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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetters of Interest • , • • 'UITY OF PETALU•MA, CALIFORNIA • MEMoRAmoum City Manager's Ofjke;II English Street Petaluma, CA 94952 • (707) 778-4345 Fax(707).'778-4419. E-mail:citymgr j L`petaluma:Ca.us DATE: March 2, 2001 • TO : Mayor and,Members•ofAthe City Council • • FROM Frederick C. Stouder >City`Manager, - SUBJECT: Letters of Interest inst s ; Subjec , For 2/16/01 News Release-Eden.Housing Naines,New Executive Director 2/2. 6/01 Letter: Gail M..Dubinsky, M.D.Re: Glassywinged'Sharpshooter . Spraying • 2/28/01 Letter:Ellen Dowling P.I.Q. Sonoma,County Water Agency Re: Bill • Stuffers For 2/28/01 Agenda.Metropolitan Transportation Commission 3/01/01 Letter. Frederick C. Stouder to David.Martinelli of Petaluma Poultry Processors Re Temporary Entry to.4104 Lakeville Hwy. 3/02/01 Letter U.-S. Census Bureau Re:;Release of Census 2000 Results For 3/07/01 Agenda:{Sonoma_LAFCO 3/07/01 Memo: Steven Sharpe, AEO to Commissioners Re: Adoption of Policies"To Disclose Campaign Expenditures, Contributions & Lobbying Efforts - For 3/05/01 Agenda: Sonoma County Transportation Authority - . For 3/06/01 Agenda: Board of'SupervisorsMeeting• For 3/06,20, 4/03, 4/17 Flyer: Community Development;Workshops on Land-Use Issues For 3/07/01 Letter: Permit and Resource Management Department Re: Workshop • onsHousing,Element Update;, • For 3/28/01 Flyer: LAFCO Workshop3/28/01 Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act S:\secretary\Itr of interest3/02/01 • %°° FEB 2 6 2001 f I I CITY MANAGER EDEN HOUSING; IN, C. a non-profit housing development'corporation • Cor tact: NEWS RELEASE - February 16, 2001 Catherine A:,Merschel . Ezeeutive.Director For Immediate Release - (510)5824460 New Executiire.Director Named for Eden Housing, Inc. • 1.• ong-time Executive.Director Leaving'Post After Thirteen Years The Board of,Directors of.Eden Housing;Inc has announced resignation of Catherine A. Merschel as the orgaization's Executive Director",effective May 1: The'Boardhas selected Linda Mandolini,:Eden's present Director of Real Estate Development;as the organization's new Executive Director. Hayward-based Eden Housing is one of the Bay Area's largest and most active•nonprofit affordable housing developers,serving low-income families,seniors and people with disabilities. the company has an operating budget of over$3 million, and assets • of over$350 million. . In Cathy Merschel,Eden has been fortunate to:have an Executive Director who;provided stable leadership for such a long time," said Eden's Board President,-former Hayward Mayor Ilene Weinreb "Under her stewardship • - Eden has grown into one of the Bay Areas largest and most financially stable'affordable housing developers and managers. She has overseen the largest growth in the organization's 33 year-history During•Merschel's tenure Eden built over 3,000 units ofaffor"dable housing:(out of a total 4;000 units)-;expanded its bordersbeyond its Southern Alameda County roots to Santa.Clara,Contra Costa,San Joaquin,Stanislaus and Sonoma Counties, and created its newest affiliate,Eden Housing-Resident Services,Inc (EHRSI) to+provide,support services to over 4,000 . of it's low-income residents. Afterlleaving Eden,Merschel will be doing,consulting work in the fields of nonprofit management,housing and community development. . .._ . Mandolini will assume stewardship of Eden s fifty affordable housing and its 130-plus employees. "Linda has a head start in her new position,having dedicated more than three years to working with Eden," Weinreb said She will continue,to guide'the:progress of the 1,200 units of housing Eden has in the development pipeline, and will oversee the activities of Eden Housing Management Inc,Eden Housing Resident Services,Inc:, and Edens other affiliates: Eden's board is very confident that Linda•:is up'to this challenge, and we anticipate