A call for civil discourse

Editor: This is in response to Mr. Portal’s recent response to my response to two letters, one of which was written by Mr. Portal. If that sounds silly, well, it is. I doubt either Mr. Portal or I will come to any agreement in this forum, much less solve the issue initially presented, which was (I thought) mob mentality in present day America. While I tried to point out that threatening and/or violent behavior is not exclusive to any one faction, it seems my message was lost.

Mr. Portal asks if I can give him examples of rage from the right. There is not enough space to enumerate and one only needs to read this newspaper. In addition to the examples I provided before, which included negative and bullying language from our present leadership, I could start with the death of Heather Hyer and continue from there.

I further wished to illustrate how the powers that be employ these tactics to further divide and distract the public for their own political and financial purposes. Mr. Portal’s initial letter and his response directly to me proves this point as he goes on about liberals, the left, socialism and communism. Once again, if a person disagrees, the labels come out, further discourse becomes tainted and minds shut tightly. Communism, Mr. Portal? I don’t blame Mr. Portal. I blame our present leadership and those who put them there.

Perhaps I should clear a few things up for your readers and Mr. Portal, who feels the need to lecture me about history, while painting with a very broad brush.

1. You don’t know me. 2. I am not a Democrat, leftist, Socialist or Communist. 3. I embrace a variety of positive ideas and beliefs, some of which may be considered liberal (free-thinking) to one and conservative to another. 4. I do not believe in violence, period.

Perhaps, Mr. Portal and I could meet for coffee some day and have a civil discussion. My treat. We might find some areas where we agree. Maybe he could let me know when and where in his next letter. BILL ADELMAN Galt

Measure L and pensions

Editor: In recent letters to the editor about bloated city pensions and how Measure L is going to be used to fund them, I would ask the writers for facts and figures. Who is getting those pensions, what was the job title, what city departments did they work for, how much are they receiving and why it is lucrative and bloated?

As I recall, one writer seemed to say if police officers and firefighters can retire in their 50s, why should they get the pension they are entitled to, because they are young enough to get another job.

Police work and firefighting are jobs for young people. It's their only pension and they paid for it! I have watched Lodi grow from 28,000 in 1964 to approaching 70,000 today. Staffing in both departments has not kept up with growth. Both fire department and ambulance (private company) respond to life-threatening emergencies. Both occupations are increasingly dangerous: Hepatitis, TB and other blood pathogens add to job-related injuries. Firefighters are also at risk for cancer from exposure to toxic materials, fumes and smoke, even at “cold” scenes.

Firefighters live at one of four fire stations for 48 hours straight which includes selfprovided meals. "Getting paid to sleep?" Not really. They are on call every minute of their shift.

The fire department is short 10 firefighters: this equals a loss of manpower and increased response times. Saving a life is totally dependent on these two factors.

How do the occupations differ? Police officers enforce laws and answer calls for services, including emergencies. Again, response time is dependent upon staffing. Currently short 11 officers, staffing can leave areas of the city very long on response time and officers without backup. As in the fire service, delays can be deadly and again the public loses.

The per-person cost of Measure L is projected to $60 a year. There will be an oversight committee. When it's your home going up in flames or you or your loved one the victim of crime, $60 will seem like a very good investment in Lodi's future. DON HAWKINSON Lodi

Lodi needs Measure L

Editor: My name is Larry Hansen and I was on the City Council for 12 years and was the Mayor of Lodi in 2004 and 2009. I finished my third term in December of 2014.

In my decades of living in Lodi, I have never doubted that this is a safe community. For a variety of reasons things are changing. I currently teach an online class and my students are full-time police officers and full-time firefighters. They have all experienced short staffing, increased calls for service and an increase in crimes of violence. In the last two-plus years Lodi officers have been attacked on three different occasions, (twice with guns and once with baseball bats) and three suspects have been shot. Now add to the shortage of officers and the dramatic increase in calls for service and you can begin to see the challenges our officers are dealing with.

I retired from the police department in the year 2000 and the city has not added one additional police officer since I retired. For the past decade budget cuts have forced Lodi’s police and fire departments to shrink. At this moment Lodi doesn’t have enough firefighters on duty to use all of its equipment or to fight a single home structure fire without asking for help from other communities. Lodi has only 36 officers in the patrol division. That is 11 less than what the state recommends for a city of our size. When I retired Lodi had 78 authorized sworn officers, and today they have 71 authorized sworn officers. Last year Lodi officers took a total of 77 guns off the street. This year we have had an unprecedented eight homicides. The best way to protect the public’s safety in Lodi is to pass Measure L. This measure will provide the funding needed to maintain neighborhood police patrols and ensure adequate emergency medical and fire response times. This measure will insure that Lodi can bring back the level of services that the citizens have come to expect. Vote YES on Measure L. LARRY D. HANSEN Retired Chief of Police

A vote for Chandler

Editor: Lodi was founded by hardworking risk takers who knew what it meant to put in a good days work. It’s in our DNA. Lodi remains strong because we still have people willing to share their experience and be of service to our community.

Entering my 15th year on the city council, I have had the privilege of serving with many fine people. But in all my years, nobody has ever come to the council better prepared to serve than Mark Chandler. Mark was at the helm of the Lodi Winegrape Commission serving as executive director for 20 years. Because of Mark’s leadership, the Lodi brand grew benefiting our ag community and kickstarting our blossoming ag tourism industry.

I have seen Mark work to bring people and viewpoints together for the good of the community. Mark is a hardworking and experienced business owner who has been inducted in the Lodi Community Hall of Fame for the loyalty he has shown our city. Please join me in re-electing Mark Chandler for Lodi City Council. BOB JOHNSON Lodi City Councilman