The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page What`s InsIde talkIng WIth
Transcription
The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page What`s InsIde talkIng WIth
The Salton Seafarer Volume 49 No. 05 Talking with Russell Kitahara (continued on page 4) By Everett English Ron Oden, the current mayor of Palm Springs, is running for the State 80th Assembly District seat currently occupied by Bonnie Garcia. Bonnie is running for her last term due to term limits. The 80th includes the Coachella Valley and all of Imperial Valley; a lot of ground to cover. On Friday, May 6th, he set out to do that. Mayor Oden, at age 56, has gathered quite a following as Palm Spring’s mayor and is running on a platform of four issues: education, economy, environment, and equality. I got a call from his campaign coordinator, Richard Oberhaus on a Thursday afternoon. He asked me if Mayor Oden could come (continued on page 15) Page May/June 2006 50¢ Linda Lockhart has repainted the badly sun-faded sign to the Salton Sea Mobile Home Park on Sea View Drive. She also has been repainting the signs inside of the park, as well as the Cowboy sign just beyond this one. Linda, a long time resident of the West Shores has painted many signs around here and is always open to hire if you need a sign painted. The new sign looks great! By Everett English Russell Kitahara is an elected director of the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD). First elected in 1998, he has served two terms and is up for re-election this year, hoping to serve a third term. Up until January 25th, he was also a director of the Salton Sea Authority (SSA), representing the CVWD, but they abruptly replaced him with Corky Larsen, who was one of the original SSA board members. Russell wanted to continue his seat on the SSA, feeling that his voice was needed to make sure the SSA finalizes its plans to save the lake as planned. Interview with Ron Oden, Palm Springs Mayor May/June 2006 Congressman Bob Filner At W.S. Chamber Of Commerce by Everett English Our Congressman showed up to speak to the local community and found out very quickly that it was the community that wanted to speak to him. About halfway though his first sentence, hands were already up and people had questions and things they wanted to tell him. Con. Filner originally represented parts of San Diego County, but lines were redrawn and now he also represents Imperial County. He’s had a very quick education curve about his new district and admits that he didn’t know enough about the Salton Sea and its problems, but he’s worked with others, including Con. Mary Bono to see that the restoration project goes forwards. He’s also looking into our local post office problems, as well as trying to get funding for WWII Coast Guard Vets, who’ve been left out of medical benefits. He started by saying that he’s working on getting funding for the Salton Sea Restoration and recognizes that it will cost hundred of millions, small change in Congressional terms. “It’s (continued on page 24) Don’t Forget to Vote on June 6th! Ms. Salton Sea Luau Fundraiser The Ms. Salton Sea Luau Fundraiser was held April 1st at the West Shores Senior Center in Salton City to help raise funds for the pageant to be held Novem- (continued on page 11) Neighborhood Watch Meeting At Dome By Everett English Residents of the West Shores are organizing a group to keep an eye on increasing burglaries and vandalisms since new home building has began. At the Vista Del Mar Dome, over fourteen local residents attended the April meeting. The three main concerns are: The increase in theft, vandalism, and trash blowing from all the construction sights. No builders or realtors were in attendance, but they have also voiced their (continued on page 23) What’s Inside Community Bulletin 3 Churches 18 Kent’s Korner 25 Classified Ads 38 PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #36 THERMAL, CA Page May/June 2006 The Seafarer has moved to a bigger office! We are now located at 2570 South Marina Drive (4 miles from Hwy 86, 1/2 block past Sea View) ~ Office hours are: 9AM to 1PM Monday ~ Friday Phone: 760-394-9167 NEW ~ Fax: 760-394-4774 NEW EMAIL saltonseafarer@yahoo.com Cell: 760-200-6230 Advertising: 760-202-3623 C lassified A d R at e s !!FREE!! The Salton Seafarer Offers FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES & JOB OFFERS (Free Ads are limited to one page of total ad space only) This will be a limited time offer, subject to change at our discretion and notification to readers. Each ad will be limited to three lines (equal to approximately 2" width, Goudy, 10 pt.). Additional words may be added at our regular price of $2.00 per line. Free ads will be limited to a maximum of three per phone number or address, per issue. Free ads may be run for for three consecutive issues (months) only. Free ads may be rerun after a one month break. This free offer will be limited to one page space only. If more ads are received by the Salton Seafarer, free ads will be chosen by earliest dates received. Additional ads that will require a second page of ad space can be inserted at our regular rate of $2.00 per line. Ads can be received by mail, fax, email, or dropped off at our office. Sorry, classified ads placed by businesses, except for job offers, will not be accepted for this free offer. This is for private parties and job offers only. The Salton Seafarer reserves the right to reject any ads that may be considered questionable (for example, lacking in taste, of adult nature or material, copyright infringement, products that are being sold for retail or business, and so forth). Products that cannot be sold in this free classified offer are: guns, ammunition, liquor, cigarettes, drugs (legal or illegal). B&W pictures can be added for $5.00 each and are limited to 2"W × 1.5"H (2" × 1.5"). Sorry, no color pictures. Classified ads placed by business or commercial interests will continue at the classified rate of $2.00 per line. Any ads that don't fit on the free page can be run on an additional page at our normal classified ad rate. B&W pictures may be added for $5.00 each and are limited to 1.25"W × 1"H (1.25" × 1"). Sorry, no color pictures. This offer does not pertain to Advertisment Ads. This offer is for classified ads only. The Salton Seafarer The Salton Seafarer Servicing the Land of the Desert Sea Salton Sea’s Pioneer Newspaper Established April, 1958 by its original Editor & Publisher, Helen Burns Continued by a Volunteer Committee, since August, 1994 until April, 2005. Posititions are now continued by a combination of paid and volunteer staff. Address: POB 5589, Salton City, CA 92275 Office at 2570 South Marina Drive Phone (760) 394-9167 NEW ~ Fax: 394-4774 NEW EMAIL ~ saltonseafarer@yahoo.com Open Monday through Friday ~ 9AM–2PM Editor---------------------------- 760-200-6230 Everett English Production------------------------928-443-5256 Kelly Johnson Borrego Publishing ---------------------------- (see ad, page 10) Advertising------------------------ 760-202-3623 Mary Murray Office Manager-------------------------------------- Marie Klein Transportation------------------------------------ Chuck Leighty W/S Reporters-------------------------- Clubs & Seafarer Staff The Salton Seafarer is printed the last week of each month by the Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, CA. No portion of this newspaper may be copied, duplicated or reprinted in any way without the express permission of the Salton Seafarer. Any political statements or public opinions contributed by private citizens or outside sources do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper. The deadline for submitting any articles, pictures, ads, and so forth is the 15th of the month. Anything submitted after that date may be subject to a surcharge or may not be published that month and will be in the next issue of the paper. The Salton Seafarer is for the enjoyment of the Salton Sea Community. Articles submitted will be printed at the discretion of the Seafarer staff. Thank you for your cooperation. Salton Seafarer Advertising Rates Ad Price Policy: Ads must be paid by the 15th of month prior to publication or a 10% surcharge will be added to ad rate for any ads paid after that date. 4" × 2" (8 sq. in.).............................. $34.00 4" × 3" (12 sq. in.)............................ $50.00 4" × 4" (16 sq. in.)............................ $60.00 4" × 6" (24 sq. in.)............................ $75.00 1/4 Page (27 sq. in.)........................... $90.00 1/2 Page (57 sq. in.)......................... $145.00 Full Page B&W................................ $215.00 Full Page Color ................................ $300.00 All color ads are an additional 40% of the above B&W prices. Please call our office or advertising representative about long-term advertising rates. Classified Ads ~ New Rates! See middle box, this page. News Stand Price ~ 50 cents per issue. To place display ads call 760-394-9167 or Ana Velasquez 760-218-0903 Ads must be paid prior to publication. The Salton Seafarer is not responsible for any ad not corrected within 14 days of publication. The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page Is This Really You? Dates are subject to change (weather, holidays) Call phone # listed under the activity you are interested in for more information. These pictures were taken way back when, . . .which really doesn’t seem so long ago! Guess who we are and then turn to page 26 to see who we are now. . .and how you can enter your pictures next issue. This looks like one of those young girls from Topanga Canyon, . . .but it isn’t! And she swears that she was never a flower-child and doesn't even know where Topanga is. Regular Meetings and Events SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS SCSD Meeting (3rd Tues), 7 PM District Office, SC......................394-4446 Salton Sea Authority (4th Thur) 10 AM TBD......................... 760-564-4888 Salton Sea T.A.C. ( when information is avalibility)............... 760-564-4888 West Shore Ambulance (2nd Tues), 9 AM, WSAS Office, DS.......395-6800 West Shore Chamber of Commerce (2nd Mon) 5 PM, C of C, SC........ 394-4112 West Shores Youth Center (2nd Wed) 5:30 PM, Youth Center, SC....... 394-5541 Nutritional Lunch (Thursdays) 11 AM, POA SSB...........................394-9259 Nutritional Lunch (Tuesdays) 11 AM, Health & Ed........................394-9259 School Site Council (3rd Wed) 4 PM, West Shore School, SC.......394-4331 Dial-A-Ride Trips, (No Charters, just local trips) RSVP..................394-4380 She was twenty-two, living in Texas working as a waitress (which she still says she loved doing; one of her favorite jobs!) and her husband was in the Army. They moved here about four years ago to be closer to their parents, after living in Kentucky for almost twenty years. She misses Kentucky, but loves the weather out here much better. Her household consists of four dogs, five cats, a husband and a son. Her mom and dad live just down the road from her. . .do you know who she is? CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS Desert Shores Improvement Association..........................................395-1722 VFW & Aux (2nd Tues) 7 PM, VFW Post Bldg, DS.......................395-0067 Travertine Srs. (2nd Mon) 1 PM, POA SSB....................................395-5406 Laureate Eta Sigma Sorority - for more info, call.............................395-1412 Preceptor Omicron Gamma - for more info, call..............................394-4457 Red Hat Society Lunch, call for info................................................394-1917 SSB POA Meeting (1st Tue) 9 AM, SSB POA...............................395-5406 American Legion (3rd Thur) 7 PM, SSB POA................................395-0806 Treasure Trails - for more info, call....................................................395-5602 FIND (3rd Wed) between 12 & 4, West Shores Health & Ed, SC394-4880 West Shores Women’s Club (2nd Tues) 11:30 AM..........................395-0720 AA Meetings (Mon) 7:30 PM, Chamber of Commerce, SC...........394-9154 Salton Sea Centennial (Each Tue) 10:00 AM, 2070 Frontage, SC...............394-0994 Line Dance (Tues) 1 PM, SSB POA.................................................395-5785 Howdy Neighbor Days.......................................................................395-1828 Vista Del Mar Community Assoc. (3rd Sat) 10 AM........................394-4477 West Shores Senior Citizen (2nd Mon) 10 AM, Sr. Bldg, SC.........394-9259 West Shores Senior Citizen Potluck (4th Mon) 5 PM, Sr Bldg,SC........394-9259 West Shores Senior Citizen Game Time (Tue) 9 AM, Sr. Bldg,SC........394-9259 West Shores Golf Club (1st Sat) 11:30 AM, WS Golf Course........394-4446 Scrambler’s Golf Tournaments (Sat) 8 AM, WS Golf Course.........394-4446 Swapmeet - 1st & 3rd Sat - Martin Flora Park-SC...........................394-4112 WS Youth Center, 2-5:30 PM, Monday - Friday, SC ......................394-5541 West Shores Seniors Card Club Ladies & Gents Join us for GAMES Health & Ed Building for the Summer Call for more info Hand & Foot Pegs & Jokers 2500 Rummy Mexican Train All games are easy to learn Come join us for a fun morning! Contact: Pat Allen 394-4326 SPECIAL EVENTS SCSD Board Meeting, SC District Office...........3rd Tuesday of every month April 1st-Ms. Salton Sea Luau, Fund Raiser.........................................394-0920 April 10th to 14th School Spring Break............................................... 394-4331 April 15th-Easter Egg Hunt, 9am - SSB Marina, more info.............395-1066 BINGO W.S. Chamber (Wed) 7 PM, SC.......................................................394-4112 POA Bldg (Fri) 7 PM, SSB POA......................................................395-0200 Senior Center (Sun) 2 PM, SC.........................................................394-9259 ORDER YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NOW! A 1-year (10 issues) subscription is only $15.00. Save with a 2-year (20 issues) subscription for $25.00. Prices and number of issues subject to change if the Salton Seafarer publishes more than 1 issue per month or 10 issues per year. To keep up to date with Salton Sea happenings, fill out this form and mail it with your check or money order to: Salton Seafarer, POB 5589, Salton City, CA 92275 Name: For corrections, or addition to our Community Bulletin Board, Please Call Us at 394-9167 or use our 24/7 Drop Slot: Seafarer door - 2098C Frontage Rd, SC Address: City: State: Phone: Zip: 1 year Check which 2 years Page May/June 2006 Interview with Russell Kitahara (continued from page 1) I met Russell briefly at an SSA board meeting at the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation the day after his removal from the board. We talked briefly about the Salton Sea Authority’s plan to split the lake with a dam. Like a lot of people around here though, I wish they weren’t taking the drastic step of cutting the lake down to less than half its size. Long before I met him, Russell has talked this same subject over and over again, with people who really know the lake, and with people greener than me. So when he walked away telling me that I need to learn a lot more about the subject, it wasn’t hard to see his point, he sure was right about that. I felt a bit like I shouldn’t waste his time; after all, this guy has probably got a lot more on his plate than the need to teach the recently new editor of a little newspaper about a great big problem. I asked a few people, who is this guy? Well, he’s someone that’s been fighting to save the lake and has some history in this valley; he’s a second-generation farmer and has a vested interest in what happens to the Salton Sea. I was also told that he would be an excellent person to talk to—someone to interview. That’s all it took. I called and didn’t leave a message, but to my surprise, about an hour later, he called that missed number anyway. My first thought was, “Here’s a guy that makes efforts to communicate, that’s great!” My first encounter with Russell left me thinking that I had a lot of catching up on this subject of saving the sea before I try and deal with him again, but this returned “missed call” gave me the impetus to go ahead and ask him anyway, “Can I interview you for the Salton Seafarer?” “Fine, today would be good. Can we do it by phone?” That’s what we did. I called him back later and he was ready and willing to talk. “What would you like to know?” he said. He told me that his father moved here in 1949 to farm the same 80 acres that he (Russell) continues to farm, and he lives with his wife, two kids, six dogs, several gold fish, and half a dozen chickens, lives in a mobile home and drives a tenyear-old car. Starting with the history of the Salton Sea since it was formed during the turn of the last century, the sea has always been fed by agricultural runoff. Russell stated, “Agriculture is the reason for the Salton Sea’s existence, and there are many who don’t want that to be messed with. Because of the new environmental restrictions, they feel any changes to recreational or even more environmental views need to be susceptible to regulations to what type of water you can inflow to it. Currently, we inflow agriculture runoff, which contains trace amounts of pesticides. They don’t run in the water anymore, but environmental restrictions on pesticides. . .they even brake down before they can be run off. Today’s runoff is very, very clean. The only thing in it is phosphates and nitrates, which are the residues of the excess fertilizer they put on the crops.” At this point, Russell had to take another phone call, which gave me time to not only think about the next questions, but drive home the point. This is a busy man. Farmers are always busy and I realized that I probably won’t have much time to ask more than a couple of questions. But, he got right back into it, not missing a beat. . .