It seems to me that being homeless is a deterrent to laziness, drug use, and non-productivity. Anyone who puts forth a modicum of effort can find some sort of paying work. But, if you feed them, give them drug paraphernalia, and give them housing, you are reducing the deterrent. My biggest fear throughout life was reaching retirement age without having saved enough to live on. It was a powerful motivator to go to college, work hard, learn investment, and to live a responsible life. Why do our politicians feel that this is unfair? Why do they make being a bum a cushy lifestyle? If we want to end homelessness and drug use, do the opposite-- make the consequences as uncomfortable as possible. While bleeding hearts will think otherwise, shivering on cold streets, hungry, and going through opiate withdrawal would serve as the best motivator to straighten up and go clean.
As for the Tribal perks, it's time for the bullshit to end. Throughout human history, the strong survived, the weak didn't. And now we are enabling the Tribal repatriation of lands, instead of treating everyone as an American? This division by ethnicity will eventually lead to people playing "cowboys and Indians" once more. Recognizing that we're all Americans will do the opposite. Without perks, the Tribal people are our neighbors. With special treatment, they become our enemies.
Nice roundup Jeff! When it comes to the fire district and its employees, the question that should be asked is, what is the total compensation for each employee, and new hires? On top of generous salaries, their health insurance is top shelf, and their pension benefits -- which taxpayers are on the hook for for the rest of their lives once they retire, sometimes after just 20 years of service when they then go on to another career, are pretty dang impressive. And how many hours a week does a firefighter actually work? My dad was a career firefighter so I know from experience what this is all about. Not saying they are not an extremely important part of the community, because they are, but the total cost of government approaches 70% personnel costs. When will government be asked to do more with less, just as private businesses are? And when will government get off the discriminatory minority hiring gravy train and return to open competition for jobs, both in government service and contractual services?
Do they get extra pay for going out on calls? This might explain why 5 firetrucks and ambulances show up to even the smallest incident. Maybe more efficient management of calls would result in less fuel, less wear and tear on the equipment, and less hazard pay for non-essential staff.
From what i have seen from my neighbors lot's of $$$ abuse by emergency depts,emergency call will get three different vehicles which 2 will leave very shortly as to get their response $$$.I have seen this for years at the same resident.Sometimes a big fire truck would show up but no fire total abuse.
The public employee unions have learned how to buffalo the powers that be in contract negotiations. Easier for them to cave to demands than risk a work stoppage since it’s not their money on the line. No one wants to be the daddy that says no to that second scoop of ice cream.
My understanding is that LEOFFII bases the retirement off of the highest paying 5 years, and is a solvent self sustaining retirement which isn't common these days.
Thanks for the info. I am sure that there are requirements to keep the fund solvent and applaud the current record. I do not know who must rescue the fund if investments fall short. I also do not want the State trying to grab retirement plans. More Socialism.
Good question on rescue. Don't know the answer, but LEOFII seems to have done a good enough job that they increased the retirement benefits a few years agt, but I also understand that for about 20 years the members agreed to pay more into the system for an eventual bump. I think they went from 2% to 2.5% for every year of service.
This interview of Ginny Burton by Philip Lindholm is 'must see TV" regaarding addiction and homelessness, especially if you live in Clallam county https://youtu.be/383rzhC1EKE?si=JTdjHOlSeFOWSxBv
Because the actual focus is on creating and maintaining jobs for people to service the homeless population, not actually helping the mentally ill, the drug-addicted and homeless.
Not at all how it’s being sold to the taxpayers though 🤷♀️ just saying. However, I believe it to be much more sinister & it goes much, much deeper than just “creating & maintaining jobs”
I watched this and it is so empowering. I’ve been saying DO NOT put out the bird feeders…..Our leaders are so enabling, stupid and weak. Their plans are NOT working & haven’t been working. Thank you for this link, hopefully others will share.
the bigger question: We are 70% water. Water is a priority and essential to life. Taking out the upper elwah dam drained a reservoir. Building Reservoirs should be a priortity in this constant cry of droughts and building hundreds of homes in a drought situation $$$$ for other things. Reminds me of the pushme pullya in Dr. Doolittle
so refreshing to see someone ELSE use the Pushmi-Pullyu from Doctor Doolittle. I have long thought that any creature that can face two directions at once, but without any visible way to poop, was an excellent representation of local government.
😳. Ok Jeff too much in here to comment. Let’s hope next election cycle produces a change in council and gets individuals in place to start the hard work of fixing this “blankety blank” mess. “Unrestrictive revenue” a goal blatantly printed in the news letter, wow unbelievable!
Don't look for it Taylor you may not like what you find. You will be indoctrinated into a global government that you are probably too male and pale to join.
you have to get 13 thousand votes to win. All the government jobs have been filled with liberal loonies. You might get some law enforcement votes but nurses and school district voters are automatic globalist faction voters. That is how we got where we got.
Suggs is a vote for no dissent. That means she doesn't want public comment and she makes it clear the process is for telling you what they are going to do, not for dealing with any kind of public input or dissent.
