Dear Editor,
This letter is to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone
who contributed to the success of my recent campaign for 3rd District
supervisor of Santa Barbara County.
Because of your help, in a race with five candidates, I had a first
place finish, receiving more than 35 percent of the votes cast.
My sincerest thanks to the voters in the 3rd District who
made this possible. You heard and
responded to our positive message and rewarded me with your confidence and your
votes. I also want to thank my
tireless supporters — my family, my campaign staff and numerous dedicated
volunteers. Your help was indispensable and gave us the ability to run an
energetic, grassroots campaign focused on the issues.
As we look forward to the runoff election in the fall, I
want to take this opportunity to renew my pledge to all of the residents of the
3rd district to listen to you, to work with you and to be accessible to you,
now and if you elect me your supervisor.
And to all the residents of Santa Barbara County, I promise to do all I
can to keep our county the special place it is so that we and future
generations can continue to enjoy our wonderful quality of life. With your help, we will achieve victory
on Nov. 4, setting the stage for a bright future for the 3rd District and for
all of Santa Barbara County.
Sincerely,
Doreen Farr
Dear Editor,
Vacation time is near again and “man’s best friend” is
often left behind for the neighbors to feed. He becomes lonesome and bored and
he finds a means of escape or perhaps the neighbor forgets to check the gate
latch.
The summer months bring a huge increase in the number of
lost dogs picked up and kept at our three county shelters (Santa Barbara, Santa
Maria and Lompoc.) It is especially high after the Fourth of July.
If your readers care about their dogs, I would suggest
the following:
Try to make a reciprocal arrangement with a responsible
friend, who will care for your dog while you are on vacation, and you will do
likewise for her.
Before leaving your dog, make sure the caretaker has all
the necessary information. Who is the dog’s veterinarian? What authority do you
have if dog becomes ill? Can your friend be reached while on vacation? If not,
whom do you contact?
Also, no dog should be without a $5 Formica ID tag around
its neck. As an added precaution, put two phone numbers on it. If you can
afford an ID chip for your dog, pay the additional few dollars and be sure it
is registered in the national registry. Then a finder of a dog can phone the
registry (at any hour) and find its owner. If it registered elsewhere, for
example at the Lompoc Shelter, it would hardly get the protection dogs need and
deserve, because the staff arrive at 9:30 a.m., they close for lunch, leave at
4:30 p.m. and are not available to answer the phone on weekends.
Regarding the Fourth of July, many dogs are terrified and
manage to escape. They can be lost or hit by a car. Try not to leave your dog
unattended. If you must leave, confine your dog to the house or to the garage.
To dull the noise of the fireworks, gently place cotton balls in their ears (do
remember to remove them later). Lastly, there is an “anxiety wrap” sold for
dogs afraid of fireworks, thunderstorms, etc., of which I have no first-hand
knowledge. I would try it if my dog had these fears, as I have seen the
destruction done to a friend’s home after a thunderstorm. The company that
sells the wrap can be reached at (877) 652-1266 or visit www.anxietywrap.com
Sincerely,
Hazel
Mortensen
Dear Editor,
Charges Dismissed? The abrupt dismissal of battery
charges against Casino attorney Sam Cohen, as reported by Robert Perry, reads
like an Al Capone story. How does one get his battery case dismissed at the
last minute after nearly all of the jurors are seated and all but one of the witnesses
is in town ready to testify? How do multiple 911 calls related to additional
batteries and child protective services reports get swept under the rug? How
does a battery case in which there is actual video of the defendant beating his
wife in public and fighting with the undercover cops and local sheriff’s
deputies in public get dismissed? How does a defendant not show up for court
and not be cited for being in contempt of court?
Why are not any other news agencies, print, television or
radio covering this amazing scandal? Thank you, Valley Journal, for being the
only open press we have in Santa Barbara County. Keep up the good work, and
keep digging on this one. I think you will find some disturbing answers to some
of these questions.
name withheld
by request