“Alright, probably the biggest thing that runs into it is the selenium that leaches off of the soil, and phosphates and nitrates that feed the algae. The phosphates and nitrates are salt, and also the sodium chloride from the Colorado River, which is highly saline—about 700 parts per million—but by the time it becomes agricultural runoff, it’s about 1,400 parts per million. Seawater is about 4,400 parts per million, so our water is relatively fresh compared to seawater. The agricultural runoff is what keeps it fresh. So, if you put water with salt in it, which comes from the Colorado River, plus the agricultural runoff, the sea receives the water and continues to get saltier and saltier.” In the early eighties, the Bass brothers came down here from Texas (Do you remember them? They were the brothers that tried to corner the silver market), well, they came down here and bought a huge track of farming land. There was a question as to whether the water rights that was held by the Imperial Valley Water District, which were held in trust, could be separated. They wanted to separate the trust from the Imperial Irrigation District and sell that water directly to San Diego and enrich themselves about $50 an acre foot at the time, or maybe even more now—about $200 an acre foot. So you’re looking at a couple of thousand dollars per acre without farming if you just fallow the land. Anything between a thousand and two thousand per acre is pretty good money for farming. Anyway, they went through the litigation and then they were sued by the Coachella Valley Water District and a few others because water from the Colorado River flows on a priority system. Water that cannot be used reasonably and beneficially should go down to the next priority, and the next priority is the Coachella Valley Water District. That’s the history of the fight over the water, and the conception of the transfer to San Diego.” I interjected that is what’s happened elsewhere, such as Orange County, where there are no more dairies, ranches and orange groves; when housing comes in, the agriculture disappears and that might happen here. Russell agreed, and said, “That’s going to happen here—overnight, compared to how it happened in Orange County—it cannot be stopped. Right now, they are of- The Salton Seafarer fering me up to about $100,000 per acre. This is on land that returns about a thousand dollars an acre per year right now. If I were to sell the land now and put it in the bank, it would give me about $7,000 per acre in interest; seven times what I’m making right now by farming it. I could see that being a small farmer certainly wasn’t the way to get rich, and being land rich was good for his future, but sure a hard way to eek out a living. At this point, I said to him, “You’ve been representing the Coachella Valley Water District as a board member on the Salton Sea Authority until recently. They put in another board member in your place. What happened?” “I’ve been representing the Coachella Valley since 2004, about eighteen-months worth, I would say. I was replaced because I’m a supporter of what we call the Salton Sea Authority Restoration Plan. This is the one where they draw back across the middle of it (the dam). They have two lakes, recirculation, the wetlands plus the housing. There’s a lot that goes into that. Metropolitan Water District, or the coastal areas, pretty much sees that as their water. California is pretty much water short in the future. There isn’t enough water in California, or coming out of the Colorado River to support Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles.” I mentioned that there were other states upstream of the Colorado River that would be demanding their water rights and Russell said that he didn’t see much problem with that because they would use the water and it would return back into the Colorado River. (continued on page 5) The Salton Seafarer Interview with Russell Kitahara (continued from page 5) “We’ll get that water; it will just be a deteriorated quality. They might export the water across the Continental Divide towards Denver, and that might be a new problem.” “What we are talking about is a wet water shortage; it’s international. There aren’t very many agricultural countries, except places like Brazil with their rain forest that are not mining their underground water; using their underground water quicker than they replenish it. So when we are talking about cheap produce; apples from China, grapes from Chile, grapes from Mexico, watermelons from Mexico. . .the whole world is going to see a rude awakening in ten to twenty years as that water is mined off and no longer exists. Fresh water is being used at a phenomenal rate and increasing. Fighting over fuel is far more popular right now, sort of in vogue. Once we become much more desperate, our wars will be mostly in the courts, even amongst countries.” Getting back to the Salton Sea Authority Board, I asked Russell again about not being on the board anymore. He said, “I was the closest resident to the sea. Of the thirty-two people on both boards, the CVWE and the SSA, I’m the only one who actually lives here! There are two boards representing the Salton Sea: the first board is the California advisory committee that has a three million dollar restoration fund, which is for environmental habitat. They have just determined that the costs for restoration after the sea runs dry would be between seven and twelve billion dollars. I don’t know how they are going to pay for that with the three hundred million they have in their funds. The irony Salton Seafarer Moves It’s Office by Everett The Salton Seafarer is now located at 2570 South Marina Drive in Salton City, exactly four miles from Hwy 86 towards the sea. It’s the first house on the right as you are going around the curve, just past Sea View Drive. The move was necessitated by the lack of space at the SCSD building. That office was just a little over 300 square feet, originally intended as a Dental Office. The office also lacked an air-conditioner. We prolonged the need to move, not wanting to locate too far from the district area and the nearness of the Post Office and Bank, but a suitable office at an inexpensive rate wasn’t available in that area. The new office, located at a house, offers much more space, and yes, it’s air-conditioned! May/June 2006 there is how they are going to save the sea after it runs out of water, after they suck the wet water out of it. The second board is the Salton Sea Authority. Palo Verde has the first priority, second is a valley near Yuma, and third is the Imperial Irrigation District, and that’s tied to ours (the farmers). The fourth is the Metropolitan Water District (Los Angeles). We have our hands on LA’s tap. Whatever we save, they get—we’ve always been the darlings of LA. Over the years, we’ve always been allies of the LA water district. Upstream users want to cut LA off. The CVWD wants to keep that relationship, because MWD is the big dog with twenty-million people and it will help us nationally and statewide in the future battles over water rights.” Russell went on to explain how the Bass brothers (two guys who probably loved a deal a lot more if there were some goodole’ Texas shenanigans in it) encroached on that deal and tried to sell directly to San Diego, who wanted out from under the umbrella of the MWD. Back in the 90s, laws changed so that priority, “quantification,” became part of the factors of water rights. That changed the factor and San Diego was peeled off a share of our water rights. Right now, Imperial Valley has about 400,000 people, but our potential for growth is much higher. Our potential for development, including on the Mexicali side of the border is very high. “The sky is the limit.” Looking at technological advances, Russell was very positive about the potential for Imperial Valley. He definitely sees a great future and is very attached to a valley where he was born and raised, and farming the land his father worked. He can see the Imperial Valley supporting industry and agriculture together, as well as a lucrative involvement with the industries that are rapidly growing south of our border. At the same time, he feels like an outsider to the powers of the county. He said he wasn’t one of the big boys, just a common man. Maybe this is one of the reasons he doesn’t represent the CVWD on the SSA board anymore. . .he cares on a personal level about this land, the sea, the environment, and strongly believes that the future is a big part of the equation, not just the immediate potential, but the consequences. He’s still on the CVWD board, that’s an elected position, and that’s something he is running for again in this coming election. He talked about that, and you can sense that he feels like the underdog, he’s got a lot of support from the people, but he just isn’t the corporate type. . . you know. . .you get the feeling that given a choice between the bucks, and doing the right thing, he’ll be a dollar short, but standing on strong convictions, “I have a core belief.” When I asked around about Russell Kitahara, (don’t forget, I’m a neophyte of the Imperial Valley) people told me the same, every time, “You’ll like him; he’s very much one of us around here, and he really cares about the lake. You can learn a lot from him.” We talked some more, and he continued to educate me about water and the Imperial Valley. I would ask him questions and I appreciated how easily he would say, “I don’t know” rather than BSing me with a quick political answer. He also recognizes how important his position on the CVWD is, but feels that others in power don’t feel that he’s part of their “royalty.” For me, that’s always a frustration when We will continue to be open from 9am to 2pm, Monday through Friday, and our phone number remains the same: 394-9167, as does our mailing address. We have also changed our email address to: saltonseafarer@yahoo.com. Please use this for all emails. Please note that we have also added a second line for faxes: 394-4774. Everett, the editor, can also be reached at 760-200-6230, a cell number. In addition, we also have a new advertising representative, Mary Murray, who can be reached at 902-3623. Maria Klein continues to hold down the fort as our office and bookkeeping manager, and can be reached at our main number between 9am and 2pm weekdays. Because of this move and modem connectivity to the internet, we were unable to publish a May issue. We are very sorry for this inconvenience. We will be publishing over the summer; a July and August issue, which haven’t been published since Helen Burns died, so we look forward to that. With all the new growth and people coming to our area for new homes, this will be a welcome addition to our paper. As usual, if you have any suggestions, comments or letters to the editor, please call us, write us, email us, or just drop by. We’ll be very happy to hear from you and welcome you to our new office. Page someone you know gets elected and you witness a transformation into their own sense of importance. There are some that manage to keep their head the same size, and I’ve met a few of them right here in the Imperial Valley. That’s one of the things that makes this place so likable. I was taken back a bit when he went on to say that that three million sitting up in Sacramento needs to be used before politicians and legal-types piddle it away. “We need to do something, or that money will evaporate. Otherwise, they will just throw another study at it (the sea) and nothing will get done. Let’s get that money out there and start restoring the Salton Seafarer or they will spend all the money up in Sacramento. My theory is, the money is wasting away if we don’t embark on a plan. There will be no monies left for actual restorations, just money for more research. Let’s get that money out of there, even if the plan is 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Two things will happen: First, if the plan is the wrong thing, we will have eliminated it; we can move on. Second, it will bring that money into the community, rather than letting politicians waste it in Sacramento.” Russell isn’t too happy with the long history of people who have come and left here with their studies and plans and then nothing got done and money keeps getting wasted. So I asked him, “What if we do something to save the lake and it’s the wrong thing,” and he quickly answered, “I want that pork here, creating jobs for the local people, creating a tax base and if the plan is dead-wrong, it won’t be any worse than what we started with. We will have to have another solution, but at least we did something. I want that money here!” May focus: Is Your Place Safe? Identify your building’s potential weaknesses and begin to fix them. Common Building Problems Most houses are not as safe as they could be. Some common structural problems are: Inadequate foundations, unbraced cripple walls, unreinforced masonry. Once your determine if your building has one or more of these problems, prioritize how and then to fix them, For fire safety, conducted an interior and exterior fire safety hazard hunt of your home. For help and more information, refer to emergency survival program at www.espfocus.org. —From the S.C.S.D. Fire Department Page May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer Gary Wilson Suffers Heart Attack By LeAngelo DeMisterioso Gary Wilson, a long time West Shores resident, suffered a heat attack on Veteran’s Day morning and was driven to JFK Hospital by his son-in-law, Thomas Klein. He’s resting comfortably (Gary; Tom is still a nervous wreck) and is expected to be back home in a couple of days. Gary is well known in the West Shores as a lead guitarist who has played for many years at many local functions. He is also the winner of the last Christmas Parade’s First Place Award for Best Entry. He also likes to draw cartoons, some of which were in this paper last year, but that’s another story. Gary’s parents first moved here in the 60’s and bought 20 acres just directly north of where the T-M Travel Center is on Hwy 86, where he continues to live with his wife, Faye. Faye has also been on the mends, as she was severely ill earlier this year and had to undergo a couple of operations and lengthy hospital stays. She is feeling much better than she has for several years and is up and around, including doing much of the cooking, which she enjoys. Their daughter, Marie Klein, is the Seafarer’s office manager, so we certainly wish Gary a speedy recovery so she can get back to work . . .right? The Salton Seafarer Salton Sea Battles Continue by Norm Niver What you read here is true. Why? Because Michael Cohen, senior associate with Pacific Institute and co-author of the study knows why and where future water transferred out of Imperial County is going. ( the coast). He and the institute are behind, nearly 100% the States options to “save the Salton Sea.” These options to save the sea’s “ECO System only,” include a shallow water acreage at the south end of the sea for shore birds only. To hell with the economical package along with fishing and water orientated recreation and self-financing of the all included in the Salton Sea Authority’s full plan and comprehensive plan. Also, add no more water leaving the Imperial Valley. This is not a favorite subject with Michael Cohen, senior associate with Pacific Institute and co-author of the study. He has long stated that the “water is needed over on the coast and used there” and offers a bigger economic value for the water being used than a saved Salton Sea. Michael come back to this forum and tell them your State’s ECO System’s plan you accept. The one you have been working on with the Salton Sea Coalition. Explain it here on this forum. Explain why water has to be removed from this county and sent over to the coast. Are you even concerned about the loss of farming in Imperial County? Michael Cohen and I have been around for years disagreeing with each other. See through his concerned argument. Don’t fail to understand they favor one of the states options that none of us that lives here around the sea will ever tolerate. They, the Institute, with all of their concern is that maybe nothing will be done, the reason for this report, and or one of their States’ options hopefully will win over the Salton Sea Authorities great plan. Stay close on this subject. Know who is and is not an operative and even an obstructionist of the state on the “saving of the Salton Sea.” And you should know Michael Cohen, the sea is not at this time, rapidly shrinking. My markers are at the same place they have been for the last 10 years. Michael Cohen, senior associate with Pacific Institute and co-author of the study, I mean this message, as usual, in a kindly fashion. Norm Niver Imperial County Planning Commissioner May/June 2006 Response From Michael Cohen I left the Salton Sea yahoo grouplist because of the conspiracy theories and personal attacks launched there, against me and others working to ensure that something is done for the Salton Sea. Personal attacks and conspiracy theories do not advance the debate, and will not generate the consensus needed to create support for any restoration plan. I encourage you to read the report itself, posted at http:// www.pacinst.org/reports/saltonsea/index.htm. The USGS reports that the surface elevation of the Salton Sea dropped 1.5 feet from January 1996 to January 2006. This data is posted at http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/#CA. If you’d like, I will send you my compilation of these monthly records, stretching back to 1905. The report states that the Sea will continue to shrink gradually until the end of 2017. In 2018, when the delivery of mitigation water to the Sea ends, the elevation of the Sea will fall very rapidly. IID—not the Pacific Institute, not the Salton Sea Coalition, not the environmental community—signed the 2003 water transfer agreement with San Diego. However, it was the Coalition that pushed for the legislative guarantees that slow the decline of the Sea until the end of 2017. SALTON SEA: study warns of disaster concerns Imperial Valley Press – 5/16/06 LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new study warns that if no restoration efforts are launched to save California’s largest lake, the