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What is the implication of all the Lynda Hopkins signs everywhere in West County? Is it that all the ag & vineyard associations are supporting her? And what would that mean... fewer restrictions, and a more permissive response to ag & winery interests?
Umm... Pretty sure she is a farmer...
Unsure of any affiliations with the wine industry tho.
Lynda is an organic farmer who has worked in that industry, as well as a writer. Her husband's father is a grape grower. She has extensive ties with the wine industry, including with James Gore, a supervisor, whose family has extensive wine ties and makes expensive wines, which they advertise at $80 a bottle. You could google each of them and get extensive information.
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Posted in reply to the post by ChefJayTay:
Mostly likely people are tired of driving our atrocious roads and seeing other services cut, partly due to Evans' voting record on County pension obligations.
It appears that a majority of the voters may be supporting Lynda Hopkins. There is that.
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Posted in reply to the post by tommy:
Ha ha! Funny!!!Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
Don't you mean a majority of wealthy vineyard owners are supporting Lynda?
Why would such a mass of them support her? Could it be that she would give them some payback, with fewer restrictions, and more "freedom"?
Ummm..... Evans has never voted on County pension obligations. She has never been a county supervisor. What a crazy baseless rumor.
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
Um, maybe it's individuals expressing their preferences as members of the voting public? Isn't this 'merica, land of the free (unless you're Colin Kaepernick)? Should we just not have an election and put Noreen in her rightful place atop the West County throne?
:burningman:
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Posted in reply to the post by tommy:
Marty,
You're absolutely right, Noreen didn't vote for the 50% unfunded increase that is bankrupting Sonoma County. Noreen voted for the 50% unfunded increase while on the Santa Rosa City Council that is bankrupting Santa Rosa.
Sorry people are getting this confused. What I said while running for Supervisor was, "Noreen Evans is the last of a generation of politicians, who promised the first wave of retiring baby boomers, who control the unions and upper management, who gave Noreen $Millions in campaign contributions, for her 100% voting record for everything they asked for themselves, but didn't fund it."
In turn we are now in the midst of massive cuts in education, social services and infrastructure, along with huge increased burdens on our kids and grandchildren, to pay for the boomers that Noreen represented for 20 years at the expense of those who retired before 2003 (when Noreen voted for the unfunded retroactive increase), and those who are working after, this is the new tier, the next generation, that Noreen voted to give half the retirement the boomers are getting, and in all likelihood these kids will get nothing when the system inevitably goes bankrupt.
Sorry, the truth hurts, Noreen is a nice person, but I think she will move back to Santa Rosa when she loses this race. I support Lynda Hopkins 100% for Fifth District Supervisor. She is the one candidate that understands and will try to fix the mess that Noreen and others of my generation created.
respect and kind regards,
Tom Lynch
...for more of my thoughts go to www.tomlynchforsupervisor.com
p.s. Noreen does not support "Junior Second Dwelling Units" and has no plan to address our critical housing crisis.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Scamperwillow, I stand corrected.
It was her City Council vote to which I referred, as Riverosprey pointed out.
Not such a crazy baseless rumor after all, as I suspect you know. Only an accidental conflation of legislative bodies. Her intent and service to those to whom she is beholden remain the same.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Another thought occurred to me photolite: If we assume every Lynda Hopkins sign is a plant by the wine industry and their henchmen at the farm bureau, can we assume that all the Noreen Evans signs are from members of the SEIU (or people on her payroll)?
Geez... This was a unanimous vote in the city council 20 years ago that had nothing whatsoever to do with the County pensions. If it was so bad, why not question Mike Martini and Sharon Wright (Hopkins supporters) why they also joined that unanimous vote?
Noreen has dedicated her life to serving our community and has done it well for over 2 decades. It is truly sad that people supporting a candidate with no record of her own to run on are trying to win election by destroying the reputation of someone who has devoted her life to public service.
There is a video on her Facebook page explaining her thoughts on pensions in her own words. I suggest you watch it: https://www.facebook.com/NoreenforSupervisor/?fref=ts
Marty,Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
I am not trying to "destroy the reputation" of Noreen, she is a very nice person, I've always liked her, but I believe her twenty year career, much of which represented the first wave of retiring baby boomers, who control the unions and management, did much to further the demise of our educational system, our social safety net, and the resources available for roads and infrastructure. The previous generation of retirees benefits are compromised, and the young people starting new careers in government, rue the PEPRA Pension fix that does not require the boomers to share the burden. We see boomer implemented "New Tiers" throughout, that allow senior rank and file to continue to get top $'s while the "New Tier" make much less with reduced benefits.
