Worst Hit Piece in West County in a Decade

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Congratulations to the Rue Furch campaign for putting out one of the dirtiest, nastiest, most blatantly untrue hit pieces West County has seen for a local race in over a decade.

(https://sites.google.com/a/tomlynch4...upervisor-race)

Give me a break..."Two Paths, One Choice..." with a photo of a clear cut forest representing Efren Carrillo and a photo of a bike path representing Rue Furch. On the other side of the slick mailer it states "Efren Carrillo refuses to take a position on Preservation Ranch..." which is another big lie. Efren's position is the same as Rue's (and Reilly's) presented in all the debates, proponents have to show "substantial benefit" to the environment. Rue knows this...

I talked to Jay Halcomb on point with the Sierra Club on Preservation Ranch the other day and he agreed Efren's position is essentially the same as Rues. He also said in a recent meeting with Calpers they acknowledge the PR project is in conflict with their policies and there may be fruit from the Sierra Clubs efforts.

Efren Carrillo is running a clean, issues oriented campaign; unfortunately Rue is not. Here we go, the beginning of a very dirty campaign....lies, slanders, fictions and fabrications. We want young people to get involved in the solution and when they do we try to destroy them...old age and treachery will conquer youth and skill...I am disappointed.

Tom Lynch

TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
William Butler Yeats



!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[shellebelle]

That's nasty!

I was some what on the fence about the two.

I really like Efren but like most wish his funding was based where it is on the other hand he's the new guy and who else would business back - certainly not Rue.

I was not happy Rue didn't come clean and be accountable about her taxes; until cornered that is. This though is disgusting!

Why would I vote for a non ethical liar?

Does being progressive mean I must compromise my ethics?

Does being progressive give me the right to not be accountable to myself or my community?

What does this tell the next generation?

Go Efren!! Stay above it all! Stay truthful and accountable! Be ethical!

DEMAND REAL CHANGE!!

Demand ETHICS!

Demand ACCOUNTABILITY!

Rue has apparently placed the Progressive moniker on herself and decided to be Republican in her heart!

Congratulations to the Rue Furch campaign for putting out one of the dirtiest, nastiest, most blatantly untrue hit pieces West County has seen for a local race in over a decade.

(https://sites.google.com/a/tomlynch4...upervisor-race)

Give me a break..."Two Paths, One Choice..." with a photo of a clear cut forest representing Efren Carrillo and a photo of a bike path representing Rue Furch. On the other side of the slick mailer it states "Efren Carrillo refuses to take a position on Preservation Ranch..." which is another big lie. Efren's position is the same as Rue's (and Reilly's) presented in all the debates, proponents have to show "substantial benefit" to the environment. Rue knows this...

I talked to Jay Halcomb on point with the Sierra Club on Preservation Ranch the other day and he agreed Efren's position is essentially the same as Rues. He also said in a recent meeting with Calpers they acknowledge the PR project is in conflict with their policies and there may be fruit from the Sierra Clubs efforts.

Efren Carrillo is running a clean, issues oriented campaign; unfortunately Rue is not. Here we go, the beginning of a very dirty campaign....lies, slanders, fictions and fabrications. We want young people to get involved in the solution and when they do we try to destroy them...old age and treachery will conquer youth and skill...I am disappointed.

Tom Lynch

TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
William Butler Yeats

[RichT]

Congratulations to the Rue Furch campaign for putting out one of the dirtiest, nastiest, most blatantly untrue hit pieces West County has seen for a local race in over a decade.

Thanks Tom.

I threw that mailer into recycle as soon as I saw it. I don't like negative campaigning and did not care for Rue's attitude at the debate in Sebastopol on Sunday. I had been planning on voting for her due to her extensive experience on the Planning Commission and knowledge of the structure and operation of the County. She exhibited some of the same contempt for Efren at the debate and attempted to stick labels to him that appear to be unfounded and unwarranted.

I have changed my mind and now plan to vote for Efren. He is young and lacks the depth of experience of Rue, but he is bright and has a very good energy about him. I feel that he is someone who is approachable and will carefully consider the concerns of his constituents, whether he holds their beliefs or not. I do not get that impression from Rue.

Rich

[Zeno Swijtink]

Congratulations to the Rue Furch campaign for putting out one of the dirtiest, nastiest, most blatantly untrue hit pieces West County has seen for a local race in over a decade.

(https://sites.google.com/a/tomlynch4...upervisor-race)

Give me a break..."Two Paths, One Choice..." with a photo of a clear cut forest representing Efren Carrillo and a photo of a bike path representing Rue Furch. On the other side of the slick mailer it states "Efren Carrillo refuses to take a position on Preservation Ranch..." which is another big lie. Efren's position is the same as Rue's (and Reilly's) presented in all the debates, proponents have to show "substantial benefit" to the environment. Rue knows this...

I am quoting here from a posting on SonomaWildlife, written by Scot Stegeman, Rue's husband, and an environmentalist in his own right. It shows that both Tom "riverosprey" Lynch, a Carillo' supporter, and Efren Carillo himself know the lingo but not the underlying issues. Follow the money folks, and see what development interests are bankrolling Carillo's campaign and buying him all these prime locations to put out these monstrous billboards.

When a charming young man like Carillo comes in from nowhere the only thing the prudent voter can go on is the group behind Carillo, the people who bankroll his campaign.

How come that going around in West County I see large billboards from Carrillo on the properties of all the wrong people? The companies that are contributing to endangering the coho, to threatening steelhead and chinook salmon. The people that leveled hillsides to plant even more grapes, going under the radar of the slope requirements of the Hillside Ordinance? The quarry owner whose interests are in build here, build there, and then build some more? Sure we all need some rocks sometime, but do we want the quarry owners steer our boat?

As the PD reported on May 28, "Carrillo's surge in donations over the past two months comes from trash-hauling interests, business and real estate groups as well as credit unions across the state."

"Contributions for the campaign of county planning commissioner Rue Furch are primarily from individuals, many from west county, but also a significant number from Healdsburg residents."

What do these companies know about Efren that the naive voters don't?

Since we have no record of Efren in terms of on-the-ground work, speaking at public gatherings before he became a politician, or working on committees reading and evaluating projects and EIRs, the only thing I can do is following the money trail.

And his money stinks.

A politician will want to be reelected, and to be reelected he will back go to the same money trough that fed him earlier. To keep that money trough spewing campaign donations the politician needs to keep it happy by biases in his voting record. Like it or not that is the logic of our political system.

Tom's understanding of the Timber Conversion standards is wrong. Reilly was referring to exactly what the County Code provides, as I would hope
Efren was as well. Preservation Ranch (PR) has been a looming mess for
some time, so I assume all candidates are familiar with the key rules
and issues.

The "substantial benefit" that can be used to justify a large scale
conversion is NOT a substantial "*environmenta*l" benefit, but a
substantial "*public*" benefit (the precise wording). That of course is
modeled on the CEQA standards for approving projects even when you may
have massive unmitigated environmental impacts. CEQA requires that when
a local agency, like the Board of Supes, wants to approve a project that
will have substantial impacts, they have to make findings of overriding
public benefit. The pro-growth majority of the Board has used that
phrase to approve various developments, resorts, wineries,
industrial/commercial uses, Infineon Raceway, intensification of the
Airport Business Park, terrace gravel mining, etc for years, and
sometimes relying upon the slender thread of "jobs" or "County revenue"
as the only "substantial benefit" to justify approval. "Substantial
benefit" is whatever 3 of 5 Supes want it to be. And the Courts will
rarely overturn a local finding of "public benefit" since those are
public priority determinations that Judges will not second-guess. Thats
true of CEQA in general, and the Timber Conversion standard as well.

