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lOB Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
EDITORIAL
AND
OPINION
EDITORIAL
0
0
I
Kudos to the Plumas Unified School Dis-
trict/Office of Education board for appointing the
very capable Bret Cook to fill the seat left vacant
when Jonathan Kusel resigned.
Too bad we can't applaud the process the board
used to make the appointment.
The board interviewed Cook and the other can-
didate, Rusty Stokes, in open session. Each man
was sequestered while the other was being inter-
viewed. That was all well and good.
But when it came time to deliberate, the board
went into closed session. When our reporter
questioned the closed session, Superintendent
Glenn Harris dismissed her and hustled the
board away.
On the agenda the item was listed as "Public
Employee Appointment - Governing Board Mem-
ber Candidate Review, per Govt. Code section
54957." The code section is refreshingly direct on
the question of whether a board member or po-
tential board member is an "employee": the term
"employee" shall include an officer or an inde-
pendent contractor who functions as an officer or
an employee but shall not include any elected
official, member of a local legislative body or
a candidate being considered to fill a vacancy
on the legislative body.
The next day, Harris had his assistant emall us
the following bit of hokum to justify the closed
session: "The Legislative Counsel has ruled that
a closed executive session could properly be held
by the governing board of a local legislative body
to consider potential candidates for appointment
to a vacancy on the board. The Legislative Coun-
sel stated, There is nothing in the provision au-
thorizing executive sessions which makes any
distinction between officers appointed by a leg-
islative body over whom the body will have con-
trol and supervision, and officers appointed by a
legislative body to fill vacancies in its own mem-
bership. (Ops. Legislative Counsel No. 3782, to
Hon. Ralph M. Brown, May 5, 1960.)"
What flimflam! Notice the date on this opinion.
In the most litigious state in the world, we are
supposed to believe that an opinion issued in 1960
is still in force? This didn't even pass the sniff
test. Back to the books we went. Sure enough, the
opinion Harris quoted predates language that
was added to the Brown Act, California's open
meeting law, in 1994.
We also asked Jim Ewert, general counsel for
the California Newspaper Publishers Associa-
tion, and the Plumas County District Attorney's
office for their opinions. They both came back
with the same language we had. Ewert said Har-
ris' opinion "does not analyze current law. It is
legally irrelevant now worthless. There is no
legal authority that the board can rely on in 2011
that allows discussion or action in closed session
to appoint a new member. That would be a clear
and flagrant violation of the law."
If Harris paid for that bit of ancient legal histo-
ry he said he obtained it from legal counsel
he should get his money back. And now that
there are two very able attorneys on the board,
Cook and Bob Tuerck, we challenge them to do
their own research on the Brown Act so they can
keep their superintendent in line.
A
ea qng
spaper
T Breaking News .... t
go to plumasnews.com
Michael C. Taborski ............. Publisher
Keri B. Taborski ...Legal Advertising Dept.
Delaine Fragnoli ........ Managing Editor
Alicia Knadler ........ Indian Valley Editor
M. Kate West ............. Chester Editor
Shannon Morrow .......... Sports Editor
Ingrid Burke ................ Copy Editor
Staff writers:
Mona Hill
Will Farris
Dan McDonald
Trish Welsh Taylor
Michael Condon
Sam Williams
Barbara France
Susan Cort Johnson
Kayleen Taylor
Ruth Ellis
Brian Taylor
Pat Shillito
Diana Jorgenson
Feather River
Bulletin
(530) 283-0800
Westwood
PinePress
(530) 256-2277
Lassen County
Times
(530) 257-53211
Portola Reporter
(530) 832-4646
Chester Progressive
(530) 258-3115
Indian Valley
Record
(530) 284-7800
MY TURN
DAN MCDONALD
Staff Writer
dmcdonald@plumasnews.com
My friends and former co-workers tell
me they are jealous.
I'm doing what a lot of people tall about
doing, but never do. I'm trying to live my
dream.
Last month I quit my job of 20 years as
an editor at the Review-Journal in Las Ve-
gas and moved to Plumas County to start a
new life away from the big city.
It might be the biggest leap of faith I've
ever made.
And I'm certainly not known for my
faith. Worrying, yes, that's more my style.