a very smooth transition with her assuming-this important position."' Mandolini brings to her new position=an extensive background in housing development,strategic planning„ community development and finance. She was with Edens Development Department from 1996 to 1999 after moving to the Bay Area from Boston,Massachusetts. There she held various.positions in community development andlending. Notably,she was the Director of Development responsible:for community development projects and . programs for the Codman;Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the Principal Real Estate Investment Officer for Massachusetts Community Development-Finance Corporation. Before re-joining Eden in . 2000,she was Director of Transportation and,Land Use for the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group. She holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MBA from Boston University: Please visit Eden's website (www:edenhousing.org) where we have posted the letter from ' , • Ilene Weinreb, announcing Cath j's departure Mid Linda's promotion.. 409 Jackson Street Hayward CA 94544 • 5-10S8211460 • FAX 510.582.6523 . . • • I • • • • • r r y p Associates � { •p'rthopedic Medicine and Ph sical Thera y :.ail'M Dubmsky, M D. 1205 Gravenstetn Hwy,So �'lll� o�Sebastopol ;CAI 95472 - ,� • (707) 829-7596 �� �® February 26.2001 To City Council of Petaluma ..Re:-.Resolution to Oppose,Forced•Application of Pesticides I believe that the agrtculturahwork plan to fat mandates s f or edhomes and businessagainst and the,:glassy winged sharpshooter (GWSS)'),, p• • public:lands- parks and schools iS a SeriouS.threat to theicublic health Pesticide exposure tawCause cancerubiipthldefectsadevelopm nt de'lays behavioral and With fdelayed.onset;or ,including _ -, ' " ` learning disorders, reproduchve•problems such as miscarriage, infertility, and hormonal • :dysfunction; asthma and otherrespirator disorders, allergic reactions and creation or worsening of chemical sensitivity illness; and•neurologicaldisorders such4as Parkinson's' disease . Of-course;all of these illnesses and conditions have other causes Swell and•manynmes there are 40•pesticides "condition.described above•isr aused by an•exposu eeto app cific p stic de tfHoweverf 4a pes c usediio p y ' used in California(includma some considered for forced s ra i<na) have been shown to cause cancer in lab•animals:43 have been shown,to•cause:birth defects; reproductive harm,or rY,. g.: y a associations of:ume and place,•e.g. Parkinson's diselopmentsigni ficantly We.hin r va seaS,o disease ratessi�aificanti hi_her in rural•areas ofindustnalized'countnes, significant increase m incidence of es of a thma or inferalit i i workers neproduction or"applicationlof certain and the home , h <. . . . tY pesncides, etc r from ulahon suffe the health problems - • It-cannot be denied that more"and more of our pop lluted and toxic noted-above at the same tune`that we,live in an increasi igly more p_o environment.-Reported pesticide use in California- between,1991 nd 1998 increased over 40670.. - a Over four rou million pound hat'figureicdompnsed of sulfur and spreader`/sticker compoundsne deducts- a generous 75 80c) that t still isa huge amounrof chemicals released into our air and groundwater _ In order to;.reverse the alarriiing trends m public health;deteHoration; we need to reduce • our toxic.bnrden:Exposure to pesticides iii our immediate environment of our homes,yards.iand,gardens, `our children's schools, our workplaces, or recreational parks would ces or cl deooms.lMo t pest cedes haveehalf lives of days o weeks the most out:Of our homes, offi the •DOr eta ass in'and•out,,track pesticide residues indoors onto theca . Dunng thistime,}people (a it, i ) s -,the,carpets.and,furniture where we sit; infants crawl•and then'put their hands m their mouth"s, and ; ' •:the inevitable air•flow from the outside in insures.signifrcant;indoor airborne levels of pesticides ( d) , continue • T • • •. • 0 • ' _ e t • - page 2 - City Council,Resolution to Oppose Forced Application of Pesticides ' • We are falsely assured by the manufacturers of'pesticides that;their products are. "safe" when used;correctly.The EPA has prohibited these tcampoundsfrbrilbeing labelled.as safe or non- toxic DDT,,previously, said',to,be safe,,is now`banned'in many industrialized':countries and.still . devastating the environment farfrom.,where ittwas used Malathion widely'sprayed against the medfly20 years ago isinow•recognized as;one of the,most dangerous"class of'chemicals used Carbaryl , used for the GWSS,in''othercounties, and considered'for use here,,has been',reclassified •- • by. the EPA at far higher toxicity than.previously recognized. Chlorpynfos, also used''for GWSS, hasjust been`banned'!from home•use ("Dursban"), the to its;tiigh neurotoxiciry_ _ . _. • . We,cannot-.assume:the safety any-such chemicals;<norcan'there:be:stated to be.a safe . dose:threshold below which,no•risk exists • For certain substances, even tiny doses can . • contribute to disruption of hormone function, orcellular damage thatbegins the process toward malignancy. r • - _ Another severe im t pi pacon' blic health from forced pesticide;spraying would come'frotn': , - the destruction of organic farms=and gardens•within the sprat zone:.`Manyofus:choose to •- grow our own food'organically-for health,;economic,:and "philosophical".reasons,,'as well as,the - pure pleasure of eating•the freshest?and tastiest fruits-, vegetables, and herbs. We also choose to purchase local organic.produce'to supplement our harvest, and thus support the small farmers'that - contribute,to our local economy°and wayof life. I'cannot imiggineanot being able•to grow and'eat my own organic food, or not having access to+local''organic foo d_,because our lands had been sprayed with toxic pesticides. ...— _'i — :�.. _ nri'3 l i. .n. .rte • • � . 1 ' ,. 1. ..i• Widespread pesticide,spraying cannot,be effective in eliminating:the glassywinged" sharpshooter It is impossibleto completely eradicate any insect species by'pesticide spraying. Instead,•the few survivors,will breed and create`a new Population resistant to 41, the chemicals previously used;,setting off:a,vicious cycle.of"needing" to"use more,and'more • .. toxic agents,which increasingly become(more;and more ineffective.This is the same scenario that has unfolded' O in the:medical field:with,the overuse of antibiotics:. ver.the last,half century, more and more potent and expensive;antibiotics have been:necessary to treat infectious diseases,'to the point that now there is a serious-problem with multiple antibiotic resistant;strains of:bacteria causing tuberculosis,gonorrhea, and-the more ubiquitous ear and sinus:infections.;The collateral damage to benificial insects from pesticides is similar to the destruction of benificial gut flora anct other - commensual organisms:from antibiotics;,both create imbalance and weaken the•overall "system" impeding or even preventing-the healing:process. . To o l ppose forced'peshcide.spraying on private and public lands is not mutually exclusive of wanting Whelp grapegrowers and wine industry figlittheperceived threatkot epidemic Pierce'stdisease: We.can°all work,togetlier toward a common,goal'.of preserving"the"livlilioods of the farmers, economy of the'county, and the health of its citizens, through less toxic;;non:toxic;,organic and;holisticmethods. Remember;after millions=of dollars were spent-spraying malathion-laced•bait all overCalifornia to.combat'the rued. • fly 20 years ago, it was:thetsimple non-toxic solution of releasing sterilized medfliesrto interupt the breeding cycle;that eventually prevailed. . Please°join p r fell°, ci s if,Sebastopol, Sonoma and"Windsor in declaring your . . committm: t i pr. : t 1 e ealth.of'your citizens and the'.environntent,and oppose+forced .. p. m � � • . �ra : r ,. i le 'Gail Dubinsky; M.D. • •