Slash and burn
The truth is government on both sides has mishandled our forests and water forever, and for 10 years, [Congressman Doug] LaMalfa is the lead terminator of both.
For 30 years, they have allowed unscrupulous companies like Sierra Pacific to clear-cut our forests, especially around Mount Lassen, where the Dixie Fire raged. When forests are clear-cut, the edges of good trees dry out, allowing the beetles to get into the healthy trees.
Trees keep the snow cool. Clear-cuts evaporate before water goes into the ground. They also allow erosion, and without good soil, and duff trees can’t regrow. Add to that the mess and slash and healthy trees cut and left to die by the Forest Service, Sierra Pacific and PG&E, there is still plenty of slash to burn what’s left of our forest, and no one is cleaning it up.
The Forest Service and PG&E left huge slashes right behind our Mill Creek homes, which was one third of a mile from the Dixie Fire. They are still there. No one worried about burning up Mill Creek or Mineral with the next fire.
Pat Johnston
Red Bluff
‘Time for a change’
Doug LaMalfa belongs in prison, not in Congress. If LaMalfa was not actually present and cavorting with the treasonous rabble that ransacked and defiled our nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021, he might as well have been. Just hours after the MAGA mob left five people dead and our Capitol in shambles, LaMalfa joined their attempted coup d’état and did exactly what they had demanded: He voted (twice!) to effectively overturn the American presidential election that Joseph Biden won by over 7 million popular votes.
By placing his abject subservience to Donald Trump above his loyalty to our democracy, LaMalfa betrayed his oath of office and his sworn constitutional duty as a congressman to check the abuses of a reckless and dangerous chief executive. In so doing, he disgraced and embarrassed the law-abiding citizens of the First Congressional District who have entrusted him with his high office for nearly 10 years.
It’s time for a change. Northern California needs a patriotic American congressman who genuinely believes in democracy and can be trusted to faithfully uphold and defend the Constitution. Between now and Nov. 8, please join me in voting for Max Steiner as our new representative in Congress.
Michael Magliari
Chico
Message to messengers
Seems like Citizens for a Safe Chico, a political action committee supporting [Kasey] Reynolds, [Dale] Bennett, [Nichole] Nava and [Tom] Van Overbeek for City Council, are missing the mark by breaking rule No. 1 for safety, which is eliminating violence.
The mailers they have been sending out include name-calling, which is bullying, which is a form of violence. The written materials are intended to injure opposing candidates’ reputations unjustly, which is another form of violence.
I think that Citizens for a Safe Chico need to attend some violence prevention training so that they can see that their behavior is hurting our community, not helping it.
Lynn Haskell
Chico
Her 1 cent’s worth
It has been a number of years since I was elected to the Chico City Council and served as mayor in 1985. But our issues then were the same as the issues today: How does a city provide for the needs and wishes of the community with the resources available? Chico’s growth and needs have far outgrown our ability to keep up with the resources available to us.
The list of needs is long. For some the most important thing is our public safety; for others, our parks and recreation facilities; others believe it is our roads.
One can not complain about the need to revitalize Chico but not be willing to step up. Mark Twain is given credit for the quote, “Everyone complains about the weather but no one does anything about it.” Voting yes Measure H [the 1 cent city sales tax] is a chance for the citizens of Chico to do something now.
Measure H is not a party-line issue. It has been well thought out and will work to give the city needed resources to improve Chico for generations to come.
Please join with me and a long list of past mayors in voting yes on Measure H.
Georgie Bellin
Chico
The Maga machine has an inborn problem– it is made up of mal-contents, who have lived in a competitive society and as such, have lost more things than they have earned. Looking for a scapegoat to relieve themselves of responsibility for their conditions, they cling to contrarism and even violence (even murder-see Paul Pelosi) to earn a stake as member of the Maga cult.