To the Editor:
I have resided in El Dorado for 34 years. I moved a coach here from San Diego. At the time rents were $100 per month less than in San Diego for a location comparable to El Dorado. Any increases have been reasonable and from a low starting point. Management has always been fair here and to my knowledge no one has ever been evicted for inability to pay rent. I am opposed to rent control in general because management has no incentive to keep the premise up if they aren't receiving an adequate income. However, the proposed ordnance is being sponsored by management. And I am certain they feel it gives them an adequate income. I think we can assume therefore that they can and will continue the same very good maintenance of the park.
The proposed initiative is actually better than the current5 year lease in my opinion, because low income renters will only have an increase based on CPI. This is in contrast to the lease which calls for a 3% increase or CPI, whichever is greater. Those who want to buy their land can do so.
People who can't or don't wish to buy their spaces can continue to rent until they want to sell. They would then sell both the coach and lot as a unit.
People favoring rent control have continually misrepresented that rents are going down with rent control. It is not going to happen. Rents will start and increase from the rent at the time any ordnance goes into effect.
It’s a better deal for all. I am sure the financial impact study for Fillmore will show the city will be better off with an ordnance vs. a family park, which any rent control ordnance will bring per management. Look at the money T.O. has spent trying to enact rent control similar to the Roegner plan. The city of San Rafael has spent hundreds of thousand dollars trying to enact rent control. They lost and have now appealed to 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. More big bucks to spend in legal fees. Why should Fillmore waste taxpayer’s dollars to bring a family park, which few if any El Dorado residents want for rent control?
Thank you.
Jim Heady
Fillmore

To the Editor:
I am glad to see you and Bob Stroh have put your bickering behind you. Frankly, I grew weary of the two of you calling each other names quite some time ago. It sounded much too much like my grandsons second grade recess.
I am no doctor, nor psychiatrist. I have no medical training in mental illness, however, during my twenty-nine year career in law enforcement, I had the opportunity to detain many people for involuntary psychological evaluations.
Your renewed rants against Obama and the leftwing conspiracy, and your dire predictions for our countrys future sounds suspiciously paranoid. Your characterization of Sotomayor as a racist is a bit Shakespearean (you "doth protest too much"), our nation was not bankrupted in the last seven months, and our heritage, Christian or otherwise, cannot be destroyed. Whatever was garnered from past generations, or passed to future generations, is our heritage. If it morphs or evolves, so be it. The only constant in the universe is change.
With all you have been through in the last year, I worry for your health, Martin. I urge you to keep current on any meds your doctor might have prescribed.
Dennis DeCuir
Fillmore

To the Editor:
I was surprised that the preliminary city budget report went unreported by the local news media. I was not surprised by the report’s conclusions. In spite of the rosy projections given by the last city manager and finance director just a few months ago, even the most casual observer of the state of our economy and the housing crisis should have foreseen the trouble we find ourselves in. Many did. A year ago people (including Jamey Brooks, Gayle Washburn and then council member Patti Walker) were urging the past council to exercise restraint in handing out pay raises for top managers to no avail. Now we are told that at our current rate of spending we will be out of money in eighteen months; the cost-cutting will have unfortunate consequences for many people.
We are also confronted with the uncertainty created by the ill-conceived sales tax scheme. It has resulted in the state holding our sales tax revenue until a ruling is made on the lawsuit against Fillmore by the City of Industry and Livermore. We are now seeking a hearing with the state to get the money. To date our city attorney has requested over $500,000 to cover our attorney costs. If Fillmore does not prevail we could be facing a several million dollar loss. Do The Fillmore Gazette and The Sespe Sun think this story not newsworthy?
Bob Stroh
Fillmore