Which is why Reilly is very cautious in his wording, and why it is quite
easy for PR to get approved absent strong leadership on the Board. Its
also why Efren's commitment to not approve PR if there are impacts to
water supply or quality misses the point. By implication, he is basing
approval solely upon compliance with Regional Water Quality Board
standards (which would have to happen anyway...) He ignores the core
issues of the massive conversion itself, the loss of habitat, the loss
of carbon sinks, and the creation of a multitude of luxury estates, as
well as misunderstanding the "substantial benefit" standard.

As with many of the issues being kicked about in the race, Rue has a 17
year substantial and public record on restricting timber conversions,
forest/woodland protection and and fighting Certificates of Compliance
to create rural estates.

I am also posting here a leetter to the editor by Jay Halcomb, a longtime forest protection activist:

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl..._to_the_Editor

Litmus test
EDITOR: Referring to your article on supervisorial candidate Efren
Carillo (Sept. 24), you report that the inexperienced Carillo often
"avoids taking stands" and "avoids going into detail" about solutions
for county problems.
Most often, though, it is the messy details, and the taking of clear
stands that make good governance.

An environmental litmus test for the supervisorial candidates this
year is the contentious 20,000-acre "Preservation" Ranch vineyard
project near Annapolis, which will permanently deforest 1,700-plus
acres for conversion to ridge-top vineyards. If this project,
sponsored by Premier Pacific Vineyards and funded by CalPERS, moves
forward in the permitting process, it will ultimately come before the
Board of Supervisors for approval or rejection.

Why is this project aiming to replace forest with vineyards in these
days of human-induced global warming? The Sierra Club and many other
environmental groups have been scrutinizing and opposing this massive
project for several years. We note that Eric Koenigshofer, one of
Carrillo's close advisers, is a consultant on behalf of
"Preservation" Ranch. Has Carillo taken a position?

JAY HALCOMB
Guerneville

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

And for those with too much time on their hands

The below is the entirety of my friend Zeno and my ongoing back and forth exchange on Sonoma Wildlife. I feel the "Follow the Money" campaign is specious and just as unworthy of those shilling it as the hit piece from Rues campaign making a progressive, liberal Democrat, Efren Carrillo, out to be an environmental pariah.

I still say it's disgusting and will be one of the reasons Rue will lose in November (even if she wins).

Blessings...I'm off to bed.
Tom Lynch

Whoever seeks to fight monsters,
should see to it that in the process,
they do not become a monster themselves.
Friedrich Nietzche

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Zeno...
Efren Carrillo is running a clean issues oriented campaign. I encourage both camps to take the high road; below is my Sonoma West letter discouraging the "Follow the Money" campaign against Efren.
From Forestville to Guerneville most of Efren’s signs are on residences and small businesses. I see signs in front of farms, vineyards, and businesses throughout the district for both Efren and Rue. To say Efren is part of an effort to destroy our fisheries diminishes you Zeno, not Efren.
As I say in the letter below I don’t think Rue will sell out to special interests that have helped her from North Bay Corp, the Rohnert Park Casino, the Sonoma County Labor Unions, Realtors and business interests and I know Efren would not. I believe of the two candidates Efren Carrillo will do the most for the environment, the economy and reform of government services making for a more sustainable future. To those organizing Rue’s campaign along the negative with “Follow the Money” charges against Efren, be careful. West County voters will see through this eventually.
I have spent a year getting to know Efren Carrillo and I have known Rue for over 25 years. Zeno have you ever sat down and talked with Efren at length listening to his hopes and dreams about saving the world? If anyone has questions of Efren call him yourself at 235-9835; or if you want to hear my reasons for supporting Efren call me at 827-3415.

Peace out,
Tom Lynch

Letter to the Editor of Sonoma West:

Letters to the Editor
Lynch’s answer
Editor: After reading the recent political hit piece of Scott Kersnars, filled with fabrications and fictions regarding Efren Carrillo’s campaign for supervisor, I must respond. There are also paid canvassers walking door to door with “talking points” spreading similar untrue stories about Efren without heralding the merits of their own candidate. I am appalled to see a fine young man, who has contributed much to the Fifth District, being slandered and misrepresented by members of Rue’s campaign trying to destroy him.
I remember how quickly Scott shared with me his anger when one candidate had gone negative against Rue for her failure to pay property taxes for five years then borrowing the money from a major developer. I publicly condemned the attack and offered that I myself had experienced similar problems in the past and said it is a non-issue. Throughout my campaign for supervisor I encouraged candidates and their supporters to keep to the issues and not attack each other.

Scott says candidates represent the interests of their supporters to the harm of the public good. Rue has the backing of a former supervisor who represented a developer wanting to cut down redwoods and plant 10,000 acres of vineyards. Doe this mean she supports timber conversions? Rue has support from some of Sonoma County’s labor leaders and may receive over $100,000 in soft money contributions. Will she support the ongoing demise of our Human Services and Mental Health programs, the continued gutting of funding for our nonprofits and volunteer groups; while she oversees increasing the pay, percs and pensions for the upper tier? I don’t think so. Neither Rue nor Efren are going to sell us out.
For the record Efren Carrillo is opposed to gravel mining in the Russian River, he shares Reilly’s view that Preservation Ranch in Northwest Sonoma County has to demonstrate “substantial benefit” or no project. He believes that global warming is the number one issue we face and supports SMART rail along with many environmental initiatives to protect the future. I have spent a year getting to know Efren during the supervisorial race and know he wants to vigorously represent and improve the lives of all the people in the district.
Don’t think the voters of the West County are so naïve as to believe “the big lie” … if you keep telling a story often enough eventually it becomes true. This election should be a forum for candidates to share their vision for the future of Sonoma County. What are the problems and solutions; who will be most effective. The voters deserve an election campaign not sabotaged by a bunch of negative attacks and accusations of who’s in whose pocket or who owes who what. As voters let’s encourage those canvassing our vote to tell us why they support their candidate and to not make up false stories about others. Let’s endeavor for a clean campaign.
Tom Lynch, Guerneville

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Zeno Swijtink
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 8:14 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [SonomaWildlife] ELECTIONS: 5th District Elections


Tom,

I want to believe in your integrity. Which makes me believe in your naiveté.

How come that going around in West County I see large billboards from Carrillo on the properties of all the wrong people? The companies that are contributing to endangering the coho, to threatening steelhead and chinook salmon.

As the PD reported on May 28, "Carrillo's surge in donations over the past two months comes from trash-hauling interests, business and real estate groups as well as credit unions across the state."

"Contributions for the campaign of county planning commissioner Rue Furch are primarily from individuals, many from west county, but also a significant number from Healdsburg residents."

What do these companies know about Efren that you don't?

Since we have no record of Efren in terms of on-the-ground work, speaking at public gatherings before he became a politician, or working on committees reading and evaluating projects and EIRs, the only thing I can do is following the money trail.

And his money stinks. And you don't smell it.

