As a person who loves animals and who is against any form of cruelty to them. I'm happy to see that Governor Schwarzenegger passed a bill to ban the force feeding of geese and ducks, for the sole reason to increase the amount of foie gras they produce.

My  question is, why does the Governor place the needs of ducks/geese over that of people?  He has vetoed every bill that would insure any sort of humane treatment to inmates in our states prisons.

They are being denied proper medical care, and dying because of it.  They are being denied protection from harsh treatment form prison officials, and are dying from it.  They are being denied any access to the outside world so that the media or the  people of the state can be made aware of this cruel treatment.

GEESE vs.PEOPLE...  When will the Governor open his eyes to basic needs of human beings who at the mercy of those sworn to protect them while serving their debt to society.  Could it be because he is owned by the CDC instead of the people of California who said he owed his 
only alliance to. 

Maybe it is better to be a fowl in this state than a person.

Malissa Silveria

Letter to the Editor

We must vote Yes on Prop. 66.  It is being used by attorneys and judges to send defendants to prison for life who are convicted on minor crimes.  This is wrong.  The courts have, as usual, abused a law that was passed by the populate for a precise reason, to keep convicted felons who have committed heinous crimes behind bars.

This law is now used to keep people behind bars for life who have committed what are considered minor crimes.  This, I feel, is on the same level as cruel and inhumane treatment.  Rather than trying to rehabilitate these people, it seems that it is easier for the courts to just lock them up and throw them away.

Our Governor tells us that it is too costly to rehabilitate inmates.  But think of the cost to the taxpayer to house these people for the rest of their lives versus rehabilitation.

Josie Strode

What is the Governor afraid of?

Letter to the Editor

 The Governor of California has vetoed all the bills presented to him that might provide decent medical care to the inmates on our states prison system, he has in essence said he has no compassion for them. 

Inmates are dying because they are being denied the basic care.  They are even denied basic hygiene products to which they can use to clean their cells.  The LA County health  department stated that diseases could be cut to  a minimum  if inmates had these products to wash their toilets, walls or any place where infections can start.  The staph infection is running rampant through out the prison system.

The Governor vetoed a bill that would keep the media from access to what is going on in the prisons. His reason was that he didn't want inmates to become Hollywood celebrities.  It is his was from keeping the public from knowing the truth of the horrors that the inmates are being subjected to.

The Governor also rejected the recommendations from a report presented by former Governor Deukmajian for a complete reform of the states prison system.

My question is this:  What is he trying to hide?

Malissa Silveria

Dear friends and family:

Nearly three years ago, more than 70 non-profit community mental health agencies in California had a dream--that all California's children and adults would receive mental health care regardless of ability to pay; that no one would fall through the cracks and senselessly end up in residential care, unemployed or homeless for lack of mental health treatment.

To make that dream a reality, members of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies (CCMHA) decided to invest their collective resources in developing a stable funding base for community mental health in California.  Partnering with Assembly Member Darrell Steinberg (voted twice as Assembly Member with the Most Integrity by his peers and leading nonpartisan political newspaper, The California Journal), they set about crafting a ballot 
initiative to do just that.

No we are halfway there.  With the help of more than 500 volunteer signature gatherers from the mental health community, Prop 63 has qualified for the November ballot.  If passed, it will generate more than $700 million dollars for a comprehensive state mental health system by adding a 1% surcharge to any taxable personal income over $1 million dollars.

Prop 63 revenues will benefit individuals and families across a broad spectrum of need.  In particular, 20% of the funds would go to education, prevention, early intervention, and innovative programming.  No longer will individuals have to wait until they are severely impaired to qualify for care.

Now that our dream is on the ballot, we need to get the word out to voters through a media campaign, and we need to be prepared for smear tactics from the opposition.  As you well know, discrimination and stigma still haunt those with mental illness.  Not everyone even 
believes that brain disorders exist!  CCCMHA and its members have contributed over 70% of the resources required to get Prop 63 on the ballot.  Please vote Yes on 63 or to find out more information check out: YESon63.org.

Sarah Chappell, M.A.

Dear Editor,

One of the biggest reasons for problems in the prison system is overcrowding.  When we speak of prison reform, the first issue discussed should be early release of non violent inmates.  That would in itself reduce overcrowding and prison violence.  Secondly, reform in the parole system is needed to help the newly released, not look for every little reason to return parolees to prison. 

These men and women face insurmountable problems on release with finding a place to live, a job, suitable social environments, food, and clothing.  They have not been properly prepared by the prison system for return to society.  They should be allowed to live and parole in the place that would assure the best possibility for success based on their individual  circumstances, rather than return to their home area no matter what. 

Thirdly, suitable programs for each individual should be offered to assure success.  Overcrowded prisons and revolving prison doors is a societal problem and we need to address the issues and assist in making our society better for everyone.  Our tax dollars would be much better spent on reform and rehabilitation, rather than outrageous prison guard wages. 

Shirley Wetherwax, Voting taxpayer