Thank you, Jeff, for bring on the spot for CC. Congratulations on over 200,000 podcast downloads! This means people are very hungry for news and updates. We must keep asking all these questions until we get truthful answers. Accidents happen and a big one did with the truck spill. This leads to asking: Is Clallam County prepared for another hazardous spill, or worse, a fire from a hazardous spill? I would assume CC is, but with certain leadership in doubt, I have to wonder.
If you really want to see waste fraud and abuse at the copa dig into the soild waste department. These short term forklifts and tractors ain't nothing on what was spent in this department.
Based upon their listing of previous meetings (no links to minutes), it would be every 4th Thursday, which would be this week. I imagine it's listed in one of Jeff's articles, so I'll try to find out if there's a search function on here. Figured I'd ask to see if the regular readers would already know and could point me in the right direction.
EDIT: Phone numbers are listed for some members in the "about" section when I only looked at the bottom of the page before... I called Karen Affeld and left my name and email address to receive meeting info. They also post on their Facebook page a day before the meetings that they will be held, but when viewing the previous one, I don't see any info for how to attend. It's also 2-4pm, making it difficult for working people to attend...
I'm touring the wastewater and water treatment plants in Port Angeles today from 3-5, are there any questions that come to mind that I should be asking during those tours? I told James Taylor about the tour and he's planning on tagging along as well. I need to make space on my phone to be able to take videos if allowed.
EDIT: "Ralph out of respect for other council members and council candidates I would like to keep this afternoon’s meeting to just you and I as originally scheduled. I am not opposed to organizing an additional tour at a later date with a more open invitation. It does need to be understood however these are critical facilities for the City. We would not allow the general public to walk through taking photos, etc. that may put the facility at risk for domestic terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security has very specific concerns over access to affecting safe drinking water sources. It will make more sense when we walk through the facility. Look forward to seeing you soon. As we just discussed on the phone we will only have time for the water plant today in order to make it back to the 5pm Special Council meeting"
I know there are a whole bunch of things which need to be checked for, and chemicals maintained. The city does regular chemical analysis and submits samples to state-certified labs --- testing for Coliform, Nitrate-N, total triahalomethane (TTHM) haloacetic acid (HAA5) and total organic carbon TOC's) to conform to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The oversight is from the WA department of health, and the US EPA. The City publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Water Quality Report on their city website, the last one is here: https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/17119/CCR-2024-PDF
This is an older document, but one which I read a few years ago when asking that same question.
The second one you shared is on your computer, not online, so I can't access it, but the one from last year is real helpful! I've printed it out and I've been reading it. I'll bring it with for the tour and I'll write my notes on it.
I've also printed out the contaminant excess presented by the EWG from the test they did this weekend, and to ask what their opinion is of the EWG. I noticed that the EWG presents measurements in parts per billion (ppb), while the city measures ppm, so I am gonna ask if they are even able to measure that precisely.
I also was on the phone with someone who works for Dry Creek water district to get an idea of some questions/things to look for, and reading the report you posted answered a few of those questions! It'll be easier to be critical of the tour if I'm more informed, so thank you!
You're too kind! You have a much better online presence!
Today I'm realizing I want to make (or inspire others to make) a cohesive compiled calendar for the public to view, the main focus being meeting times for every committee and council that influences local policy or public spending. A lot of sites and posts will mention just a few groups, but we should have a dedicated calendar that everyone can go to. I know a resource like that would be perfect for a candidate, but it would increase public involvement overall.
First step would be to "throw everything into a pile", so making sure we have all those groups on a list, then determine meeting times/dates/locations, and plug them in on an online calendar. Getting just all of the city committees on a list is a good start (especially if they have a calendar on the website I didn't see?). I would assume google for ease would be best, but if there's a better free resource I'll happily use it.
Having more people informed as to what LTAC is doing seems important, and I haven't heard good things regarding the Public Safety Advisory committee from one of their members.
For now I'm going to focus on reading this report before driving to the water treatment plant and subsequently going to the council meeting for the rayonier cleanup. If you would be willing to start a google doc and invite me and others to start getting the "pile" made, that would be a great help.
I think some people would be very surprised to know that most of these firemen only work i believe 2 24 hr shift days a week then 4 days off then 2 days on 4 off ect ect ect with a rotation of different days.They get plenty of time off to recover from high speed dilemmas.I do not see where these firemen are under paid at all considering the time off.
Give them a helmet and put the homeless to work. Lots of unfilled jobs, requiring almost no experience and certainly no degree. Clean up along roadways would be a good start. I’m trying to be proactive not mean, but come on! There are jobs that could off set the high price of homeless/drug addicted and unemployed in the community. Not saying homeless means drug addiction etc. Just saying!
