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February 22, 2001
Thompson on water, energy
SALMON RAVIOLI, A FINE CUP OF
COFFEE and the company of Congressman Mike Thompson made for
an interesting lunch at Roy's Italian Restaurant for the business
leadership of Eureka last Friday.
Thompson was taking part in
a legislative conference with the Eureka Chamber of Commerce,
outlining his legislative agenda and collecting concerns from
those present. While most of what he had to say was positive,
some of his report was enough to bring indigestion to the sturdiest
stomach.
Take his update on the Trinity
River: Documents signed in the closing days of the Clinton Administration
by former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt promised to
return water to the Trinity. That water is currently diverted
via hydroelectric dams to the Sacramento River, where it provides
a lot of water and a marginal amount of electricity to Central
Valley residents and farmers. Thompson reported that the deal
to restore Trinity flows might be in jeopardy.
"I think we ought to be
worried" about whether the Bush administration will continue
to support restoration of the Trinity, he said. Thompson said
he mentioned the Trinity in a conversationS ecretary of the Interior
Gail Norton.
"The bad news is she said
that, given the power and water shortages [in the Central Valley],
she was quite aware of the Trinity."
The push to widen highways into
and out of Humboldt County to ease transportation bottlenecks
also received some sobering commentary from the congressman.
Thompson warned, "As long as it is couched as just a business
issue, just a big truck issue, you won't win. You have to have
incredible honesty and openness and work together" to make
it clear why the community would want to widen highways. And
some highway projects are simply unrealistic, he added.
"I don't think there's
a person in this room who thinks we're going to put a four-laner
through Richardson's Grove. It's just not going to happen."
It wasn't all bad news. Thompson
said that the business community should welcome the new movement
in Congress to "make endangered species something private
landowners don't want to run away from." The idea is to
find ways to "compensate landowners for finding ways to
manage his land to provide better habitat for this creature,"
he said.
The estate tax was also on Thompson's
agenda.
"The likelihood of the
estate tax being repealed is slim, but I honestly believe some
reform needs to be done." Farmers and ranchers on the North
Coast are forced to sell their land to developers, Thompson said,
in order to pay their inheritance taxes.
"A lot of my colleagues
are pushing a bill that would save 96 percent of the farms in
the country. The problem is that because of (high) California
land values, the other 4 percent are here." Thompson is
pushing for a bill that would exempt family-owned businesses
from the tax.
The energy crisis has so far
drawn a lukewarm response from the newly seated president, Thompson
said, but the didn't think Bush's reluctance will last.
"It's not hard to see why
he [Bush] wants to see the seated governor of the opposing party
stew in his juices for a while, but he'll need to step in.
"You can be elected without
California, but it's very hard to get re-elected without it,"
Thompson said. "I think Bush will be focused on how he can
be of some help to us."
That help is needed quickly
because the crisis is having a dramatic effect on the economy
-- not just because energy is expensive but also because PG&E
was becoming a black hole for money. Thompson said he knew of
two power producers in the area that are owed a combined $26
million by PG&E.
"If you pull $26 million
out of the local economy, it has a ripple effect. It will hurt
the local economy."
And with California hurting,
the rest of the country will feel the pinch too.
"I think most people in
Washington know the California energy problem isn't just California's
problem."
-- reported by Arno Holschuh
Republicans honor
Sparks
Former 5th District Supervisor
Anna Sparks was honored as Republican of the Year Tuesday night
at the Ingomar Club in Eureka.
Sparks served on the board of
the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District
from 1978-82 and as county supervisor from 1982-94, including
two terms as chair. She was active in numerous community organizations
including the McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce, Fishermen's
Wives Association and Boy Scouts of America. She was chair of
the Republican Central Committee and a delegate to the Republican
National Convention in 1984, 1988 and 1992.
After she left office Sparks
worked in public relations for Louisiana Pacific Corp. in Lake
and Mendocino counties. She is currently employed by the Sacramento
Municipal Utilities District as a security officer.
Past Republican honorees include
Fern Enke (1993), Jerry Partain (1994), JoAnn Stanhope (1995),
Joe Russ IV (1996), Harvey Harper (1997), Mel McLean (1998),
Robin and Lois Arkley (1999), and Eileen Amos (2000).
