A Christmas Wish

This year has passed so quickly… it seems like only yesterday we celebrated Christmas and the start of 2013. Yet, here we are on the cusp of another Christmas and the start of 2014!

It has been a fun filled holiday season to date in Marina with the lighting of the City Christmas Tree with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, the first ever Holiday sing-a-long at the Library with the Marina High School Choir, the annual City Senior Christmas Dinner with over 150 members of our senior community participating and, of course a few Christmas Parties and gatherings along the way.

At this point I hope we all take a few minutes and reflect on our own blessings and do what we can to help those that are less fortunate within our Community. Be it volunteering, supporting the Thomas Carman Food Pantry, making a donation to a worthy community organization or simply helping a neighbor, we can all lend a helping hand regardless of our own situation.

As we look to the new year- I hope that we all include in our plans to carry this spirit beyond the holidays and keep it close to our hearts year round. It’s important to our community and it will bring joy to your heart throughout the year.

So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May there be peace, goodwill and tolerance around the world. Finally, may the New Year bring together all your hopes and dreams in one magnificent package that you unwrap each and every day!

More in the New Year!

Random Thanksgiving thoughts…

So now the Marina Gazette has fully embraced the digital age. Somehow I already miss the tangible, print edition. That said; here are some more random thoughts that don’t necessarily fit in a full column but are worth sharing for this Holiday week.

We all have so much to be thankful for as we head into Thanksgiving week but a new report from the Centers of Disease Control counts Monterey County as the most dangerous County in California for youth at risk between the ages of 10 and 24. There are many elements to this but when Marina has some 76 percent of our kids that qualify for free or reduced lunches at school we know we have work to do in our own backyard.

The Marina Police Department is working with HOPE Services on a jean drive in early December. Take a few minutes and clean out your closets and drawers of those old jeans you will never wear again and take them to the Marina Police Station. There are many people, of all ages, who need them desperately.

Of course, many people do step up and help serve Thanksgiving meals to those who are in need this week. Almost all our service organizations really do a great job fulfilling this mission. If you cannot help out please consider dropping a check off to the Thomas Carmen Food Pantry at the Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church (Carmel and California Streets). Can goods are always welcome but at this time of year they need to buy lots of items so a cash donation is extremely helpful.

It goes without saying that the need for help really is a year round issue and there are many organizations that do great work to benefit those of all ages. One that is close to my heart is the Nutrition Program through the City’s Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Our City staff and an incredible group of very dedicated volunteers serve breakfast at our Teen Center, Monday through Friday while school is in session. This program has reduced truancy and has helped to keep kids in school so they have alternatives in life. It also makes sure that those that may not get a good breakfast have that opportunity.

That same program extends to late afternoon with a hearty snack for many who will likely not get dinner at home. This too has made a tremendous difference in the lives of many kids in our community. To help support this program, please go to www.themarinafoundation.org and donate to the Marina Teen Center Nutrition programs. Full disclosure, I am President of The Marina Foundation and I can assure you that all donations to the program are tax deductible and all proceeds go to the program itself.

One final thought for the week. I am very grateful that I live in a community that really does step up and help those that may not be as fortunate. We as a community do so without regard to politics, race, religion, or any other measure that our society wants to pigeonhole people into. We do so because it’s the right thing to do, period.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving week!

More later…

Measure K, Part Three

Over the course of my last two columns I have tried to explain both the Veterans perspective and the gambling issue raised against Measure K. In this column I want to wrap up the discussion and touch on several other issues and why I am voting for Measure K and against Measure M.

First, let me acknowledge that attempting to take the authority away from our locally elected officials by initiative is a terrible way to govern. This initiative process is full of special interests and unintended consequences that eliminate local authority. Measure K came about as a response to those wishing to take away access to the land promised for the Veterans Cemetery and the land for future economic development by the initiative process (Measure M). It was not a fight that was chosen rather a reaction to “secure the promise” made to our Veterans and the community as a whole.

As much as the Measure M people want you to believe, the Monterey Downs project is not approved by Measure K. Yes, it is an allowed usage of the land as it is currently under the Ft. Ord Reuse plan. If that project were to go forward it would still have to complete an EIR and be approved by the City of Seaside and Monterey County… not by the approval of Measure K.

What Measure M would do is make any project on this land impossible. That would include any project that would bring the jobs needed in our community. Under the Sierra Club agreement with FORA years ago, this land was set aside for economic development – again, Measure K keeps that promise.