A politician will want to be reelected, and to be reelected he will go to the same money trough that fed him earlier.

You may think you can have a drink with a guy and know what he is all about. But Carrillo does not even know what he has gotten himself into.

Zeno

The PD reported on May 28:

Efren Carrillo

Contributions received: $41,099, including a $1,000 personal loan

Contributions of $1,000:
Brett Martinez, CEO of Redwood Credit Union
Steve Dutton, farmer, Dutton Ranch
Joseph Dutton, farmer, Dutton Ranch
John & Patricia Balletto, farmers, Balletto Ranch
Larry Wasem, real estate investor
Larry Peter, Petaluma
Eric Koenigshofer, attorney
Arturo Morales, supervisor, North Bay Corp.
James Salyers, manager, North Bay Corp.
Louis Ratto, supervisor, Novato Disposal
Linda Mahoney, accountant, Novato Disposal
Deanna Ratto, retired, Santa Rosa
Wendal Trappe, owner, Canyon Rock quarry
John Trappe, student, Reno
Redwood Credit Union
California Credit Union PAC
Arrowhead Credit Union, San Bernardino
Patelco Credit Union, San Francisco
Technology Credit Union, San Jose
Sonoma County Alliance PAC
North Bay Leadership Council PAC, Mill Valley
Bay Area Cooperative, San Francisco
California Real Estate PAC
North Bay Builders Exchange
Park Avenue Turf, Sebastopol
Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs Association
__._,_.___

.
Hi Zeno, I love your sense of humor...we are but two gadfly's making the
rounds eh?
...no I am not Efren's campaign manager. I am a patriot fighting for a
better future for our daughter and all of our communities. I do not risk
losing 25 year friendships lightly. Nor do I invite personal attacks and
innuendoes unless I feel the cause is worthy. My support of Efren Carrillo
is out of a sincere belief that he will do a better job protecting our
environment, the economy and reforming govenment services as our next
Supervisor.
My hope is we can avoid the negative attacks we saw in the primary
campaign and let the candidates run on the issues. We all know how
effective making up stories, challenging the integrity, or trying to
associate one candidate with representing the interests of some of their
backers can be. Read my letter to the editor in Sonoma West of a couple
weeks ago:
https://sonomawest.com/articles/2008...0054855943.txt
As to Jim Maresca's attacks on Efren Carrillo, I disagree with his charges
just as I disagreed with his charges and attacks against Rue during the
primary. I defend Efren's integrity just as I did publicly with Rue's and
I will continue to say we are blessed with two fine candidates.
Blessings to All
Tom Lynch

At 8:38 AM -0700 10/1/08, Tom Lynch wrote:
>Fortunately in the 5th District race I don't think either candidate
>will sell out to the gravel miners, unions, garbage company owners,
>or business interests. We are blessed in this regard. Look at the
>social consequences with the current board swayed by all of the
>above...a continuing decline in all of our essential services to
>protect the people and environment of Sonoma County.
>
>Tom Lynch
Tom, I understand you are Efren Carrillo's campaign manager now? How
can I believe you when Carrillo has gotten so much support from, as
Jim Maresca wrote: "coalition of large home developers, gravel
miners, and corporate agriculture?"
I would say: Follow Carrillo's money trail!
Zeno
******
https://www.westcountygazette.com/bl...idate-jim.html
Former 5th District Candidate Jim Maresca Endorses Rue Furch
Jim Maresca, former candidate for the 5th District Supervisor
position, has officially endorsed Rue Furch. His statement follow:
After a great deal of thought I have decided to support Rue Furch for
Fifth District Supervisor. We are all familiar with Rue's
environmental credentials. In addition, I have had in-depth
discussions with Rue about the county's financial situation and am
now convinced that she both understands it and is prepared to take
the necessary actions to fix the problems.
But that is only part of the reason for my decision.
It is not only important that Rue wins, it is important that the
people behind Efren Carrillo be taught that they cannot sell us a
Trojan horse. Efren is an intelligent, charming, and articulate young
man. But his support comes primarily from the coalition of large home
developers, gravel miners, and corporate agriculture that has, for
decades, demonstrated their willingness to put their own economic
gain above of the good of the county as a whole. The idea that an
inexperienced 27 year old could accept more than $100,000 in support
of these interests and then not be beholden to them after he is in
office is just too much of a stretch to accept. Electing Efren would
be like asking the fox to guard the henhouse.
Some of my supporters, disappointed in the outcome of the primary,
have told me they would either write my name in or refrain from
voting in the supervisor election. I ask them, please not to do
either. The stakes are too high to allow for symbolic gestures.
Vote for Rue Furch for 5th District Supervisor.
https://www.ruefurchforsupervisor.com/
Jim Maresca

Fortunately in the 5th District race I don't think either candidate will sell out to the gravel miners, unions, garbage company owners, or business interests. We are blessed in this regard. Look at the social consequences with the current board swayed by all of the above...a continuing decline in all of our essential services to protect the people and environment of Sonoma County.

Tom Lynch


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Zeno Swijtink
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 5:49 PM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [SonomaWildlife] Re: Jackson Project - Paul Kelley passes over BZA and the pu...
What is the currency?? - Zeno

At 7:43 PM -0400 9/30/08, [email protected] wrote:
In a message dated 9/30/2008 2:33:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
There is a current belief that the Board of Supervisors may be for sale.
Is there any doubt?
Stephen

__,_._,_

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

__,_._,___

[HannahBear]

I too am tired of seeing an intelligent, qualified, passionate young man slandered.

Efren has taken the same stance on Preservation Ranch as Rue has, and her campaign knows this.

As a resident of the Fifth District for more than 15 years, I am proud to say that I am an Efren Carrillo supporter!

I have watched this county grow and change very much since I moved here. I have worked here, played here, studied here, and grown here.
The issues that we as a community face are as varied and diverse as the people that make up this beautiful county. Growing up in Roseland, Efren knows firsthand what its like to live in the poorest neighborhood in the district. He knows firsthand the importance of family and community and hard work. Its time for all the communities in this district to be equally represented. Its time to have every voice heard. Its time to come together, not point fingers and tear one another apart.

After looking at both candidates, what they stand for, and where they get their money from, I don't see any other choice except Efren Carrillo for 5th District Supervisor. He will give back to the community that has given him so much because he knows no other way. He will listen to every voice because he knows no other way.

Its time for people to do their own homework. I encourage you to give Efren a call (# 235-9835) and ask him yourself what he will do for the community you live in. Like good old Gandhi said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world"...

[Zeno Swijtink]

To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:00:14 +0000
Subject: [SonomaWildlife] Re: ELECTIONS: 5th District Elections

I don't live in the 5th District, but I have been reading this exchange between Zeno and Tom Lynch with interest.

At issue is whether analysis of a candidate's overall pattern of campaign contributors is a legitimate campaign issue or a negative attack impugning the candidate's integrity.

I argue the former, agreeing with Zeno.*Consider:

1) Local offices such as City Council and County Supervisor are non-partisan. Candidates are not representing a party with a history and platform that voters can use to guide their choices;

2)*Many candidates for such offices (not sure if this is true of*Carrillo and Furch) have not held elective office previously, and so do not have a history of policy-making votes and decisions;

3) In many recent elections I have observed where I live in Petaluma and county-wide, candidates make very similar campaign promises.