Seeking
athletic direction
"If it were just a question
of who we need to talk to for more money, that would be different,"
said Claire Knox, professor of child development at Humboldt
State University and chair of the school's Athletics Review Committee.
The committee has been re-evaluating
HSU athletics in an attempt to address issues like team travel,
scholarships, gender parity and facilities. While many issues
are funding-related, money isn't the fundamental problem, Knox
said.
"We need to know what we
want from the athletic program," she said.
To that end HSU is holding a
series of meetings to collect information from stakeholders in
the athletics program. The first, for community members, was
held Tuesday in Eureka. Still to come are meetings with coaches,
student government, student athletes and faculty representatives.
There will a campus town hall meeting for members of the university
community Feb. 27.
Knox said the university is
seeking a clear set of values and goals to guide development
of the athletic program. "We've tried to address separate
individual issues in the past, and I think we're now at a stage
where we need to look at the whole package," she said.
Needle exchange
doing fine
It had the potential to be controversial,
but Humboldt County Public Health Officer Ann Lindsay said the
new needle exchange program has proved to be a smooth-running
success.
"As of January, 4,900 needles
had been exchanged. We're now exchanging several thousand needles
a month," Lindsay said.
While supplying drug paraphernalia
to addicts may seem counterintuitive, Lindsay said that actual
data "do not support the idea that needle exchange programs
increase drug use. It's not a risk."
On the contrary, she said. "We've
been able to get some people who are exchanging needles into
medical care and drug treatment."
There are four sites serving
clients on a drop-in basis, in Eureka, Redway, Willow Creek and
the Mobile Medical Office. The program has been such a success
that there are plans to expand it to more sites.
The Department of Public Health
has even been approached by representatives of the town of Klamath,
in Trinity County, for advice on how the Humboldt County program
works.
"It's an excellent model
of harm reduction, reducing the infection risk to drug users
and the community" Lindsay said.
Mobile medical
office grant
The Mobile Medical Office was
awarded a two-year expansion grant last month from the California
Endowment, the state's largest health foundation. The $220,000
grant will help fund the expansion of primary health care clinic
hours and mental health service to individuals in Eureka, Fortuna,
Blue Lake, Rio Dell and Crescent City.
Funds will help pay part-time
additional staff -- including a physician, a psychiatrist and
a medical assistant -- and related operating costs. The grant
will help the program qualify for a change in status that is
intended to improve its long-range financial stability. The entire
expansion project is expected to cost $600,000 over the two-year
period.
The Mobile Medical Office is
a nonprofit community health center on wheels providing underserved
rural, low-income and homeless individuals in the county since
1990. Founded by Dr. Wendy Ring, the service seeks to improve
access to primary health care for those who have difficulty obtaining
care through traditional channels due to financial, geographic
and cultural barriers.
The recent addition of Dr. Leslie
Foote under the grant program has provided additional clinic
sites, including a clinic on Saturdays at the Serenity House
winter shelter in Eureka for homeless families. Additional funds
for the expansion have been contributed by St. Joseph Hospital's
Community Needs Network Committee ($25,000) and the state Department
of Health Services Rural Health Service Development Program ($150,000).
Contributions may be sent to the Mobile Medical Office, P.O.
Box 905, Blue Lake 95525.
Housing
help for Humboldt
"For a rural community,
we have some sophisticated people working on housing issues,"
said Paula Mushrush, economic development coordinator for Humboldt
County Community Development Services.
A total of $2.8 million in low-income
housing assistance has recently been awarded from the state's
Home Investments Partnership Program. The money will be used
by the city of Eureka and Humboldt County for housing renovation.
Arcata will use its money for a mix of new construction, housing
renovation and financial help for first-time homebuyers. The
private, non-profit Humboldt Bay Housing Corp. will build a low-income
senior housing in Willow Creek, something corporation executive
director Elizabeth Conner said will fill a desperate need.
"There's no place in Willow
Creek to retire to," she said. "People had to come
to the coast."
The funds will probably be available
beginning in late spring or early summer. People interested in
low-income housing programs should call the Redwood Community
Action Agency at 269-2033.
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