To watch the video on her facebook page, with her proposed fixes for roads, pensions and affordable housing, Noreen's solutions are so ignorant of the reality of the situation, that they border on demagoguery (sorry). Ask Noreen to talk to Julie Wyne at SCERA about how the fund is guaranteed a 7.25% interest rate (Affordable housing loans are usually around 3-4%), there's never going to be a dime of this money used for affordable housing.
The "Pot for Potholes" is not going to provide any $'s for roads. And Marin just issued their first Jr. Second Dwelling Unit permit for $1400---which Noreen is opposed to because she parrots Ernie's bias against second units. P.S. The State is about to impose Jr. Second Dwelling Units laws on all Counties and Cities (AB 2400).
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6v...3ZpSmxTeGNGQ28
I wish Noreen well on her future endeavors, I just don't think she will make a good Supervisor for the Fifth...that's why I support Lynda Hopkins.
Respect and kind regards, Tom Lynch
Scamper, no one is characterizing Evans' vote 20 years ago as particularly heinous, only that it demonstrates a pattern of serving her organized labor constituency, who back her with tens of thousands of dollars, at the possible expense of the general public, who ultimately foot the bill. Were Martini and Wright running for our District Supervisor, you can rest assured they would be questioned, but they are not. Noreen is.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Questioning a candidate's past voting record is a far cry from "trying to win election by destroying the reputation" of said candidate. I watched her video, and although I agree that the cannabis industry represents a promising source of future revenues for all sorts of purposes, her solutions boiled down to raising old, and creating new, taxes. Once again shifting the full burden onto the general public and leaving the problematic pension arrangement untouched. Seemed to me she was preaching to her choir instead of making the necessarily difficult choices.
I'm sure Noreen is not some delicate flower that will be crushed so easily Tom. She is a very experienced political player in northern California and adept at the game. It's even hard to tell who supports her out of blind loyalty and who is on her payroll sometimes.
Having a novice in the race is refreshing, although by the time it's all over I'm sure Lynda will be as jaded and cynical as the purest of politicians. So it goes.
unlike your twenty year career Tom, right....of course, you couldn't support Noreen- they would hang ya!
you and best buddy Efren, (whose now best buddy with Hopkins)...i can see why you might not think
Lynda could contribute to the demise of anything, right?!
starters- with the Wine folks, they have our best interest at heart- no demise there-
and remind me again Tom what Lynda has done for the 5th District -hmm
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Posted in reply to the post by riverosprey:
Some questioned the rush to rain money down on public employees at that time, they are still demonized by people you support. A more interesting question is who learned from the Mistake? Noreen is still clueless as demonstrated by her current statements on budget and pension policy. Noreen panders to a progressive base, playing us vs them politics and still unwilling to face the hard choices which is what we need from representative members. This is why she will probably lose, despite her experience and connections.
And who does Hopkins pander too? the conservative Wine, Construction, Real Estate Base.
i guess it's a wash then.
if Noreen loses we All lose.
Efren has been the lame duck Supervisor since the day he attempted to molest his neighbor...that he did not step down hurt so many but it is finally coming to an end. Hopkins will probably continue where he left off unfortunately-she is truly a novice...should have tried to work her way up-and for this reason, i believe she has a Big Fat Ego- that will hurt the 5th District, just like Efren has done.
We need someone who does not need to do a huge catch up job and can actually Stop the bleeding sooner than later.
we can't wait for Lynda Hopkins to learn as she goes. she is enthusiastic but without much substance Because she has absolutely No experience. she is trying to run with the big Dogs, and ran off the porch too soon.
Noreen has the depth and understanding of our County workings which will enable her to run first day in office!
i think Ms. Hopkins must do a little more homework before she attempts this task of trying to be a Supervisor. i know you have to start somewhere but this office is way over her head.
Well aren't you the prophet? I am quite sure she will probably win - but we must all wait for that outcome. Meanwhile, what great plans does your candidate (with no government experience) have to solve this so-called crisis? Or will she rely on her supporters to inform her?