I gotta stop reading your emails Jeff! They literally have me questioning how the elected officials can suck the life out of people who have worked so hard for what they have only to have to give it away for things that have nothing to do with us. But, in reality there's nothing we can do. WA has turned into a fricken vacuum, suck, suck, suck. Property owners are getting screwed, and it doesn't feel good. What if we all got together and crossed off some line items on our tax bill and refused to pay. I'm going to repeat myself and say people who don't own property should not be allowed to vote on tax increases....or am I just a big meanie? What if 60% of renters say yes to a 70% increase on whatever and make all property owners (except tribal) pay for everyone 🤔
A trite quote, "nothing is free". Free transportation, health care, harm/drug/self destruction care are all paid for services. We mistakenly assume that when our wallets don't open on the spot, it's free. Aside from money for services there is also quid pro quo, equivocation and the infinite forms of whoring. I cannot define the timing of when Government turned from infrastructure management, safety and law enforcement to charity and feel good endeavors, but the later is not the business of Governance. Charitable organizations like churches, philanthropy and non-profit organizations address charity and aid for the indigent. Let Government handle our infrastructure needs and let charity handle charity. The unfortunate fuel spill is the very definition of an accident. I'm told by vehicle occupants right behind the accident the cause was the driver choking out on an apple. While the truck ownership is inconsequential, it is the MBE status that does matter. It is wokeness insanity. Since we are all genetically unique, we are all a minority of one. With that as fact how does a business become certified as a minority owned business ? The possibilities of minority status are infinite. Recently I have noticed an exponentially disproportionate band width being dedicated to the minority status of sexual deviancy. What about truck drivers or brewistas or anything occupational ? Why only those claiming ancestry to formerly, historically understood to be abused groupings ? Should today's "Native Americans" be paying reparations to the peoples that preceded them ? The abused and their abusers no longer live. How much more and how much longer should we be paying reparations to the deceased ?
Giving things for free hurts people, not helps them. Its the phrase, widely attributed to Lao Tzu "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Handouts hurt people.
Knowing the obvious shady agenda of the local Indian tribe to "acquire" all of the private property that it can, and considering the shady past the local tribal government clearly has, it would be a very good idea to look closely into this fuel truck "accident" just to be sure that "we" are in fact dealing with an accident and not some sort of criminal act. That would be out of an abundance of caution that is well merited under the circumstances. At the very least, the owners of the fuel truck and the driver should be held 100% responsible for all of the harm done to folks and the natural habitat, that I am sure they will be happy to do since they care SO much for nature and our community~! Sarcasm ;-) Thanks Jeff Tozzer for the good word on James Taylor and he does sound as if he would be a vast improvement compared to the losers that we currently have in government~! Of course, we always run the risk of being told one thing by these politicians, only to be betrayed when they get into office, however I hope that does not mean that we forsake the good folks who we desperately need to replace the usual "rotten apples" that trick and deceive their way into all positions of power... Good for you Marolee (Mimi) Smith Devorak~! We here always enjoy your commonsense thoughts and words, and how you help bring the truth of government dealings to light~! I can only guess that the criminals in our government irrationally insist upon spending our limited taxpayer dollars on new vehicles and equipment, when there is still plenty of years of use still remaining in them, because it presents the visual illusion that the government here is doing a "good job"~! I know that there is a strong aftermarket that these "slightly used" vehicles and equipment are typically sold in, so it would be a VERY good idea to look into that and see where that money (and equipment) is REALLY going because that can be a way for these crooks in government to skim funds without much if any oversight~! Also, how are these vehicles and equipment being "sold" (or gifted?) because there could definitely be some sort of shady dealings going on there, where favors and "special privileges" are being given "off of the radar". There is a vast amount of truth that can often be discovered when folks monitor all of the "government sales" of equipment and used vehicles and I have been closely monitoring those for well over 50 years as a first-class source of information that the vast majority of analysts would completely ignore ;-) From the standpoint of the specific Kubota tractor that you so well recently disclosed... Those older Kubota tractors are absolutely great and especially those that were manufactured before the intentionally failed & expensive government forced "emissions" crappola and all of the (made to fail planned obsolescence) "electronics" were built into them, that in fact makes the newer Kubota tractors FAR less desirable in the market~! I happen to own an older Kubota that I paid a HUGE premium for because they are that much better than the newer ones BTW. 1,600 hours on one of those older Kubota tractors is really just the "break in" period because they are VERY well known to last many times that on average~! These clowns in our government who are making these irrational financial decisions OBVIOULSY have no clue what they are doing, I doubt that they have EVER worked a real days work in their lives, and/or worse, they have some sort of financial "shell game" of accounting going on that is funneling money and/or equipment into the wrong hands (and of course robbing the taxpayers along the way). These things deserve a closer look~! Sincerely, Mike
I have a public information request into the city to find how/where/how much they sell this used equipment for.
It isn't like the city hasn't engaged in some subtle schemes. A few years back Public Works with their 'slush fund' selling used scrap (funding big barbecues) and then the Parks and Rec embezzlement of after school funds (2013). There was the finance director kerfuffle in 2012 (which I never heard of the final outcome, but rumor was that it was messy). We had the County embezzled by $600k back in 2011.
And, then, after YEARS of soliciting the residents to replace the trees at Lincoln Park, and proceeds from all of the various cutting of large trees -- all in a fund, that fund was quietly transferred to the general fund for Public Works, to buy the sound system for Civic Field. The problem? People actually donated FOR TREES... there was no "donor consent". These were restricted funds. But, whoops, quiet deal.
