think Biz's suggestion probably makes more sense, though. Ask Rue yourself and stop gossiping about her.