Given the above, I feel campaign contributions -- and clearly, this*must be*the overall pattern of contributors, not*just picking out individual donors -- are really the BEST guide available to local voters as to how a candidate will act in office. Developer-backed candidates vote the developers' way, over and over and over again. Whether this is a cause or effect of the contributions, I can't say. But the correlation is undeniable, and should be sufficient to guide voters' decisions.

Along these lines, I noted with cynical interest that the Press Democrat's recent endorsement of Sharon Wright cited Shirley Zane's contributions from labor groups as a factor in their decision. They questioned whether Zane would "stand up to" unions in negotiations with the county. To my knowledge, the PD has never raised the issue of DEVELOPER contributions to candidates they endorse -- including, massively, Sharon Wright -- even though development decisions at the county level must constitute a much bigger potential conflict of interest than union contracts.

- Larry Modell

[emvee]

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Furch.

Carillo is a shill for the developers; it's plain to see, just look at his backers.

I'd rather not have this choice, but Furch is the lesser of the evils.

[zenekar]

I spoke with Rue Furch and she explained that the mailer you describe was produced by a group of Democrats. It is clearly written on the piece that it was "Not paid for by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate."

Rue has more experience, understands the 5th district's needs in Santa Rosa and the West County. She listens to the community on a grass roots level and is not tied to developers' interests.

Check out the candidate forums and ask questions.

Attila Nagy
---

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Furch.

Carillo is a shill for the developers; it's plain to see, just look at his backers.

I'd rather not have this choice, but Furch is the lesser of the evils.

[oliviathunderkitty]

I don't understand what you say. Rue Furch did not lie about her taxes and to say she did not come clean is a misrepresentation of fact. If you look into the details you will see this was not and is not the case. The county published her name on a list of non-payers by mistake; the situation would have remained private were it not for this error. The situation was misrepresented in the mainstream press.

Why does being a target of slander and misinformation make her a Republican at heart? This is an insane statement.

Ms. Furch is supported by nearly all environmental organizations. She is a committed advocate for the environment. Mr. Carillo is supported by developers and those who work for and support developers. He has no history of working for the interests of west Sonoma County.

That's nasty!

I was not happy Rue didn't come clean and be accountable about her taxes; until cornered that is. This though is disgusting!

Why would I vote for a non ethical liar?

[/B][/COLOR]

DEMAND REAL CHANGE!!

Demand ETHICS!

Demand ACCOUNTABILITY!

Rue has apparently placed the Progressive moniker on herself and decided to be Republican in her heart!

[/SIZE]

[Zeno Swijtink]

I spoke with Rue Furch and she explained that the mailer you describe was produced by a group of Democrats. It is clearly written on the piece that it was "Not paid for by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate."

Tom, Are you still maintaining that this "hit piece" came from Rue's campaign? Or are you withdrawing your accusation? - Zeno

[shellebelle]

You are wrong! Maybe you ought to read Rue's personal blog. This may not have been a choice but she owed more in taxes than many of us make! How can we trust a woman who steals from her own district by not paying taxes then wants to "challenge" how her tax dollars are spent?

https://ruefurch.com/blog/?p=12

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 criticism for 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 by the 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]

I don't understand what you say. Rue Furch did not lie about her taxes and to say she did not come clean is a misrepresentation of fact. If you look into the details you will see this was not and is not the case. The county published her name on a list of non-payers by mistake; the situation would have remained private were it not for this error. The situation was misrepresented in the mainstream press.

Why does being a target of slander and misinformation make her a Republican at heart? This is an insane statement.

Ms. Furch is supported by nearly all environmental organizations. She is a committed advocate for the environment. Mr. Carillo is supported by developers and those who work for and support developers. He has no history of working for the interests of west Sonoma County.

[shellebelle]

Zeno -

I read:

I spoke with Rue Furch and she explained that the mailer you describe was produced by a group of Democrats. It is clearly written on the piece that it was "Not paid for by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate."

And I went to Rue's blog. This piece was nasty I would EXPECT an ETHICAL person to stand up and say in essence "I am Rue Furch and I did not approve this message." And I EXPECT her to blog this at the least and hold accountability. NONE

And I suspect that since Rue has not shown ETHICS and ACCOUNTABILITY that they aren't available to her. So if these traits are not available how much trust can be placed in her words or her vote or her representation.

I know who Efren is backed by.

He's honest about it. He's open and truthful.
I choose to not

I'm going to hold my nose and vote for Furch.

Carillo is a shill for the developers; it's plain to see, just look at his backers.

I'd rather not have this choice, but Furch is the lesser of the evils.

I can count Efren's spots and see them in both the light of day and the dark of night.

CHANGE it's time!
ETHICS it's time!
ACCOUNTABILITY it's time!

Efren is offering us all that.

Rue hides in the shadows until she's outed.

As a mother that's a lie of omission and as a mom I want my son to be accountable for all his responsibilities not just when caught. I expect the same from my politicians. Isn't that why we are removing Bush?

In a time when finances are deeply impacting our county and our cities can we trust someone not willing to admit a msitake to admit or even know how to work for the people she represents?

Tom, Are you still maintaining that this "hit piece" came from Rue's campaign? Or are you withdrawing your accusation? - Zeno

[zenekar]

If I may quote Ms. Furch, "Real life is seldom as tidy and simple as news stories sometimes make it appear." Also, not as simple of some readers choose to believe though they haven't read carefully.

If some haven't experienced hard times yet in their lives, times are not getting easier and it will effect everyone. Rue set-up payment for her taxes before her situation was made public. She didn't do it because she was "caught."

Over the years Ms. Furch has worked for the benefit of a clean environment before Al Gore made environmental degradation a common conversation topic.

If you want developers to continue to dominate the politics of Sonoma County, Carrillo is the right choice. Yes, he is young and impressionable. I live in the community that watched Efren grow up and move into the circles of the established order of the status quo. To further his career he will be influenced by those who don't necessarily have your interests at heart.

Attila Nagy
---

Zeno -

I read: And I went to Rue's blog. This piece was nasty I would EXPECT an ETHICAL person to stand up and say in essence "I am Rue Furch and I did not approve this message." And I EXPECT her to blog this at the least and hold accountability. NONE

And I suspect that since Rue has not shown ETHICS and ACCOUNTABILITY that they aren't available to her. So if these traits are not available how much trust can be placed in her words or her vote or her representation.

I know who Efren is backed by.

He's honest about it. He's open and truthful.
I choose to not I can count Efren's spots and see them in both the light of day and the dark of night.

CHANGE it's time!
ETHICS it's time!
ACCOUNTABILITY it's time!

Efren is offering us all that.

Rue hides in the shadows until she's outed.

As a mother that's a lie of omission and as a mom I want my son to be accountable for all his responsibilities not just when caught. I expect the same from my politicians. Isn't that why we are removing Bush?

In a time when finances are deeply impacting our county and our cities can we trust someone not willing to admit a msitake to admit or even know how to work for the people she represents?

[oliviathunderkitty]

Excuse me, but I have read Rue Furch's blog and I see nothing that contradicts what I have said. Further, I see absolutely nothing that suggests in any way that she steals from her own district, an appalling accusation. She simply took an option offered to every citizen and paid dearly for that, i.e., $33,000 in interest. And she owed more in taxes than many of us make in what time period? If you do the math I believe it comes out to something just under $10,000 a year, a debt that two people shared so let's cut it in half. Most people make more than $5000 a year.