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Posted in reply to the post by rossmen:
I think hopkins will win because she got the most votes in the primary and the other two contenders who got substantial support were more in alignment with hopkins platform. Just doing the math. Hopkins at least talks about the unsustainability of the county's current pension obligation. Evans does her best to avoid it but when she has to, she mimics the seiu position that everything is fine.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
I think there are various reasons why Noreen is likely to win, including the following:
1. The home-made signs by some of her supporters are the best signs, not only graphically, but signs that she is popular at the grass roots level.
2. Lynda had only about 400 more votes in the primary.
3. Of the other candidates who ran, at least Tim Sergent apparently now supports Noreen, and he may have had the 3rd most votes.
But I could certainly be wrong, as I often am. I just don't know which times I am incorrect. I am not sure about "the math" that you are talking about, but your argument seems incorrect to me. This election has more to do with many issues, than merely reducing it to one issue--the pension obligation--in spite of the importance of that one issue.
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Posted in reply to the post by rossmen:
You are mostly correct Shepherd. There was only a 400 vote margin in the primary which is really meaningless considering:
1) TWO of her opponents - Tim Sergent and Marion Chase - have both endorsed Noreen and actively supporting her campaign, including showing up at her events to explain why.
2) There will be a much bigger turnout in the General - a presidential vote, plus GMO's Marijuana, etc.
3) Awareness is expanding greatly with more time to get the word out. Noreen is doing a fabulous job.
Tom Lynch did endorse Lynda, but I sure haven't heard her bragging about it. They belong together - both Efren pals. Right, Tom?
The whiff of anger and smear seems to permeate the unfounded accusations of Noreen's surrogates. I keep expecting them to exclaim that Crooked Lynda founded Isis.
Beshiva writes, " Efren, (whose now best buddy with Hopkins)" and "who does Hopkins pander too? the conservative Wine, Construction, Real Estate Base"
Scamperwillow writes, " They (Tom Lynch and Lynda) belong together - both Efren pals"
Where is the evidence that Lynda panders to these interests. If it rests in the fact that she has stated a willingness to include them in a dialogue then perhaps you don't understand nuance. Noreen and her surrogates can't seem to resist trying to paint Lynda Hopkins with the broad brush of Efren.
In Lynda Hopkins' own words,
"We've all experienced it: the "us versus them" mentality. Standard wisdom holds that environmentalists and farmers are always at odds, and the business community and working people can never agree.
I don't believe in this way of thinking -- so as your next 5th District Supervisor, I will work on breaking apart the polarizing politics of yesteryear and forming new coalitions. The only way forward is through environmentalist agriculture and socially just businesses. We must work together to address our most pressing concerns."
By all means continue to champion your hero, but please don't forget that tone matters.
I didn't mean that to be a smear that Lynda and Tom and Efren are pals. Isn't it true? Tom and Efren have both endorsed Lynda. Efren's county staff person is Lynda's treasurer. Tom clearly supported Lynda all through the debates. I just see that as fact. I wonder why you consider it a smear. And I really wonder why you call it an unfounded accusation......I think it is pretty well founded.
Noreen is proud of her associations, I would think the other candidate would be too.
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
That sure sounds disingenuous to me...Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Oh, do you expect Hopkins to win? That's very upsetting!
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
No! I expect Noreen to win! I was responding to his comment that he expected Noreen to lose!
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Posted in reply to the post by Kate Fenton:
Sorry...took me a while to respond...busy weekend, just got back from my daughter's voice lesson :).
-Tim Sergent most assuredly got third place, a great campaign with mailer's, signs, precinct walking, and a visionary campaign manager/partner Neysa Hinton (who I endorse for Sebastopol City Council :).
-I am working very hard for Lynda Hopkins campaign, with calls, letters and signs---my experience thus far is 100% of my sign locations are for Lynda and about 2/3 of Tim's sign locations will not allow Noreen's signs on their property, I think most of Tim's supporters will vote for Lynda.
-I would respectfully agree with my friend and compatriot in many previous battles, Marty, that awareness is expanding, but it as an awareness of how Noreen Evans twenty years in politics betrayed a generation, for the campaign contributions of the boomers controlling the unions and management, and has consistently undermined the future of the next generations with promises she failed to pay for, and now has no plan, no vision, no idea how to prevent our kids and grandchildren from paying the bill (la de da, sorry, the truth hurts, but Noreen's moving to the Fifth District was my main reason to run...to stop her from further damaging the future of our kids.)