As a reminder, the former Ft. Ord property is approx. 28,000 acres - about the size of the City and County of San Francisco. Of that, over 20,000 acres are already preserved as open space forever. This open space includes all the National Monument acrege, Ft. Ord Dunes State Park and hundreds of acres of other parks, open space and right of ways. These areas are full of hiking, biking and riding trails destined to create recreational opportunities for generations to come.

On the remaining 8,000 acres we have all of CSUMB, UC Santa Cruz, Monterey College of Law, MPC, York and Chartwell schools. Schools that produce educated workers in need of local jobs. We also have the Marina development areas that include The Dunes Shopping Center, Marina Heights, Preston and Abrahms Parks, the Marina Airport and the ill fated Cypress Knowles project. It also includes land in Del Rey Oaks and Monterey, the Bayonet and Blackhorse Golf Courses, Seaside Highlands and the 540 acres subject to these initiatives. Each and every one of these projects are designed and approved to bring jobs and housing (in balance) to replace those left behind when Ft. Ord closed.

Just as the National Monument is a work in progress, so are the development areas. These areas will take years and years to become fully developed as demand for them allows. What is clear is that if we are to provide the jobs needed in our communities to sustain our local economy we need to keep the promises made in the past. These are the reasons why voting Yes on K and No on M are important to all of us.

More later…

Measure K, Part Two

In my last column I presented the case for Measure K from the Veterans Cemetery prospective. In this column I will look at one of the issues raised by the Measure K opponents. I will conclude my series of articles next time with a look at the land use issues that are answered in Measure K.

I know this may come as a shock to many of you, just as it was to Captain Renault in the famous scene from Casablanca when he said “I'm shocked... shocked to find that gambling is going on in there” but gambling happens each and every day in our communities. It could be your latest wager over the 49er game, perhaps March Madness, a friendly poker game or playing the lottery. It could also be at one of several legal card rooms in Monterey County. It could also be at our local Monterey Fairgrounds in the form of satellite wagering. All are considered gambling so it’s quite disingenuous of the opponents of Measure K to think of this as a major reason to oppose it.

So let’s look at what is legal gambling specifically on the land of the former Ft. Ord. Many years ago it was feared that a large Indian Casino might be built on the former Ft. Ord property. As a result of this fear the FORA (Ft. Ord Reuse Authority) Board specifically outlawed all forms of gambling with the exception of pari-mutuel betting, this at the insistence of the City of Monterey.

The City of Monterey at one point thought they would move the fairgrounds to the former Ft. Ord so they wanted to keep the cash flow that pari-mutuel betting currently brings in to the fairgrounds in the form of satellite wagering. Yes, you did read correctly, I did say currently. Satellite wagering has been going on at the Monterey County fairgrounds for years and yet we don’t hear a huge hue and cry over it now do we? So why, if it were available (though yet to be seen) would it be a problem in the future?

Could it be that the opponents of Measure K are attempting to divert the attention away from what the real benefits are of Measure K? Of course they are. They do not want to talk about the 25,000+ potential jobs that would be permanently lost if the opposing Measure M passes. We know we have thousands of acres of land for recreation but little Ft. Ord land for economic development.

Yes, I understand that some oppose a potential racetrack and that’s a discussion for later since Measure K does not approve any single development project. That decision will be up to the City of Seaside after the EIR is complete. For the sake of argument though, let’s say that Google or Apple wanted to build a facility on these lands. They would not be allowed to do so under Measure M – only Measure K would keep this land available for job creation.

Since it is jobs and careers that are needed in our community to sustain our regional economy, why would anyone fight against them? They wouldn’t, unless you want the land for more open space, then you would create a straw argument like gambling to divert the attention away from the real issue at hand.

So for the Veterans Cemetery and for the job potential that Measure K ensures, I urge you to vote Yes on Measure K and No on Measure M.

More later…

Measure K, Part One

I have had the privilege of working with some very dedicated and focused individuals over the course of the past few months. These people have one goal in mind - an honored resting place for our retired and active duty service members. They are working to “Keep the Promise” of a Veterans Cemetery at the former Ft. Ord.

In the first part of a series of articles about Measure K, I want to explore why the Veterans Cemetery is so important to our community and what stands in the way of it becoming a reality.

First: a little history. From its founding in the early 1900’s, Ft. Ord had served as the training ground for hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers until it’s closing in 1994. For many who served in Korea and Vietnam, Ft. Ord was the last place they stood on American soil. Many, who trained here, fell in love with the area and came back here to live after their service to raise their families and become vital members of our greater regional community.

