Board Meeting

Posted 7/23/2008 11:15 AM PDT on thecalifornian.com

Well here we are, the day after the Board of Supervisors meeting and I must say I am not surprised; does anything ever get voted down? Is every proposed expenditure a worthwhile endeavor regardless of the financial struggle facing the people at the time? Doesn’t the fact that everyone is hurting, in one way or another, by the high fuel prices deserve even the slightest amount of their consideration? People all over the city and the Salinas Valley are losing their homes, people with credit card debt, pursuant to television news, are only able to pay the minimum payment, our water bill has gone up, then there is the matter of the Memorial Hospital and the added indebtedness that represents, then come the next election the school system will, once again as if on cue, try to dig deeper into our pockets with the argument that it’s for the children. I don’t know about any of you but my income has not gone up, my wife and I are trying to sustain our home on a fixed income while the City Council, the Board, the Water Company and a host of others are trying their very best to make sure that doesn’t continue. The alarming thing about all this is that the general public, facing all these financial woes, is remaining deathly quiet, acting as though they are all independently wealthy and any additional costs is of such little consequence that it doesn’t deserve even a little thought on their part.

If we don’t speak up and act the City Council and the Board will and it will be to late, the only thing left will be to think about how we should have and could have taken a proactive position and prevented it.

This training, educational center, called a prison re-entry facility (kind of hard to grasp the concept), sounds like a college my grandson is applying for, difference is he will have to pay dearly for it; what is wrong with this picture?
At the Board meeting when section “S-3” Prison Re-Entry Facility was brought up three men, I’ll stand corrected but I believe all claimed to have practical experience within prison facilities, stood up and spoke representing some religious group. They all expressed their desire for this so-called prison to go forward. There have been reports in the Salinas Californian about this proposed facility, the Mayor was promoting it on the radio last Saturday morning and the concept has been on the local nightly news, but what I find so striking is the deathly silence regarding the victims, the hurt, the loss and terror they suffered, forgotten as though swept under the rug. Their experience will be with them a life time, there is no consideration shown to them, no fancy technically sophisticated learning transitional facility for them, they live with the reality of their nightmare 24/7.

In my previous entry I spoke of some of the things we can expect; at the meeting they told us the staff for this proposed facility will range between 325-350, of course the number could, and probably will, go higher. The promoters tried to buffer this by saying they will buy homes and become tax payers in our community. If this boondoggle goes through we will need all the extra help we can get. Don’t forget the benefits packages they will all receive, all coming out of our pockets. Everything imaginable that will be deemed necessary for these little angels to use and enjoy will be coming out of your constantly shrinking wallets. With this added burden how many of us will have to cut even more corners and do without all for their benefit? Prisoners have never had it so good. We need to be truthful with ourselves concerning this mollycoddling prison and while you are in thoughtful consideration, grab your wallet, because the tax man cometh.One gentleman stood up at the Board Meeting, I do not know his name, but he stood up on behalf of what I wrote concerning the “Toughest Sheriff in America,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who I feel, if we want to save endless millions in tax dollars, we should emulate. He brought up the $50 million the Salinas Californian stated we, the tax payers, who else, would have to pony up. He also mentioned a figure of $11 million. He told the Board we should give consideration to Sheriff Arpaio’s methods and his Tent City. Well how did the Board respond? There was a minute or two of talk concerning the $11 million but never a word about the $50 million, of course not, the tax payers shouldn’t be encumbered with the facts. Supervisor Salinas did his best to provide a few disparaging remarks aimed at Sheriff Arpaio, easy to do when the big man is not present to respond. Supervisor Salinas brought up that Sheriff Arpaio/Maricopa County have been sued for over $40 million dollars and he said that 14 of those incarcerated have died. I don’t have to defend Sheriff Arpaio but I have read that he has over 10,000 prisoners in his jail system and the “Vancy Sign” he has up never goes out, and that approximately 2000 occupy the tents. His arrests average 300 a day and he has a volunteer posse of over 3,000. He has been the Sheriff since 1992. The voters respect him and he has even been asked to run for the Presidency. He has saved the tax payers of his county over $70 million in what they would have had to pay should he have built another facility for overcrowding. The ACLU and a few others like them have sued over the last 15 years but Sheriff Arpaio has saved the tax payers many more millions then have ever been paid out, in fact, he returned $5 million this last fiscal year, go to: http://www.mcso.org/include/pr_pdf/s%20Budget.pdf
Also:http://www.mcso.org/

Which office in Monterey County has ever returned money at the end of the fiscal year, much less $5 million? Can you think of any?

In closing I’ll ask those of you who may read this how many times you have been hung up on when calling a County Supervisors office? I had that happen to me yesterday. I was asking a few questions of the person that answered the phone. I mentioned Sheriff Arpaio and his approach and how we could follow his example. I was abruptly asked about how he treats those that are incarcerated. I responded that these individuals are there because they broke the law, they are therefore criminals and are treated as such…CLINK!Criminal: somebody acting illegally: somebody who has committed a crime, a person that has done something wrong, unlawful, illegitimate, dishonest, against the law.

I find the stunning indifference demonstrated by the Board and certain members of the City Council concerning this matter appalling. Their minds are made up, no room for discussion, it’s a done deal, the only thing left is the formality of so-called public meetings and the drying of the ink on the dotted line.

In spite of this there is only one down card left in the game and it’s time to turn it up, that’s what this has all come down to, we all must express our loathing to the Supervisors on the Board, the Mayor and City Council members for this prison re-entry facility.

Remember, what Maricopa County has done Monterey County can do. As they say it’s only money, but it’s our money, our community.