-Last but not least, Noreen disagrees with 100% of the State Assembly and Senate, who voted to pass Assembly bill AB 2406, allowing homeowners to repurpose a bedroom into a second dwelling unit without $30-50,000 in friggin fees!. Noreen said in the Sebastopol debate people don't want to live in a crappy one bedroom apartment (hello...over 60% of American households are 1-2 people...what planet is she on?). Noreen parrot's Ernie Carpenter's bias against second units, largely responsible for most of the West County workforce unable to live in the communities in which they work, unable to have their kids go to our schools, or the workers to be part of our communities in the fire departments, the volunteers that are the core, that we've lost. With 35,000 empty bedrooms in Sonoma County, and a 1% vacancy rate for rentals, Noreen would say in the debates her solution was "inclusionary zoning", making all the new sub-divisions in Bodega Bay, Occidental, Guerneville, and Sebastopol create a percentage of affordable housing (what a load of baloney). This is the heart and soul of my campaign, Junior Second Dwelling Units to create affordable housing in our communities, and Noreen mocks the effort.
-My guess is almost 100% of my supporters, 60% of Tim Sergent's supporters, and equal portions of the doubled number of voters in November will support a vibrant, smart, visionary organic farmer and mom, LYNDA HOPKINS.
p.s. If Efren were to run in this race he'd have kicked Noreen's butt! Efren is one of the best Supervisor's the Fifth District has ever had, and I believe most of Efren's supporters would never vote for Noreen. Mark my word when Noreen loses she will move back to Santa Rosa...her heart is not in the Fifth District, it's in continuing at the government trough, and to get a Supervisor's fat pension.
Pffft...Argh...Hurrumpf!...I feel better...sorry Marty-truth hurts-if you want to continue this debate I'm game but every 3 days for me, got a lot on my plate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN99jshaQbY
love,
Tom Lynch
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Tom -
I disagree with you on this issue, but I do miss bantering with you. You always understood, during the election, that people could disagree with you, and never took it personal. Glad you are able to spend more time with your family. I know you will not misinterpret that :heart:
Cheers, Marion
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Posted in reply to the post by riverosprey:
I presume you are referring to Tom's assertion that "Tim Sergent most assuredly got third place".Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by sohemi:
However it seems that Sonoma County agrees with Tom:
We can only guess, and be glad the 5th attracts such quality candidates. I'm not decided yet, and I pay attention, because our supervisor is the most important politician in my life. As a parent, farmer, builder, landowner who rents people homes, and a radical environmentalist, I live a very land based life.
Access is my number one issue. At least Lynda shares her email and even wrote me back, she was even here for a bit. Noreen has no direct contact info, made a joke about hot air balloons when her transport was cut as an assembly member during the budget crunch, and offers themed town hall meetings as the way to meet constituents as a supervisor. Yuck!
i'm gonna make this brief. what planet are You ON!? Tim endorses Noreen but his people are gonna vote for Lynda- Because? it is so Republican to say something enough times it becomes the Truth--ok, keep dreaming.
Lynda has NO Experience- no vision- and started prematurely to get into an office that she knows so little about.Personally, i have been around the BOS for the last three years (alot) and i Never have heard of Lynda Hopkins.
And, she clearly has no understanding of the cost of Law Enforcement and how much LE has sucked the life out of taxpayers with lawsuits that have amounted to millions over the past decade. they are like a vortex. Does she even care to stand up to a thug Sheriff or will she be lockstep like her compadres up there, especially Efren. i suppose so, and maybe a lot of people don't care but when 51% of Budget goes to Justice Services and you whine about pensions, i have to think this huge distraction is either because you want it to be a distraction or you just don't really grasp the problem(or i mean Lynda Hopkins doesn't grasp the Problem).
and to speak of Efren as if he is some respected icon the 5th District couldn't do without, you have got to be kidding- people Do Not Like Him- and that's why he didn't have a chance and stepped aside because He had no choice.
ok Tom- have a nice 3 day down time.
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Posted in reply to the post by riverosprey:
Um I think you are confused. It is Hopkins that is having these town hall meetings. Please come to one of our events and meet Noreen. I think you will be impressed.
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Posted in reply to the post by rossmen:
neither candidate has commented publicly about the promotion of Erick Gelhaus.
guess it is too touchy to openly take a stand against Sheriff Freitas.
Another lawsuit which will cost our County taxpayers millions of dollars. Probably will wind up being the largest payout of any Deputy misconduct lawsuit to date. But, let's talk about pensions till those cows come home.