As Sid Williams explained at the Measure K kick-off event at the proposed cemetery site, “those who served are bound together in a brotherhood”. Those that served and trained at Ft. Ord are indeed a brotherhood dedicated to fulfilling a commitment made to them when the base closed – that a Veterans Cemetery would be built.

Unfortunately, keeping this promise has been a challenge and some 20 years later this brotherhood is still waiting. Today, the promise of the Veterans Cemetery has never been so close, and yet it is in danger of never being built due to two competing Measures on your November ballot. Measure K will ensure that the Cemetery will be built, while Measure M endangers that effort.

Without getting too far into the weeds of the Measure, Measure M will limit the access to the proposed site in a way that will negate the Federal funding needed to build the cemetery. In fact, one of its primary backers stated that proper access will stop about a quarter mile from the cemetery itself. The Federal government requires ADA compliant roads to service all Federal projects. Measure M will make such a requirement impossible to fulfill, thus removing the funding and stopping the cemetery.

I fully support Measure K to “Keep the Promise” made to our Veterans and all active duty military who choose to be laid to rest close to home on Ft Ord. I hope that you will do everything you can to help us fulfill the promise made to them and vote Yes on Measure K, No on Measure M.

Next time I will go deeper into some of the land use issues that Measure K reaffirms and why it is important to you and the future of our entire region.

More later

More random thoughts...

Its Labor Day weekend as I write this version of Marina Matters, the official end of summer, so I thought I would catch up on some random thoughts this week.

You tell your kids not to do something bad or they will be in trouble. Even they know to anticipate the negative consequences of their actions if they do it anyway. You don’t come back and say in three weeks I am going to take away your toys for a day as a result of disobeying me. Our President has simply lost whatever credibility he had over the Syrian issue. It’s a position he never should have put himself or the Country into.

Interesting reactions to my last column about the City’s proposed card room tax. Of those that have reacted, it seems to be running about two to one in agreement with my position. The argument from those that disagree with me seems to be that they understand my position (and many agree) but the City needs the money now so we have to approve it. Again, I would rather lose the revenue from the Card Room Tax and make sure that M & N have a reasonable chance of re-approval in the future. As it stands right now, the voters will simply not reapprove M & N next year. Our City Council must get a wakeup call now and this is the only way we can get their attention.

As the calendar moves from August to September the boys of summer are closing on the playoffs. It seems clear that the Giants will not make it this year but the A’s are right in the middle of it all. Let’s hope they can keep up the momentum and represent our region well. Our area can certainly support two baseball teams so it’s not too late to get on board and support the A’s into the playoffs!

Of course, September really means that football is back! The college teams started this weekend and the pros start on Thursday night. The 49’ers are anticipating a run for the Super Bowl and the Raider’s… well the best thing for them (or us) is that most games will be blacked out. Of course, as a Chicago Bear and Denver Bronco fan, I know the ups and downs of the game. A true fan will stand by their team regardless… so here’s to Da’ Bears and the Bronco’s this year!

Finally, I will write my next column in support of Measure K (Keep the Promise) and against Measure M on our November ballot. The implications of these measures for the future of our entire region are huge and I want to devote a lengthy column to explain why. It is important to hear all the facts, not the made up arguments of a few with their own agenda. More on that next time!

More later...

 

Violence

California is truly becoming a scary place. Our region is certainly reflective of that thought as we are seeing a tremendous spike in violent crime from Santa Cruz to Seaside and especially in Salinas. Unfortunately, we have seen this before and it’s not pretty. Many innocent people get caught up as peripheral damage to gang wars and needless assaults and violence.

Just in the last week we have seen a running gun battle through the streets of Santa Cruz as two cars shot at each other resulting in at least one death. We saw a security guard at a 99 cent store stabbed to death when he did not have a key to a safe in Salinas. We had a drive-by shooting in Seaside that resulted in another death. We have seen multiple attacks, shootings and even some that seem to target our police that have resulted in multiple deaths. That’s all this past week.

Yes, violence seems to step up over the summer as if that is an excuse. People, wake up! We have a serious problem here and it needs to be addressed in each of our communities now!

We have a State and Federal economy that has produced fewer and fewer jobs, especially for our youth.  We have a Governor that is releasing career criminals back into our communities to address overcrowded prisons. We have a State legislature that has refused to address this issue for at least a generation. We have an education system that has failed our students no matter how much money we seem to throw at it. As a result many of the people and companies that can hire and help with the situation are simply leaving the State due to taxes and regulations, and yes, crime.

In Marina, we have held our own against this tidal wave of violence that is surrounding us by trying to maintain a strong Recreational program despite a City budget that’s working against it. We have a great police force that is working harder and harder to protect our community with great success but with dwindling resources. This combination has worked well to date but we cannot assume anything in the future.