We all go through lean times and times of plenty, a reality that has a huge impact on self-employed people, who are often the first to suffer in an economic down turn. I know this from experience, as I, too, am self-empoyed. But in the end, we're all in this together.

Rue Furch has always had the best interests of west county in her heart and mind.

You are wrong! Maybe you ought to read Rue's personal blog. This may not have been a choice but she owed more in taxes than many of us make! How can we trust a woman who steals from her own district by not paying taxes then wants to "challenge" how her tax dollars are spent?

https://ruefurch.com/blog/?p=12

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 criticism for 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 by the 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]

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Sorry gang...

...been incommunicado making wine and working on our 5th District "Social Justice" forum at the Sebastopol Methodist Church this coming Saturday, Oct. 18 from 1 to 3pm...hosted by KBBF and KGGV. I invite anyone participating in this thread to a glass of our 06 Zinfandel after the election.

Now to the matter at hand...I will comment on each of the responses individually.

Hi Attila

Rue's explanation that the ongoing series of fabricated fictional hit pieces against Efren Carrillo are from a "group of Democrats" is interesting. This is a gift politicians sometimes acquire enabling them to purvey falsehood without even an increased heartbeat...kinda like the Deniro tears metaphor (great actors are able to weep at will ;0).

Rue knows that West County Labor, Environmentalists, and Democrats for Change is a front for the public employee unions who are heavily funding soft money manipulations to get Rue elected. These hit pieces are part of a possible deal Rue is going to cut providing increased salarie's and benefit's in the midst of a financial collapse that will be funded largely by increased cuts to our Mental Health Services, funds for non-profits and volunteer organisations, etc. We will also see a lot of fine less senior County staff laid off to fund the more senior workers.

Sort of a Faustian bargain where we sometimes think we are helping the environment and in actuality we become part of the ongoing demise of all our essential services.

If you want to play the game of "tied to developer interests" let's ask both candidates to show their tax returns for the last five years and see who has made the most money from whom (...don't worry, ain't gonna happen ;0).

Tom Lynch
more to come...


-------------------------------------------------------------------

I spoke with Rue Furch and she explained that the mailer you describe was produced by a group of Democrats. It is clearly written on the piece that it was "Not paid for by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate."

Rue has more experience, understands the 5th district's needs in Santa Rosa and the West County. She listens to the community on a grass roots level and is not tied to developers' interests.

Check out the candidate forums and ask questions.

Attila Nagy
---

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Zeno...

I respect you and look forward to sitting down together some day for a chat...I bet in an afternoon we could solve many of the problems in this world.

However sometimes even with a PHD you miss things. Of course the "hit piece" comes directly from a collaboration with Rues campaign and those "old pols" that know politics is a dirty business. They believe it's ok to lie, slander, and make up stories against the other candidate instead of running on the issues. It's easier to destroy your opponent than talk about the issues.

I hate it and I do not accept it.... Now the genie is let out of the bag. Instead of a healthy debate about the future we have an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth...

Tom

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Mahatma Gandhi

Tom, Are you still maintaining that this "hit piece" came from Rue's campaign? Or are you withdrawing your accusation? - Zeno

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Dear oliviathunderkitty...

I defended Rue with her tax situation saying I too had gone through similar experience when I opened the first internet cafe in Sonoma County and lost a lot of money. Property taxes was the last bill I paid. I defended her against attacks from Jim Maresca as well.

More of concern with Rue was the fact that she borrowed $125,000 from one of the owners of the North Bay Corporation (the only garbage company in Sonoma County), and this same individual made millions selling land to the Graton Casino project; and was partners with some of the same clients Rue and her husband Scott did planning consultations for. In addition a dear friend of mine and former supervisor supports Rue and he works for this same individual. Some may say Rue is in the pocket of the Garbage Companies and Casino developers. Does the theory that our political leaders are in the pocket of their donors hold true in Rue's situation? Please spare me the independent broker and Rue didn't know the source of the loan story. Unless Rue is willing to show all the paper work I don't believe this.

Then we have huge amounts of public employee union contributions going to Rue, except for the Carpenter's Union who had the courage to stand alone against the excesses of the public employee unions. Are we to accept by the proponents of the "Follow the Money" theory with their negative campaign against Efren Carrillo; that Rue is going to be in the pocket of the public employee unions because of a $100,000 plus effort to gain control of the Board of Supervisors?

As I've said previous I do not believe Rue nor Efren will sell out the interests of the 5th District. We are blessed with two fine choices; but more and more I am concerned at the ethics of one of our candidates and their choices with how they conduct their campaign.

Tom Lynch

p.s. To see the last two hit pieces from Rue's campaign go to:
https://sites.google.com/a/tomlynch4supervisor.com/sonomacounty/supervisor-race
I will continue to post the new ones as the public employee unions working with Rue's campaign sends them out.

Excuse me, but I have read Rue Furch's blog and I see nothing that contradicts what I have said. Further, I see absolutely nothing that suggests in any way that she steals from her own district, an appalling accusation. She simply took an option offered to every citizen and paid dearly for that, i.e., $33,000 in interest. And she owed more in taxes than many of us make in what time period? If you do the math I believe it comes out to something just under $10,000 a year, a debt that two people shared so let's cut it in half. Most people make more than $5000 a year.

We all go through lean times and times of plenty, a reality that has a huge impact on self-employed people, who are often the first to suffer in an economic down turn. I know this from experience, as I, too, am self-empoyed. But in the end, we're all in this together.

Rue Furch has always had the best interests of west county in her heart and mind.

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[Zeno Swijtink]

Zeno...

I respect you and look forward to sitting down together some day for a chat...I bet in an afternoon we could solve many of the problems in this world.

Of course the "hit piece" comes directly from a collaboration with Rue's campaign and those "old pals"]

Tom, you have no concrete evidence for this, nothing but a general presumption.

You think that anything that seems to try to work for Rue - however awkwardly - is in direct collaboration with the Democratic Party machine, while others on this list imagine side-by-side with Efren's BIG billboards , as they sprout up at choice locations (associated with the rich, such as the people you wanted to create a water ski lake on their property) all over West County, the hand of closet Republicans and of the McCain/Palin ticket.

As the independent you are how to you navigate this minefield?

[dandss1]

To Zeno:

Geeze buddy if you are so in love with the woman vote for her and be done with it.

The more you try to defend her position and bad mouth Efren the worse you sound.

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Au contraire, mon frère Zeno ;0P

This is brilliant, classic Guy Connor (Rue's campaign manager) "paint the other guy out as a shill for developers" campaign:
Mayors question ethics in mailer

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...NEWS/610250330

Mailer linking council candidates to builders decried as 'hit piece'

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...NEWS/610240331

And it ain't the Democratic Party machine...it's the public employee union machine; which by the way has sold out the younger employee's but that's another story.

Big billboards on rich Republican's property...Ha!! I'll show you more Efren signs on everyday peoples yards in the River area...and most of Rues are on Republican McCain supporters properties (as I've written before on the Sonoma Wildlife Group).