lake could shrink and fish could die. The Salton Sea, a critical habitat for migrating birds, has been a decades-old environmental issue in California. The state is preparing to release a draft proposal next month outlining possible solutions. The study, issued Tuesday by Pacific Institute, an Oaklandbased think tank, warns that if no action is taken, the lake will shrink by more than 60 percent in the next 20 years, creating a host of health problems for Imperial County residents. Increased salinity will kill all the fish — an essential food source for the area’s more than 400 species of birds — in the Salton Sea within 12 years, and air quality will sharply decline as more dusty lakebed is exposed each year to desert winds, the study said. The area already has the highest childhood asthma hospitalization rate in the state. “There has been talk about doing something with the Salton Sea for 30 (to) 40 years now but nothing has been done,” said Michael Cohen, senior associate with Pacific Institute and co-author of the study. The lake, in the state’s southeastern corner near the U.S.Mexico border, was recently the subject of water transfer agreements approved to reduce the state’s dependence on the Colorado River. Under the agreements, officials have begun transferring water to the more heavily populated areas of San Diego, ultimately reducing the amount flowing to the Salton Sea. Already dependent on water flows to balance high salinity intrinsic to the lake, the Salton Sea is on a perilous track, experts say. As part of the water transfer agreements, the state passed legislation directing state agencies to develop a restoration plan and California’s Resources Agency plans to issue a draft environmental report in June that will include 10 alternatives for the lake. Page Of the 10 options, eight would offer partial restoration and two would consist of no action, said Dale Hoffman-Floerke, chief of the Colorado River and Salton Sea Office of the state Department of Water Resources. “My fear is that when the state outlines its alternatives there will be a huge sticker shock,” Cohen said, referring to an estimate that it could cost more than $1 billion for long-term restoration plan. Others said the study was an important step forward. “It’s a reality check that there are consequences of just doing nothing, of just walking away,” said Doug Barnum, a U.S. Geological Survey chief scientist at the Salton Sea Science office. “This report goes a long way to illustrating what those consequences are.” # http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2006/05/17/news/news02.txt Page May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page Welcome to DR. NEDWED REALESTATE www.nedwed.com - (323) 871 0800 Buy properties at the Salton Sea,……………there is no better investment, ……………… there is no better capital gain……………don’t wait ………..decide now………!!!!! Some of our offers of RESIDENTIAL and COMMERCIAL LOTS: Salton City: Sea Way Ave, 2 adjacent lots, R1, power $34,000 (each) Pioneer Ave, R1 lot, power $37,500 Aberdeen Dr, R1 lot power $49,500 Treasure Dr, R1 lot, power $49,500 Crystal Lake Ave, 2 adjacent R1 lots, power$50,000 (each) Crystal Lake Ave, large corner lot, R1, power $50,000 Dolphin Dr, 2 adjacent C2 lots, power $120,000 each Burr Ave, 1,85 acre, R3 lot, excellent location $240,000 Vista Del Mar: Beachcomber Ave, 2 adjacent lots, R1, power $38,500 China Sea Ave, 15750sqft, large corner lot, R1, power $50,000 Desert Shores: Laguna Ave, nice R1 lot, power $49,900 Redondo Ave, excellent lot in nice street, R1, power $55,000 Capri Lane, waterfront lot, R1, all utilities, $189,000 Capri Lane, LAKEFRONT CUSTOM HOME, PRIME LOCATION $569,000 Our knowledge of the area and value of the properties is YOUR advantage! This growing up area convinced even our European clients! Please call for buying or selling. Dr. Katinka Nedwed - Broker, Realtor Page 10 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Ms. Salton Sea Luau Fundraiser (continued from page 1) ber 4th. Eva Angel and the girls from last years’ pageant organized the luau that was attended by over 100 people from the West Shores, Romona, Corona and Ocotillo Wells. The menu was pepper steak, Hawaiian chicken and stir fry shrimp, banana balls and fresh fruit. Ms. Shady Lady Ginny Beldon did a beautiful job with the decorations along with Jenny Davis, Justine Larsen, Kathy Barker and Geni Bates Page 11 Rick Sayers Realtor® Ofice 760-574-6598 Toll Free 866-725-0598 www.RicksDesertHomes.com or f e om rsayers@dc.rr.com our h Listing! y l l e t s e l l I' Mark erty! p 4 11/ 22% Raw Pro 8% How's This for close to the schools! Directions Take So. Marina Rt @ Shore Gem Lt @ Shore Haven Lt @ Shore King Fresh Brand New stick built home located directly across the street from the K-12 school. Among the many upgrades are Full RV Hook-Ups,Granite counter tops,Stainless steel appliances,Vaulted Cathedral Ceilings in the living and dining rooms,9’ceilings in the rest of the house,18 floor tile in the high traffic areas and wall to wall carpet in the bathrooms.There are double French doors in the master bedroom. The home is pre-wired for burglar alarms.Fully-fenced with vinyl fencing.The garage opening is oversized to accommodate larger SUV’s.This not a manufactured home but a high quality custom home with many above average features.This a must see, you will not be disappointed!! 2389 Shore King Ave Salton City, CA 92275 Cross St: Shore Cove Ave Many door prizes were given by drawing with a guest from Ocotilla Wells being the big winner of the $100.00 grass skirt grand prize, donated: by Vi Herzberg Desert Realty. Funds raised will go towards the pageant expenses. The court did a great job of selling the tickets. Everyone enjoyed the good food prepared by Eva Angel and Debora Rock. Eva also sends her thanks to all of the volunteers. Ray Childs: emcee, Nancy Williams: tickets, Vickie Larsen & Jimmy Taylor: bartenders and Dean & Carlene Ness tended the Mai Tai and Beer Bar. A fun time was had by all. Be looking for our spaghetti dinner sponsored by Johnson Landing Oct8th, 2006 5–7PM. Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and home made desserts. $5.00 Map: Page # 410, H7 $218,900 Beds 3 Baths 2 Sq Ft (approx) 1403 Lot Sq Ft (approx) 10000 ((Assessor)) Lot Acres (approx) 0.230 2387 Shore King Ave Salton City, CA 92275 Cross St: Shore Cove Ave Map: Page # 410, H7 $218,900 Beds 3 Baths 2 Sq Ft (approx) 1403 Lot Sq Ft (approx) 10000 ((Assessor)) Lot Acres (approx) 0.230 Parcel ID # 011-051-01 011-174-09 017-963-06 009-152-04 010-020-012 008-232-11 017-712-11 014-161-09 012-201-08 010-534-05 012-391-06 007-782-18 009-161-07 015-544-07 007-282-19 007-431-03 015-201-08 007-782-02 86 012-222-29 009-084-05 016-273-05 009-264-09 8 adjoining lots Street Selling Price List Price Notes Desert Dr. 30k-35k34500 No one can build behind this lot (wash) Azure Ave. 35k-40k37500 Has electricity. Sea View Dr. 45k-50k29500 Has electricity. Rodeo Rd. 30k-35k34500 Sea Garden Ave 30k-35k34500 Sea View Ave. 30k-35k 39500 Has electricity. Betty Ave. 35k-40k39500 Has electricity. Sunset Drive 80k-90k34500 Shore Isle Ave. 35k-40k34500 Rainbow Dr. 35k-40k34500 Has electricity. Sand Ere Ave. 45k-50k39500 Has electricity. Riviera Circle 45k-50k34500 Westside of the 86 hwy. No one can build behind. Dana Ave. 35k 33000 Corner Lot Center St. 30k-35k45000 Commercial Lot Desert Sand Ave. 60000 Vista Del Mar. Commercial Lot Vista Ave. 50000 Vista Del Mar. Zoned R-3. Has electricity Salton Arena St. 80000 Commercial Lot. Prime location Leigh Ave. 35000 Has electricity. Lots of new homes around. West of hwy Shore Breeze Ave Alpine Ave Neptune Ave Arrowhead Ave Azure Ave. 35000 35000 30000 29000 425000 6 Blocks to school Electricity across the street 12,000sq ft corner lot with electricity and views Electricity is coming soon Has electricity new homes close Electricity is close Page 12 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer Letters to the Editor. . . What is Happening to Our Bulletin Boards? As anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows, the bulletin boards of any community are always one of the best sources of what’s happening and when. The postings splashed haphazardly about and secured by mismatched pushpins are one of the oldest forms of communication and usually the best source for information on social, cultural and political activities. This dissemination of information provides an opportunity for residents, old and new, to become involved in local events, hire services, buy and sell and in general form social ties in the process. Bulletin boards are easily accessible as you go along through your daily path via the market, the bank, the town center and even the local burger hangout. When we read these frayed flyers and business cards it helps us all relate in a neighborly way and increases our community involvement, pure and simply because we knew what was happening and when, in the first place! As our areas population increases, we may find a decrease in participation and involvement in the local events unless we keep everyone feeling ‘invited’ to join in. The bulletin board does just that! So, why is it every time I go by one or more of our many bulletin boards, what I stopped to read yesterday is gone today? Who and why does someone feel it is their right to remove the various flyers, ads, and business cards so that those interested in what is being offered are denied? When I spoke with one of our areas local sheriffs he told me that the tampering of notices and other appropriate postings on bulletin boards is vandalism. If the postings, and in many cases this is so, are crumpled up and left below, the vandalism is then compounded with littering. And that does not even include the danger of pushpins lying on the ground. I ask you, all of you, keep putting up your flyers and ads and business cards; we need to keep this information at eye level, but more than that, please keep watching out for who keeps trying to destroy our right to voluntarily read this information, to become involved in our own community and to keep the tradition of the bulletin board alive and well. If you should see someone tearing down a posting on a bulletin board, that is not expired information, please report it to our sheriff. —Marilyn Widd A New Broom No! They don’t always sweep clean! Some times they just stir up dust! With the Election of 2001, the Salton Community Service District was saddled with two members of The Board of Directors who, for whatever reason, were “hell bent” on destroying the Architectural Committee! Now after the election of 2005 The District has again elected two directors with the same agenda. I really don’t understand the reasons that would make them want to disband the powers granted to us by the State Legislature. I would like to have the money spent by The District on legal fees to reaffirm our powers to have such a committee! Perhaps those tow members would like to live next door to a trash dump? I wouldn’t! As my Grandpappy used to say, let’s get down to brass tacks, A.K.A. good old fashion Horse Sense! Anyone who has served in the military will tell you that there are always one or two slobs in every outfit. The same holds true for any community. If you allow people to live like that, it only gets worse and encourages their neighbor to do the same. That is why we need an Architectural Committee. Some of us remember the junk pile on N. Marina, when that man started his business, no one took him to task right away so it just got progressively worse until it got so bad that the District had to take him to court. The District won that action and we established a “case law” for the first time. It cost the District about six thousand dollars, but now we have a “case law” to cite in any future lawsuit. (continued) To The Salton Seafarer, I am writing you in order to share information that may help people affected by the high cost of installing telephone service in Salton City. Last Wednesday the 5th a contractor/developer told me that he was very upset about $15,000.00 he was being charged for telephone service to his property. He told me he had to pay for the cost of infrastructure installation. I suggested to him that he use voice over Internet as an option. He asked me to get him some more information and I did. The reason I am shairing this information is that I feel it is important to keep the cost of homes down so we can protect our housing market and help Salton City grow. The following is what I learned and I hope it helps. Viatalk (http://www.voipchoices.com/viatalk.html) (among others) offers a phone system that works over your computer system and with your Internet provider. Here is how it works; you establish service with Direcway, SBC Dish Network, or any other provider of satellite computer Internet service. Than you go to a voice over network provider and they send you equipment that connects to the satellite dish/computer and than plugs into your existing phone wires. This feeds your home with a standard phone connection that you plug any standard phone into. In other words, you use an off the shelf telephone. Just a side note, With a dish network that provides satellite TV and internet service you can add voice over network and bundle all the services into one much less expensive overall monthly bill (Viatalk sales person).The monthly cost of the service from Viatalk is around $15.95 for unlimited local and long distance minuets. As for getting the dish network, “SBC Southwestern Bell customers will be given two payment options for the DIRECWAY hardware, installation and service: a traditional up-front purchase of hardware and installation, plus a monthly fee of $59.99 for unlimited hours of broadband Internet access; or a new “99/99 Program.” With the 99/99 Program, consumers receive their satellite hardware, installation and service in a bundle for an initial fee of $99.99 plus a monthly cost of $99.99 for 12 months. After the first year, the monthly fee reverts to the standard fee, currently $59.99 per month” (http://www.phoneplusmag.com/hotnews/27h1714131.html). Direcway’s offer for dish and phone service is…“upfront option lets you pay $599.98 now, and then just $59.99 for Home service or $69.99 for Professional service per month for 15 months. Or, select our promotional option. Simply pay $99.99 up front, and $99.99 for Home service or $109.99 for Professional service per month for the first 15 months. After the 15th month, your monthly fee will revert back to the standard monthly rate, currently $59.99 a month for Home or $69.99 a month for Professional” Both options include equipment, delivery, and a standard installation of your satellite dish and modem by a certified professional installer” (http://directv.direcway.com). Yes, you need too give your costumer a $300.00 - $400.00 dollar computer but considering a $15,000.00 dollar charge I will be taking the dish option. I hope this helps others keep the cost of housing down and the development moving! We have been waiting 50 years too see development in the area occur and it would be a shame if building related fees kill the housing market and throw us back into stagnation. —David Wisnieski I believe that the District staff should be responsible to research the easements and check the APN numbers ECT. But the set backs and inspections should be the responsibility of The Architectural Committee! In addition to that, the board approved the hiring of a Code Enforcement Officer several months ago along with the Establishment of Citations ECT. That has never been accomplished! In closing, if you are the type of person who would like to look out of your window and see a neighbor with six or eight cars around his home, or see a haven for rodents and rattlesnakes or have your property values diminish, then you won’t agree with me, but I believe most reasonable citizens want to live in a nice environments! —Frank Kent A resident for 17 years! The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Letters to the Editor. . . Dear Salton Seafarer, I just got to see your April issue with coverage of the 2006 Tierra del Sol 4x4 Club Desert Safari. Thank you for the coverage and the pictures were nice, but your attendance figure of 2,000 people was a little short. We safety inspected and registered 1,500 vehicles and there were at least 500 more vehicles at the event. Total population of the Truckhaven Hills area for the March 3rd, 4th and 5th weekend was 15,000 people. Our Saturday night Safari Raffle was worth $73,000 this year and there were 53 winning tickets. The West Shore VFW Post 3251 sold food at the event again and had a very successful weekend, selling everything but a few hotdogs. Cody’s attended the event for the first time this year and their sausages were very popular. The West Shores Senior Club also had another great Sunday Breakfast . Our vendor area was the largest we have ever had. Over 70 manufactures and suppliers showed their wares to the Safari attendees. A 28 foot high rock climbing wall was provided free for children. Tierra del Sol would like to thank West Shore Ambulance Service, the Imperial County Sheriffs and the Salton Sea area communities for their help in making the 44th annual Desert Safari one of the best ever. We’ll be back next year on March 2nd, 3rd and 4th. —Charlie Parkinson, Chairman, 2006/2007 Desert Safari Page 13 Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3251 Owen Booth - Commander The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3251 held its final business meeting for the summer on May 9th. Meetings are to resume again in September, after a three month respite. This newsletter is my last as commander of post 3251, and with it, I wish to extend my thanks and appreciation to the membership and to the women of our Auxiliary who have made this year one marked (with an)‑ additional note of appreciation to many friends who throughout this year worked with us so that we might achieve a higher degree of success. The September meeting will see our newly elected officers and appointees taking the helm, and to these individuals I extend my best wishes for a successful year. Although we have no meetings in the next three months, our canteen and clubroom remain open for the membership not seeking cooler climes. As I close, I have these thoughts as to what we are as an organization and who we are as individuals; we are people who honor our dead, assist our living, and maintain our faith in the flag and our country, and our religion. We foster good fellowship, we build on what we have and improve on our lives as we care for our own. Page 14 May/June 2006 Interview with Ron Oden (continued from page 1) down and speak with me the next day. . .