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SECOND & FLUME by Melissa Daugherty melissad@newsreview.com
Put up or shut up I’m not at a loss for words very often, but I was dumbstruck at the end of the annual State of the City address last Thursday (Jan. 30). I’d expected to hear good news from our city leaders. After all, the biggest source of income for municipalities is sales tax revenue. And people in California have been opening their pocketbooks more, as evidenced by the state’s recent budget surplus. Receipts surely are up, I thought. And I was curious to know what that would mean for the city. But instead of hearing that type of presentation, those in attendance listened to Chico Mayor Scott Gruendl paint a somber picture of the state of affairs. He also seemed to lay down some pretty thick political cover. Three things he said really struck me during the meeting. First, he made it clear that former city employees, not the City Council, are to blame for the budget deficit. “We are as good as the people that we hire, and when those people withhold information on purpose, they have failed the public as a whole,” he said. Second, the city is still in bad shape financially— “[W]hen the audit is released in March, I know that even the staunchest of doubters will hardly comprehend the enormity of this crisis,” Gruendl said. That’s the same audit that was expected to be presented to the council back in November. However, in December, Administrative Services Director Chris Constantin said a draft wouldn’t be released until January. And now, well into February, the public was told that document won’t be available until next month (for more on that subject, see Assistant News Editor Howard Hardee’s report on the City Council meeting, page 10). But Gruendl didn’t stop there. He said that the elected leaders had been deceived. “How could something like fraud happen among many and be brought up by no one?” Yes, fraud. So, who are the employees that allegedly committed fraud and what exactly did they do? Gruendl didn’t say, although he made some vague references to people taking actions without authority. And when asked whether those (unnamed) people will be held accountable for such (unspecific) wrongdoings, he balked. The mayor sure made it sound like he has a case. But where’s the proof? So far, there isn’t any. And what will the audit actually reveal? Considering multiple outside auditors found the city’s books clean for years, I’m not expecting any huge revelations next month. As far as I’m concerned, until Gruendl or any of the other council members provides evidence of such offenses, the rhetoric from the dais serves only to spread rumors and besmirch the names of former employees. In other words, it’s time to put up or shut up. The last thing I took away from the speech is how the mayor made a point to pat himself on the back: “I’ve gladly stepped up to the role of mayor during the most difficult time in our city’s history,” he said. Someone should tell him that nobody likes a martyr.
Melissa Daugherty is editor of the CN&R
Health-care law’s flaws Re “Rolling out Obamacare” (Healthlines, by Robert Speer, Jan. 30): Obamacare working? You must have a sick sense of humor if you believe that! The Affordable Care Act is a total fiasco. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take the word of the spin doctors in Washington for it. Talk to the local doctors who now turn away Medi-Cal patients because they lose money to treat them under Obamacare. Talk to the local medical clinics that have lost existing patients due the cancellation of their medical-insurance coverage due to the rules of Obamacare. One local medical clinic in Magalia lost 800 patients when their medical-insurance plans were canceled. Call around and find out the facts for yourself and remember what is happening all over the county during the elections of 2014. DAVID L. SANDERS Magalia
He likes GMOs Re “You are what you eat” (Greenways, by Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia, Jan. 30): GMO crops have provided many benefits without one single demonstrated case of harm to humans or animals. GMO crops require less pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and for some, none at all. GMO crops enable higher yields, especially on marginal land—crucial in developing countries. GMO crops can make staples like grains more nutritious: Witness the Golden Rice project, in which rice was genetically modified to provide the vitamin A missing in ordinary rice, with the potential to prevent 500,000 cases of blindness each year in children in countries where rice is the dietary staple. The Golden Rice experimental farm in the Philippines was destroyed by GreenWar, delaying the availability of this sight-saving and lifesaving GMO crop to people in need of it (typical anti-human eco-imperialist envirolunatic superstitious ideology at work). Every crop grown for human use is genetically modified—the only question is how and when was it was done. Other GMO techniques besides selective breeding date back to ancient times. Do you think teosinte grass morphed into maize without modification? Get real.
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Editor’s note: As the story notes, research published in the Journal of Organic Systems found that pigs fed with GMOs experienced a higher rate of severe stomach inflammation, among other adverse health effects, than those fed a comparable non-GMO diet.
Say no to pot petition Re “Reefer rules reconsidered” (Newslines, by Howard Hardee, Jan. 30): The pot traders are not happy with anything the residents, voters, property owners, business owners and stakeholders come up LETTERS continued on page 6 February 6, 2014
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