Editor,
Your June 9 newspaper reported that anti-war activists have asked San Francisco officials to end the U.S. Navy Blue Angel’s fly-over and air show during the annual Fleet Week. Its quarter-century tradition is enjoyed by thousands of people but is being opposed by a few hundred people with Supervisor Chris Daly.
They are working on a resolution to stop this very popular spectacular as seen by most people as very patriotic, because this group feels it is a fuel waste, creates air pollution and public safety. Daly says his resolution will call for a permanent halting to the fly-overs because they seem dangerous and unnecessary. I can’t believe that a few days out of 365 in the year, the Blue Angels create more air pollution and danger than the ground vehicles and aircraft flying into land out of San Francisco and Oakland airports 24/7/365!
Code Pink, Global Exchange and Veterans for Peace see this event as a bane, but the fans of this very popular, annual event obviously see it as a boon. I’m sure the area sees benefits in tourists and income from the few days of Fleet Week. I hope the few do not spoil it for many who look forward to this patriotic and educational event along with the benefits to the economy and tourism.
Ruth Erickson
Hollister
Editor,
Greg Martin was correct ( June 12) when he said the Mosquito Abatement program was mandated by the state. However, when the state discontinued funding the program, the mandate expired.
The Board of Supervisors hired a consultant, SCI Consulting Services, to market a tax increase for mosquito abatement. SCI recommended a parcel property tax be implemented for a part of the county. This exemption would allow a 50 percent+1 voter approval. Otherwise the Proposition 13 requirement of a super-majority of 66.6 percent voter approval would be required.
This a countywide mosquito abatement program will be replaced with a less-than-countywide program for political expediency. Chuck Geiger was correct (June 15) that the new property tax has no “sunset clause.” Even worse, the new property tax has an “escalator clause.” It will increase every year forever. The weighted vote count was also an “eye-opener.” A typical resident has one vote. Some parcels have .01 vote, and some commercial parcels have 10 or more votes, according to the mosquito and disease-control assessment roll for 2007-08.
County supervisors voted to cast their 400-plus votes in favor of the tax increase at their May 22 meeting. Hollister (150-plus), San Juan Bautista (25-plus), and the many school, water, and hospital boards (225-plus) have votes. Supervisors Botelho and De La Cruz voted not to cast the county votes when the question of a conflict of interest was raised. The county has a financial interest in the outcome creating the conflict. All property owners pay into the general fund. The county will transfer Money from the general fund to the mosquito abatement fund for their properties. That means property owners outside the Mosquito Abatement Zone will pay but receive no service.
One supervisor reported that the ranchers in the county have vaccinated their horses against West Nile virus. No reports have been found identifying the presence of mosquito species that transmit other diseases, such as malaria, in San Benito County.
These are some of the reasons the San Benito County Republican Party opposes this unjust property tax increase.
Marvin L. Jones
Chairman, SBC Republican Party