“Sure” . . .“Fine, we’ll see you in the morning.” That didn’t give me much time to study for an interview, but thanks to the Internet, there’s a lot of info out there. The first thing that was apparent about Ron Oden was how busy and rounded he keeps himself. He’s a Seventh-Day Adventist Minister (currently not ministering), a family and children’s counselor, and an educator. He showed up at the Seafarer office in mid-morning and ended his day down in Calexico, with many stops in between. With some quick introductions all around and just a bit of small talk, we quickly got into our interview, starting with: “In 2000, you ran for the local congressional seat, and lost. How did that affect you?” “When I lost that race with Mary Bono, you almost had to knock on my forehead to tell me that I lost, because it changed my life in so many ways that it was never a part of my conscious thought that I lost that race. There are a lot of reasons, but I would have never been elected mayor, had I not run for that race. I think that people of color have to take nontraditional routes to accomplish traditional things. It gave people the opportunity to see me in a different light. Had I not done that, they would have more difficulty electing me as mayor; just the exposure and the fact that I did better than the endorsed races. They put all this money into all these races in other cities of California, and I did better with just $125,000 than most of those other races did with all of their big DNC contributions. The day after the election, the phone was ringing off the hook and Washington said, ‘How in the hell did you get all those votes?’ Because that was the wrong question, my response to them was “just imagine what I could have done with your help.” When they saw the numbers, they knew at that point. I think when people are looking at races, and especially major races and they talk viability, well no one is viable unless you make them viable. If they have money. . . money is what it takes to become a viable candidate. I think we just need a new paradigm in terms of our approach to addressing issues.“ “You were speaking earlier about getting people involved having consistence activity.” “I think that is very important because I see a political party like soldiers, and if you don’t give them a battle, they will fight each other; so we spend far too much time fighting each other. That’s unfortunate, but if we get out and start addressing those issues, we spend less time cannibalizing one other and programs because we are doing something constructive.” “Let me back up here. Your background—can you tell me a little about you, the person. I take it you are from Alabama?” “No, my parents are from Alabama, but I spent time in Alabama on my grandfather’s farm growing up.” “Your grandfather lived to be 107, yeah? That’s remarkable. I think that made you 15 when he died?” “No, I was 17. The thing is, when he married my grandmother, she was his 3rd wife! My grandmother was 18 and he was somewhere between his mid to late 60’s. They had 8 children and my mother was the 3rd of those children. Laughing at that incredibility, I said, “No wonder he lived to be 107!” Ron joined the laughter and said, “In actuality my grandmother raised 3 of his children from his two previous marriages, and the oldest girl was just a few years younger than my grandmother and they were friends.” “Where were you raised?” “Actually, I was born in Detroit, but raised in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. I went to San Fernando Jr. High School, San Fernando High School, and Cal State Northridge.” “What brought you out here to the desert?” “Well, actually, when I finished undergraduate school I moved to the east coast and lived in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Michigan. I went to the seminary in Michigan and then back to New York, kind of moved all around in that area and after 13 winters I heard the call of California, (laughing at himself) saying, son, come on home!” “You wanted it this hot?” “You know, what I do not mind is the heat. Matter of fact, now, when it gets under 70 degrees, I am looking for a sweater. My blood is thin now. I love the heat.” “When did you come out here?” “I actually returned to California in 1988 and I was going to go to Berkley to work on my PhD and to work on my 3rd Masters program at Loma Linda in marriage, family, and child counseling, went through a divorce—you know, (laughing) when you get in a marriage program, what else do you do but get a divorce? Then I ended up living in the desert. As a mater of fact, this morning I did the welcome to the California association of marriage and family therapist. It was quite interesting.” I tossed in a question that kind of threw him … “Who were you before you were 10 years old?” “Oh wow! I was a hyperactive kid with ADD, who had a lot of love and support and was pretty much a sponge for knowledge, who knew everyone in the neighborhood.” And then there was that laugh that punctuated much of what he said quite often throughout the interview. He laughs quite a bit, especially at himself. So, laughing at himself, he continued, “… kind of describes who I was at 10.” “Was your grandfather around much?” “I spent my summers with both of my grandfathers. My paternal grandfather probably had the greatest influence on my life. Both of my grandfathers were ministers. One, that’s all that he did.” Ron Oden is a good storyteller, very engaging, getting a little louder and then softer and then excited as he enjoyed sharing stories about his grandparents and you can feel what touched him as he continued. . . “My paternal grandfather, who I was probably closest to, was actually a farmer. He owned his own land, and he was the most patient man that I’ve probably ever known; who really took time with me because I was so hyper and could ask a million questions . . .one after the other and all this energy and bouncing off the wall. He was so methodical, and he would take time with me, he would answer my questions, “Papa what about this? And do chickens do this? Why do they do this and why do cows do this? And why do the horses. . ., and why. . .? I just had questions, questions and questions, and he took time with me, and very patient, but also the way he interacted with people. I think I have a lot of that. . .and my father too. My father is really outgoing and friendly and speaks to everybody, whether he knows them or not. So I think I have that for sure. We have a lot of anchors in my family. Even today, some of my brothers and sisters, I talk to one sister almost everyday and the other 3 siblings, I talk to regularly, but not everyday, and my parents, so. . .” Then, laughing at its own incredulity, he added, “My youngest daughter lives with me; my ex-wife also lives with me.” And acknowledging its importance, he added, “So you maintain relationships.” I’d read his bio, and found that his exwife was one of the many that lived in New Orleans until Katrina displaced so many families. So she and her two daughters moved in with Ron. Their oldest daughter and her husband have since moved out, but Ron was there to help them all. What also impressed me was, “You are The Salton Seafarer constantly learning, you don’t ever stop …” “That’s important; that is an important value to me. Even though I am not matriculating through an organized program, I am matriculating through life. So it is important to me to grow and to expand my knowledge and look for ways and opportunity to do so.” “At one point, you decided to become political?” “Well, I think I was probably always political. I grew up with the Civil Rights movement. So that was always a part of my life and consciousness and my maternal grandfather always said to me, as long as you have the gift of life, make the world a better place. That’s an underlining principle that I live by, and all the things that I do. So, having pastored for 12 years, people often ask me, how did you make that transition from being a pastor to politics?” Well, they are pretty close, you are on call, 24/7—in one you live in a fishbowl, in the other you live in an aquarium. No matter how many things you do that are right, you make one mistake—that’s what people remember—and. . .(he slowed down here. . .very carefully). . .you don’t know politics, until you know the church politics! Mayor Oden then shared what the Palm Springs City Manager had once told him, “No good deed goes unpunished.” We all laughed at that one. Hmmm … sounds familiar … so I asked him, “How do you deal with that? As words of advice, how do you deal with that?” “I think that there are certain things that happen in life that people react in certain ways. I carry my own sunshine. People can act or choose to behave the way they choose to. I am unaffected, but unaffected doesn’t mean I might not be hurt or disappointed, but I am not going to base my interaction (with them) based upon their behavior. So I know who I am; I know my path and I know my journey; this is my ship. I am the navigator, not them, not the circumstances.” “Since 1995 you have been on the Palm Springs Counsel, and you progressed to become the Mayor; you are always in a progression, always moving forward and upwards. Why did you choose this seat that you are running for now?” “It is interesting that you should ask that because people have been asking me to run for this seat for years and I never really felt any infinity for it. Not even for state politics, per se. But over the past couple of years, that has changed. First of all, the decisions made in Sacramento in the past couple of years and their impact on municipalities, and as The Salton Seafarer Interview with Ron Oden (continued from page 14) an elective official in a city, I can see how the decisions in Sacramento affect cities in ways that our representatives don’t always represent us, because few of them have municipal experience, and that is some that’s absolutely crucial today. So that is part of the package that I will take to Sacramento that’s missing, …and that is awareness and knowledge; a working knowledge of how cities operate, and the impact that Sacramento can have on them. That is one of the things that I can start to change. Over the past year, I’ve also spent time speaking before various communities for who will work on legislation to sell our waste to the treatment plant in the city. I got a chance to meet more people because I knew a lot of the representatives there already. After awhile I began to feel comfortable there, almost like I’m supposed to be there. “Bonnie has a strong following, obviously. Why do you think you should take her place at this particular time? Because of term-limits, she can run this one more time. Why do you think that you should be in there now?” “I think that the timing is absolutely crucial. I think this is the time, as we also look at changing the governor, that there will be other significant changes, including changes for people who support a lot of the things that undermine the infrastructure of the State of California. In addition to carrying the experience of municipal leadership, when my parents moved to California one of the deciding factors for my parents was the fact that California had the best schools in the country. That’s why my parents moved here. At the time, California had the best roads, infrastructure, and the best schools. I am a product of the California education system. I am very proud of that fact. I think along the way, I didn’t realize how much pride that I really have about growing up in this state and how blessed I feel as a result of what this state provided for me. I think that I carry the ability to motivate pride again, not only in our region, but also showing that our region has an attachment and respect from Sacramento. That’s one of the reasons I’m running for this seat, to reinvest in our education, so that it can return to what it once was. Sometimes we kind of go overlooked; we feel overlooked in many respects. I think the most important thing is our State house is democrat, and if you want to get something done we need a democrat representative to accomplish it. Simply, that’s just the fact of the legislator. One of the things that I am very proud May/June 2006 of is that Palm Springs is the employment center for the Coachella Valley. We’ve employed more people, we’ve provided more jobs, and we have improved economically. When I became mayor we were looking at almost a 4 million dollar deficit. This year we have a balanced budget. Plus, we have new businesses in the community. By the end of this year most of our down town will be under construction with new development.” “Some of us in the West Shores are concerned about our future development and don’t want to see a community that doesn’t consider the esthetics. Using the Coachella Valley as an example, Palm Springs has kept it’s esthetic values with their growth, with fine architecture, and as Coachella spreads east, well. . .we just don’t want to turn this beautiful desert into the big box stores and lifeless buildings that become just things to tear down in coming years, invading our desert between all the traffic lights that will pop up and erase our now very relaxed atmosphere. This area will be growing so much, so quickly. What do you have to say about this area that will require so much of your attention in Sacramento?” “I think it requires attention for a lot of different reasons, but I think one of the things that we were discussing on the way in, is that you look at the pace of the development. Whether or not you have the infrastructure to accommodate it and if not, trying to develop infrastructure from behind, it’s rare that you ever catch up. You need to get a handle on it and pretty quickly.” At this point, the mayor and I got into a discussion about our local government (the SCSD) and Imperial County building and improvement fees and permits. Mayor Oden expressed his concerns that fees for new buildings are good, but too many fees and high rates for existing homes would hamper home improvements and make the older homes unsafe and difficult to sell because people would make improvements without obtaining the permits. “But the good thing about the fees is, it will give you the money to create the infrastructure you will need. At least they’re astute enough to get them up there. The higher fees for new homes and buildings can actually slow your growth down, hopefully enough so that you can get the kind of leadership that can educate themselves about how the city develops, what they want to see it look like, to develop a master plan, what you expect it to look like ultimately twenty years from now.” He then expressed his concerns that electrical and phone wiring wasn’t underground, “You need to do that, because one day this sea is going to be cleaned up and this land is going to be more valuable than you can ever imagine. I used to be very involved with the Salton Sea, and what was going on, but for the past few years I kind of got away, so I’m back in the process of learning what’s going on and updating myself, but it’s not like I have to start in a 101 class.” I asked him about the SSA’s plan to save the sea and pay for it with fees from building over 200,000 new homes around the north end of the sea. He answered that, “I can tell you, Riverside County is the second fastest growing county in the U.S., and just as surely as it’s coming to us, as you begin to see now, with all the development, what’s going to happen here. And I think it’s important to plan ahead, so that you maintain the quality of life that you want to experience here, but also in terms of help, to make sure you begin to address the environmental impacts.” “What would you consider to be the essence of the quality of life? If you were taking part in planning a community, what would you consider the three or four primary needs?” “Well, certainly, air, water, mobility.” I asked him to expand on that, which I considered to be the basics. I wasn’t going to let him off that easy. The West Shores is going to grow and I wanted to know what he saw that we could do to be something other than just the southern leg of the Coachella Valley. Acknowledging that each community is different, he got into the mobility issues. “We missed the mobility issues in the Coachella Valley—we missed it! So we are going to be behind the curve now, no matter what. You see, fifteen years ago, we talked about putting in the Mid Valley Parkway, and the leadership acquiesced, and they didn’t put it in.” His voice changed and I could sense his frustration with this subject, “They put in some really wide streets, but they ended up building so many homes on those streets, and commercial—and added lots of lights! So what they ended up with—it’s really not an expressway!” At that time, you could get from Palm Springs to Indio in 30 minutes on the 111. Now, you can’t get from Palm Springs to Cathedral City Page 15 in 30 minutes on the 111. So we are left with only one corridor, that’s the I-10! And the thing is, the population is going to double! It’s going to be a congestion nightmare! And now, if you try and do it. . .you’re looking at a million dollars per lot. . .financially, we’re not going to be able to do it!” Yep, this is a subject that definitely has caused the mayor of Palm Springs a lot of frustration! “We’re not going to be able to do it! We HAD the opportunity to plan ahead and put in the infrastructure … see now, one of the things I can say is, (tapping the