No Barry, I disagree with Tom that Lynda will win and Noreen will lose. I was very proud of Tim's showing in the election. I believe he could have been in the top two with greater financial backing. :wink:
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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:
From today's P.D.
Attacks on Hopkins
EDITOR: The letter from Thomas Morabito (“For the 99 percent,” Letters, Aug. 28) reaches a new low in the rhetoric and disinformation that has characterized the campaign against Lynda Hopkins. Since her opponents cannot find anything to criticize about what she has to say, they have resorted to fear and smear.
Hopkins is a progressive Democrat, as are most of her active supporters. She is an environmentalist and small farmer with a degree in land-use planning. She supports environmental protection, urban boundaries, affordable housing and supportive services. These are not agenda items of “the 1 percent.”
She was not hand-picked by anyone. She decided to run because she believes that she can be part of a better and fairer Sonoma County in the future. She’s received support from local business because she is smart, pragmatic and eager to work with everyone.
Noreen Evans is the candidate with the history of questionable financial support, including big energy, big pharmaceuticals, Indian gaming, payday lenders and wineries. True, she was in the state Legislature where this type of support is more common than we would like. But it is a disingenuous irony that her campaign accuses Hopkins of being controlled by interests that Evans has represented in the past.
SAMANTHA NICHOLS
Santa Rosa
Just curious, but has either Hopkins or Evans commented publicly about the promotion of Erick Gelhaus? I haven't heard anything. My guess is that, just like ALL the elected officials in Sonoma County, they won't talk about it publicly.
Both candidates are hosting "Town Hall Meetings" which I think is great!Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
https://www.waccobb.net/forums/wacco...6_11-43-46.png
Upcoming events for Noreen are here, including one on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 05:30 PM at Open Sky Retreat Center outside of Sebastopol (RSVP required).
https://www.waccobb.net/forums/wacco...6_11-43-16.png
Lynda's events are here, including one in Sebastopol on Wednesday, September 14 at the Grange
hmmm-lynda is an environmentalist -why because she is an organic grower but then is supported by the Wine (dirty) Industry that has dumped more pollutants on our County, hundreds of thousands of pounds of it- how does she make that balance out with her campaign promise to "work" with the Wine Industry standards, etc.
She Is most definitely propped up by Efren and his cronies- As if Efren has the right to bash Noreen- he is simply angry with Noreen, has been forever because she didn't support him, got his feelings hurt, so began bashing her and her record- and That's the smear and fear campaign i guess you might be talking about!
lynda has a degree- which she has done nothing with- but she has a Degree - SO
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
Actually Noreen is not doing Town Hall Meetings, but she does have lots of events - many Meet and Greets which are more intimate ways to get to know her.
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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:
Is "pals" the same as being on someone's payroll scamper?
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Nope - I doubt Efren or Tom are on Lynda's payroll.
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Posted in reply to the post by Dick:
Hi Beshiva -
Say, I'm relatively new here and still in the learning process. Could you elaborate on "hundreds of thousands of pounds" of pollutants dumped on us by the wine industry?
Thanks in advance.
This Sunday, Sept. 11, you can meet Noreen at the Jenner Community Center from 4:00 to 6:00. Nice day to visit the coast!
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Jesus you are ignorant...Efren never stopped working. Roads are being paved, parks are being built (Evans apparently takes credit for Andy's Unity Park when she had zero, zilch, nada to do with any of the acquisition or funding) and our beaches are still free...you are drinking some damn foolish Koolaid. NE's brilliant pension scheme alone is enough to disqualify her - invest it in affordable housing, bankrupt the fund, and betray the workers that support her - or she is just that uninformed after all those years of service:2cents:
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Posted in reply to the post by beshiva:
Ummm, Noreen's are fundraisers and "meet and greets", not town halls...just to clarify. Lynda's are public meetings hosted by the campaign and open to anyone.
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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:
If they're not on her payroll, they must go out and have a beer together occasionally. That's what we'd do if they were my pals.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Hey Noreen helped get air guns fully orange, and they both lip service to police accountability. But to challenge the state monopoly on violence which protects property value and excludes Other? Pick your battles beshiva cause Gelhaus is gold, he gets the job done, any pol who throws down on this one, will be quickly gone.
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Posted in reply to the post by beshiva:
The town halls are what Noreen has promised if she wins. Of course both are stumping now.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Its good to learn about the wine industry and Hopkins connection. That's enough to move to Noreen, thank you. CJ aka SerpentDove
LOL, pretty shallow analysis.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by SerpentDove:
Right. They keep repeating "Hopkins, Wine Industry" often enough and some folks just assume it to be true. Ironic to observe the "progressive" faction following the Trump template so assiduously.
