Editor:

Kudos to Ryan Burns for his excellent article ("Meet the County's New Values," June 6). As he clearly pointed out, the issues raised by the actions of the Gang of Four (Fennell, Bohn, Bass and Sundberg) are many. The most distressing issues are those of process and the totally new slant given to the general plan guiding principles.

Fennell and Bohn met in secret and unilaterally rewrote what had taken years and an enormous amount of public input and created guiding principles that are a developer's wet dream, and then they and their cohorts voted the rewrite in with barely a nod to public opinion. Although the general public was mostly unaware of all of this, HumCPR had plenty of notice, thanks to Fennell, to get their people out for the dog and pony show of a hearing on the rewrite. All was rushed through in a matter of days.

What we have experienced is a coup, a takeover, by four of the five supes and if everyone sits on their hands and does nothing this will be just the beginning.

For a study in contrast here is the first principle from the Mendocino GP:

"Conservation of Mendocino County's natural resources, farmland, forest land, and open spaces is essential to the rural quality of life desired by residents and visitors alike.

"Planned growth and compact development forms are essential to conserving environmental resources, farmland and open spaces.

"Direct new commercial and residential growth to cities and community areas where development can be supported by existing or planned infrastructures and public services, and environmental impacts can be minimized."

Mendocino includes climate change impacts in their GP. They, unlike the Gang of Four, wouldn't recommend building in a flood plain.

Remember, our government is only as good as we make it be.

— Sylvia De Rooy, Eureka

Editor:

Ryan Burns' attempt to make transparent the movements of our supes is commendable! Please do read this article ... it is wordy but each paragraph is loaded with facts!

We do not live on a planet with infinite resources. We cannot continue to misuse what is here and expand without careful planning and examination. This is clearly the motivation behind the new and revised General Plan.

We don't have a growing population, due to our isolation. So some attention to this would be advised. (Airport.)

We do need to continue to maintain affordable housing, which could mean restoring buildings in lieu of developments. 

We do need to protect agricultural lands and we do need standards to enforce this ... no standards set in this new proposal.

Ryan sets all this out so clearly, and it is to all of our interests to attend these meetings. We all do live downstream ... how well I have realized this just lately!

Thank you, Ryan! More! More!

— Ginni Hassrick, Bayside