Liz Writes Life 9-8-21 -- CA Governor ignores forest hearing

Liz Writes Life

Sept. 8, 2021

Newsom ignores forest hearing

In a scathing press release, CA. Dist. 1 Assemblywoman Megan Dahle laid the lack of funding to streamline healthy forest projects on Governor Gavin Newsom. Dahle said the Newsom administration has completely failed to provide desperately needed budget funding to $400 million in projects that are ready and waiting.

“Our governor can no longer be all talk and no action,” said Dahle. “California’s majestic forests must be treated, not regulated into further destruction. It is time for his administration to provide real resources on the ground to fund efforts to manage our forests, combat catastrophic wildfires and assist wildfire victims in rebuilding.”

During the past eight years, Assemblywoman Dahle and her husband, Brian Dahle, who is our Dist. 1 state senator, have invited and hosted more than 125 state legislative members to their district with the specific goal of educating them on sustainable forestry management practices that protect the environment and climate from the huge smoke clouds of unnecessary carbon emissions. The Dixie, River Complex, McCash, Antelope and several other fires are currently burning out-of-control. More than one million acres have burned in the First Assembly District this year.

The neighboring Caldor Fire is also a huge threat. With this magnitude of fires, California is on track to suffer the most devastating wildfire season in recent history.

Megan Dahle further explained, “year after year we have been ignored, our policies shunned, our legislation shot down and we have been at the mercy of special interest groups who would rather watch the state burn than work together to implement good environmental public policy.”

Dahle was involved with the Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resiliency hearing, but it was canceled. She said that Newsom’s administration refused to participate. In its place the Assembly Republican Wildfire Working Group hosted an informational forum on the barriers, challenges and solutions to preventing catastrophic wildfires.

I’d like to send a big “thank you” out to Megan Dahle and legislators that are trying to get forest health practices accomplished – instead of just being talked about!

Vaccine mandates

At the risk of adding more fuel to the fire over the controversy of COVID vaccine mandates, I do want to alert folks that the state Democrat-led legislature is working to pass bills that would impose vaccine mandates on private industry.

Dist. 1 Assemblywoman Megan Dahle sent out an alert that she opposed AB 455, which she calls a gut-and amend bill. This means the text for the bill was originally about something else (in this case it was about transportation) and then just before the deadline during this legislative session the text was gutted and amended to impose the vaccine mandate on private industry. I believe this bill has now been dropped and will not be voted upon – this year. But there are rumors about another bill, AB 1102, that could be amended to allow employers to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccination as condition of employment.

Assemblywoman Dahle said she believes COVID-19 vaccination should be a personal choice and not mandated by the government. She urged citizens to check on these bills and make your voices heard, because situations are rapidly developing. I believe this legislative session will close on Sept. 10^th.

Republicans will meet

The Siskiyou Conservative Republicans will be meeting Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 at the Methodist Church in Montague. Mark Meuser, who is running for U.S. Senate against Alex Padilla, will be the featured speaker through a zoom meeting at 11:15 a.m. So, get there early! Mark is a Constitutional attorney who represented CA. Governor Candidate Larry Elder, when Elder was originally left off of the Recall ballot. Meuser won the court case and Elder is indeed on the ballot; and the front runner of the candidates in the Recall of Governor Gavin Newsom election that will be held Sept. 14, 2021. Be sure to get your ballot mailed by that date. Call Annie Ohlund at 530-842-2351 to reserve lunch of barbecue Cornish game hen.

Siskiyou Patriots to meet

Ray Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou Board of Supervisors, will be speaking at the Siskiyou Patriots meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. Erin Ryan, staff for Dist. 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa will also speak on federal issues. The meeting is held at Covenant Chapel Church at 200 Greenhorn Rd. in Yreka.

Garden report

Vegetable output has slowed since the cooler temps hit several weeks ago, along with much cooler nights -- plus the wildfire smoke is blocking the sun quite a bit of the time. But, like normal, the tomatoes are gearing-up to really start ripening.

Gotta say that drying herbs in these cooler temps is not easy without using a dehydrator. The basil did not want to dry in the paper bags, cuz the room they were in was not getting extra hot. So I put the basil stems and leaves on a cookie sheet, pre-heated the oven to 250 degrees, turned the heat off and placed the basil in the oven for overnight. This pretty much dried it without the leaves turning too dark. Next year, I need to remember to dry the herbs in July and early August, while it is still hot!

I do have a dehydrator, but stopped using it because it increased my power bill more than I wanted to pay. During the heat of summer, using the paper bags is the cheap way to go.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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