Good God~! I didn't know about a few of the things that you mentioned~! Well, that explains why these criminals in our government are running amok now and they have no respect for folks in our community or our needs & wishes~! It is obviously LONG past time to start holding these low-level criminals responsible for EVERYTHING that they do, without listening to their insane reasoning and weak excuses. I believe that it would be a very good idea for those of us who do know the history of the local criminals in government to put together a solid outline of the past and current issues (crimes) that "we" have experienced, complete with dates and names of those who are clearly involved~! I believe that it is time to forgo this stupid dance with these local criminals, and it is now time to take this matter to the federal Department of Justice~! I am absolutely confident that we are suffering numerous criminal (RICO) conspiracies, and the "new" federal government leadership may be willing to investigate this matter in ways that we can't. I am monitoring the "new" federal government very successfully doing numerous deep investigations into a great many other criminal conspiracies, so they would have the ability, power, and funds to help us purge the local criminals and other bad actors from our government. At the very least, we really should document these horrific acts and crimes that have been committed here in Clallam County, very possibly the state level involvement, and by submitting our criminal complaints we would definitely be establishing the groundwork for future criminal and civil actions even if the federal government does not pursue these crimes~! If you look up the federal RICO statutes, you will find that "we" here in Clallam County do actually have just cause to file criminal complaints with the federal government~! Have a great day and never give up hope~!
BTW... James isn't a "politician" type. We met when we were both serving on the Planning Commission and he impressed me greatly with his knowledge and his level-headed responses. I trust him.
He sounds like he could be one of the good ones and Lord knows that we need as many good folks in government now as we can get~! I have always admired the "original" American standard where the idea that Individuals should not be lifelong "professional politicians" as a living, because that can obviously turn into a very unhealthy civic relationship. There is nothing healthier and more appropriate than an Individual who serves in public office, who knows that when they return to the private sector they will be subjected to the very laws and rules that they imposed upon the rest of us~! This is of course exactly why these criminals in government today make laws and rules that they absolve themselves from having to abide by OR laws and rules that they can somehow "magically" change in favor of themselves when it suits them. No Americans in government or "politicians" should be allowed to escape the laws and rules that they (the government) impose upon all of the rest of us ;-) That is why I do not favor the practice of allowing "lifelong politicians" in the US because obviously too many have ruthlessly taken advantage of what was always intended as a temporary privilege of regular folks in society... We here look forward to learning more about James Taylor and what he may want to do, so thanks for the tip~! Sincerely, Mike
I just listened to the interview that you had with the Commissioner Miano. Thank you for taking time out to have him answer questions. I especially want to thank the commissioner for taking time out to try to answer the questions the public has. It's very stand-up of him to talk about the needs of the district, the costs, and the realities instead of running away from the tough questions.
The measure seems reasonable, albeit unfortunately reasonable, because of the increase in cost that were likely going to see going forward. I don't think there's any way out of this without voting for their needs but I have some questions.
Is the Carlsborg training center used by outside agencies for training? If so is money received for the use of those facilities and the upkeep?
My next question has to do with determining or understanding root cause for repeat callers, or situations? I understand that they now have a separate vehicle/ personnel that handle some of these calls but what is the fire district doing to truly analyze and develop either processes or alternate responses for low-hanging fruit that takes up staffing?
Also, I don't recall the acronyms used but it had to do with insurance requirements that to my understanding dictate staffing levels or responses. How many people does it take to drive the fire truck currently, and has that staffing level always been the case? Somewhere I'd heard that it used to be two people, and now it's three people. And I could be wrong, maybe it's three people historically and now for, either way do we need to have as many people on the apparatus?
Mr Tozzer, I am one of the Commissioners for Fire Dist 3. I would love to do a full-length podcast to answer some of the questions that you raised and to correct some of the incorrect information that writers in the comments have expressed. Answer here as I haven't been able to find any contact info for you and then we can try to meet. Thanks. - Bill Miano
It seems to me that being homeless is a deterrent to laziness, drug use, and non-productivity. Anyone who puts forth a modicum of effort can find some sort of paying work. But, if you feed them, give them drug paraphernalia, and give them housing, you are reducing the deterrent. My biggest fear throughout life was reaching retirement age without having saved enough to live on. It was a powerful motivator to go to college, work hard, learn investment, and to live a responsible life. Why do our politicians feel that this is unfair? Why do they make being a bum a cushy lifestyle? If we want to end homelessness and drug use, do the opposite-- make the consequences as uncomfortable as possible. While bleeding hearts will think otherwise, shivering on cold streets, hungry, and going through opiate withdrawal would serve as the best motivator to straighten up and go clean.
As for the Tribal perks, it's time for the bullshit to end. Throughout human history, the strong survived, the weak didn't. And now we are enabling the Tribal repatriation of lands, instead of treating everyone as an American? This division by ethnicity will eventually lead to people playing "cowboys and Indians" once more. Recognizing that we're all Americans will do the opposite. Without perks, the Tribal people are our neighbors. With special treatment, they become our enemies.
