Letters to the Editor

SVVGA position on apple moth issue

Editor: The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance represents over 70 wineries and 150 wine-grape growers in Sonoma Valley, as well as many more associate members whose businesses are related to the local wine industry. This industry provides a huge economic base to the Valley and to the quality of life we enjoy. Many of our vintner and grower members are small, owner-operated family businesses that rely on a healthy ecology to sustain the viability of agriculture in the Valley. For this reason, our members are acutely aware of the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) threat and the controversy centered on the use of spraying and/or the use of twist ties to disrupt the mating cycle of LBAMs.
It is our position that LBAM spraying is not needed in Sonoma Valley. We also believe that an aggressive program of insect trapping and identification should be continued at this time. We also believe that the use of twist ties should not be deferred until all the risks to aquatic species are evaluated. We believe that it is prudent to allow grape growers, orchard owners and other community residents to use twist ties on a voluntary basis, as long as proper precautions are taken by the CDFA as to the safe placement of the ties away from creeks.
The use of pheromones to disrupt the mating cycle of orchard pests has been successfully used to protect organically grown apples and pears, and to increase the yields of those crops.
We should also point out that the alternative to early eradication of the LBAM is the widespread application of pesticides, an option that none of us wishes to contemplate.

G. Grant Raeside
Executive Director, SVVGA

Norman Goldstein
Board President, SVVGA

Some voters get what they pay for

Editor: It’s no secret that I am not a Valerie Brown for Supervisor supporter. I think that the problem with long-term incumbency and career politicians is that they become beholden to the big-moneyed donors that keep them in their–in this case–$130,000 a year position. Local issues that affect most citizens are put on the back burner because they don’t give money to the campaign and don’t have much political clout. As we have seen in the national election, the people are tired of this type of politics.
The June election showed that 55 percent of the voters did not want Valerie Brown back in office. I would say that is not a vote of confidence; however, it was split amongst three other candidates so there will be a runoff.
On Tuesday and Thursday, when I read her response in the two Valley papers regarding a purported illegal election mailer that she sent out, I thought to myself, is she actually hearing what she is saying?
I would say no. She is quoted as saying the piece is “not an election piece,” yet the bottom of the letter says “Paid for by Friends of Valerie Brown for Supervisor.” Small deceptions are just a symptom of a larger problem with those in leadership positions. If you vote for Valerie Brown in the fall, you get what you pay for, and to some I am sure that is the way they want it.

Patrick Hurley
Sonoma

Just turn on the TV

Editor: Just to keep “just joan” just, one does not have to only just get “ill-informed” U.S. news. Just tune in BBC World (week nights at 5:30 p.m. on KQED, or at 5 p.m. on KRCB) or Deutsche Welle Journal (week nights at 6 p.m. on KCSM, or at 6:30 on KRCB). It’s just so easy to just get the European view. So just turn on the TV, “just joan,” and just watch – and don’t just complain.

Hugh Trutton
Sonoma

Illegal to leave pets in hot cars

Editor: Rhonda Stallings, DVM, suggested that pet owners should “never leave” their animals in a car. In the past week, I witnessed a dog left in a car at a parking lot for over two hours. I was just about to call animal control when the owner left.
California Penal Code section 597.7 states: “No person shall leave or confine an animal in any unattended motor vehicle under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or any circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability or death to the animal.”
If a person is found guilty of violating this law, they can be fined, and if the animal suffers harm, they could also go to jail for up to six months.
It’s summer – even if an owner leaves the car window open, the interior of a car can become extremely hot. Please don’t leave your pet, or child, locked in a car.

Sherry Smith
Glen Ellen

Epicurious + coffee = nirvana

Editor: Not only is Kathleen Hill’s column “Epicurious” extraordinarily informative for all sorts of local info, but wildly humorous as well. Her June 19 column is saving us a bundle of bucks – rethinking the QMII voyage for sure.
Thursday mornings with a steaming cup of Major Dickinson’s Blend and Kathleen’s “Epicurious” is nirvana! Her column is the best in print.

Jane Robb
Sonoma