The Valley Chronicle - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - August 31, 2017ng

Hemet needs youth and family resources

Dear Editor, Hemet used to be a retirement city. It no longer is just a retirement city; there are a lot of young families that are now living here, mostly because Hemet is a cheaper place to live. Hemet has not risen to the occasion when it comes to providing resources for these young families. Case in point: My granddaughter, her husband and two children. Their family lives in an apartment that was rented as a two-bedroom but is actually only a one-bedroom due to the fact that the second room the landlord calls a bedroom has no window or exit other than the entrance door, thereby making it illegal. They could only afford this place. The husband found no work in Hemet after months of applying and took a job in San Diego and drives back and forth every day. Their son, who has been diagnosed with autism, has special needs. The city of Hemet has no facilities that can provide this family with the resources they need. They can schedule resources here in Hemet but they have to drive to Riverside, Cucamonga, Victorville, Temecula, Menifee or Loma Linda. They can ill afford to make trips to these outside locations but are forced to because the city of Hemet does not or will not provide the resources needed. The city needs to wake up and realize there are other families in this city that are in the same boat as my grandchildren and take a serious look at how this city can provide for its own residents. Also, there are no recreational resources in this town for those youth that would benefit from having places to go during their slack time rather than walk the streets and get into trouble. There are no Boys Clubs, Girls Clubs, YMCA or other outlets for these kids to go to. So I say to the Mayor, the City Council, Police Department and any other city entity that will listen, you need to seriously think about providing some or all of the above resources for the citizens of Hemet. Sincerely,

Phil Daniel Sr., Hemet

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No space in Hemet jail? Let the county take over!

Dear Editor, The Hemet City Council meeting was interesting to attend last night. A number of proposed projects will bring jobs and new housing to Hemet. Hopefully, the council reduces their twice as high as surrounding cities tax “in lieu of burying electric wires” so as not to deter these proposed projects. A number of citizens talked to the council about criminals being arrested and then the police releasing them back on the street within two hours. Police Chief and [Interim] City Manager Dave Brown replied to these citizens. He said: “Hemet does not have any jail space. We have to let them go.” Really! Then let the county take over law enforcement in Hemet. It explains why San Jacinto has half the crime of Hemet. They have a county jail to keep the criminals off the street. A group of citizens is investigating our water bills. It seems our water bills and service fees are twice as high as surrounding communities. How can someone help with this investigation? I believe the city council tries. Sadly, their efforts result in Hemet being one of two cities in the entire state under investigation by the State Auditor of California. Sincerely,

Sue Savage, Hemet

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Authorities need to watch sex offenders more closely

Dear Editor, I really enjoy reading your paper; I look forward to it every Thursday. I find out so much about what is happening in our valley that I do not see anywhere else. The recent article about the registered sex offender, Robert Baker, was shocking because he lived in the same mobile home park as I do. Although I have never met him or his mother, they were here when I moved into the park in 2009. I did not like that we had a sex offender living here, but I didn’t pay too much attention since children do not live in our senior park. I have heard stories that he liked to talk about his escapades and court cases, but that is just hearsay. There are many older sex offenders here in Hemet and I think many of us don’t give it too much thought because you think at that age they probably aren’t doing anything anymore. Well, after reading your article about Baker, I realized I was so wrong. At 69, this guy had child porn on his computer and was carrying vibrators around in his car. According to the article he seemed quite persistent in getting that child into his car. How creepy to read about it and thankfully he was arrested. I believe they have to register their address each year, but does the law have any authority to check on them otherwise? I’d like to know whether the legal authorities can go into their homes and check on them to see if they have child porn, etc. or if that is considered a violation of their civil rights. I am thankful not to be his mother. Sincerely,

K. Stewart, Hemet

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When leadership is lacking, city employees tend to be self-serving

Dear Editor, The city of Hemet has been around for more than 100 years, and there are a lot of delightful people in it. But this great city has suffered a serious lack of leadership. Elected officials have the responsibility to provide guidance for this community in the right direction. When elected officers do not take a stand, when elected officials do not provide direction, then city employees fill that vacuum and their actions ultimately are self-serving. Hemet’s elected officials must, must balance the city’s budget. The state auditor has provided very specific guidelines to balance this city’s budget. A balanced budget is the responsibility of elected officials. Our elected officials must stop playing the blame game, must stand up and make the hard decisions to do what is right for the people of this community. The solution to this city’s problems is not just cutting costs. Part of the solution is increased revenue and opportunities for the people of Hemet. The Hemet-Ryan airport needs to be expanded to 9,000 feet. There are federal funds available for infrastructure improvements and Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. can help obtain those for this city. Riverside County can cooperate in the airport expansion. An expanded airport will bring revenue, jobs – good paying jobs – and new businesses to this area. The Downtown Redevelopment Plan can be done at minimal expense if done properly. It is time – it is past time – for our elected officials to solve these problems. Sincerely,

Jim Welker, Hemet

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Hate is a learned behavior

Dear Editor, Do pigeons hate doves? Do doves hate pigeons? Most people would say, “That’s stupid, birds don’t hate.” The point is, to dislike each other, simply because we are different makes no sense. It seems all the different races on our planet have been discovered. There are no more. We, of the human race, are a kaleidoscope of skin color, shapes and sizes. Those Palestinians who hate Jews, hate Jews mostly because their parents taught them to hate Jews. Some blacks and whites in our South hate each other mostly because their parents taught them to hate each other. On the other hand, all this mayhem in Charlottesville, Virginia, is not about race. That’s just their front game. The FBI knows the communists have been in our country since the 1920s. The communist Viet Cong told Sen. John McCain while he was kept at the Hanoi Hilton, “we will beat you in your own country (via demonstrations).” They did. We lost the Vietnam War. These people creating mayhem in Virginia, no doubt, are sons and daughters of these ‘60s demonstrators. The communists simply want to cause division. That’s been their strategy. That’s been their method. That’s how they bring a country to ruin and slavery for everyone. Sincerely,

John Beck, Hemet