We are in a battle for the minds of our youth and we all need to do what we can to work with them, to help provide safe places to grow up, to educate them and help provide jobs where possible. We need mentors to stand up and show them that there is another way, that with desire and education they can still succeed in their world despite the pressure and temptations.

Here is a plea to all that care about the future of our community. Do what you can; no matter how small a role you can play. Donate money to a cause that supports education and/or recreational activities. Volunteer your time to help an organization that works with our local students, no matter the age group. Truly listen to what our politicians and activist are saying. Tell them to stop with the excuses and do what is right not for our society, not their next election.

Things will not change overnight. We know that, but they won’t change at all without your help!

More later

Random Thoughts....

Sometimes there are so many things going on in the world, in the area and in our personal lives that narrowing things down to a single thought for a column every couple of weeks is challenging. Even the events over the last 24 hours (I am writing this on Sunday morning) fill the mind with all sorts of random thoughts.

Let’s work backwards a bit…

To start on a lighter note, Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter for the struggling Giants. Congratulations! Perhaps ending the first half of the season on a high note bodes well for the second half for them. Meanwhile, the A’s have had a great first half and we hope they can continue that effort the second half of the season.

On a more serious note, the jury acquitted George Zimmerman in Florida. It was clear from many of the pundits, from both sides, that the State had a very weak case based on Florida law. You can argue all you want with the law itself, which will certainly happen in the weeks to come, but this case was turned into far more than it was by politics and race. Unfortunately, cases like this happen almost every day around the Country which is the tragedy we should be addressing.

It seems the world is getting ready for the birth of a new royal soon. The future king or queen of England (third in line) should happen almost any day now. Let’s hope that the positive thoughts and well wishes transcend a lot of the negative thoughts and actions around the world, even for just a few minutes.

It was reported last week that we have more people on food stamps and other related food programs than ever before in our nation’s history. I can understand an uptick through the recession but these numbers should be going down as the nation’s economy slowly recovers. Instead they are increasing. I think it should be clear to all that our “War on Poverty” is not working and we need to change strategies.

Locally, I am proud to say that The Marina Foundation efforts to secure an ADA equipped Van for the City of Marina should take a huge step forward on Tuesday night. The City Council will hopefully formally accept the funds and authorize the purchase of the Van itself. We will have a ceremonial presentation of the check to the City soon. If all goes well from here we hope to have the Van here by Labor Day!

Finally, it looks like the two initiatives regarding Ft. Ord have qualified to be on the November ballot for voters to decide on. It should make for a very interesting election and a lot of dialog between the two sides of the issue. Voters should be very aware of what the real issues are as they contemplate their vote. I will dedicate more than one column in the future to this debate but I will make it clear now that I fully support the efforts of the United Veterans Council and the Secure the Promise initiative.

Of course there is one more thought…. Football season is now less than eight weeks away!

More later

The 4th of July

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating the 4^th of July. What a busy year it has been!

For many, it will be a four day weekend so the usual cautions and words of advice always apply. Use only safe and sane fireworks, use plenty of sunscreen, keep an eye on all the kids and have fun!

That said, it is a time to rejoice in the freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of this wonderful Country. Now, especially with so many issues on the table that seem to be divisive we need to remember and celebrate our right to freedom of speech. Yes I know you may not agree with what someone is saying but they have a right to say it, no matter how offensive it is to you. This is something you cannot control. What you can control is the way you react to it. Rather than condemn or ridicule, acknowledge their point of view and respectfully disagree or simply walk away. Not everything needs to be a confrontation; we have enough of those events in our daily lives.

Unfortunately, one of things that we cannot celebrate is the use of common sense. There are so many things in this world that are counter to us that we don’t know where to start. This being the 4^th of July, we will see all sorts of videos of people doing things without using their own common sense. People will get hurt, others will laugh at the stupidity but no one seems to want to step in and offer some sage advice and common sense. That also goes for everyday situations as well as the overall state of government and politics worldwide.

It seems to me that a few able bodied and intelligent people can find things that they agree on, that they can compromise on and continue to talk about the things they disagree on. It can be done without name calling, back stabbing or threats of retaliation for actions only imagined. This includes the need to be done without a nod to any special interest but rather for the common good of the majority, regardless of the issue or situation.

Of course all of this does tie together. Celebrate your right to express yourself this weekend AND use your own common sense. Discuss those things that hinder moving forward AND re-learn the word compromise. After all, isn’t it the freedom of expression that we celebrate on the 4^th of July?

