Sat. Oct 5th, 2024

By Donna Westfall – January 10, 2019 –

At 2 pm today at the Veterans Administration building located at 810 H Street in Crescent City is holding a PTSD meeting. This will be the first time I’ll be attending and plan to write up an article.

Also today at 3:30 pm, at the Cultural Center, the Japanese delegation will receive a special welcome along with light refreshments provided by the City.  Then the Yurok Tribe will be sharing parts of their culture displaying baskets, foods and a special drum ceremony.

Later today at 4:30 pm is a Del Norte County School Board meeting located at 301 W. Washington Blvd., in Crescent City.  I went to their website to read their mission statement and found their hiring policies. Here’s their statement:
 
“Non-Discrimination Statement
Del Norte Unified School District will provide equal employment opportunity and treatment for all applicants and staff in recruitment, hiring, retention, assignment, transfer, promotion, and training. Such equal employment opportunity will be provided without discrimination with respect to race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.”
 
I found one thing missing. Can anyone out there tell me what’s missing? I plan on speaking during public comment on that one missing thing.
 
Parents, grandparents and concerned taxpayers…. if you’re wondering why our childrens education falls short and we’re in the 40th percentile for public education in the USA, try to attend these meetings.
Then at 5:15 pm is the True North Organizing Network meeting on Homelessness. They’re located at 275 L Street, Crescent City.  Come spend an hour to so and take part.
Speaking about True North and their Executive Director, Mike Thorton, at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting held January 8th, Mike Thorton got up during public comment in response to Supervisor Roger Gitlin asking that a new vote on SB 54, which made California a Sanctuary State, be on an upcoming agenda.  I first heard Mike talk during public comment months ago in favor of keeping California a Sanctuary State.  I spoke on the polar opposite end.  In my opinion, it disrespects our US Constitution and weakens law and order. However, even though we are opposed on that issue, we are working together to solve a local issue; homelessness.
I continue to support Sups Gitlin and Berkowitz in their stance on Sanctuary State.  At the last vote, it was 2 to 2 with one abstention; Gitlin and Berkowitz against while Cowan and Howard voted for and Gerry Hemmingsen abstained.   What I find hard to swallow is this:  the Republican Party is against Sanctuary State. Both Howard and Cowan profess to be Republican’s. Hemmingsen is a Democrat. Interesting that he’s the only one to abstain.  Deep down in my heart, I truly believe Hemmingsen is against Sanctuary State, however, we may never know if the Board of Supervisors doesn’t put it on the agenda and take another vote.

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