SPILL DISPUTE

Clarification is needed regarding the article “Glossed Over-Emergency Responders Back off Monterey Harbor Oil Spill” (July 9-15).

While the article seemed to imply that the first responders on scene weren’t doing their job when they decided that no clean-up effort was warranted, the fact is that no clean-up could have occurred, as the amount of fuel was inherently uncollectable. For absorbent pads to work, with diesel fuel (if that’s what it was), the material needs to be thick enough to globule. If this occurs, booming can be deployed and clean-up with absorbent pads is possible. However, when an oil spill is a mere sheen, as was the case here, then it is not collectable. This was a decision made on scene, and would likely be the decision made again under the same circumstances.

The city of Monterey Fire Department, and my staff, the Coast Guard personnel, and Department of Fish and Game personnel all have a long record of actively working to clean up spills, when possible. The news in this story should have been that the spill was small enough that it was uncollectable and evaporated quickly.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

A smart-sounding program would be NO MORE FREE RIDES: California has nearly 3 million illegal immigrants that cost taxpayers nearly $9 billion each year, according to a new report released last week by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. And, all state departments need to be cut 10 percent and that would balance the budget in the foreseeable future, based on current spending habits. By the way, Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco (1996-2004), was known to be the most corrupt mayor in the history of San Francisco as he sits in his vertical gated community – the St. Regis Hotel.

During Pete Wilson’s first term, budget impasse between the governor and the Legislature forced the state to operate without a budget for a record 61 days. In 1984, Governor George Deukmejianvetoed AB 1, the first bill to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians, which passed the Legislature.

A reminder that California’s unemployment rate has increased to 11.5 percent and, on average, real estate has dropped about 28 percent statewide. THERE IS NO MORE MONEY to fund the overpaid fullretirement benefit of state government workers of California.

Correction:

In last week’s “Squid Fry” (July 16-22), Squid quoted Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce President Moe Ammar championing California American Water: “… a German-owned corporation. ‘Cal Am has been a good neighbor… that is why I drive a Mercedes Benz,’ Ammar said.”

“We’re not German-owned!” responds Cal Am spokeswoman Catherine Bowie. The water company used to be, but it’s now traded on the American Stock Exchange.” The Weeklyregrets the error, and encouraged Ammar to consider driving an Escalade.