My road to this place began about a year
ago when my wife, Shelley, and I joined
forces with her aunt and uncle Plumas
County residents Eric and Pat Wilkerson
to buy a little settlement of 13 very cool,
rustic, fixer-upper cabins nestled along the
Middle Fork of the Feather River between
Cromberg and Graeagle. Camp Layman.
"You did what!?" my Vegas friends said.
I can understand their shock. Hell, I was
shocked, too. I've never owned a business,
much less one located in the woods.
I have always been "Mr. Conservative,"
never taking big chances or venturing too
far out of my comfort zone.
Not exactly the personality traits
conducive to chasing a dream.
Until now, my life has been one calculat-
ed move after another.
Don't get me wrong, I've lived in, and
- visited, a lot of great places. I lived in Alas-
ka after college, I've been to all 50 states
and played golf at St. Andrews in Scotland.
So I have been chippingaway at the buck-
et list.
But this current adventure is a biggie.
And I know I wouldn't have done it with-
out the prodding of Shelley, Eric and Pat.
In fact, "Mr. Baby Steps" here had cold
feet even after we bought the camp and
right up until the day I quit the Review-
Journal.
Shelley would remind me almost dally:
"You've got to have faith."
Shelley has always had plenty of faith. It
seems to radiate from her. Me? ... Not so
much. Usually I fake the "faith" thing. Or
maybe I just borrow some of Shelley's.
Eric teased me about my cold feet with
analogies like "Dan, back in the 1800s
when the pioneers were loading the wag-
ons to head west on the Oregon Trail, you
would have been the guy standing there in
Pennsylvania, holding a p itchfork, waving
goodbye."
He's probably right.
Then something happened that made me
think Plumas County is where I'm meant
to be.
Literally the day I walked out of my
editor's office in Las Vegas with a knot in
my stomach, after telling him I was quit-
ting, I received an email from Feather
Publishing's managing editor, Delaine
H' kere in the world?
Dave and Dorothy Aitken, of Lake Almanor West, visited the Masters in Augusta,
Ga. Next time you travel, share where you went by taking your local newspaper
along and including it in a photo. Then email the photo to
smorrow@plumasnews.com.
Fragnoli.
A week eaHier I messaged Delaine about
a reporter opening in Quincy. When I did-
n't hear back right away, I figured the job
was filled.
It wasn't.
I eventually spoke to Delaine on the
phone.
"Have faith," Shelley said. "If it's meant
to be, you'll get the job."
"OK, OK, OK. I'm having faith," I said. A
couple times I said it, I wasn't even faking
it.
And sure enough, here I am: a reporter
in Quincy.
I am having a blast in Plumas County.
This place reminds me of the little lumber-
mill town where I grew up in southwest
Washington state. It's called Camas, locat-
ed in the shadow of Mount St. Helens
(yeah, I was there when she blew in 1980).
If you have lived in Ph~mas Courlty most
of your life, you might not fully appreciate
this place.
If you are here fresh out of the city, well,
it's culture shock:
Everything looks and smells fresh.
The deer grazing behind my house and
on the side of the road don't even flinch
when I whiz by.
The water out of the tap tastes better
than the store-bought stuff.
People at the supermarket actually put
their shopping carts away when they are
done.
People on the street smile and say hello
for no reason at all a greeting like that
by someone on the street in Vegas is usual-
ly followed by "Can you spare a couple
bucks?"
Heck, even the bank tellers and DMV
staff in Quincy seem genuinely happy to
see me.
And one of the best small-town perks of
all... Free Parking!
Everyone here at Feather Publishing
and around town has made me feel very
welcome.
Christina Stokes, a waitress at Express
Coffee Shop, actually remembered my
name after my first visit. She always
greets me with a smile every morning and
has my cup of French roast to go.
Take that, Starbucks!
Our new neighbors on Camp Layman
Road treat us like we have lived there all
our lives.
Led by the jack-of-all-trades Scan O'Con-
nor, who is one of the most genuine guys
I've met, our neighbors have pitched in to
help us get the camp up and running.
And they have asked for nothing in re-
turn.
Yeah, so far this new adventure of being
a small-town reporter and business owner
is even better than I dreamed it would be.