Excellent comment
Nice roundup Jeff! When it comes to the fire district and its employees, the question that should be asked is, what is the total compensation for each employee, and new hires? On top of generous salaries, their health insurance is top shelf, and their pension benefits -- which taxpayers are on the hook for for the rest of their lives once they retire, sometimes after just 20 years of service when they then go on to another career, are pretty dang impressive. And how many hours a week does a firefighter actually work? My dad was a career firefighter so I know from experience what this is all about. Not saying they are not an extremely important part of the community, because they are, but the total cost of government approaches 70% personnel costs. When will government be asked to do more with less, just as private businesses are? And when will government get off the discriminatory minority hiring gravy train and return to open competition for jobs, both in government service and contractual services?
Do they get extra pay for going out on calls? This might explain why 5 firetrucks and ambulances show up to even the smallest incident. Maybe more efficient management of calls would result in less fuel, less wear and tear on the equipment, and less hazard pay for non-essential staff.
From what i have seen from my neighbors lot's of $$$ abuse by emergency depts,emergency call will get three different vehicles which 2 will leave very shortly as to get their response $$$.I have seen this for years at the same resident.Sometimes a big fire truck would show up but no fire total abuse.
Management must also address the last two years pay, including overtime, used to determine retirement amount. Could be twice as much as normal.
The public employee unions have learned how to buffalo the powers that be in contract negotiations. Easier for them to cave to demands than risk a work stoppage since it’s not their money on the line. No one wants to be the daddy that says no to that second scoop of ice cream.
My understanding is that LEOFFII bases the retirement off of the highest paying 5 years, and is a solvent self sustaining retirement which isn't common these days.
https://www.drs.wa.gov/plan/leoff2/
As a matter of fact the previous LEOFFI plan has excess money in it and the state is trying to get at it to help balance their deficit.
https://wacities.org/advocacy/news/advocacy-news/2025/03/08/plan-to-sweep--3.3-billion-surplus-from-firefighter-and-police-pensions-introduced
Thanks for the info. I am sure that there are requirements to keep the fund solvent and applaud the current record. I do not know who must rescue the fund if investments fall short. I also do not want the State trying to grab retirement plans. More Socialism.
Good question on rescue. Don't know the answer, but LEOFII seems to have done a good enough job that they increased the retirement benefits a few years agt, but I also understand that for about 20 years the members agreed to pay more into the system for an eventual bump. I think they went from 2% to 2.5% for every year of service.
This interview of Ginny Burton by Philip Lindholm is 'must see TV" regaarding addiction and homelessness, especially if you live in Clallam county https://youtu.be/383rzhC1EKE?si=JTdjHOlSeFOWSxBv
“We are paying for people to continue actively participating in their own destruction”
These harm reduction services are demoralizing & dehumanizing for the people out there suffering in their circumstance. Societal suicide.
Because the actual focus is on creating and maintaining jobs for people to service the homeless population, not actually helping the mentally ill, the drug-addicted and homeless.
It's the new sector of the economy called the Homeless Industrial Complex.
Not at all how it’s being sold to the taxpayers though 🤷♀️ just saying. However, I believe it to be much more sinister & it goes much, much deeper than just “creating & maintaining jobs”
That 45 minute video clip is really worth watching! Great insight on drug addiction and homelessness.....and it's treatment. Thanks.
I watched this and it is so empowering. I’ve been saying DO NOT put out the bird feeders…..Our leaders are so enabling, stupid and weak. Their plans are NOT working & haven’t been working. Thank you for this link, hopefully others will share.
the bigger question: We are 70% water. Water is a priority and essential to life. Taking out the upper elwah dam drained a reservoir. Building Reservoirs should be a priortity in this constant cry of droughts and building hundreds of homes in a drought situation $$$$ for other things. Reminds me of the pushme pullya in Dr. Doolittle
so refreshing to see someone ELSE use the Pushmi-Pullyu from Doctor Doolittle. I have long thought that any creature that can face two directions at once, but without any visible way to poop, was an excellent representation of local government.
😳. Ok Jeff too much in here to comment. Let’s hope next election cycle produces a change in council and gets individuals in place to start the hard work of fixing this “blankety blank” mess. “Unrestrictive revenue” a goal blatantly printed in the news letter, wow unbelievable!
Don't look for it Taylor you may not like what you find. You will be indoctrinated into a global government that you are probably too male and pale to join.
you have to get 13 thousand votes to win. All the government jobs have been filled with liberal loonies. You might get some law enforcement votes but nurses and school district voters are automatic globalist faction voters. That is how we got where we got.
Suggs is a vote for no dissent. That means she doesn't want public comment and she makes it clear the process is for telling you what they are going to do, not for dealing with any kind of public input or dissent.
Thank you, Jeff, for bring on the spot for CC. Congratulations on over 200,000 podcast downloads! This means people are very hungry for news and updates. We must keep asking all these questions until we get truthful answers. Accidents happen and a big one did with the truck spill. This leads to asking: Is Clallam County prepared for another hazardous spill, or worse, a fire from a hazardous spill? I would assume CC is, but with certain leadership in doubt, I have to wonder.