table for emphasis, he was excited about this) in the City of Palm Springs, we have the best infrastructures for a city, especially for a city of our size. We have the sewer, we have the streets. . .lets’ face it. . .we close down our main artery every week for a village fest. . .the main artery!. . .and you can still get around the city! Now, you leave Palm Springs and try and cut off any artery in any of the other cities and they are paralyzed!” “This led me to the next subject, “Now, You want to be going up to Sacramento. This is going to be a huge step; you’re not going to be representing just Palm Springs anymore; you’ve got this HUGE area!” “Well, you see, I sit on so many seats for the county that represents the entire Riverside County. What will be expanding for me will be the Imperial County. So I’ve already been doing that regional perspective on lots of boards.” “So you were already heading this direction,” meaning his growth upwards towards a state level, and he laughed, “Un- Page 16 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer Desert Video Over 700 DVD's Family 0 1 6 7 Home 17 0 Videos 604 New Movies Located At Superburger ~ in the back from Family to Sci-Fi Action To Drama and more! Open ~ Open ~ Open Mon, Wed, Thurs: 12PM to 8PM Fri, Sat, Sun: 10AM to 8PM The Salton Seafarer Interview with Ron Oden (continued from page 15) knowingly, but yes, I sit on RCTC, which is the Riverside County Transportation Commission. I was the chairman of the Riverside County Community Action Partnership. I sit on Coachella Valley Economic Partnership.” And he talked of other commissions and authorities that he was involved in, which was another reminder to me that this man puts a lot on the table. . .So, all of those things are regional, things that deal with cities outside of Palm Springs.” I had some questions written down in an order that I wanted to follow. . .but he threw me off of that because his answers weren’t what I expected. Some, I just didn’t even asked. . .he’d already covered them. Many times, when someone running for a political office is asked a certain question, you can see them stop and carefully keep from getting into a trap, or something they imagine they might regret. Ron Oden was always trying to expand on what was asked, glad it was asked and eager to share. He shares one trait that many successful politicians have. Many people are always pleasantly surprised when they meet someone they voted against, and find that that person is so likable. I guess that’s 90% of being a successful politician; it’s a pretty good thing if people like you. With that, Ron Oden certainly fits the bill. But more than that. . .jeesh!. . .he certainly knows what he’s talking about! I think it would be very difficult to find something about people and communities and local government that he hasn’t already covered. . .and if he doesn’t know, he’ll ask you a question, as he did a few times in this interview. He isn’t a knowit-all, but he’s certainly hungry to know more. Look at his bio, you’ll see. “So, now you get into this office, what are you going to do for us that Bonnie has not been doing?” “Well, one of the things I’ll do is, I’ll show up for votes,” which was ended with a roll of his laughter and continued, “… and I’ll begin with, Monday, she’s in a press conference with the Republicans, that was criticizing the Democrats who are in their districts talking with the tens of thousands of constituency who were marching, and she criticized them openly for doing so. Well, yesterday, we had one of the biggest bond issues in the state, voting on housing, infrastructure, transportation … where was Bonnie? She wasn’t there to vote … She didn’t show up to vote.” “But she ran saying she represented all the people, Democrat and Republican?” “When she doesn’t vote, she doesn’t represent any of the people, and the fact is, she’s been absent on a lot of key votes. We haven’t seen her in our part of the May/June 2006 district until recently, until I announced . . .all of a sudden, you see her! Now you see her, and when she can’t come, now she sends two representatives!. . .I think that’s good. . .at least now she’s motivated!” He added that as mayor of Palm Springs, he’s only obligated to attend a closed session and a counsel session twice a month. . . “That’s all. I’ve raised the bar so high, that citizens now demand a higher level of service for a part time job. Now, I’ve chosen to do that, but I can’t say that the next person who comes along is obligated to do that. So, even weaning my city off from me being at everything, so that I can be able to do more and campaign is a challenge. . .because, I have been there, I am physical, and I am hands-on, and people have come to expect that.” “What do you foresee for the Imperial Valley, where a lot of growth is planned?” “I foresee an opportunity to use state of the art examples in planning cities, communities and to handle growth. Also, it’s an opportunity to look at land use. Let’s face it, when you are looking at Imperial, you’re looking at community spread to our breadbasket. So how do we make that transition, and how much. In addition to the commerce, we also have to look at the tourism. See, because people coming up from Mexicali, to shop, are tourists. And somehow, we are not seeing them as tourists. I think it’s really important to see that influx of capital into our country as investment from tourism.” “Speaking of tourism, one of the problems that people around here are concerned with is that some of the plans being made for the Salton Sea Restoration are strictly concerned with the ecology and don’t have the concerns of people on their agenda.” “You have to have a balance, certainly eco-tourism is important, but it may not be the foundation of your economy ten years from now. People may come because of the sea, but you may also develop industry, museums and cultural elements. It all depends on what kind of plans you have for your community.” “Some people in the West Shores are angered by the growth.” “When you stop growing, you’re dead. When we look at growth in terms of cities, that same principle is true. Many cities take a position of establishing a moratorium … no growth. Well, what do you need? Do you need hospitals? Do you need schools? You see, the financial underpinnings that create those things; no growth affects everything, because they all interface. Embrace it, because you can control it. That way you can begin to look at what are the values that we have … what’s important to us. Then you can balance the growth, so that how much you grow, you don’t loose the values of life that you moved here for. There-in lies the challenge. They are not mutually exclusive; you can have them both. “But like you said, Riverside is the second fastest growing county in the U.S. I can foresee it happening here.” “It’s coming.” Look at what’s happening; the eastern end of the Coachella Valley is just exploding. Now it’s taken a while for it to fill in the gaps in the Western part of the Valley, but it is now there. We’re looking at the next five to six years; Banning and Beaumont will both be cities that will be close to 200,000. That’s a lot of growth.” “Our biggest issue here is water, the sea, the Colorado River, and future needs. We are still under using it. What thoughts do you have on that subject?” “I don’t know at this point what your water tables look like because that tells the ultimate story.” Oden then looked at his watch (always the sign that an interview has to reach its end). He was headed to an advisory group with Ron Gault, regarding the sea; so he’s definitely got a lot of territory to cover. And let’s face it, I had pretty much run out of questions, so this is where we ended. So, as quickly as he entered, sat down and we started in. . .Ron, his campaign coordinator, Richard Oberhaus, were out the door and quickly on to their next meet- Page 17 ing . . .the start of a long day for them and what seems is going to be a long year of politics. That’s funny, because it seems that we just finished the last elections and haven’t even had time to sit down yet. If Ron Oden does get past the primary election on June 6th, where he’s running against Steve Clute to become the Democrat Candidate for the 80th, he then has to face Bonnie Garcia in the November elections. The formidable Garcia has a lot of money and two terms in the legislature behind her. And let’s face it; it’s pretty hard to unseat someone who’s already there. Ron feels that he stands a better chance then the previous two Democrat candidates because they weren’t suited for that office and were poorly financed. Page 18 Borrego Lutheran Church May/June 2006 Church Of Christ Located on Church Lane Sunday Services 10AM Salton City 619-466-3861 Lomas Perice 619-423-4016 Sunday Service-Bible Study 10AM Sunday Morning Worship 11AM Borrego Springs Community United Methodist Church Community Church By The Sea Sunday Services 10AM St. Richard's Catholic Church Salton City Catholic Mass Celebrated every Sunday in Salton City, 11:00AM at the West Shores Youth Center Frontage Road of S22 and Hwy 86 (next to Super Burger) Misa Católica – Domingo a las 11:00AM West Shores Youth Center - Salton City (al lado de “Super Burger”) Educación Religiosa a Salton Sea Beach POA: Domingo a las 8:00AM; Coordinadora: Cecilia Armenta 394-1381 (No hay misa católica en Salton Sea Beach.) Sponsored by/El sacerdote viene de: St. Richard’s Catholic Church Fr. Brian Hayes P.O. Box 1128 611 Church Lane Borrego Springs, CA 92004 Phone 760-767-5701 228 Desert Shores Drive Desert Shores, CA 92274 Telephone: 760-395-5415 Pastor Paul E. Briggs 10AM Sunday Praise & Worship Service 5PM Tuesday Children & Youth All Ages Bible Study - Crafts Refreshments - You are welcome Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall Riviera Circle West of Hwy 86 Salton City Public Mtg. Sun 10:45AM Watchtower Study Sun 11:30 AM Ministry School Sun 9AM Service Mtg. Sun 9:45AM Book Study Tue. 7:30PM All interested persons welcome. No collection, Free North Shore Community Church The Salton Seafarer West Shores Assembly Of God Church 1001101 Compass Drive North Shore, CA 92254 760-393-3060 Rev. Gavin Ardolino (760) 393-0092 Sunday School 10:30AM Sun. Worship Service 11AM Wed. Youth Activities 3:30-5:30 Holy Communion 1st Sunday of each month 2086 Frontage Road Salton City Phone: 394-4294 Paster: John Burk Sunday School 9:30 AM Morning Service 10:45 AM Spanish Translators available. Evening Service 6:00 PM Wednesday Service 6:00 PM Our Lady Of Guadalupe Catholic Church Mecca March Service: “Led By the Spirit” Potluck following 3rd Sunday after Morning Service 396-2717 Rev. Father Saul Avale Sun. Mass (English) 8 AM Sun. Mass(Spanish) 9:30 AM Sat. Mass (Spanish) 5 PM Fri. Mass (Bilingual) 7 PM Confessions 6-7 PM Seaside Baptist Church An independent church, located at 4th St. & Ave. H in Bombay Beach. Pastor Tom Miller Sunday School 9:45AM Teen Class 10AM Adult Class 10AM Morning Worship 11AM Evening Service 6:30PM Mid Week, Prayer & Bible Study Wed 7PM West Shores Baptist Church 3383 Sea View Avenue Salton Sea Beach, Ca 92274-8498 E-mail: wsbe@juno.com Phones: Church (760) 395-1003 Pastor (760) 323-9556 Fred Maldonado, Pastor We at West Shores Baptist Church are thankful for all our winter visitors who add so much to our service with special music, etc. You Canadians do us right proud s well as many from the good old U.S.A. North who are evading all that ice, snow and or rain, rain and rain. We are also greatful for the new settlers to our area who are checking us out to see if we are really available to meet their needs as a Church family. Please let us know where your special interests are, also if you have talents to share don’t be bashful. We are excited about a building expansion in the not too distant future. WEEKLY Church Sunday School Young Adults Class Sunday Morning Worship Choir Practice – Wednesday 9:30 am 9:30 am 11:00 am 5:45 pm MONTHLY The Lord’s supper 1st Sunday AM Worship Potluck 2nd Sunday noon W.M.U. 2nd Wednesday 9:00 am Trustees Meeting 2nd Wednesday 10:00 am Business Meeting 2nd Wednesday 11:00 am A Class for Teachers and Members. The 7 Laws of the Learner Class. The Bruce Wilkinson Video series; 14 weeks of 1 hour sessions started January 8, 06, 6 pm. If you would like to train for a Teacher or just be involved, Join us in the class. The class is conducted by Lee Evans. The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Obituaries James R. Souza My dear Husband, James R. Souza has temporarily left me. He died Friday, April 14th, 2006. He left behind a legacy of love, family and friends. He was born on a ranch near Weed, Ca. on February 23re, 1927. We often accused him of being born in a weed patch. He had three sisters, Shirley Miles, Hope Clements, and Joy Souza of Sonora, Ca. and four brothers who preceded him in death, Dale, Frank, Don and Tom. Although Dale, Shirley and Hope were older he became the patriarch of the family. He was born when his father was 40. So when they grew older he quickly calmed and solved the childish squabbles and as they grew older the more serious problems. His brothers were sometimes a handful but loved and respected him dearly. He joined the Navy in 1943 and discharged in 1945. I met him in 1945 and we were married on June 18th, 1947. We had a son James (now deceased) and a daughter Sherry Sharp, two grand-daughters Tonya Roberts and Shana Garris and 5 great grand-children. In 1949 he set up a small sawmill on his fathers property. You didn’t need permits in those days. This also provided work and training for his brothers. This continued until small mills became unprofitable. As his brothers married, drifted away or made changes he turned to timber falling. He did this for the next 34 years. He loved doing muscular work and was noted for his big arms and huge hands. California is noted for its many fires so during his last working years a huge fire is Tuolumne County forced him because of allergies to move to Aberry, Ca. to work until he retired in 1993. During the 70s he also in evening and on weekends helped out his brother who was trying to set up a small chain saw shop. When his brother sold his inventory and left his customers came to Jim to help. This resulted in an expanding business requiring a shop. So we built a cottage style shop in our back yard. I ran the shop while he helped out in the weekends and evenings. The business prospered so much he had to make a choice, fall timber or run the shop. He chose falling timber. During winter layoffs we often came to Salton City area and came to love it so much that when he retired we moved here permanently. During all this time he has also been an Elder in the Jehovah Witness Organization devoting his time to helping people learn the bibles promise for a better future. We have made many friends. Our 58½ years of marriage has truly been a journey of love and endurance. I am waiting for the time when Jesus promise of an earthly resurrection in fulfilled and we will be together again. Hello to all our family and our family-of-friends! Sunday, April 30, 2006 Just a note to let you know we are almost packed up and planning to head out on Monday morning to our Texas house in Como! We have put this Salton City house on the market and have a friend watching over it. We will be leaving sometime mid-morning and hopefully arrive there by Wednesday or Thursday evening. Since we will each be driving a vehicle (my little Suzuki wagon and the Ram pickup with the horse trailer) it will take us a bit longer. The puppy dogs are beside themselves as THEIR couches are gone and they have to sleep on the floor! But all will be well soon!! The computers will be put away tonight but the cell phones will be working - and we will have the same numbers back there. 760-604-3477 and 760-604-3361. Our address will now be 3843 W FM 515 Como, Texas 75431. Hopefully, we will have the computer set up again by next weekend to let you know we have arrived safe and sound!! Who knows how long it will take us to unpack! But, then, we ARE retired and don’t need to be in a hurry! Besides, our pretty little house has been waiting for us since last October. We are looking forward to another new adventure in our lives - being closer to Al’s kids and Grandkids will be lots of fun for both of us. We look forward to visiting them often! Seeing a new part of our beautiful country will also be exciting for me! We will be able to ride our horses more often and participate in Trail Ride activities with our new friends. Jackie is looking forward to visiting us and we will be back to see our family along the West Coast, too! We are leaving our 5th wheel here at the Sea so we can get back later in the year to visit everyone. We wrote “storage time and retaining of one of the sheds” into our contract with the realtor so the trailer and the leftovers will stay on the back lot until we can get back to pick it all up! We just have too much stuff!!! We have lots of very fond memories of our years here and look forward to making new memories in Texas! Please keep in touch and we will let you know when we get to our newest spot for adventure. Passages in our lives are very interesting and we are ready to begin new chapters! We hope you have enjoyed our escapades and will let you know how things are going in our new surroundings! Our best to everyone... —Pat and Al Wilson Page 19 WEST SHORES WOMEN’S CLUB By Marilyn Lenz Our April meeting was held at the Superburger. We had one with an excused absence and three very small guests. We tabled our bake sale until the fall as we could not come up with a date that would work out for everyone. Please watch for posters as to when and where we will have it in the fall. Mabel told us about the three things to tell if you have had a stroke. #1-have the person smile, #2- have them put their arms in the air, and #3-have them say a simple sentence. I thought this was very interesting information. Hope no one has to use it, put if you do you will have it. Next month we are starting a new year and paying our dues. If there is anyone who would like to join our club maybe this is the time, or if you would like to just come and check us out. We will probably be at the Superburger again the second Tuesday in May. Please come and meet us. Cindy finally decided to come to a meeting and proceeded to win the door prize. Good for her. Now she has to come to the next meeting. We voted for our Woman of the Year. We will have that infor next month. Then we adjourned for lunch and our chat session. Please feel free to visit next month. Page 20 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer ~ New Homes ~ S everal F loorplans T o C hoose F rom S tarting A t $204,900 Presented by... The MARIO PEREZ Team (760) (760) (760) (760) (760) 250-5398 327-7141 578-6723 272-5458 250-2175 OPEN HOUSE @ MODEL EVERY SATURDAY FROM 10 AM–3 PM The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 21 The Lori Bowers Group Prudential California Realty Andy has worked with The Lori Bow- Meet Andy Kress… ers Group since obtaining his real estate license in 2004. One of the “younger” members of the group, Andy has boundless energy for life and to devote to his clients. During his rookie year, Andy racked up a phenomenal $25,000,000 in sales representing both buyers and sellers. In addition to home sales, Andy is very busy locating commercial, industrial, and vacant land for developers, too. An all-around, service oriented guy, Andy works tirelessly to get the best results for every one of his clients. You can reach Andy at 760.464.1789. Remember, if you are thinking of buying or selling real estate,call us… WE GET RESULTS!!! 