Shelley and I are looking forward to our
new life in Plumas County.
Will we still feel giddy about this place a
few years from now? Who knows?
But we have faith.
REMEMBER WHEN
KERI TABORSKI
Historian
75 YEARS AGO .......... 1936
The combined bands of Plumas County's
high schools including Greenville, Portola
and Quincy will appear and perform at
Quincy High School at the annual Plumas
County Music Festival Sunday afternoon.
Admission is free.
50 YEARS AGO .......... 1961
Dr. Henry Spencer of Chester, Dr. Don
Bleiberg and Robert McArthur, both of
Quincy were elected to the governing
board of the Plumas Unified School Dis-
trict.
25 YEARS AGO ....... 1986
An estimated 300 loggers and supporters
of the multiple use forest plan along with
185 trucks and heavy equipment paraded
through Quincy and East Quincy yester-
day afternoon. The parade was in conjunc-
tion with hearings to gather public input
on the Plumas National Forest plan to be
held this week.
10 YEARS AGO ...... 2001
Robert Conen, Plumas County's person-
nel director has been appointed interim
Plumas County administrative officer, re-
placing Jim Stretch, who resigned.
The population of Plumas County in-
creased from 19,739 in 1990 to 20,824 in 2000
according to the 2000 census.An increase of
1,085.
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MY TURN
ALICIA KNADLER
Indian Valley Editor
aknadler@plumasnews.com
After a noisome couple of weeks filled
with complaints from and about alleged
code violations in Greenville, things are
beginning to get weird in a Big Brother
sort of way.
Monday morning I receive an emall ask-
ing neighbors to turn in neighbors, all in
the name of public health and safety.
Naturally, the letter was anonymous,
signed only by People for a Clean
Greenville.
It was interesting to note that my query
for a name was returned within a few short
minutes by a local real estate person.
This person has been a tireless volun-
teer, just like many other newcomers who
have landed in Indian Valley these past
few years.
One resident out in "The Flats" has seen
a local deputy out in his patrol car, stop-
ping at rundown or messy homes, where
he takes notes and then makes calls on his
cellphone.
Then a code enforcement guy shows up
and finds things wrong at a home and ten-
ants are forced to move out.
"He didn't like the way the toilet
flushed," said his friend. "And he said
something about the hot water heater and
didn't like it that the kitchen stove didn't
work."
Another place in Greenville, a highly
visible one, is notorious for the assortment
of not-so-new stuff that greets visitors and
residents alike.
T-he owner there was cited for violations
that confused him, since his zoning was in-
dustrial and he was not aware of any laws
against having a number of vehicles and
equipment there.
He was mad enough to raise a ruckus all
over town and to the county seat, where re-
actions were like a tsunami, culminating,
almost, in the letter this morning.
"I am, and have been, up to my eyeballs
in complaints as to the method(s) being
used to issue code compliance citations,
and the exercising of draconian measures
of discretion while enforcing the same,"
District 2 Supervisor Robert Meacher shot
off in an email to several county officials
and myself after the industrial man shook
up the place in his self-righteous anger last
week.
Another Indian Valley resident, one of
the first to be sought out by code enforce-
ment, is expecting a follow-up visit from
the county this week.
This man also believes he is being treat-
ed unfairly.
A similar, yet not-so-sinister atmosphere
existed back when the old Greenville The-
ater was cleaned up by the county, which
assumed ownership due to the lien placed
on the property for abatement purposes.
After several years, the Indian Valley
Chamber of Commerce board of directors
asked to buy it, and a deal was made.
Future plans were for them to have an of-
fice and public restroom there -- some-
thing beneficial to downtown Greenville.
Meanwhile, there's a sinister move afoot
to have neighbor turn in neighbor.
Why do I call it sinister? Because I abhor
people who hide behind masks, lies and
anonymity.
I think their faces should be unveiled
and their motives made clear.
In this case, their motives might be all
for the public good, for health and safety
like they claim.
But I just happen to know that ~here are
special interests involved here, where we
have a surplus of private contractors and
real estate people who are just as hungry
for work as everyone else.
Will we all start turning on each other
then, us newcomers and the old-timers as
well?
I, for one, would sure like to know what
readers think about this issue.