"(associated with the rich, such as the people you wanted to create a water ski lake on their property)" WHAT??? OMG Zeno that's hilarious...where do you come up with this S***? Are you saying "you wanted..." as in ME?? You've been watching too many Rue Furch hit piece brainstorming sessions. I would like to know where you got that one...

L.
Tom

Tom, you have no concrete evidence for this, nothing but a general presumption.

You think that anything that seems to try to work for Rue - however awkwardly - is in direct collaboration with the Democratic Party machine, while others on this list imagine side-by-side with Efren's BIG billboards , as they sprout up at choice locations (associated with the rich, such as the people you wanted to create a water ski lake on their property) all over West County, the hand of closet Republicans and of the McCain/Palin ticket.

As the independent you are how to you navigate this minefield?

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[JohnK]

Who Will Carrillo Turn his Back On?

Tom Lynch, who ought to know better, is stridently attacking Rue Furch ostensibly because of a recent political mailer questioning Efren Carrillo's independence from development interests.

To tell the truth, here are the facts:

The Furch campaign had no knowledge of the mailer until it arrived in all our mail boxes. The mailer states that it is from “West County Labor, Environmentalists, and Democrats for Change”. The address is on Corby Avenue in Santa Rosa, probably from one of the union halls there. The mailer states clearly that it …”is not paid for by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate”. In fact, it is constitutional for anyone to weigh in, spending their own money, on a campaign; however it is illegal for an independent committee to work with or coordinate with a candidate.

Tom Lynch certainly knows this. Why is he smearing Rue Furch?

We old folks remember Tom Lynch with real admiration. Back in 1993 when Santa Rosa was applying to dump their sewage into the Russian River (and “by accident” and by night was dumping it in the river) Tom, by night, drove a truckload of horse manure into Santa Rosa and dumped it on the steps of the Santa Rosa city hall! We all had a great laugh!

The mailer (which we have all received, so we can check these facts) is factual. It raises real questions about Carrillo's intentions and ultimate loyalty should he be elected. We should know that the major local consultant for the “Preservation” Ranch development project recruited Carrillo to run, and is now a very close consultant and advisor to Carrillo. And before they can cut coastal trees and build ranchettes, “Preservation” Ranch must be approved by the Board of Supervisors,

Should we believe that with millions of dollars of development money at stake for the logging of 17000 acres of coastal forest and 90 new McMansions, that Carrillo will turn his back on his political mentor and the twenties of thousands of dollars the developers provide for him to run?

Follow the money.

Carrillo cannot count on his record (he has none) and hundreds of West County supporters the way Furch can. For campaign money, Carrillo has only the gravel miners, the developers, the loggers, and the industrial agriculturalists.

When Carrillo spoke at Sea Ranch a few days ago, he drove there with the lobbyist for the Syar Corporation. Syar is the gravel mining operation that is mining the Russian River. They just had their permit renewed by the Board of Supervisors, but a new Board may challenge their continued mining. (Furch, on the Planning Commission, voted against Syar.) Is it believable that the Syar lobbyist has coincidentally developed a new friendship with Carrillo and wants to drive him around to political events? No.

Is it believable that Carrillo will turn against his new friends if he is deciding their issues on the Board of Supervisors? No.

Yesterday Carrillo was wooing voters at the Chamber of Commerce event on the square in Sebastopol. Who was there handling him? The Syar lobbyist and the “Preservation Ranch” lawyer.

There is now an insidious fake telephone poll being conducted against Furch stating lies about her past financial struggles. How fake is this poll? Furch wants the new vineyards and wineries to monitor wells to determine if they are drying up other folks’ wells as they suck thousands of gallons of water for their industrial enterprises. Furch wants to monitor the water so that ordinary folks are not sucked dry. The fake poll makes people think that Furch is intruding on them.

This “push poll” must cost at least $10,000. It is being paid for either by Carrillo or by a committee supported by Russian River gravel-miners, loggers, developers, and industrial agriculturalists.

Sadly Tom Lynch has not denounced this fake poll. Neither has Carrillo.

We all know that Carrillo’s (and Sharon Wright’s) supporters on the Board of Supervisors just voted in the middle of the election campaign to increase the allowed campaign contributions to $5000 so that the few well-heeled development interests and loggers could pour more money into Carrillo’s and Wright’s campaigns. Nobody believes that Wright is an environmentalist!

Where is Tom Lynch’s outrage at this blatant attempt by the developers to buy Carrillo, Wright, and our Board of Supervisors? Where is the “Manure Man” Tom Lynch, who dumped that load of manure back on the Santa Rosa City Council steps?

The bottom line is, “Who will Carrillo turn his back on if he is elected to the Board of Supervisors; his gravel-mining, developer, well-heeled supporters or us, the West County First District voters?”

[riverosprey]

!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

Dear John...thank you for your response. I have tremendous respect for you but we do disagree on who will make the best supervisor. I have responded to your points below. Please forgive me but I discovered how to use the silly "emoticons" and I lost control :jrope:I'm sure more jaded Wacco members find them quite annoying.

Who Will Carrillo Turn his Back On?

Tom Lynch, who ought to know better, is stridently attacking Rue Furch ostensibly because of a recent political mailer questioning Efren Carrillo's independence from development interests.
My chagrin is against Rue's campaign...as stated I do know their are members of Rue's campaign behind the hit pieces and the "Follow the Money" effort.
To tell the truth, here are the facts:

The Furch campaign had no knowledge of the mailer until it arrived in all our mail boxes. The mailer states that it is from “West County Labor, Environmentalists, and Democrats for Change”. The address is on Corby Avenue in Santa Rosa, probably from one of the union halls there. The mailer states clearly that it …”is not paid for by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate”. In fact, it is constitutional for anyone to weigh in, spending their own money, on a campaign; however it is illegal for an independent committee to work with or coordinate with a candidate.

Tom Lynch certainly knows this. Why is he smearing Rue Furch?
I am smearing a system that allows anonymous entities under the guise of freedom of speech to manipulate the system. That includes the "push poll."

It's so funny I took the poll...someone called and said they were doing a poll about Sonoma County and asked for my wife Svetlana (she was out), I said,"...this is Svetlana." and this obviously not to bright young man on the other end proceeded to interview me. There were questions about many things including Rue's tax problems and I said it doesn't matter...and yes I can see where the source of this "soft money" came from the other side of the coin with the hit piece. I'm so opposed to this kind of nonsense.

We old folks remember Tom Lynch with real admiration. Back in 1993 when Santa Rosa was applying to dump their sewage into the Russian River (and “by accident” and by night was dumping it in the river) Tom, by night, drove a truckload of horse manure into Santa Rosa and dumped it on the steps of the Santa Rosa city hall! We all had a great laugh!

Thank you John ;0).

The mailer (which we have all received, so we can check these facts) is factual. It raises real questions about Carrillo's intentions and ultimate loyalty should he be elected. We should know that the major local consultant for the “Preservation” Ranch development project recruited Carrillo to run, and is now a very close consultant and advisor to Carrillo. And before they can cut coastal trees and build ranchettes, “Preservation” Ranch must be approved by the Board of Supervisors,

Should we believe that with millions of dollars of development money at stake for the logging of 17000 acres of coastal forest and 90 new McMansions, that Carrillo will turn his back on his political mentor and the twenties of thousands of dollars the developers provide for him to run?

Follow the money.

