Readers Write: Aug. 5, 2021

Response to Gisela Stearns’ letter

Dear editor:
I thank Ms. Stearns for exercising her American right to speak her opinion and I thank the Idyllwild Town Crier for serving as a platform for such discourse. I am writing to respectfully disagree with Ms. Stearns’ July 22 letter and provide scholarly background in hopes of lending her and other readers more clarity on these crucial issues.
The idea to “defund the police” is often misunderstood and misrepresented. In reality, this argument can take four general forms.
One: Total abolition of the police and replacement with community services that aim to nip crime in the bud by addressing the societal problems that cause it (the most uncommon view).
Two: Narrowing of police duties and creation of other teams to respond to situations in which police are not appropriate for, like mental health crises.
Three: Using the power of the purse to incentivize better police oversight and practices.
Four: Reducing the costs of police departments to lower government spending.
In sum, “defund the police” can mean anything from total abolition to less fiscal output with no overall social justice goal — but not the breakdown of law and order. (https://www.stanfordlawreview.org/online/to-defund-the-police/, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/defund-the-police-meaning/)
The “bad apples” argument has been widely discredited. Considering that instances like Derek Chauvin’s brutal murder of George Floyd are disturbingly common in police departments across the country, and in many cases, these officers are able to avoid meaningful accountability. It is clear the system itself is what is corrupt and thus needs fixing. (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2020/05/30/bad-apples-come-from-rotten-trees-in-policing/)
“Color blindness” is the ideology that “the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.” While appealing on its face, this ideology plasters over the fact that non-white Americans face systemic racism every day and thus their experiences are very different. To make real progress, we must acknowledge the differences between us and address the issues that divide us along these lines. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/10/05/white-parents-teach-their-children-be-colorblind-heres-why-thats-bad-everyone/, https://fitchburgstate.libguides.com/c.php?g=1046516&p=7616506)
Research has shown that immigrants are a huge economic benefit to our country, not a drain. We ought to heed the time-honored words upon the Statue of Liberty, honoring our ideals while benefiting economically. Thus, we must address our broken immigration system — the very same one that made you wait two years for your visa and makes immigrants from less privileged countries wait even longer. (https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/immigrants-contribute-greatly-to-us-economy-despite-administrations).

Stella Scali Krone (all pronouns)
Idyllwild

Kindness

Dear editor:
Most of us know that we live in a town where people look out for each other. I’ve had many occasions where people have come to my aid in big and small ways, often people I’d never met.
The other day, after my car quit on me at the market, I started walking toward home in Pine Cove. Being in my late 70s and with a bad heart I “pooped out” somewhere past Jameson Drive and was lying in the shade. Shortly after, a car pulled over to see if I was OK. Then a second car and a third. Being in a befuddled state of mind, I couldn’t say how many people stopped altogether, some of them calling 911 for assistance.
I want to express my gratitude to all these people who stopped and cared about a complete stranger and wanted to help. And to the gracious couple who gave me, my dog and my groceries a ride back home and even carried my groceries down to my house. I regret that I don’t recall their last name so I can thank them personally.
Every day, I’m reminded one way or another of the basic goodness of most people and how it’s reflected in our little town.

David Jason
Pine Cove

The future of Idyllwild

Dear editor:
First of all, I am so glad Chief Mark LaMont responded to those allegations from a reader. I know of no other professional that puts in more hours per week than the fire chief. He is a seasoned leader who trains his personnel to handle situations whether he is in his office, out in the field, working mutual aid assignments or enjoying some well-deserved time off!
Now, to my main point … The County of Riverside is currently revising the Short-Term Rental (STR) Ordinance 927. Our community simply cannot handle the overwhelming load STRs are putting on our limited mountain resources.
From fire, medical and law enforcement delayed response times to our dwindling water supply and excessive wastewater load, we are nearing a breaking point! Our mountain community is in a unique situation. Apart from the blanket STR ordinance throughout the county that requires some unique solutions like limiting the total number to 10% of all residences in the area, having a code enforcement officer housed at the Mountain Resource Center to specifically enforce the STR ordinance and zoning violations and having STR owners live within a 7- to 10-mile radius are ideas. Or how about owners living on-site, so guest problems do not become neighborhood problems?
If you truly care about the future of our beautiful mountain community, I urge you to contact anyone and everyone at Riverside County Administration who is working on the revised STR ordinance before it is too late! Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Dave Hunt
4th generation hillbilly

Editor’s note: The editorial team asked Chuck Washington’s office for a town hall meeting. It has been weeks with no movement. Please call 951-955-1030.