Oct. 20, 2021
Liz
Writes Life
State
of the county
The
room was packed, last week, when the Siskiyou Conservative Republicans met for
their monthly meeting. “State of the County” was the question asked Siskiyou
Co. Sheriff Jerimiah LaRue, Siskiyou Co. District Attorney Kirk Andrus and Ray
Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors. It turned into an
hour-and-a-half discussion with each one first giving a synopsis from their
position.
Because
my deadline for this column has been moved to Thursday, I will give you my
synopsis of the meeting and will provide more depth in next week’s column.
Sheriff
LaRue spoke first and he fully admitted, “We all know that things are very
rough.” He has been in office one year and is dealing with a tremendous amount
of illegal cannabis grows and lawsuits from the county’s eradication efforts.
But, he still hasn’t lost his sense of humor and reminded the group of about 70
that his heart is in this county and for its people.
Lawsuits,
water, Public Trust Doctrine, the Grand Jury, crime and covid issues were also
discussed. I thought it was interesting that Supervisor Ray and D.A. Kirk
ended-up explaining their roles and the limits of their power.
To
explain this, Ray said that he receives calls from constituents asking him to
fix issues happening at schools or in county departments. He made it clear that
as an elected official he has no authority over any other elected official. In
other words, he cannot dictate to the county superintendent of schools or to
school district boards, because they are elected. So, citizens need to approach
and talk with those elected individuals regarding issues and programs.
Kirk
said the California Constitution gives certain authorities to the district
attorney and the sheriff. When dealing with tough situations, Kirk said he is
allowed discretion and he also employs common sense. But, there are new (and
old) laws on the books that are extremely frustrating.
I’ll
end there and share more next week.
Protecting
livestock
Assemblywoman,
Megan Dahle, authored a bill that passed both state houses and was signed by
Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 1103 is called “Livestock Pass” and will create a
program allows ranchers access to their property -- during an emergency -- to
save their livestock. The curriculum will be developed by the State Fire
Marshal within the next year.
Dahle
praised the passing of AB 1103 claiming it is a victory in improving response
efforts when disaster strikes. She said: In the North State, we know all too
well what happens when a wildfire hits. Road closures to ensure the residents’
safety also prevent ranchers from doctoring their animals, providing them
essential water and feed, or evacuating them. And while emergency responders
and volunteer groups can assist in rescuing household pets and a few large
animals, they lack the ranchers’ expertise necessary to handle large numbers of
cattle or livestock.
This is
a great move and I am very thankful the Democrats, who are the majority in both
state houses, agreed to protect ranchers and livestock.
Congressman
LaMalfa explains
With
all the haggling in Washington D.C. (and that is just within the Democrat
party), Congressman LaMalfa released a short comment saying why he is opposed
to increasing the debt limit.
On Oct.
12, 2021, Congressman Doug LaMalfa said he voted against a resolution which
will automatically raise the debt ceiling without allowing the House to fully
debate on it.
“House
Democrats continue to use parliamentary tricks to mask increasing the debt
limit by another $500 billion,” LaMalfa said. “Democrats have brought the
full faith and credit of the United States to within a week of disaster in an
effort to shield vulnerable members from blame next year. I voted to prevent a
government shutdown and provide disaster aid to my constituents earlier this
year, but I will not support Democrat attempts to put their electoral concerns
above our national interests.”
Garden
Those
freezes last week finished-off the garden and flowers. A week before that, I
pulled a few more rhubarb stems that were still firm and made a batch of
Rhubarb/Strawberry Jell-O jam and froze enough for another batch. And the week
before that, I made a large batch of Green Tomato Sweet Relish getting 13 pint
jars. They all sealed! I did not grow onions or bell peppers this year, so I
purchased them at the local grocery stores.
So, I
am getting my 16-year-old grandson, Bryce, to help me clean up the garden. He
pulled out the giant pumpkin vines and the six tomato plants, while I worked on
a flowerbed that was tangled with lots and lots of volunteer purple morning
glory vines. Oh, they are a pain to pull out, even though the freeze wilts the
leaves, so I used big shears to chop the tall amaranths, fever few, and glads
that were entwined with the glory vines. Got it done, whew!
Veterans’
Parade is Nov. 6
The
Etna Veterans’ Parade is just two weeks away, so get entered by calling Heather
Ford at 1-530-467-3193 or me (number at the bottom). Please encourage U.S.
military veterans to participate. This is a great time to show our appreciation
for their service. The parade starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.
Remember
to dial a 1 and the 530 area code, if you are making a local phone call – if
you want your call to go through.
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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