I can definitely tell by looking at the hysteria on Facebook having no water, that a majority of residents aren't prepared for any type of disaster.
If you really want to see waste fraud and abuse at the copa dig into the soild waste department. These short term forklifts and tractors ain't nothing on what was spent in this department.
Port Angeles Light (the electric utility) has that kind of rep, too.
those over 14,000 "safer use kits" proudly listed by health CC health = meth pipes, crack pipes and boofing kits
Sorry that this isn't related to this article, but I noticed the NODC website doesn't say when or where their meetings are.
https://www.noprcd.org/events
Based upon their listing of previous meetings (no links to minutes), it would be every 4th Thursday, which would be this week. I imagine it's listed in one of Jeff's articles, so I'll try to find out if there's a search function on here. Figured I'd ask to see if the regular readers would already know and could point me in the right direction.
EDIT: Phone numbers are listed for some members in the "about" section when I only looked at the bottom of the page before... I called Karen Affeld and left my name and email address to receive meeting info. They also post on their Facebook page a day before the meetings that they will be held, but when viewing the previous one, I don't see any info for how to attend. It's also 2-4pm, making it difficult for working people to attend...
No, I've never been to one and don't know when they are. John Worthington: Can you chime in here and help us?
I'm touring the wastewater and water treatment plants in Port Angeles today from 3-5, are there any questions that come to mind that I should be asking during those tours? I told James Taylor about the tour and he's planning on tagging along as well. I need to make space on my phone to be able to take videos if allowed.
EDIT: "Ralph out of respect for other council members and council candidates I would like to keep this afternoon’s meeting to just you and I as originally scheduled. I am not opposed to organizing an additional tour at a later date with a more open invitation. It does need to be understood however these are critical facilities for the City. We would not allow the general public to walk through taking photos, etc. that may put the facility at risk for domestic terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security has very specific concerns over access to affecting safe drinking water sources. It will make more sense when we walk through the facility. Look forward to seeing you soon. As we just discussed on the phone we will only have time for the water plant today in order to make it back to the 5pm Special Council meeting"
Ask what type of chemicals are used to get the safe PH levels,and what are our levels compared to safe manditory guideline levels.
I know there are a whole bunch of things which need to be checked for, and chemicals maintained. The city does regular chemical analysis and submits samples to state-certified labs --- testing for Coliform, Nitrate-N, total triahalomethane (TTHM) haloacetic acid (HAA5) and total organic carbon TOC's) to conform to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The oversight is from the WA department of health, and the US EPA. The City publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Water Quality Report on their city website, the last one is here: https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/17119/CCR-2024-PDF
This is an older document, but one which I read a few years ago when asking that same question.
file:///C:/Users/meets/Downloads/Port%20Angeles%20Wastewater%20Treatment%20Plant%20Fact%20Shett%20for%20Public%20Notice%20-%209-28-15-1.pdf
Sorry to dump so much info... but my spouse has a degree from UC Berkeley as a chemist, so, it's not scary for me to read chemical analysis stuff.
The second one you shared is on your computer, not online, so I can't access it, but the one from last year is real helpful! I've printed it out and I've been reading it. I'll bring it with for the tour and I'll write my notes on it.
I've also printed out the contaminant excess presented by the EWG from the test they did this weekend, and to ask what their opinion is of the EWG. I noticed that the EWG presents measurements in parts per billion (ppb), while the city measures ppm, so I am gonna ask if they are even able to measure that precisely.
https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=WA5368550
I also was on the phone with someone who works for Dry Creek water district to get an idea of some questions/things to look for, and reading the report you posted answered a few of those questions! It'll be easier to be critical of the tour if I'm more informed, so thank you!
google: Fact sheet for city of port angeles wastewater treatment plant
It's a department of ecology .pdf https://apps.ecology.wa.gov
Ralph is also running in the election, against Kate. He's also a worthwhile choice: bright and inquisitive, with a lot of natural curiosity.
You're too kind! You have a much better online presence!
Today I'm realizing I want to make (or inspire others to make) a cohesive compiled calendar for the public to view, the main focus being meeting times for every committee and council that influences local policy or public spending. A lot of sites and posts will mention just a few groups, but we should have a dedicated calendar that everyone can go to. I know a resource like that would be perfect for a candidate, but it would increase public involvement overall.
yes, GREAT idea. Let me know how I can help you.
First step would be to "throw everything into a pile", so making sure we have all those groups on a list, then determine meeting times/dates/locations, and plug them in on an online calendar. Getting just all of the city committees on a list is a good start (especially if they have a calendar on the website I didn't see?). I would assume google for ease would be best, but if there's a better free resource I'll happily use it.
Having more people informed as to what LTAC is doing seems important, and I haven't heard good things regarding the Public Safety Advisory committee from one of their members.
For now I'm going to focus on reading this report before driving to the water treatment plant and subsequently going to the council meeting for the rayonier cleanup. If you would be willing to start a google doc and invite me and others to start getting the "pile" made, that would be a great help.
I think some people would be very surprised to know that most of these firemen only work i believe 2 24 hr shift days a week then 4 days off then 2 days on 4 off ect ect ect with a rotation of different days.They get plenty of time off to recover from high speed dilemmas.I do not see where these firemen are under paid at all considering the time off.