The reason I support Efren Carrillo is I firmly believe he will represent the environment, the economy, and needed reforms better than my friend Rue Furch. There is a collapse coming and in order to avoid a dystopian future we cannot continue with the way we've been doing business.

Carrillo cannot count on his record (he has none) and hundreds of West County supporters the way Furch can. For campaign money, Carrillo has only the gravel miners, the developers, the loggers, and the industrial agriculturalists.

When Carrillo spoke at Sea Ranch a few days ago, he drove there with the lobbyist for the Syar Corporation. Syar is the gravel mining operation that is mining the Russian River. They just had their permit renewed by the Board of Supervisors, but a new Board may challenge their continued mining. (Furch, on the Planning Commission, voted against Syar.) Is it believable that the Syar lobbyist has coincidentally developed a new friendship with Carrillo and wants to drive him around to political events? No.

Is it believable that Carrillo will turn against his new friends if he is deciding their issues on the Board of Supervisors? No.

Yesterday Carrillo was wooing voters at the Chamber of Commerce event on the square in Sebastopol. Who was there handling him? The Syar lobbyist and the “Preservation Ranch” lawyer.

Fellow Efren supporter and friend Helen Libeu (Helen turns 90 very soon) and I tell Efren about past disagreements we have had with some of Efren's supporters. Efren is young and does not have the experience that I have over the last thirty years nor Helen over many more years with some of the great battles we have fought to protect the environment of Sonoma County.

The Sonoma County Alliance? I see the Climate Protection Campaign and the Laguna Foundation are members. I do believe we need to bring everyone to the table to solve problems...but I also believe you sometimes have to use a 2"x4" to get a mule to plow a straight furrow (figuatively of course).

I do not believe Efren Carrillo will sell out the environment and I believe Efren's position is basically the same as Rues and Reilly's with Preservation Ranch (...what is Rue's position anyway? ;0).

There is now an insidious fake telephone poll being conducted against Furch stating lies about her past financial struggles. How fake is this poll? Furch wants the new vineyards and wineries to monitor wells to determine if they are drying up other folks’ wells as they suck thousands of gallons of water for their industrial enterprises. Furch wants to monitor the water so that ordinary folks are not sucked dry. The fake poll makes people think that Furch is intruding on them.

This “push poll” must cost at least $10,000. It is being paid for either by Carrillo or by a committee supported by Russian River gravel-miners, loggers, developers, and industrial agriculturalists.

Sadly Tom Lynch has not denounced this fake poll. Neither has Carrillo.

John...see above. I denounce the "push poll"!!! Do you and Zeno and Rue in turn denounce the unfair hit pieces against Efren?

We all know that Carrillo’s (and Sharon Wright’s) supporters on the Board of Supervisors just voted in the middle of the election campaign to increase the allowed campaign contributions to $5000 so that the few well-heeled development interests and loggers could pour more money into Carrillo’s and Wright’s campaigns. Nobody believes that Wright is an environmentalist!

Efren has capped his donations to $1000 and will refuse any additional donations. I think we're all seeing the amazing thing in this election will be the money spent totally unaccounted for. It amazes me that any person or organisation can spend huge amounts of money anonymously without any rules.

Where is Tom Lynch’s outrage at this blatant attempt by the developers to buy Carrillo, Wright, and our Board of Supervisors? Where is the “Manure Man” Tom Lynch, who dumped that load of manure back on the Santa Rosa City Council steps?

The bottom line is, “Who will Carrillo turn his back on if he is elected to the Board of Supervisors; his gravel-mining, developer, well-heeled supporters or us, the West County First District voters?”

I am a patriot fighting for the future for my five year old daughter and Sonoma County. Let me tell you my life would be a lot easier taking the easy route and endorsing Rue. But my vote is that Efren Carrillo is going to bring new ideas, energy and enthusiam that we are lacking in the 5th District and County wide.

It looks to me that both candidates have equal amounts of money from realtors, farmers, and wineries. As to a charge that unions and garbage companies supporting one candidate, or businesses and law enforcement supporting another means they are bought and paid for...I disagree...as I continue to say I believe Rue and Efren will represent the interests of all of us in the district.

Thank you John for taking the time to write, and Zeno...So much for my forays into the negative...I just don't like the resultant polarization that inhibits the political process after whoever wins. I'm going to start a new thread about positive things.

take care,
Tom Lynch


p.s. !!!!VOTE FOR EFREN CARRILLO!!!

[Zeno Swijtink]

But my vote is that Efren Carrillo is going to bring new ideas, energy and enthusiam that we are lacking in the 5th District and County wide.

Dear Tom,

I demur here. Are we really lacking new ideas, energy and enthusiasm in West County?

Think Occidental Arts and Ecology Center! Think Climate Protection Campaign, formerly from Graton! Think Brenda Adelman and Russian River Watershed Protection Committee! Think Vesta Copestakes and her West County Gazette! Thinks our vibrant arts community, think ARTrails, Quick Silver Mine Company gallery in Forestville!

All groups with inspiring leaders from West County who are showing the way for Sonoma County.

In many ways the 5th districts leads the county, and the county leads the North Bay!

Where have you been since your heroic manure action?

It's not enough for an untried entity as Carrillo to promise "new ideas," and for a vote for him to be just a bet on the future, a vote for a "promising young man." A nice young man who has unfortunately does not have the political common sense to be aware of the fact that how you position yourself in the money stream binds your hands if you wish to be reelected. The simple logic of our electoral system.

Let's have a look at his campaign website for what he thinks right now. The environment, and climate change seems to upmost in his mind; it's no 1 on his list of issues:

The important lessons learned regarding reducing our impacts on climate change, and taking steps to off-set the impacts we have, should be applied to everything we do. That is why Efren's campaign is handing out 500 Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) seedlings to people all around the 5th District. By planting these native trees the impact of paper use and other campaign activities will be off-set as these magnificent trees grow and thrive. These small seedlings will grow to be the giants that we all love. Redwoods can live 2,000 years or more and will be here long after we are gone. Doing tangible things to meet our responsibilities to future generations is the right thing to do. Please visit the "Contact" page to learn more about obtaining your own free redwood seedling.

Rather disappointing, isn't it, for someone with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Economics and Policy? Sweet, but at least five years behind the curve. Not a new idea. Not an idea commensurate with the size of the problem. His "progression" [term he uses on his website] into the banking industry was an environmental regression, don't you agree?

I wonder what you, Tom, make of it that County's present Board of Supervisor voted, in the middle of the election campaign, to increase the allowed campaign contributions to $5000? A change to take effect after the final filing date for public disclosure before the election in November? So that we will only know which of these donors with oversized wallets have upped their contributions to the Carrillo campaign?

As Attilla wrote: "By establishing the effective date of October 16th, the supporters of these two candidates [Efren Carrillo and Sharon Wright], who have already maxed out their donations of more than $110,000, would be able to pour another $440,000 into those campaigns in the last 19 days before the election, without going public about their contributions until after the election."

Tom, I know it takes courage to say you have been wrong. I did it with SMART. Can you do it with Carrillo?

It all looked a good idea a month ago for you to support Carrillo, but now that the details and the facts come in - as in John Kramer's posting, a SSU Political Science Professor and Co-founder of KRCB TV/FM , another of our treasures, about the gravel company Syar which is going back to the Russian River to dig out more gravel and further endangering the natural filtration system of the county's drinking water- providing Carrillo with an escort, can you absorb these facts and still uphold your enthusiasm?