760.831-1595 Check Out Our Active Listings in the Salton Sea Area!: 424 Naples Lane Desert Shores ~ $299,900 rywaterfront ble Here is your chance otorown property! This home is well maintained, vaila r open and airyn and is situated right on the ge o water at the Salton Sea – don’t wait for the o price to skyrocket! S N L A Too New for Photo! 3440 Niland VISTA DEL MAR HOMES, Salton City - $269,900 New Construction! See model at 1238 Red Sea Friday & Saturday 11-3 and Sunday, Noon-3 These homes offer 3 bd, 2 ba, large island kitchen w/ granite counters + full decorative tile backsplash. Oversized 2 car gar, ceiling fans throughout, large lot! The beautifully constructed homes have nicer features than many homes at twice their price! Salton Sea Beach ~ $159,000 Here is a triple wide manufactured home on a double lot! 2 bd, 2 ba, covered carport and very near the sea, so you can enjoy the views and the breezes! 99490 Dolphin Drive North Shore ~ $110,000 Large corner lot with magnificent views of the Salton Sea and mountains. The home needs major repair/update work before it is ready to live in, but has a lot of potential. Perfect opportunity for an investor. This is a probate sale. The Lori Bowers Group ~ 760 - 831-1595 You can reach any of us by calling our office at 760.777-4400 To see these, or any home in the Coachella Valley area, give us a call… You will be glad you did! Page 22 May/June 2006 So l d Thanks to the Salton Seafarer. Many people, including the new owner of this home, saw it first in this paper. Look for new custom homes by PL Homes in this paper soon. Call me if you have a special custom home you want built. Thanks, Paul We build them. . .one at a time! LIC # 863729 Desert Landscaping has been added! Come put the final touches on this beautiful 4 bed 2 bath home. Approx. 1,565sf + 562sf garage. Truly a custom home, the only one of it’s kind! Come compare before you purchase. Upgraded everything! Custom F.P. vaulted ceilings, light pot-shelves, architectural framing throughout! R.V. Electrical hook-up, insulated interior walls, prewired Direct T.V. Concrete patio and side walks around the home! Fenced yard; very private! Stainless Steel Appliances Pueblo Fireplace Home is shown on Saturdays Between 9:00 and 3:00 2158 Acapulco Ave, Salton City Excellent Area! A Good Neighbor Stanley and Barbara Perkins was not just looking to own a new business. They were excited about the plans for the Travel Center, Casino and other development for the area shown to them by Rodney Bonner, President of Selnek Is Tem Al Corporation, which manages and operates the Torres Martinez Travel Center. The Couples almost twenty years in the food service business, Stan’s 35 years in fire service and Barbara’s 16 years of customer service as a Flight Attendant for American Airlines, taught them that people are less interested in what you know and most interested in how much you care. Therefore, in July when they set out to open Cody’s Cafe located in the Torres Martinez Travel Arched Openings PL Homes INC 310 S. Twin Oaks Rd. San Marcos, Ca 92708 Phone: (760) 591 - 3003 Cell: (760) 271-5879 Fax: (760) 591 - 4043 See it on: owners.com ID: TPG5042 Center on Hwy.86 in Salton Sea Beach, they began to visit the local communities in an effort to meet as many of their potential customers as possible. It was a priority to create an atmosphere that was appropriate for travelers passing through and equally as important to meet the needs of the local communities. Within a matter of months Cody’s Cafe has become more than a great place to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cody’s Cafe has become a contributor to the area and a Good Neighbor. Cody’s Cafe is committed to employing the most customer friendly employees from the surrounding communities. The entire staff are local residents that are well know and respected. Cody’s Cafe has participated in: Treasure Trails, Tierra Del Sol, the annual The Salton Seafarer WS Needs Deputies By Everett English Deputy Badena, while attending a Neighborhood Watch meeting at the Vista Del Mar Dome, talked about what the Sheriff’s Department is doing about the crime in the West Shores aria and discussed the lack of deputies in this area as being a problem of not enough funding for that department by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. The Sheriff’s Department is also underpaid, so there has been a large attrition to other law enforcement agencies where deputies and police officers make 25% more. The Imperial County Sheriffs Department is now short about forty officers, so if you would like to voice your concerns about this, contact our District County Board Supervisor, Gary Wyatt at 482-4613 or 351-2681, or you can attend the County Board meetings that are held every Tuesday morning at 10am in El Centro at the County Board. We have three deputies and one sergeant assigned to our area. That leaves us one deputy short of what is needed for minimum coverage of the West Shores. There is only one deputy stationed at a time on twelve-hour shifts and when they have to transport a suspect to Brawley or El Centro, we are often left with no one patrolling our neighborhoods. When that happens, the Highway Patrol and Border Patrol Officers have answered emergency calls. They also serve as back-ups when our local sheriff needs assistance on calls. We are supposed to have four deputies assigned to the West Shores, but Imperial County budget restraints have kept the Sheriff’s Department Christmas Parade, donated meal gift certificates to support local school events, hosted the volunteer Salton Sea Beach, Fire Dept., VFW luncheon, Torres Martinez Tribal Council, become a member of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce and a supporter of this fine voice of the Salton Sea. The Weekly drawing awards a business or individual customer a free meal of their choice. For the month of April all seniors will be given a 10% discount on breakfast before 11am! All you have to do is remember to say Congratulations to Cindy Pennington of Desert Shores and Melissa Lunardini of Salton Sea Beach both employees of the month. You too can be a good neighbor by letting them know how proud we all are of them. from assigning another officer to our area. At least three days a week, there is a four hour gap between shifts, which leaves the West Shores with no deputy on duty. The West Shores Sheriff’s substation patrols as far south as Ocotillo Wells and Hwy 78 and up to the Riverside County line. They also patrol into the Badlands towards Borrego Springs to the San Diego County Line. That’s a lot of area for the one patrol car on duty to cover, and Deputy Badena voiced his concerns that if someone has an emergency while the sheriff is 30+ miles away; that can be a very serious problem. Badena usually works the day shift, and since the Salton Seafarer’s office was right next door (now moved to South Marina Drive) to theirs, we could see that he’s been very busy, usually bringing in at least one suspect a day, sometimes two, although, many have been for outstanding warrants. When the construction accelerated about a year ago, so did the crime rate. Before then, West Shores had the lowest crime rate in Imperial County! West Shores is getting higher on that list and our Sheriffs have been rounding up the bad guys, but thefts at construction sites have increased past the local sheriff’s substations ability to properly patrol the West Shores. Rental housing has increased, so landlords need to be more careful about who they rent to and run more thorough background checks. The streets in Salton City are very hard to figure out, so this can also be a problem if back-up is needed and they aren’t familiar with the area. The Salton Seafarer Neighborhood Watch Meeting (continued from page 1) concerns at their monthly meeting at the Dome. Most of the increased thefts and vandalisms have been at construction sites, involving construction materials and tools. The builders have also made better efforts to keep materials from blowing away, but that’s exacerbated by our winds that have been upwards of 50 mph. Neighborhood Watch meetings will be held each month on the 3rd Tuesday. Builders have offered to donate a vehicle for a neighborhood watch patrol program. Many new homes, still under construction, have had many windows broken, most likely by local teenagers. New carpets and air conditioners have been stolen as quickly as they’ve been installed. Most of the new homes are in the Vista Del Mar area, and West of Hwy 86. These areas are sparsely populated and need a neighborhood watch patrol, so volunteers would be appreciated. One builder has decided to stop construction of any new homes past his current ones already being built, feeling that the costs have been too high and that West Shores has too many conflicts that need to be solved. There has also been an increase in graffiti in all West Shores’ neighborhoods. Some May/June 2006 residents believe this is a sign of gang activity, but Sergeant Toladano has said that it’s most likely just local teenagers. The Sheriff’s Department hasn’t seen any signs of gang activity in the West Shores. Deputy Badena attended this meeting and talked about what the Sheriff’s Department is doing to lower the crime in the West Shores aria and discussed the lack of deputies in this area as being a problem of not enough funding for that department by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors. Deputy Badena said that the TorresMartinez Tribe has offered to provide for more deputies and a substation when their casino opens, but this would be primarily for the casino. A fourth problem was also mentioned: off-road vehicles. Badena said that there is a special team of deputies that is coming out here every weekend now and aggressively ticketing anyone that isn’t licensed or without plates. Being as remote as the West Shores is, it’s necessary that local residents take part in watching out for their neighbors, even though many of us in Salton City live over 1,000 feet from our nearest neighbor. Desert Shores and Salton Sea Beach is much more populated with neighbors very close to each other, but they have also seen an increase in burglaries and concerns with people cruising their streets at odd hours. There was some discussion of which phone numbers to use when calling the Sheriff. If it’s an emergency, always call 9-1-1. Most other reports should be to the Sheriffs Dispatch number: 339-6311. It’s very important that those two numbers are used for any needs for a sheriff’s assistance. The Sheriff’s Department determines an area’s need for more officers by how many calls they log. So if you call the local substation, it doesn’t get logged into the Sheriffs dispatch log. Do not call the local substation for a crime report, they are seldom in the station; it’s much faster to call the dispatcher. If you need to talk to a local sheriff about other matters, our local substation phone number is: 394-4114. Their office is in the SCSD building on Frontage Road, in Salton City. The sheriff on duty caries a cell phone and that number is 427-5474, but use that number only in regards to a follow up to a report. Again, call 9-1-1 or dispatch for emergencies and reporting a crime. Those calls need to be on their logs so they have an accurate count of crime reports. It was noted at this meeting that we all need to have a high-powered flashlight and a good pair of binoculars to aid our neighborhood watch. Million watt flashlights are available as A Sheriffs Association Protest Goes Awry by Everett English The Imperial County Sheriffs Association is frustrated with the county’s refusal to come up with the funding for more deputies and to bring their pay up to the level of local police departments. Sheriff Carter, who is retiring this year, has gone to the Imperial County District Board of Supervisors asking for more money to hire more deputies and increase pay so current deputies would stay with the department instead of leaving for local police departments that pay 25% more than the Sheriffs Department. The Supervisors rejected his request, saying the county is short of funds. Carter also requested that certain funds already OK’d for his department be shifted from their current usage to help fund his requests, but that was rejected too. Right now, the department is short over forty deputies, with more leaving every month. Their primary reason for leaving is the low pay. The Sheriffs Association, which is separate of the department and represents the deputies, has been very vocal about this issue and has also had ads in Imperial newspa- pers, including this one. Deputies assigned to the West Shores have asked the builders to help them with this problem with the IC District Board, but the builders largely said that they wouldn’t get involved. The Sheriffs Association hired a public relations representative and that person decided to put up a sign on Hwy 86 near Travertine Rock on Thursday, May 25th, which caused many residents, builders and realtors to get very angry with the Sheriffs Association as well as the Sheriffs Department. The sign was a response to their inability to get more deputies assigned to the West Shores and the increase of crime that is mostly due to the new construction. Sergeant Toladano said that many people voiced their anger with him as well as yelling at him when he stopped to take a picture of the sign on the highway. He also said that he was unaware that the sign was put up until it was too late. He personally called the Association representative and said that the sign should be taken down. The sign was taken down the next morning because of all the negative reactions to it. Page 23 low as $20.00 and can light up a house ¼ miles away. I know, because I stopped a burglary at a neighbor’s house one night with one of those, and that was over 500 yards away. He broke the window in back of the house, but got away with nothing. He was lit up well enough to see what he was wearing and the truck he took off in. That light was so bright; he probably thought he was going to be hit by a train. There are also flashlights up to 4 million watts at the big home centers. Big Five outlets have weekly sales and you can get an $80 pair of binoculars for as little as $15, so watch for their ads every weekend in the Desert Sun. A good pair of binoculars will help you read a license plate from a distance. A number like 10 or 12 × 45 is very good. The first number is the magnification power, and the second number is its light gathering ability. The higher that second number, the better you will see in low-light conditions. Deputy Badena also said that anytime someone is leaving their home unoccupied for extended periods of time, they should notify our substation in writing, including contact phone numbers, so they can keep an eye on their property while on their daily patrols. Many homes in the West Shores are owned by snowbirds and become easy targets for burglaries. He also said that residents should get light timers and not leave the porch light on at all times, as this just shows burglars that no one is home; so does leaving the gate locked. There have been previous Neighborhood Watch meetings in Desert Shores, and Sergeant Toladano has voiced his own concerns about our area. Toladano is a local resident, so he has a personal commitment to the West Shores. He’s easy to spot, because he’s the one who’s always got a big grin on his face and quick with a laugh. Watch the construction sites near your home, and if you see someone at a site that you think shouldn’t be there, call the sheriff. If you see someone loading a vehicle during off-hours, rather than unloading, that’s a good reason to call the sheriff. If you would like more information about future Neighborhood Watch meetings, or volunteering (a GREAT BIG NEED!), please call Joan Cloyd at the Vista Del Mar Dome at: 394-4477. In the future, it would probably be better if all three local communities hold one meeting a month at one location. This will give the sheriff a better opportunity to communicate with everyone and help Desert Shores, Salton Sea Beach and Salton City get better organized. Page 24 May/June 2006 Bob Filner (continued from page 1) a crime to let it be in the condition it’s in, and it’s a crime to let it continue. I pledge to invest that and get something done.” Filner continued on, “I’m also looking at the whole valley, in terms of Eco-tourism; that is ecology based tourism. We have an incredible desert; we have an incredible sea; we have Indian