Also in conversations with some,a good percentage have other jobs or business interests. Because they have adequate free time.
Give them a helmet and put the homeless to work. Lots of unfilled jobs, requiring almost no experience and certainly no degree. Clean up along roadways would be a good start. I’m trying to be proactive not mean, but come on! There are jobs that could off set the high price of homeless/drug addicted and unemployed in the community. Not saying homeless means drug addiction etc. Just saying!
I gotta stop reading your emails Jeff! They literally have me questioning how the elected officials can suck the life out of people who have worked so hard for what they have only to have to give it away for things that have nothing to do with us. But, in reality there's nothing we can do. WA has turned into a fricken vacuum, suck, suck, suck. Property owners are getting screwed, and it doesn't feel good. What if we all got together and crossed off some line items on our tax bill and refused to pay. I'm going to repeat myself and say people who don't own property should not be allowed to vote on tax increases....or am I just a big meanie? What if 60% of renters say yes to a 70% increase on whatever and make all property owners (except tribal) pay for everyone 🤔
A trite quote, "nothing is free". Free transportation, health care, harm/drug/self destruction care are all paid for services. We mistakenly assume that when our wallets don't open on the spot, it's free. Aside from money for services there is also quid pro quo, equivocation and the infinite forms of whoring. I cannot define the timing of when Government turned from infrastructure management, safety and law enforcement to charity and feel good endeavors, but the later is not the business of Governance. Charitable organizations like churches, philanthropy and non-profit organizations address charity and aid for the indigent. Let Government handle our infrastructure needs and let charity handle charity. The unfortunate fuel spill is the very definition of an accident. I'm told by vehicle occupants right behind the accident the cause was the driver choking out on an apple. While the truck ownership is inconsequential, it is the MBE status that does matter. It is wokeness insanity. Since we are all genetically unique, we are all a minority of one. With that as fact how does a business become certified as a minority owned business ? The possibilities of minority status are infinite. Recently I have noticed an exponentially disproportionate band width being dedicated to the minority status of sexual deviancy. What about truck drivers or brewistas or anything occupational ? Why only those claiming ancestry to formerly, historically understood to be abused groupings ? Should today's "Native Americans" be paying reparations to the peoples that preceded them ? The abused and their abusers no longer live. How much more and how much longer should we be paying reparations to the deceased ?
Giving things for free hurts people, not helps them. Its the phrase, widely attributed to Lao Tzu "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Handouts hurt people.
Knowing the obvious shady agenda of the local Indian tribe to "acquire" all of the private property that it can, and considering the shady past the local tribal government clearly has, it would be a very good idea to look closely into this fuel truck "accident" just to be sure that "we" are in fact dealing with an accident and not some sort of criminal act. That would be out of an abundance of caution that is well merited under the circumstances. At the very least, the owners of the fuel truck and the driver should be held 100% responsible for all of the harm done to folks and the natural habitat, that I am sure they will be happy to do since they care SO much for nature and our community~! Sarcasm ;-) Thanks Jeff Tozzer for the good word on James Taylor and he does sound as if he would be a vast improvement compared to the losers that we currently have in government~! Of course, we always run the risk of being told one thing by these politicians, only to be betrayed when they get into office, however I hope that does not mean that we forsake the good folks who we desperately need to replace the usual "rotten apples" that trick and deceive their way into all positions of power... Good for you Marolee (Mimi) Smith Devorak~! We here always enjoy your commonsense thoughts and words, and how you help bring the truth of government dealings to light~! I can only guess that the criminals in our government irrationally insist upon spending our limited taxpayer dollars on new vehicles and equipment, when there is still plenty of years of use still remaining in them, because it presents the visual illusion that the government here is doing a "good job"~! I know that there is a strong aftermarket that these "slightly used" vehicles and equipment are typically sold in, so it would be a VERY good idea to look into that and see where that money (and equipment) is REALLY going because that can be a way for these crooks in government to skim funds without much if any oversight~! Also, how are these vehicles and equipment being "sold" (or gifted?) because there could definitely be some sort of shady dealings going on there, where favors and "special privileges" are being given "off of the radar". There is a vast amount of truth that can often be discovered when folks monitor all of the "government sales" of equipment and used vehicles and I have been closely monitoring those for well over 50 years as a first-class source of information that the vast majority of analysts would completely ignore ;-) From the standpoint of the specific Kubota tractor that you so well recently disclosed... Those older Kubota tractors are absolutely great and especially those that were manufactured before the intentionally failed & expensive government forced "emissions" crappola and all of the (made to fail planned obsolescence) "electronics" were built into them, that in fact makes the newer Kubota tractors FAR less desirable in the market~! I happen to own an older Kubota that I paid a HUGE premium for because they are that much better than the newer ones BTW. 1,600 hours on one of those older Kubota tractors is really just the "break in" period because they are VERY well known to last many times that on average~! These clowns in our government who are making these irrational financial decisions OBVIOULSY have no clue what they are doing, I doubt that they have EVER worked a real days work in their lives, and/or worse, they have some sort of financial "shell game" of accounting going on that is funneling money and/or equipment into the wrong hands (and of course robbing the taxpayers along the way). These things deserve a closer look~! Sincerely, Mike
I have a public information request into the city to find how/where/how much they sell this used equipment for.
