HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail from Tom Knorr regarding the State of JeffersonSweeney, Kathleen
From:
Tom [tom_knorr @hotmail.comj
Sent:
Monday, June 09, 2014 1:36 PM
To
Subject:
Sweeney, Kathleen
Information regarding your agenda item 5.01 on 6/10/2014 -- - -
Attachments:
Butte County.pdf
Mrs. Sweeney.
would it be possible to share this information with the supervisors?
Thank you so much, I will be at the meeting tomorrow to present this information.
Tom Knorr
f 90 J C46
Ladies and Gentlemen, Supervisors,
Thank you for letting me speak to this subject. My name if Tom Knorr and I am one of the point people
organizing the campaign in Tehama County.
My purpose here is to provide you with observations from the campaign and maybe a bit of perspective
on the overall project.
I know Butte County is not Tehama, not Glenn, Modoc or Siskiyou, but I think you do experience in your
interactions with state and federal agencies and regulations the same lack of representation that we do.
This is what the State of Jefferson campaign is really about, the disproportional political voice we have in
the California. It does really not matter what political views you represent when it comes to getting
projects done in the North State, when it comes to bringing new businesses into the county or use the
abundant resources we have, we all suffer from the same population center based regulations,
environmental constraints that have no economic consideration for the region and topped off with a
sprinkling of big city arrogance. When I hear former San Francisco mayor Willy Brown say: "they don't
offer anything to the rest of California except a little bit of land with not much population" I am
offended by the arrogance and ignorance he displays towards the communities of 1/3 of California,
really probably even %: of California if I count in the other underrepresented rural counties.
What can we do about this? We can band together and form alliances of rural counties. We have that,
RCRC, FB, ... with little avail. What needs to be done is an alliance that sends a solid message that we are
done with being ignored, that states that we are not just the rain water collection point for the cities.
We are the food providers and require the resources and viability of the communities that support food
production. We are not a Northern California wildlife wilderness some city dweller dreamed up based
on convenient science and Disney movies.
The state of Jefferson movement is about restoring rural representation to balanced levels that are
suggested and guaranteed by our US Constitution. We are not asking for unfair representation or
'exclusive representation' as Willy Brown mentions, we are asking for equal representation which we do
not have under the current circumstances.
Forming our own state is a stepping stone that is very likely rejected, both by the State of California and
the US Congress. We believe that forming our own state can create equal representation, gives a great
opportunity to reset regulations and business climate back to productive, allows us the assert a solid
stance towards the federal government in terms of forcing federal agencies to apply their own federal
law before they roll into our counties - and revive our economy to its full potential. We believe that a
north state is viable, financially, socially and in every other way.
Yet, statehood is a threat. If rejected it proves that we do not have representation which opens up the
path to challenge the constitutionality of the decisions that forced California to abandon a community
based senate as a balance to a population based Assembly.
Your decision to support the declaration to separate shows alliance to the North State and an
acknowledgement of the quest for more representation. It will guarantee your standing in the legal
challenge of Reynolds vs. Sims, the reason we lost representation, but that is pretty much it.
While it is always a good idea to send a decision like this to the voters, I feel approval of the simple
support decision for the declaration is well within your role as elected leaders of this county. It states
that you are recognizing that we do have a lack of representation and that you acknowledge that this
initiative has potential to solve this. We the People have to do the next steps to move this along.
Thank you for your consideration.
Tom Knorr 6/9/2014
(530) 228 -3221