artifacts; we have geothermal works; we have sand dunes; it is an incredible resource.” He went on to say that he’s represented the Valley for four years and been in congress for fourteen years and that he’s a Democrat and Ms Bono is a Republican and that the two of them should be able to get the funds that are needed. Filner then said that we need to have a consensus of what is needed and that’s when the people in attendance started in with just the opposite. There is now consensus about restoring the Salton Sea and all sides seemed to be there at the W.S. Chamber of Commerce. “OK, I guess this is where I get to listen.” … and he did … but first he reemphasized that “… there has to be a consensus!” … “But first the bad news. We have incredible debts. This war is costing us a billion dollars every two and a half days.” Grumbling and mumbling could be heard at that point as Filner continued on “You can’t do a lot of other things when your government has that priority. … we can’t do a lot of other things.” He added his frustration that, “Veter- ans are going to have to take the brunt of it and I think that’s a disgrace.” His audience could be heard grumbling in agreement on that one. His highest position is on the Veteran’s Committee and said that he and that committee, “… have been fighting to make sure the president understands that supporting the troops also means supporting the veterans that come home from that war and who have come home from other wars. We made a promise to you, and we haven’t kept that promise.” Then he talked about the problems in Washington being “a toxic environment, but not as toxic as the Salton Sea.” … “Everybody fights over every little thing for every little advantage and unfortunately, nothing gets done … that’s the problem for all of us.” At this point Simon, a local attorney, interjected that the sea is not toxic and Filner started listening … People started discussing their different views on the “restoration plan” and it showed our congressman again, that people around here don’t have a consensus, but we certainly do have some very strong opinions! Norm Niver talked about the Salton Sea Authority’s plan as the only one that’s going forward and you could hear his frustration with the constant battle to bring that forward and being accepted. Ron Spears asked the congressman if we could get more funding for the SSA, which will soon be running out of funds. Filner agreed that was the first thing The Salton Seafarer we need to do. He said that he would work with Bono and Hunter (who used to represent this area) and felt that they could get something done about more funding. “We also need to get together with all the officials and have a summit meeting, and I can put that together.” People in the audience voiced their objections to the plan to dam the Salton Sea and Filner said that at another meeting he heard the state’s proposals, and, “I didn’t hear a word about the people, or economy or recreation. They are just saving habitat and that’s it. I thought that was very strange. As long as we are doing something, we should also make it part of a renewed recreation area as well.” He was then told about our frustration that there seems to be three plans; the state, the federal, and the Salton Sea Authority and how will a decision on a plan be made. He was also reminded that other plans are workable, such as bringing in water from the ocean but the DWR was tasked with environmental solutions and didn’t have other considerations, such as the people and economic growth in their task. Filner said that he’s been studying the problem over the years that he’s represented us and came to the same conclusions. Ingrid Vigeant, an activist for a more artistic environment reminded the congressman that sometimes priorities become green lawns, golf courses and urban sprawl and we should be we should try and preserve as much of our nature and plan our communities so they have the lowest impact as possible and have a viable eco-tourism and Community Council Could Be In The Cards By Donna Martin Salton City may be on the road to getting just what it has been looking for…some management. With constant issues revolving around crime, infrastructure and the general upkeep of the area, talks of creating a Salton City Community Council are in the air, and local residents may finally be closer to getting the representation they desire. A community council would serve as a kind of administrative body, overseeing and advising projects in the city, said County Supervisor Gary Wyatt. Wyatt, who has plans to bring the issue before the board of supervisors within a month, said the council would be a positive step for Salton City. “This is a mechanism for community members to be involved in issues concerning their community,” he said. If the board decides to implement the council, members will be selected either by local election or appointment by the board. Similar councils have been formed in Riverside County, which also has a number of unincorporated areas. According to a spokesman for Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson, the council shouldn’t take long to form, and have varying degrees of authority. “They are not prohibitively costly,” said spokesman Denys Arcuri. “(They are formed quickly) once we know the interest is there.” However, the formation of a community council does not necessarily mean the area is on the way to becoming a city, said Arcuri. “It doesn’t have a great deal to do with cityhood,” he said. He said community councils in Riverside County often make requests to the board of supervisors on behalf of their residents. Wyatt said the same will be true if Salton City’s council comes into play. If implemented, members of this council will either be elected locally, or appointed by the county, depending on the board’s decision. * * * * * * * cultural activities. Filner said we should have a plan that doesn’t require 200,000 homes. The discussion then turned to the Post Office. The Market will still be our post office and that solves nothing. Filner said that he’s already looking into it and thinks we might have a resolution on it soon. He also mentioned that the Torrez-Martinez are willing to have a post office at their travel center, at which he was told that would be closer to the communities that get home delivery, but Salton City doesn’t get home delivery and that would be about seven miles from our current mailboxes. Some people thought it would be good to have those Mail Box Units that go on street corners, but some were also concerned that they are vulnerable to break-ins. A couple more subjects were brought up and then Congressman Filner talked to anyone who wanted to talk up close. He’s a very easy to get to know type person, very approachable, so he spent close to two hours at the Chamber. People in attendance seemed to have a very favorable opinion of him. In finishing, Congressman Filner promised that he will try harder to get a proper post office here and said he will get back with us on his progress. Last, but not least, Shirley Palmer, with the help of Sherrie Nuyen, prepared the food, which was very good as usual. That was appreciated by everyone. Oh, ya, and one other thing … a small gray Sony cassette recorder (59V) seemed to walk off on its own … I sure hope it finds its way home! The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 25 Salton Sea Beach News By Jan Gilson Wedding bells were ringing here recently. The nuptials of Gary Don Neese and Cheryl Ann Prager were celebrated with a reception on April 8 at the VFW in Desert Shores. There was a great turnout, with food, drinks and dancing being the order of the day, along with plenty of celebratory toasts to the newlyweds. Congratulations, Gary and Cheryl! May your marriage be a long and happy one. Newlyweds Gary and Cheryl Neese. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Burn Pile Closed: We’ll all be taking our green waste to the county dump from now on as severe misuse of the burn pile caused its closure. Thanks, Harold and the SSB Fire Department, for your hard work all these years! We’re sure going to miss it. Anyone caught dumping will be reported to the Sheriff, so please refrain from sneaking your waste in. Harold Herzberg and his tractor turn over the burn pile one last time. Kent’s Komedy Korner By Frank Kent BOYS WILL BE BOYS Last month I wrote about the experiences of two other T.V. Technicians while on service calls. This month I will talk about one of my own. I was working in Toronto, Canada about 1956. On the day in question I had to deliver a television chassis back to the customer’s home after shop repair. The call was scheduled to be made in the morning while there would be a test pattern broadcast by a T.V. station. I arrived at the home, installed the chassis, and prepared to adjust the unit. Just as I made the first adjustment a little boy walked up to the set and made a comment that he was not going to waste his time watching that! Then he turned the television off. My first thought was to reach around the T.V. and thump him on the melon, but his mother started to laugh and explained why he had pulled that dastardly deed. As it turned out, he was only allowed one hour of television each day and he thought that he was being charged for the test pattern. That particular day happened to be the boys 5th birthday. Just before I left he suggested to his mother, that since he was then 5 years old, he should be allowed to watch more television. I would bet that he grew up to be a lawyer! Next month: The Saga of the “Dirty Drawers” Page 26 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer Now It’s Your Turn! These kids today sure don't have anything on us when it comes to looks! And they think it will be a long, long time before they get to our age. . .so the laugh is on them! Contact the Salton Seafarer at 394-9167 or email us at seafarer@skycasters.net so we can show everyone what good lookers we were when we were young adults. Wasn't that just a couple of years ago? Boy! How the time flies! The Seafarer will scan your old pictures for free and if you don't have a recent picture, take a picture of you now and give you a free 5" × 7" enlargement of the pictures we use. We will also do any digital restoration needed, so this is a good opportunity for you to get a great reproduction of one of those favorite old pictures that might have faded or have a little tear or something. All this for FREE! We will submit up to 6 peoples pictures each issue, so get yours in soon! The only rules are: The pictures must be from when we were young adults; in your twenties or thirties; not teenage or children and baby pictures ... just young adults! The picture should be a good clear shot of your face, not too grainy for enlargements, and not hidden behind sunglasses. Submit more than one so we can make a good choice for submission. We will crop the picture in the publication and make it B&W, but your free 5' × 7" can be full frame and in color if you wish. Was That Really You? . . .and this is who she are now. . . Well. . .this time we got sneaky! When Marie Klein sees this, she will most likely shoot me, which will probably make next months paper later than ever! Marie is our office manager here at the Seafarer and we wouldn’t be able to survive without her. So next time you call, don’t forget to say something really nice about her pictures and ask her, "Hey, what's that cute little squirrelly thing you're holding?" The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 27 Pet Health Brought To You By James R. Howard D.V.M. Ph.D. 4275 Hwy. 86 – Brawley Doctor, Doctor, Mitzy is dying, she can’t breath! Three AM emergency? But on further questioning it seemed Mitzy’s condition was not so serious. True enough, she did have a respiratory condition that caused periods in which she noisily inspired air as if she had a persistent post-nasal drip and was trying to clear her nasal cavity of mucus. We call this a reverse sneeze. I guessed that was Mitzy’s problem, assured the lady the dog would survive the morrow, and asked her to bring the dog to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. To accurately diagnosis this mite-inthe-head condition one has to use a fiber optiscope extended into the nostrils to look for the tiny mites. The condition is encountered quite frequently. Dogs get the mites from other dogs with which they sniff noses. We treat them three times one week apart so that we kill all mites even the larvae that hatched after the first two treatments. And, because all dogs in a household are infected, to eradicate the mites all dogs must be treated. Some dogs with mites sneeze in the typical, forward, manner. Occasionally, we are asked to treat dogs that sneeze or have nose-bleeds caused by nasal infection, cancer, or impaired blood clotting. The first two conditions can be diagnosed with help of a fiber optiscope but the third condition requires a blood study. Dr. Howard is located south of Brawley on Highway 86, north of Pioneers Hospital. Clinic hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 344-5738 Page 28 May/June 2006 Never a Dull Moment At Vista Del Mar’s Monthly Luncheon The 20th of April proved yet again to be an interesting afternoon for those who attended Vista Del Mar’s monthly luncheon. Joan Cloyd, Manager of VDM, the straight shooter that we all know her to be, began the luncheon with an announcement that if anyone were present with anything on their mind besides support of the builders and all other pro-growth professionals, they were in the wrong place! She reminded everyone that these luncheons were started to show our support of the builders, give them a pleasant venue to gather and enjoy a meal. Instead of running them all off with complaints that should otherwise be taken up through Community Services or the County, our desire is to show them our true spirit of appreciation and support! To a feisty round of applause our first speaker was then introduced. Ronald J. Enzweiler, Executive Director of the Salton Sea Authority gave us fur- ther insights on the proposed plans for the Salton Sea and the restoration process and his thoughts on a timeline. He knowledgably and grasiously answered questions and his time spent with us is most appreciated! Next up came Stanley Dombrowski, President of the Stanley Louis Company, who demonstrated one of his company’s remarkable solar products. He explained how the solar industry has vastly increased the efficiency and affordability of solar energy systems and answered questions about federal tax credits and selling back energy. Thank you Stanley! Unfortunately, even after Joan’s much approved of statement defining the positive attitude towards growth shared by those attending, an uninvited ‘guest’ interrupted the congenial gathering with an agenda of her own. She was quickly asked to step down and to take her issues elsewhere! Her guest from the IID received a sincere apol- ogy for having been caught in the unintentional crossfire. We would like to sincerely thank Marlin “By The Sea” Jizrawi of T- Rex Realty and Thomas Masters of Masters Financial Group who co-sponsored this delicious luncheon of chicken enchiladas and chilled artichokes prepared by Marilyn of Party Cornucopia. Their generous contributions are so much appreciated! We profusely apologize that their time to share with us about their companies was abruptly shortened, however they will be most welcome to step up to the podium at any of our future gatherings. Our next luncheon, the 3rd Thursday of each month, will be May 18th @ 11:30 a.m. Builder Please Come Back! We are watching YOUR back! Please mark your calendar and join us! Questions? Call 760394-4477. Suggested Donation $10. The Salton Seafarer First Annual Easter Egg Hunt Huge Success The 1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt held April 15th was a wonderful and fun-filled day for over 140 children and their families from Salton City and the surrounding area. In addition to a traditional egg hunt, complete with golden eggs traded for prizes, there were games to be played, hotdogs and hamburgers to be eaten, and candy filled piñatas to be burst. The smiling faces told all that these events make the preparation work well worth it! This event, jointly sponsored by The West Shores Youth Center, Sea View Elementary and Vista Del Mar Estates prove that as a community we can offer so much if we work together! Major thanks to Rose for all of her creative ideas and hard work! The Salton Seafarer Mother’s Day Brunch At Vista Del Mar Estates Tickets are still available for Vista Del Mar’s Brunch honoring our areas wonderful Moms. We hope you will join us as we host a Champagne Brunch for all. Marilyn Widd of Party Cornucopia has chosen a very special menu that promises to be delicious and of course the ambiance is always relaxing! Dads, Children, Husbands; mark you calendars now for May 14th at the VDM Estates Beach Club Dome. Brunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please call 760-394-4477 or 760-348-2833 for more information. Suggested Donation for Tickets are $10 and may be purchased @ the Dome or at Community Services. May/June 2006 Page 29 Page 30 May/June 2006 WEST SHORES MARKET ter n u o C Meat roduce P h s e r F GAS FOOD ICE LIQUOR POST OFFICE 394-4403 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK ALL YEAR 7:30AM - 8PM On S. MARINA DRIVE Just East of Hwy 86 Hoover is a male pit bull mix 58lbs. Black w/white chest and toes graying face. 12yrs old. Lost on 5/03/06 West of Salton City on SR22 and Holly Rd in Ocotillo Wells SVRA, approx. 