It isn't like the city hasn't engaged in some subtle schemes. A few years back Public Works with their 'slush fund' selling used scrap (funding big barbecues) and then the Parks and Rec embezzlement of after school funds (2013). There was the finance director kerfuffle in 2012 (which I never heard of the final outcome, but rumor was that it was messy). We had the County embezzled by $600k back in 2011.
And, then, after YEARS of soliciting the residents to replace the trees at Lincoln Park, and proceeds from all of the various cutting of large trees -- all in a fund, that fund was quietly transferred to the general fund for Public Works, to buy the sound system for Civic Field. The problem? People actually donated FOR TREES... there was no "donor consent". These were restricted funds. But, whoops, quiet deal.
Excellent work Mimi~!
Good God~! I didn't know about a few of the things that you mentioned~! Well, that explains why these criminals in our government are running amok now and they have no respect for folks in our community or our needs & wishes~! It is obviously LONG past time to start holding these low-level criminals responsible for EVERYTHING that they do, without listening to their insane reasoning and weak excuses. I believe that it would be a very good idea for those of us who do know the history of the local criminals in government to put together a solid outline of the past and current issues (crimes) that "we" have experienced, complete with dates and names of those who are clearly involved~! I believe that it is time to forgo this stupid dance with these local criminals, and it is now time to take this matter to the federal Department of Justice~! I am absolutely confident that we are suffering numerous criminal (RICO) conspiracies, and the "new" federal government leadership may be willing to investigate this matter in ways that we can't. I am monitoring the "new" federal government very successfully doing numerous deep investigations into a great many other criminal conspiracies, so they would have the ability, power, and funds to help us purge the local criminals and other bad actors from our government. At the very least, we really should document these horrific acts and crimes that have been committed here in Clallam County, very possibly the state level involvement, and by submitting our criminal complaints we would definitely be establishing the groundwork for future criminal and civil actions even if the federal government does not pursue these crimes~! If you look up the federal RICO statutes, you will find that "we" here in Clallam County do actually have just cause to file criminal complaints with the federal government~! Have a great day and never give up hope~!
Sincerely, Mike
BTW... James isn't a "politician" type. We met when we were both serving on the Planning Commission and he impressed me greatly with his knowledge and his level-headed responses. I trust him.
Thanks Mimi~!
He sounds like he could be one of the good ones and Lord knows that we need as many good folks in government now as we can get~! I have always admired the "original" American standard where the idea that Individuals should not be lifelong "professional politicians" as a living, because that can obviously turn into a very unhealthy civic relationship. There is nothing healthier and more appropriate than an Individual who serves in public office, who knows that when they return to the private sector they will be subjected to the very laws and rules that they imposed upon the rest of us~! This is of course exactly why these criminals in government today make laws and rules that they absolve themselves from having to abide by OR laws and rules that they can somehow "magically" change in favor of themselves when it suits them. No Americans in government or "politicians" should be allowed to escape the laws and rules that they (the government) impose upon all of the rest of us ;-) That is why I do not favor the practice of allowing "lifelong politicians" in the US because obviously too many have ruthlessly taken advantage of what was always intended as a temporary privilege of regular folks in society... We here look forward to learning more about James Taylor and what he may want to do, so thanks for the tip~! Sincerely, Mike
I just listened to the interview that you had with the Commissioner Miano. Thank you for taking time out to have him answer questions. I especially want to thank the commissioner for taking time out to try to answer the questions the public has. It's very stand-up of him to talk about the needs of the district, the costs, and the realities instead of running away from the tough questions.
The measure seems reasonable, albeit unfortunately reasonable, because of the increase in cost that were likely going to see going forward. I don't think there's any way out of this without voting for their needs but I have some questions.
Is the Carlsborg training center used by outside agencies for training? If so is money received for the use of those facilities and the upkeep?
My next question has to do with determining or understanding root cause for repeat callers, or situations? I understand that they now have a separate vehicle/ personnel that handle some of these calls but what is the fire district doing to truly analyze and develop either processes or alternate responses for low-hanging fruit that takes up staffing?
Also, I don't recall the acronyms used but it had to do with insurance requirements that to my understanding dictate staffing levels or responses. How many people does it take to drive the fire truck currently, and has that staffing level always been the case? Somewhere I'd heard that it used to be two people, and now it's three people. And I could be wrong, maybe it's three people historically and now for, either way do we need to have as many people on the apparatus?
Sorry to respond to this so late. Bill Miano is very engaging and responsive if you contact him on his CCFD3 email. Great questions!
Mr Tozzer, I am one of the Commissioners for Fire Dist 3. I would love to do a full-length podcast to answer some of the questions that you raised and to correct some of the incorrect information that writers in the comments have expressed. Answer here as I haven't been able to find any contact info for you and then we can try to meet. Thanks. - Bill Miano