Letters to the Editor

Thanks for another successful fundraiser

The Hot Spots, the fundraising arm of Intermountain Fire, flared up once more. Beth Edwards, Holley Birt, Sharon Greene, Lesa Sailors, Lora Tustison, Carol Waters, Gayle Wright, Charlie Teichert, and Ron Peterka working with the unofficial direction of Kim McLelland put on Novemberfest 2012 and were able to hand over a check for $9,500 to Board President Maurice Waters and Chief Jeremy Christofferson at the Dec. 12 board meeting.

A huge thank you to all the donors and volunteer workers who made this event possible. The money raised will provide matching funds for large grants, or for otherwise impossible to fund department needs. We thank you one more time.

A special thanks to Russ Meskell, Jamie LeClair, Joan Renaud, Sharon Greene, SDG&E, John Little Catering, La Finquita Winery, Ransom Bros Hardware, and Ramona Disposal for providing items for the live auction.

Novemberfest became a necessity when a venue in Ramona was not available in October for a traditional Octoberfest.

You can check www.intermountanfire.org for other department information.

Ron Peterka, RamonaThanks to Dr. RiveraAs 2012 draws to a close, I note that Ramona resident Dr. Marcelo Rivera will be finishing up 12 years of continuous service as a member of the Board of Directors of Palomar Pomerado Health Care District. During that tenure, Dr. Rivera served as chairman of the Finance Committee as they developed and passed Proposition BB, which raised much of the funding for the new state-of-the-art Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, then chairman of the board as they broke ground for the new hospital, and now will be completing his four-year term as chairman of the facilities and grounds committee as they opened the new hospital and now have broken ground for the new Ramona Ambulatory Care and Urgent Care Center due to be finished fairly soon across from our new library!During his term on the board, he constantly encouraged his fellow officers to closely examine the serious need for a medical facility up here in Ramona to serve the needs not only of Ramona residents, but those in the outback such as Borrego Springs, Ranchita, Santa Ysable and Julian also. Dr. Rivera, along with several others in Ramona such as Arvie Degenfelder kept the pressure on and now things are coming around full circle.Dr. Rivera also served Ramona as a 13 year member of the board of the Ramona Unified School District and has constantly been receptive to the needs of our community.I am proud to have him as my personal care physician and am quite sure that the Ramona community and its leaders join with me in a big thank you.

Charles Teichert Jr., RamonaJustice for JimboMy kids came home yesterday telling me of a rumor they heard about this dog Jimbo, who was shot several times by sheriffs when he approached them with a tennis ball in his mouth. I was disgusted.Today I read the article in the Sentinel. And I’m upset. I’m sure if the Sheriff’s Department was there under different circumstances, they would not have shot Jimbo.Let me spell it out for you. A dog, no matter what the breed, is not a threat when they approach you with a tennis ball in their mouth. If you felt threatened, why not use your pepper spray? Or ask the owner to contain their dog?Just because the owner has broken the law, it doesn’t mean you punich everyone and everything around him.Ms. Fox, I urge you to take some legal action. This is a terrible situation. Go to the media first, and get some folks behind you, and find justice for Jimbo.

Gina Scruggs, RamonaRed and blackFor the worst reason, our President seems to have become an Aztec—y’know, red and black.

A.G. Smith, RamonaHomeowners should protest new fire taxDear Ramona Sentinel,My name is Dylan Fieger and I am a Ramona High School student working on a project for my Advanced Placement Government class.We are doing a participation in government for our semester project, and I chose to write a letter to you commenting about the new state fire tax being levied on tens of thousands of homeowners.I do agree with Dianne Jacob that the homeowners should stand up and protest the tax, being that it “stems from the state’s failure to adequately fund Cal Fire.”To my knowledge we should protest this, because we the people already pay a property tax, which helps fund our public safety programs.Thank you for all that you do. The papers are great.

Dylan Fieger, Ramona