Highlights, lowlights from the week’s news
HIT >> What a great call for California Legislature Woman of the Year.
By honoring Monica Soderstrom, a registered nurse who leads Butte County’s community health division and serves on Enloe Medical Center’s board of trustees, the state did a fantastic job of putting a face on the biggest heroes of the past 12 months: the front-line participants in the war against COVID-19.
Soderstrom was presented with the award by Assemblyman James Gallagher (RYuba City) on Thursday at the Butte County Public Health office in Chico. She was one of 120 women recognized for this honor by the California Legislative Women’s Caucus.
Enloe Medical Center CEO Mike Wiltermood put it best when he said there are hundreds of such front-line health care heroes who could have been nominated, and that Soderstrom represented the united effort made locally for the pandemic.
“The thing about the work that Monica does is that it is constant and it is continually evolving,” Wiltermood said. “The work that she does, it is so important to bring people together and coordinate the efforts that everybody makes.”
It’s very gratifying to see such a valuable public servant recognized as “Woman of the Year.” In an era where parents wince at what they see on TV and in social media, Soderstrom, and so many like her, are the true role models setting fantastic examples for our future generations of leaders.
Well done.
MISS >> We could fill this space every week just by listing “stupid things being considered in Sacramento.” Occasionally, though, a bill emerges that makes other stupid bills seem downright logical by comparison.
Introducing Senate Bill 82, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley).
The bill, believe it or not, would “redefine” robbery and the penalties that come with it. Specifically, SB82 would turn robberies of less than $950, that don’t involve weapons or cause serious injuries, into petty theft.
Can you imagine? A criminal could strong-arm a victim into giving up their wallet or purse and, in the unfortunate case they found more than $950, simply return the change until they got it down to $949. Because, you see, while a “robbery” is punishable by up to five years in prison, “petty theft,” under this bill, would lead to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine (or both) and, of course, a diversion program.
Skinner, of course, promises they’d be tough on cases involving “serious injuries.”
For the record, the California Penal code defines “serious injury” as concussions, losing an organ or broken bones. Bruises or busted teeth? Tough luck.
HIT >> Butte County’s progress on COVID-19 vaccinations remains nothing short of fantastic, with more than 38 percent of the county’s residents having received at least one shot to date. A visit to Jack Vanella Hall at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds this week confirmed what we’ve heard all along — the process is streamlined, very well- organized and highly efficient.
Legions of volunteers are on hand every day, doing everything from helping in the parking lot to organizing signins and waiting areas inside. It barely takes a half hour of your time to park, sign in, get your vaccination and leave — and that includes the 15-minute period you’ll sit while making sure you don’t have a negative reaction to the shot.
With all three members of our editorial board now having received at least one vaccination (at two different sites), we cannot stress this enough: Whether you’re in Oroville or Gridley or Chico or anywhere across the north state, the process is easy, and the people running things know what they’re doing. Get ‘er done.
MISS >> These spring-like conditions during the month of March don’t happen every year. It’s nice to enjoy the sunshine, but there’s a down side too — this is shaping up to be a very bad year for water.
The state and federal governments this week announced reductions in the amount of water it would be providing its contractors due to drought. The state Department of Water Resources said those who get water from Lake Oroville would get only 5 percent of what they want, down from 10 percent approved in December, and the federal Bureau of Reclamation said westside users in the San Joaquin Valley wouldn’t get any water at all.
“Settlement contractors,” like the Glenn- Colusa Irrigation District, will still get 75 percent of the water they want.
Rainfall in Chico is just 36 percent of normal and lake Oroville is only 40 percent full. Shasta Lake is 52 percent, twothirds of its historical average.
It’s not too late for a springtime miracle to help some of those numbers, but we’re in desperate need of a long, wet winter (or two) to really tilt the scales.