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Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
Someone should ask Noreen Evans if she is against the "wine industry" and see her try to squirm her way out of that one. I bet her position and Hopkins position are virtually identical.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
HEY, really- you STOLE my lines basically i just got done saying the Same thing about Tom Lynch! and his rants ad nauseam on pensions and his blind support of Lynda Hopkins. Basically what is OK with Efren is OK with Tom Lynch.
so i think you got the Trump template wrong-that goes with Hopkins campaign.
However, what i Will concede too....no matter who gets in, Hopkins or Evans, Will they stand up to the Wine Industry? Will they stand up to the corrupt Sheriff and his Department of Thugs?
i kinda doubt there will be much push back against them by any Supervisors. One does not usually get on the Board without the support of the Wine or Sheriff in this town.
So, let's stop kidding ourselves OK.
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
I think that if you look at the Hopkins financial statements, you will find that 30-40% of her money comes from the wine industry. Another 30-40% comes from development and mining.
Noreen is not "against" the wine industry, she was chair of the wine committee in both the assembly and senate. But she WILL stand up to them and any unreasonable requests - like tasting rooms on the coast for example.
Here are a few interesting statistics from Lynda's recent campaign reports:
Sonoma County Alliance - $2700
These three all in one day:
Silver Oak Cellars - $2894
Anissa Thomas Fritz - $2894
Lynn C. Fritz - $2894
Sangiacomo Family Vineyards - $2894
Redwood Empire Vineyard Management - $2200
Mary Dewane, Winery Owner - $2894
And there's lots more - you can check it out yourself here: https://campaigndocs.sonoma-county.o...e=0&yearrange=
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
Marty, did you know Lynda took a vineyard out of production on her farm to grow other crops? What makes you think she would just bow to the wine industry? Did Noreen bow to her former donors while in Sacramento? No? Well the least you can do is give Lynda the benefit of the doubt until you can say for sure she is owned by big wine. I believe she is not.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Lynda has good original ideas like encouraging the River Corridor and the Coast communities more autonomy and self determination through greater self governance. She wants to allocate TOT tax revenues to the areas they are derived. This will benefit the 5th district. Will Noreen's tired brand of establishment politics do that? I think not.
You think your posts are fact, not smear and innuendo? Maybe all three, but you jump to unwarranted conclusions and that is smear, isn't it?
Yes, and that was originally my idea to levy a higher TOT and then pass it along to the community that raised the revenue. The money was to go to local infrastructure whether that be roads or emergency services. I originally put it forth at the very first Candidate Forum. Both Noreen and Lynda recognized this as a good idea - does not mean it was originally Lynda's. The BOS actually increased the TOT by exactly what I had recommended but was told this was a coincidence. They increased the TOT but allotted the whole amount to the General Fund.
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Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
I never said she was "owned" by the wine industry. But one has to wonder why the big wineries and developers are pouring (yes pouring!) money into her campaign. I think it is because they are afraid of Noreen - who will stand up for good planning, protecting the coast, open space and community separators - while also planning for appropriate low cost housing. I'm sure Lynda is a nice person and has some good ideas, but I am backing the person with experience and an amazing track record vs. a newbie who is trying out politics for the first time.
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Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
It's been my experience you have to watch who is on whose payroll in this business.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Good point. Check out Lynda's Republican lobbyist/consultant.
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Posted in reply to the post by Dick:
So are you speaking as a Noreen supporter or employee (contractor perhaps?)?
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
I am speaking as Noreen's friend, long-time supporter and event planner. Why does it matter?
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Posted in reply to the post by Dick:
Knowing you are on her staff helps me a great deal to "interpret" your comments.
Just a little caveat scamper. It's informative to know your zeal is tempered by a paycheck.
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Yes, follow the money. Thanks for the admission, Marty. It explains alot of the smear Noreen's campaign spreads around.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Dick:
A simple review of Scamper's comments reads precisely like a paid operative. Harping on Lynda Hopkins' campaign contributions that have been discussed endlessly, with no real factual conclusion beyond much of her financial support is a vote against Noreen. She acknowledge this when she writes:
"But one has to wonder why the big wineries and developers are pouring (yes pouring!) money into her campaign. I think it is because they are afraid of Noreen"
"I think that if you look at the Hopkins financial statements, you will find that 30-40% of her money comes from the wine industry. Another 30-40% comes from development and mining".