[JohnK]

On Oct 14, 2008, at 9:51 PM, maryr45 @ WaccoBB wrote:

I have watched all the candidates running for supervisor. I get the negative mailers from Rue Furch. Today my answering machine has junk political support for Rue Furch. I have met Efren, I like him, I will vote for him.

Hi Mary45,

I've met Efren too. He seems to be a very engaged young person and often likable. But Efren hasn't even one year of experience in any planning process of any county Government. Not any. When he has had some experience (like on the Planning Commission) and shown some leadership, I'll be willing to consider him. I rejoice in voting for candidates (like Obama!) who are smart, new, and previously excluded from our political arena. We have had altogether too much affirmative action for stupid white males!

You say that you have met Efren. Have you met Rue? She is the kindest, most caring and thoughtful women one could meet. It's true that she doesn't push herself forward.

The P.D., which endorsed Efren, said that Rue's knowledge of county government and planning is encyclopedic; Efren's is like Wikipedia. Rue has had 17 years on the Sonoma County Planning Commission and this year was honored as planning commissioner of the year by the California County Planning Commissioners’ Association.

One recent example of Rue's quiet strength; because water is becoming such an important issue in California (and with global warming, in the world), this spring Rue organized and chaired a statewide conference on responsible water use held here in Sonoma County. Against the efforts of the loggers and developers. she succeeded in prioritizing water resources in the our county’s new general plan. The developers and loggers don't want the county to have any policies about water. Guess why?

Rue was named California Woman of the Year by the state Assembly, the 2006 Upstream Swimmer Award by Sonoma County Conservation Action, Environmentalist of the Year by the Sonoma County Conservation Council, County Planning Commissioner of the Year by the California County Planning Commissioners’ Association and received the Agent of Change Award from Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa.

So if you believe in thoughtful planning for our and our children's and grandchildren's(!) home in Sonoma County, you might give Rue some consideration in your choice. (By the way, Rue is doing all this for her grandchildren also! A great motivation to do well and to take care, no?)

Have you been called by Efren's push poll which is trying to scare folks about Rue's and the County's interest in water? Do you worry like many of us rural folks that a new mega-vineyard across from your home that starts to pump thousands of gallons a day for irrigation will suck your well dry? Do you want 17,000 acres of coastal trees to be logged so that 90 Mc Mansions with vineyards can replace the trees (that catch fog which drips onto the ground and soaks in to replenish the water)? Efren's recruiter and handler is the local lawyer for this "Preservation" Ranch development which must be approved by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

Who had heard of Efren before the developers, loggers, and corporate agriculturalists recruited him? If Efren is all that he claims to be and if he puts in the labor in our communities (not just as the front person) to demonstrate his values and commitment, we will be an army behind him.

But now, Rue is the knowledgeable, dedicated, and proven candidate. She has demonstrated (for seventeen years) that she will labor effectively and wisely to preserve our lovely Sonoma County home.

Thanks so much for your engagement in our county's choices. Folks like you are the hope for our future!
.

John K.

[maryr45]

bye

[Dianala]

I didn't see the hit piece or maybe I just trashed it without focus. What did it say? I would like to know the context.
Thank you,
Diana




Hi John

You are part of destroying the next generation with a bunch of lies. Did you write the latest mailer?

I saw a terrible negative piece today from Rue Furch against Efren that will destroy a young mans career. I hope the price she pays is worth being supervisor to her. I will never have any respect for the disgusting lies and what she has done to the young. She is not worthy to be our supervisor. How can anyone vote for what she is doing?

Is there any honor and respect for a young mans efforts?[/quote]

[scamperwillow]

Tom said: "But my vote is that Efren Carrillo is going to bring new ideas, energy and enthusiam that we are lacking in the 5th District and County wide."

WHAT new ideas? I have been to several of the debates and when Efren was asked directly, he still could not come up with any new ideas. Please look at who his handlers are and who is providing the money. He is a nice young man that may have some political career in the future. Now is not the time.

We need Rue Furch who has been a tireless community activist here in the west county for many years. She has a record of donating her time to good causes - environment, education, she has huge experience, she is smart and dedicated. Take a look at who is endorsing her vs. her opponent's endorsers - it is very clear.

The West County has been represented for years by a strong environmental candidate - sometimes the only environmental voice on the board. We cannot afford to lose that voice. Vote for Rue!

Oh and by the way, I don't know what hit piece you are talking about. If it is the comparison piece that has a chart comparing Rue and Efren, that is all documented facts and it makes the choice very clear.

[JohnK]

I remember listening on my crystal (boy scout) radio as Harry Truman campaigned in the the 1948 Presidential race. From the back someone shouted, "Give 'em Hell, Harry!"

Truman paused and shouted back, "I don't give them Hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it's Hell".

So we tell the truth about Carrillo.

But Carrillo has no record at all, and is backed by the Russian River gravel miners, the "Preservation" Ranch loggers and developers, and the industrial vineyards (just look where the big signs are).

And until Carrillo decided to run for Supervisor, he was a member of the Advisory Board of the Friends of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the casino front group.

And because of these nefarious backers and no positive record, when one knows the truth about Carrillo, it does hurt like Hell.

Imagine how awful it would feel if Carrillo were rewarding his supporters as our Supervisor. So we are again left with the question, "Who will Carrillo turn his back on, his developer, logger, gravel-mining supporters, or us, the West County voters?"

That’s why we should vote for Rue Furch, who has an environmental record and is supported by Sonoma County Conservation Action, the Sierra Club, the United Farm Workers, and the Latino Democratic Club.

[Zen Ben]

West County Community:

Last night one of my favorite public figures, Carolyn Casey (AKA the Visionary activist) gave a talk at the Bioneers Conference. In reference to this years election, she was mocking the part of the the liberal/progressive community that are undecided about this year's election: "Cake or Death? I just can't make up my mind...Cake or Death?..uhh...Cake!"

I feel the same way about the west county liberals who are voting for Effren Carillo because they think that he is latino and therefore more representative of the community or that he's been unfairly treated by his opposition. The most vigorous opposition to Effren has not come from Rue's campaign but from a group of progressive community activists, public employees, and progressive latino groups like Committee for Immigrant's rights.

Those of us on the inside of Sonoma County politics understand that Mr. Carillo, who is by all accounts a charming young man, must be held to account for taking his support from the main centers of right wing power is Sonoma County. Groups like the Sonoma County Alliance, which is dedicated to the destruction of the labor movement and handing over the keys to the county to big-money developers who will pave this place over like the South Bay if left unchecked. They must be laughing up a storm in their bat cave, where they plot and scheme the take-over of the county, that they are fooling some of the West County conservationists into endorsing their hand-picked candidate, who came out of nowhere to launch a campaign designed to gain control of the board of supervisors so that the pent-up billions of dollars in developer money can get to work in Sonoma County, and cut back the tax rates on their businesses, at the expense of critical social services.

Effren Carillo is part of the stable of candidates that are being pushed forward by the Karl Rove of Sonoma County, Herb Williams, who is following through on the directive in the California Republican party to groom young latinos to serve as the face of the party in California. Folks, don't be fooled. Take the cake. Vote for Rue Furch.

Zen Ben the Elder