More later…

Marina’s Sequester Budget

Well, it’s that time of year again - time for the annual Marina City Budget dance. This year our new City Manager is creating a budget that follows the City Council’s Balanced Budget Resolution of 2012 with all of its flaws. In other words, the Council will be working under its own version of a sequester budget.

Section 4 of the Resolution states: “requires all future proposed balanced budgets shall, if necessary, reduce expenditures of a specific department in a manner that is consistent with the percentage that that specific department has to the total City annual expenditures”.  This means that regardless of the importance of, or damage created by a proportional reduction to a department, the cuts shall be made.

Isn’t this what everyone complains about in Washington, how unfair the sequester budget is to specific departments and how any reasonable budget would consider that some departments can accept larger cuts than others? Why on earth would we as a City want to emulate that?

The bottom line of the proposed budget for the coming year will result in the elimination of 12 currently filled positions, including 6 in the Police Department and 2 in the Fire Department. In addition, there will be some 4,000 hours of reduced on-call Part-time Recreation Department personnel. These cuts fly counter to Measures M & N that you the citizens passed “to preserve funding for general city services, including but not limited to, maintaining firefighters and police officers for adequate emergency response, reducing crime and criminal gang and drug activity, maintaining City streets and parks, senior programs and youth after-school activity…”

So what has become of the some 2.5 million dollars in annual M & N funding in relation to our overall City budget? What is the Council spending these funds on? Where is the focus on new revenues for the City that is promised each year during the budget discussions by this Council? What about the almost 6 million dollars held in reserves?

The resolution also states that the City “consider retaining an adequate General Fund balance while maintaining an adequate level of service”. Just a few years ago we strived as a City to deliver “world class” service to our residents. Today we struggle to deliver adequate service. If this budget is approved as proposed, we will not even deliver that.

So what can we do? First, the City Council can revisit the resolution at the beginning of the budget process and allow the City Manager and our City Executives to make cuts where they feel they can be made. This does not mean that any cuts would not be painful but potentially they would not be catastrophic to any one department.

Next, we as citizens must attend and make our voices heard starting May 23^rd at the first budget session. The City will need to take from our reserves to maintain some levels of service across the board. We need to help the Council understand our priorities and that reductions in police, fire and recreation endangers our community.

Additional consideration needs to be given to the two properties that the City is close to selling that would help our overall budget. The Council needs to consider these funds, as other Councils have in the past, to maintain at least our current service levels.

Finally, the Council will once again look to raise fees for services as a way of bringing in revenue. They will need to consider that those that pay the fees are, in most cases, those that are attempting to benefit the Community (service groups, developers, etc.). Raising the fees has, and will continue to cause these events and projects to go away to the detriment of our community as a whole. The Council must look to economic development to maintain our City services, but we have said that year after year. It also does not help that the Economic Development Department is yet another department slated for more cuts.

More later…

 

 

Secure the Promise

I have written many columns about issues of importance to our community. This column is about staying true to your word and honoring the promises you make - something that goes beyond our community to reflect who we are as a society.

When Ft. Ord closed we lost a tremendous economic engine that powered our local economies. To make up for that loss three “E’s” were promised: Environment, Education and Economic Recovery. Since that time more than 70% of Ft. Ord lands have been set aside to protect the environment, 8% of the land was set aside for education (CSUMB, MPC, York, Chartwell and Monterey College of Law) and 15% was set aside for economic recovery. It is the last portion that I want to address.

Within the 15% allocation was land promised to our Veteran’s community for the Central Coast Veteran’s Cemetery and land set aside for commercial activities to create jobs and housing. For years Veteran’s groups have been working to make the cemetery a reality while municipalities and business groups have worked on the economic side of the equation.

Today all that effort is in jeopardy due to a handful of activist organizations that do not want anything created on these lands (e.g., the Ft. Ord Access Alliance). They created an initiative designed to confuse and impede the cemetery and the economic activities so vital to our area’s economy. In fact, Congressman Sam Farr and State Senator Bill Monning have stated “their representations to voters remain disingenuous and misleading”.

It is for this reason that the United Veterans Council of Monterey County (UVC) has created a separate initiative called “Secure the Promise”.  This initiative is designed to do just that, secure the promise of a veteran’s cemetery where it has been designed to be from the beginning and to designate land for the economic benefit of our region. This is the blue initiative that I would urge everyone to sign.

Just to clarify, this initiative does not favor one development over another. That is the decision of the local land use jurisdictions. It reads “… designated for planned development mixed use district and habitat management land uses”. It also “…celebrates the areas cultural heritage by allowing the integration of the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery”. There it is, stated in clear language forever securing the promises made years ago to our entire community.