We all know this already and only Noreen's supporters see anything sinister towards Lynda Hopkins in this. To the rest of us it makes perfect sense. What you avoid is the fact that Noreen's donations originate overwhelmingly from the Public Employee Unions and that Noreen's past behavior is far more incriminating of her being beholden to these unions. Beyond some campaign contributions, there is not a scintilla of evidence of Lynda Hopkins being beholden to anyone.
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Posted in reply to the post by Dick:
Yes, I was excoriated and censored for calling Scamperwillow a shill for Noreen. It's nice to see I was right all along.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
Sheesh because I produce some events for Noreen, that negates everything I said. Sorry, it is all true - sorry if you don't like it. I'm done with this conversation. Everyone is capable of checking the facts for themselves - I recommend it.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
And extrapolate from there. :waccosmile:
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Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
From today's PD:
At the beginning of her race for supervisor, Lynda Hopkins made it clear that she would run a thoughtful and reasoned campaign. She has done just that by focusing time and effort on substantive policy issues. Looking ahead, Hopkins aspires to be a positive and effective supervisor with a collaborative approach that increases the likelihood that problems get solved. This ambition echoes a campaign theme: “Let’s work together.” She will then regularly seek consensus and, sometimes, appropriate compromise.
Being a longtime environmentalist and an organic farmer, Hopkins knows that environmental protection is a critical governmental responsibility. Moreover, she believes that we can safeguard our scenic coast and fertile landscape without choosing to disparage certain community members.
Eschewing any divisiveness, she will endeavor to involve the entire community in the wise defense of our natural heritage. She is a strong, new leader, a leader who can help us move beyond the old paradigms impeding our ability to address important challenges — present and future.
MARK TANSIL
Sebastopol
I too would like to live in Lala Land. that's not here - in this seemingly bucolic countryside of Sonoma County, amongst vineyards and graveyards...where there is fine wine, fine dining, fine festivals, etc.--and lying beneath it all are a lot of dirty secrets and back-door deals that makes the disparity in some communities so painfully obvious if one were to only look and pay attention!
Here is why it matters. Lynda finally calls out the bullshit from Noreen's camp.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by scamperwillow:
Wow...from an old manure disturber...our next Supervisor Lynda is a girl after my own heart :)...Joe Bob say's check this out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1-Q6R8XT-Y
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Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
I don't know all that much about either of the candidates, but I must say that as a politically progressive sort of person I would feel better about a candidate who is supported by unions than one who is supported by the wine and gravel mining industries!
Every election year it's the same deal. The progressive candidate supported by labor and pro-environmental interests gets enough money together to put out a few "vote for" road signs and mail a few election circulars, while the principal opposing candidate puts out a huge number of road signs and mails very expensive multi-page circulars that are heavily financed by the big wine and gravel interests.
How can any voter help but wonder why this is? As a voter who does not have the time to become a really well informed political wonk, I have to make my decisions based largely on which trusted organizations or well known individuals support which candidate. Also, as a rule of thumb, the more money a candidate amasses to overwhelm the opposition, the more suspicious I become of where their loyalties really lie, because progressive pro-labor and pro-environmental interests generally have less money to spend than big business interests.
If as you say "there is not a scintilla of evidence of Lynda Hopkins being beholden to anyone," maybe that's because she has not voted on anything yet!
Linda will obviously be beholden to those who give her money. That's the nature of politics. Why else would people give her money?
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Posted in reply to the post by photolite:
I gave Lynda money for her campaign and I don't expect anything in return. Sometimes you contribute to who you believe is the best candidate. Simple as that. Look at how much money was contributed to Lynda. Big donors not that much, couple thousand or so.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tommy:
However the unions didn't give Noreen money directly but spent $50,000 on mailers and hit pieces that were from the unions, not Noreen's campaign. (wink, wink) I bet Noreen not only explicitly approved these hit pieces and is, in fact, beholding to the unions.
See the difference, Tommy?
I am closing this thread. I've started a new thread for this discussion the Supervisor race in a new thread called "5th District Supervisor Race 2016: Noreen Evans vs Lynda Hopkins" where I hope we can continue the discussion on matters that have not been discussed to death on this thread.
If you'd like to receive instant email updates when new posts are posted there, go over to the new thread and click Gratitude.
THREAD CLOSED.