1 mile back. He has black spiked collar w/red name tag. The Salton Seafarer The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 31 Office: (760) 327-8367 ~ Fax: (760) 327-1134 ~ Cell: (760) 845-8468 Selling Price: $34,500.00 Street Located On: Venice Ave Cross Street: Crystal Ave Lot Size: 80 X 125 Zoned R-1: Sewer and water available. Electric one lot away. Excellent sea view. Right across the street from Rivera Estates. Selling Price: $35,000.00 Located On: Balsa Ave. Cross Street: Dolphin Dr. Lot Size 10,917 Sq Ft Zoned R-1: Sewer and water available, electric two lots away. Close to new house being built. Selling Price: $35,000.00 Street Located On: Black Sea Ave and Shelter Island Ave. Lot Size: 7,150 Sq Ft. Zoned R-1: Requires septic, water and electric available. Selling Price: $42,000.00 Street Located On: Marina Dr. Lot Size: 10,000 Sq Ft. Zoned R-2: Sewer, water and electric available. Right off of the main highway. You can build duplexes on this lot. Selling Price: $35,000.00 Street Located On: Acapulco Ave Lot Size: 9687 Sq Ft. Zoned R-1: Sewer, water and electric available. Buyer to verify all information Selling Price: $42,000.00 Street Located On: Gram Dr. and Black Sea Ave. Lot Size: 9,000 Sq Ft. Zoned R-2: Requires septic. Water and electric available. Can build duplexes on this lot Selling Price: $34,500.00 Located On: Sea Life Ave Cross Street: Sea Life Place Lot Size 14,280 Sq Ft Zoned R-1: Sewer and water available. Electric one lot away. Close to main highway where new homes are being built. Nice sized lot. Selling Price: $50,000.00 Located On: Marina Dr. Cross Street: Nueco Ave. Lot Size 9,687 Sq Ft Zoned R-3: Sewer and water available. Electric one lots away. Selling Price: $35,000.00 Located On: Sea View Ave Cross Street: Sea Isle St Lot Size 10,000 Sq Ft Zoned R-1: Electric, sewer and water available. Close to new homes and school. Excellent sea view. Selling Price: $38,000.00 Located On: Sea Garden Ave. Cross Street: Ontario Ave. Lot Size 14,100 Sq Ft Zoned R-1: Sewer and water available. Electric two lots away. Close to the sea. Across the street from a hotel. Selling Price $175,000.00 Street located on: Taylor Ave Cross Street: Harbor Dr. Lot Size: 1.02 Acres Zoned R-4: Sewer and water available, electric across the street. Permitted uses on this lot are: All R-3 uses, commercial office, related to the park or subdivision, apartments, condominiums, quadriplex etc. Desert Hot Springs Development Inc. 870 Research Blvd, Suite 7 Palm Springs, CA 92262 Page 32 Clinicas De Salud Is Open In West Shores A Grand Opening was held on April 28th at the new clinic in the building adjoining the Health & Ed building at 1289 South Marina Drive, Suite 1. Many people showed up for a luncheon and celebrate a new clinic that is very popular in Brawley and El Centro. The clinic is bilingual and will be able to provide healthcare for approximately 2,000 people. In celebrating, besides speeches, there were about ten bicycles given as door prizes. Some of the lucky winners gave their bikes to low-income families, so the sharing mood was in abundance on this special day for the West Shores. A special award was given to Sherrie Kincaid, who runs the Health & Ed next door for her help in getting the clinic here. Tom and Jeannie Cannell were also honored for their donation of the building, they held the note on the building and donated the remaining balance due, which amounted to many thousands. Good Karma goes around, so Jeannie also was one of the raffle winners. . .and she also donated her bike to someone who would really appreciate it. Anyone who has health problems and a need for medical aid is welcome at the clinic, no matter your financial or insurance status. The clinic will not turn away those in need who are unable to pay. Please join us in our celebrations! May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer The Salton Seafarer Clinicas De Salud Celebration (continued from page 32) May/June 2006 Page 33 Page 34 May/June 2006 The Swimming Pool is Now Open! The Salton Seafarer WEST SHORES YOUTH CENTER CORP. ANNOUNCEMENT! Salton City’s swimming pool is now open for the summer. . .Everyone is welcome! Enjoy yourself! SPAGHETTI DINNER THE DOME IN VISTA DEL MAR ON JUNE 24, 2006 5PM - ? $10.00 PER ADULT - $5.00 CHILDREN 12 & UNDER SPAGHETTI, SALAD, GARLIC BREAD, DESSERT, ICED TEA & COFFEE FUNDS RAISED WILL BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A VAN FOR TRANSPORTATION. DIAL-A-RIDE HAS CHANGED THEIR HOURS TO 7:30 – 3:30 AND WILL NO LONGER SERVICE THE YOUTH CENTER. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO OBTAIN TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR AREA YOUTH. ALL ARE WELCOME! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE DOME IN VISTA DEL MAR ON SATURDAY JUNE 24, 2006 AT 5PM. The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 35 Page 36 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer Congratulations to West Shores High School Class of 2006!!! Claudia Ornelas Alex Guillen Marisol Nuñez Esmeralda Gonzalez Daniel Jewell Mireya Acosta Oscar Gonzalez Brian Juarez Kaylene Sutton Lizbeth Martinez Juan Guzman Claudia Arce Stephanie Bernal Kenneth Thompson Brittany Roberts Salvador Perez Lizzette Covian Robert Coady Jorge Ornelas Juan Garcia Esmeralda Reyez Tracy Dunning Cesar Mora Omar Corea Victor Muro Samuel Molina Mavid Mora Alejandro Gutierez Juan Navarro Carlos Chavez Antonio Garcia Jose Manuel Gonzalez Juan Chaidez Andres Estrada Korina Delgado The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Page 37 Family Histories, Stories and Genealogy A Genealogist’s Story Genealogy 101 By Kelly Johnson During the 1990s, I was inspired by a friend to search my family history. Once I began I was immediately hooked on genealogy and have spent many hours searching the Internet and family history libraries for clues to my family’s past, which included the Civil War, the Oregon Trail, and Germany. After posting most of my family tree to various genealogy websites, my most rewarding experience came when my father’s long lost halfsister, Carolyn, (who was born in the 1930s) was found. Her daughter found me through a genealogy website and we all met in the summer of 2001. (My grandfather had a wild past and a brief first marriage.) When I began my search, I talked to elder family members and asked them what they remembered about deceased aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so forth. Turns out they had a wealth of information, and photos too! My great grandmother, Nellie (shown below) was very good about writing on the back of photos, keeping up the family bible, and also writing short notes—all in pencil, as pencil never fades. Nellie died in the early 70s, but I was left with a wealth of information from her, and my dad had a whole bunch of old family photos. I was able to start piecing together a part of my family. The story told next was found on a scrap of paper and pertains to the shown photographs. Nellie wrote, “Annie and her family came to the west in 1876. They left Joplin, Missouri in August of 1876 and traveled on RR30 which was an old Oregon trail and it took three months to cross the planes in 62 covered wagons. They saw Indians but no trouble came. When they arrived in Wallowa, they had only 75 cents. To earn money, they thrashed oats and sold them in Walla Walla, Washington. They homesteaded in Wallowa and got a few head of cattle, then later acquired a good herd of cattle and opened a store called the General Mercantile.” Can you imagine travelling hundreds of miles in covered wagons? Creating a family history is fun and has many other benefits. You have a story to pass on to your descendents, and it always makes for Nancy and baby Annie interesting conversation at family events. Most of Photo circa. 1870 all, enjoy where the journey takes you! Don’t know how to begin piecing together your own family history? Here’s a quick tutorial: If you’re just beginning the process of piecing together your family tree, the following steps will provide a general guideline to start you off in the right direction. If you have been collecting letters, newsclippings, and photographs for years and have always wanted to begin building a family tree, then you may find these notes helpful as well. Regardless of where you are in the process, keep in mind that your pursuit is a lifelong journey and not something you should reasonably expect to finish in a few weeks or months. The first and most important rule of genealogy is to start with yourself and work backwards. Many people get excited and jump back in time, skipping several generations to save time. Sure you may already know the names of your great-great-grandparents who lived in the 1800s, but without the proper groundwork you may have difficulty finding them in the records, or may even end up researching the wrong ancestor! To avoid this pitfall, approach your family tree research step-by-step. If you take small steps at the beginning, then you may be able to take much bigger steps later on. You should begin your genealogy adventure by filling out a pedigree chart (see below) and possibly a few family group sheets. No doubt there are a few gaps in the information you have, but that’s perfectly normal. Everyone who starts out will have missing information—just remember that it’s searching out the information that makes genealogy so much fun! So how do you fill in those gaps in your pedigree sheet? It may seem silly since you already know who you are and when you were born, but you should always start your family history research by documenting your own life. Gather records and information about your birth, marriage, education, military service, etc. Your descendents will really appreciate you some day! Then do the same for your parents and grandparents. Scour your house for photographs, certificates, documents, family Bibles, newspaper clippings, old letters and journals and even baby books. Home sources come in many shapes and sizes: a scrapbook may yield a clipping of the obituary notice for your great-grandfather with names, dates and surviving relatives; a wedding photo of your great-great grandparents may have the wedding date and location written on the back; a quilt may have the name of the quilter and the date stitched on the back. Getting some pedigree sheets is easy. They can be found on the Internet, LDS libraries, genealogy software, or in books in a bookstore. I personally use Family Tree Maker software, which makes it easy to start your family history. If needed, you can draw your own pedigree chart. The pedigree chart begins with you and branches back in time, displaying the line of your direct ancestors. Most pedigree charts cover four generations, including space to include names plus dates and places of birth, marriage and death for each individual. Once you’ve filled up one pedigree chart, you’ll need to add another, labeling each chart with a number. The second most common form used by genealogists to record ancestral information is the family group sheet. It helps you keep track of what you find on your family in a standard, easy-to-read format. Again, this form is available from most genealogy libraries and publishers of genealogical material and computer programs. Most importantly, have fun, and be sure to use a pencil when filling out these forms! Next month, we’ll take searching your family tree one step further and we’ll talk about obtaining additional information from the U.S. censuses, old newspapers, ordering birth and death certificates, and so on. Have fun! Sample pedigree chart Top row, left to right: Nancy, Jess, Annie Bottom row, left to right: Nellie, Roberta, Nana Photo circa. 1896 Page 38 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer !!Free Classifieds!! OK, you didn't believe it, and now you're thinking, "I've got that thing in my garage that I want to get rid of ... and I can advertize in the Seafarer Classifieds for FREE!" Not only that, it will also be posted on the Internet with Sold As Is at: www.sold-as-is.com so you will get maximum coverage for the items you want to sell. Ads posted in Sold As Is will also be poste in the Seafarer. Can you beat that? We are trying very hard to make the Salton Seafarer an integral part of our community, and we know that garage sales have very limited customers because we are still rural. So this is just a small way that we can be of service to our community. Just put it in the mail, email, or send it to www.sold-as-is.com and we will put your free Classifieds (Limit of three) in next months Salton Seafarer. This offer is limited to private parties and job offers only. Business classifieds, other than job offers, will cost our normal classified rates. This offer is limited to one page of space, so get your ads in early and don't be left out! Salton Seafarer POB 5589, Salton City, CA 92275 FOR RENT PROPERTY FOR SALE Brand New Home 4 Rent Lot For Sale LOTS FOR SALE From 1/4 to 9 acres. Agent. (760) 568-1640 Salton City; 1700 Sq. Ft. 3 Br, 3 Ba, Vista Del Mar. Call 619 464-8620 MISC. FOR SALE Granite Countertops, 2 Car GaLots For Sale rage. Close to S86, Beautiful Views! Close to beach ~ Make an Offer Craft Closet Cleanout $1150 Mo. - Free 42’’ New Plasma 562-868-2849 Great Bargains! Please call Mary TV w/ Lease! 858-342-9091 395-5745 Home For Sale - Reduced! New Affordable Home Salton City Resort ~ Completly The Seafarer is in need of your notNow available for lease or Rent to refurbished Mobile Home with sea Own (3 bed/2 bath) Vista Del Mar -view lot at adult park. Everything too-old computers & monitors. If you have one that you would like to Call Bob at 760-917-3803 new inside & out. 2br, 1ba, fur- donate, please call: nished. $19,500 760-564-3568 For Rent 394-9167 3 Bedrm/2 Bath, 2 Car Garage, House For Sale ~ By Owner For Sale Large Fenced Yard. Water & Trash 3Br, 3Ba, 2CrGrg w/new Door & Dinette set, 4 chairs, yellow vinyl Paid $875.00 opener. 2508 Monterey Crt, Salton Call Lorraine: 760-394-4107 City. Financing Avail. For Addl. on metal frame, parfait wood block table top, w/leaf. $45.00. Spanish info, or appointment, For Rent styled stereo, needs work on record Call: 760-393-0092 New Home, 3 Bed/2 Ba, 2 Car Grg, player, has 8 track player, radio AM/ Big Yrd, Great Location Home For Sale By Owner FM Dark wood. $20.00 VDM Rob 760-880-9996 2 Ba, 2 Cr Grg. Frontier St. Salton 760-394-4688 City $165,000 OBO New Home 714-936-7583 or 760-601-6742 Wanted ~ Your Old DVD Movies 3bd 2bth 2 car garage, granite counWe have a new DVD rental store ters and large yard. Great location. For Sale Or ?? $1,100 per month. 3 acre R-4 Zoned at Sunrise/Hard- in town, backside the SuperBurger Phone Gail 760 485-3459 ing by owner 760-630-9808 (on the left side) on Frontage Rd. Trade for rental of DVD's or sell for $. New Home For Rent Lots For Sale Call for details. Salton City, 3Bd, 2Ba, 2Cr Grg. 2 residential lots next to each for 760-604-0171 Close to sea, yards, nice views sale in Salton City. West of Hwy 86. $1095 mo. 760-318-3336 Call: 760-902-0566 For Sale 1991 Olds 88 in good shape, all ACREAGE FOR SALE Home For Rent power, engine is great, transmisOr Trade 2 bd, 1 bath single wide mobile sion slips. $1,500.00. Registration home. S.S.B. w/ Sea View, Very Or Joint Venture. 3 acres R-4 is current. Nice! Covered 4 car garage. Pre- Zoned at Sunrise/Harding by own760-902-0566 fer retired couple, $500 per month. er. R-4/m-1 $599K OBO Call 760-471-1807 Call:760-630-9808 Home For Rent Salton City New 4BR/2BA with covered patio. Aval NOW $900 + Deposit Call: 760-351-2033 Cell: 760-960-7001 Apartment For Rent Salton City, Close to District. Unfurnished. Nice, clean, 1 Bdrm. Call: 760-902-0566 10,000 SF Of Flat Residential Land With Panoramic Sea Views. Paved street off No. Marina Drive at Arrow Court. Only blocks from the Johnson’s Landing and boat ramp. Only $3.60 per sf. Utilities at lot. Contact Kathy for details. klevinson@century21.com (909) 557-3611 Miscellaneous Wanted: Cassette Recorders The Seafarer is looking for high quality professional portable cassette recorders, High quality cassette tapes, 60min & 90min, and good mics. Needed for interviews for our paper. Low prices or donations, please call: 394-9167 Email: saltonseafarer@yahoo.com advertisesell@sold-as-is.com JOB Opportunities Recruiting For Volunteer Fire Fighters For Desert Shores Full training, $25 stipent for call-out Call 394-4446 Volunteer and Become Part Of Your Community EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Borrego Springs Unified School District has the following opening for the current school year: Cafeteria Worker– 3.75 hours per day, Monday-Friday, mid-day. Food Handler’s Certificate required. DEADLINE: April 21, 2006 Come to the District office to pick up an application, apply online via www.bsusd.net or call 767-5357. Borrego Springs Unified School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Borrego Springs Unified School District 1315 Palm Canyon Drive Borrego Springs, CA 92004 760-767-5357 fax 760-767-0494 Home Care Agency is looking for available caregivers for all shifts. Great Pay! Applications available at: 2570 South Marina Drive (Salton Seafarer Office) 9am to 2pm M-F Salton City CA, 92275 Your Free Classified Ad Goes Here! The Salton Seafarer May/June 2006 Donations are needed for this Year’s 4th of July Fireworks at Martin Flora Park We had a really great fireworks show last year, thanks to Jeannie Cannell, the Fire Department, the West Shores Youth Center and all the many other volunteers that chipped in. Let’s help make this year’s celebration bigger and better! Call Jeannie Cannell at the SCSD to get more information about helping and donations. The donations needed to run this event are still very much needed, so do what you can. Call 394-4446 for more information! Page 39 Page 40 May/June 2006 The Salton Seafarer n! r e p O ente Now e C Hwy 86 m o H New ina Drive & th Mar Sou Highland Builders Sunrise Website: Joles.Biz 1600 SF ~ 4 Bedrooms, 2 Baths ERA 1,300 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths 1700 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths Summit 1300 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths Sunrise Vista Del Mar OTS L & LAND SALE FOR 1,300 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths DWC 1700 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths ERA 1,560 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths 1300 SF ~ 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths NEW HOMES SALTON SEA ~ From $190,000’s NEW HOME CENTER ~ S. Marina Drive & Hwy 86 Homes Pictured Not Exact. Prices and Plans Subject To Change.