Many of you may have already signed the other initiative not really knowing what it stood for. You may still sign the “Secure the Promise” initiative. Of course, I would urge you to only sign the blue “Secure the Promise” initiative that is just now circulating throughout our communities.

Time is limited to qualify for the November ballot with the “Secure the Promise” initiative so please seek out the petition and sign it today. If you have difficulty finding it please contact me (emersonformarina@gmail.com or 595-6282) and you can sign my copy of this important and historic document. Let’s work together as a community and finally secure the promises we made when Ft. Ord closed.

More later…

Government Gone Wild!

Over the past couple of years of writing this column I have talked a lot about broken government, especially locally. The headlines over the past couple of weeks show that government as a whole has gone wild. It all seems to ask the very simple question: does anyone have any common sense?

Let’s start with the whole sequester issue. Since when is a decrease in the rate of an increase a cut? Even under the sequester budget the rate of government spending will still increase just at a rate of 2% less than before. I understand that with entitlement programs not included in these “cuts” the rest of government will take on a larger percentage, but really, what private sector manager cannot cut 2-4% out of an already bloated budget and not affect service levels?

So the FAA decides to turn a 4% cut into a 10% cut in tower personnel to maximize end user disruptions while not touching unspent budget monies. Of course, the majority of furloughs were to non-union sub-contractors and major market facilities. Fortunately, Congress (of all people) stepped in and mandated the FAA re-work their budget to minimize disruptions and spend other unspent funds. Why was that even necessary?

On a local level, all I have to say is MPUSD. Once again we enter the theatre of the absurd as we watch the MPUSD Board shoot itself in the foot, again. Let me remind them. You hired a PR firm to clean up your image then you go and try to hire a new Superintendent with an open sexual harassment claim against him. You had a search firm give you a list of 27 or 28 “qualified” names and this is who you picked and you were surprised at the community’s reaction?

It is not very often that I agree with the Monterey Herald’s editorials but they were right on this week. It’s time to restart the hiring process and include members of the community on the hiring committee. Once that is done the community will have an opportunity to get a broader group of Trustees on the Board in November (sooner in Marina as the Board needs replace a Trustee).

I think we all need to remember that you get the quality of government that you vote for, especially during school board elections. Only 20% or less of the community even bothers to pay attention and vote during most “off year” school elections. I urge you to really pay attention this coming election cycle and vote. Our children and our community deserve so much more.

More later

Thank You Marina!

As I have noted previously in this column, I have the privilege to serve as President of The Marina Foundation. It is in this role that I wish to thank the entire Marina community (and those from around the region) that helped to support our efforts to purchase an ADA equipped Van for the City’s Senior Recreation program.

I am very pleased to announce that as of our annual Man & Woman of the Year Awards dinner and fundraiser on April 6th that we have, in fact, reached our goal of raising $20,000. That is the amount that The Monterey Peninsula Foundation (host of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) will match as part of an overall grant towards the Senior ADA Van.

This was a community wide effort from the beginning. We have received generous contributions from individuals, organizations, other non-profits and companies to reach this goal. It represents a major milestone for our community and for The Marina Foundation. It is now up to us to work with the City of Marina and arrange for the purchase of the Van itself. This will take a few weeks, especially if we custom order the Van which may be the case. The good news is that it should not be all that long before we see the new Van in service to our community. Again, we thank you all.

In addition to reaching our overall fundraising goal at our annual dinner we recognized two individuals whose body of work in service to our Marina Community was recognized with the Man & Woman of the Year for 2012.

I would like to thank Sally French for all of her efforts through the years and especially as a volunteer at Marina High School. Her willingness to volunteer and help the school administration on a daily basis is amazing. In addition, she has volunteered numerous hours with the Marina High Booster’s also in support of our Marina High School. Her service has been so valued by the school that it was the schools administration that nominated her for the award. Congratulations Sally French as the 2012 Marina Woman of the Year!

I would also like to thank Mike Mast for his incredible service to the Marina Community going back to the early 70’s. Mike has served in so many capacities it’s difficult to list them all. Mike was involved in the early incorporation efforts for the City of Marina (successful in 1975), he helped to start the Marina Rotary Club and has held every office including President, he has been a vital and active member of the Marina Chamber of Commerce for years and has served as President three times. He has coached baseball and softball teams of all levels over the years and now serves as the Coach of the division champion Marina High Girls Softball Team. Congratulations to Mike Mast as the 2012 Marina Man of the Year!

I would like to encourage everyone to take the time to help out with our community, be it with the school PTSA or boosters, your church or other community organization. The need for help is all around us. Not everyone can donate money towards a cause but we can all make a little time to help others. We have some great examples to follow with Sally and Mike.

More later...

The Marina Foundation

Ever since the creation of the Marina International Festival of the Winds back in 1999 we had dreamed of creating a Foundation that would benefit our Marina Community. After years of working around the edges we finally created The Marina Foundation in 2008. The Marina Foundation is a registered non-profit 501(c)3 public charity. While the future of the Wind Festival is in doubt the Marina Foundation is thriving and focused on our goals.

One of our goals is to benefit our senior community. To that end, The Marina Foundation applied for and received a matching grant from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation for a much needed ADA (Americans with Disabilities) Van. We call it our “Seniors on the Go” program. The van will be used to take our seniors to events throughout our region as part of the City of Marina’s Recreation program. In fact, the van can and will be used across the recreation programs as needed to allow for the inclusion of all to our City programs.

Over the course of the past several months we have been raising the funds needed to see this dream become a reality. As of this date we are well on our way to securing the funding for this van but we need the community’s help to get to our final goal. There are a couple of ways you can help. You can donate directly to The Marina Foundation by mail (PO Box 324, Marina, Ca 93933) or you can donate online at www.themarinafoundation.org and designate the “Seniors on the Go” program.

Another way you can participate is to attend our annual Man & Woman of the Year Awards dinner and fundraiser on April 6^th at the American Legion. At this event we will honor the 2012 Marina Man and Woman of the Year and raise funds for the senior van with a fun filled evening that will include a silent auction. Tickets are $25 each (or $15 for seniors 65 and older) and can be purchased through our Board members or on-line at the site listed above. If you have questions, you can always call me for additional information or to contribute an item for the silent auction at 717-4117.

Of course, The Marina Foundation does more than just raise funds for the senior program. We also raise funds for and give away scholarships to Marina High School (the Don Livermore Scholarship), Learning for Life (the Gordon Nakagawa Scholarship) and the Marina Cadets Law Enforcement Scholarship. We also support our local schools with the Marina Schools Assembly Program that is designed to encourage all schools to hold a school wide assembly each year to motivate and encourage our students. In addition, we raise funds and support the after school nutrition program at our Marina Teen Center.

Finally, The Marina Foundation is the supporting entity for our Marina Christmas Tree Lighting, the Marina International Festival of the Winds and our semi-annual Marina Community Non-Profit Summit, in addition to the Marina Man & Woman of the Year dinner.

We have a wonderful, hard working Board of Directors that does everything they can to build these programs to benefit our Marina community. I would encourage everyone to help support The Marina Foundation in whatever you can; after all, we are here for Marina’s future.

More later

The Silent Majority

The silent majority is usually defined as a group of people that have a common interest, opinion or desire but for a variety of reasons decline to act on their own behalf. As a result they defer to a more active minority to dictate a specific outcome.

This is the world that we find ourselves for a variety of reasons. Most people need to put their collective energies into their own economic interests to survive. This would include their jobs/career, their relationships and their children. They simply do not have the time it takes to become involved in the issues that take time away from these important elements in their lives.

While this has always been the case in our society it has become even more pronounced as our economy has struggled locally, regionally and nationally. People are focused on survival not on the issues that have become so political. People are also turned off by the partisan bickering on issue after issue, so they simply tune out. As a result, the vocal minorities seem to dictate overall policy which we are seeing is leading to seemingly disastrous results.

Locally we see the same people who jump up and down for balanced budgets for our City, are also those who seemingly don’t care about the State and Federal budgets that are out of control. In fact, they are at the front of the line for the handouts that fuel the problems. Let’s all remember what Milton Friedman said, “There are no free lunches”. Every grant from the State or the Federal government ultimately comes out of our pockets in the form of higher taxes.

Every request for a good or service from government has a cost. That cost is born by us, the tax payer. From simple public information requests to major social programs, each has costs. Costs that in most cases far exceed the taxes we pay. Each may well be worthy but government does a lousy job of cost recovery across the board.

Then there are the lawsuits. If an issue is decided by a majority it has become the norm for the minority to sue in an attempt to change the outcome. The result is years of very expensive litigation that is paid out of our taxes. In many cases the lawsuits are really nuisance suits designed to result in a cash settlement for the attorneys and minority organizations that filed the suit. Unfortunately, it’s more cost effective to settle a case for money than to fight it on the merits. It’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s a matter of getting paid for a minority view.

So what do we do about the issues that are really important for all parties involved? Perhaps we need to pick and choose our causes a bit better. We simply can’t take all the issues on, so we need to find those that really mean something us. We need to find ways that we can better express our opinions without having to sit through hours and hours of City Council meetings. We need to find the time to write a heartfelt letter to our City Council members, our State Assembly and Senators, even our Federal Representatives about matters that are truly important to us.

Now is the time to make your voice heard so please make the time to express yourself. There really is too much at stake for our collective futures not to let your opinions be known.

More later…

Cypress Knolls Again

And now there are none. Almost four years ago we started with 2 “qualified” developers for the Cypress Knolls Senior project. We held meeting after meeting as we are so wont to do in our community. We covered every aspect of the development. We had consultants pour over the financial information. We had committee members, the general public and our City Council members ask question after question. Finally we chose a developer. Then we un-chose the developer and decided to start all over again. This of course resulted in a claim against the City for hundreds of thousands of dollars that is still pending.

We started again. This time we chose a shortened process and a smaller project at the Mayor’s insistence. We had one “qualified” developer respond and low and behold he was chosen to finally get the project off the ground. Never mind the fact that the smaller project was a financial stretch under any scenario. Simply stated, there would be fewer units to amortize the demolition of the current Cypress Knolls structures even just those buildings in the smaller project area.

Now even this developer has thrown in the towel and walked away. This time the issue is one of prevailing wages as required by FORA agreement (Cypress Knolls being on the former Ft. Ord property). While this is a key issue, not only for the Cypress Knolls project but most other residential projects on Ft. Ord, it is not the only one. As I stated earlier, when you shrink the project and still require (or strongly prefer as the Mayor did) costly elements in a project, those costs have to be accounted for somewhere. In this case, demolition of the current structures and laundry list of elements to be built would have driven the per unit price way beyond affordability.

The labor issues are going to make or break almost any future development on Ft. Ord. It’s time that our local political types, FORA Board and Labor get together and get this worked out. Stop the accusations back and forth and work together to accomplish something positive for our entire region. Since the economic slowdown started in 2007, hundreds if not thousands of our local construction workers have been unemployed. Many have left the area, while others have lost their homes and in some cases even their families. It’s time to get them back to work. It’s time to get our local economy growing again. So the only question really is: where is the leadership to make it happen?

Of course there are those that do not want any more development. They are happy this and other projects are having difficulty getting started again. I suppose they enjoy driving by the blight - the environmentally hazardous and unsafe structures that we all see every day. What they do not seem to understand is that the only way these things come down is to build something in their place. To do this you need a financially strong developer, a project that will make a profit for investors and one that will benefit the entire community. At one time we had all that but….now there are none.

More later

A Public Service Announcement

OK, I will admit right off the bat I do not function well when I’m sick. This is apparently common to the male species, at least according to most females. I don’t get sick very often but usually I take a couple aspirin, drink a bunch of orange juice, take a nap and just work through it. No big deal, right!

In my younger years I would get a nasty case of strep throat every few years whether I needed it or not. This was a fairly predictable deal, so much so my Doctor had me keep a supply of antibiotics on hand so when I felt it come on I could start treating it right away. It was one of those things that I would be fine one minute then down for the count the next.

I could literally stand up and by the time I walked across the room I would have a massive high fever, my head was ready to explode and every time I tried to swallow it felt like a grenade just went off. I sounded like Rod Stewart after gargling with razor blades. It would last a few days then I was back to normal. Not fun at all but I knew what to expect.

I tell you that to explain that I had never had what we know as the flu before. Never! That is until a couple of weeks ago. I can’t say it was on my bucket list of things to accomplish but now that I have had it I can take it off the list, permanently thank you.

Here again, I felt fine then I wasn’t. I started to get up for work and fell back in bed and for the most part did not get up for 7 days. I tried just about every cough drop, over the counter medicine and gallons of juice trying to make a difference. It really didn’t. I couldn’t sleep due to coughing so much.

They tell you that you only have two lungs, I not sure if that’s really the case because I feel like I coughed up at least a dozen. In my case the flu went directly to my chest as bronchial pneumonia. Once I started on the antibiotics things started to get better and was finally able to get some sleep. A few days later I was starting to function as a human again, as close as I get.

I seemed to have lost about 9 days (at least) from work, family and really any sense as to what was going on anywhere. Needless to say, it was not fun.

This is really not anything you want to mess with. Take whatever precaution you can and make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat right and stay as far away from this thing as possible. This concludes my public service announcement for today, thank you.

More later