Letters to the Editor

Not worth suing lender

Iaman investor with Estate Financial, the “troubled Paso real estate lender.” I don’t think anyone should lose sight of the fact that Estate Financial is an employer of a good number of people and a taxpayer in San Luis Obispo County. It also has a good reputation among others in the finance world.

Suing Karen Guth and Estate Financial will only slow her down and take time and money away from what she does best: real estate. Anyone who sues her will get nothing if they win — in about 10 years. Your investments should be fixed by then. Paying a lawyer to start a lawsuit will be like lighting $100 bills on fire.

Karen is a dedicated and very competent professional who built that business putting her heart and soul into it. She’s not going to give it up. She knows she has obligations she’s responsible for.

Michael Adler

Newport Beach

A boycott on DNC

My husband and I simultaneously answered a phone call from a Democratic National Committee representative seeking contributions to help our new president have a strong congressional majority by defeating Republicans in weak districts. Simultaneously, we interrupted him to say the DNC will receive no money from us until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allows introduction of impeachment hearings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. He said Democrats don’t have enough votes to do that, but in eight more months the “wrongdoings will stop.”

Wrongdoings? Doesn’t the DNC get it? Bill Clinton was guilty of “wrongdoing” against his wife for pulling down his presidential zipper. But the administration has violated international treaties; illegally invaded Iraq; killed and terrorized thousands of Iraqi citizens and created millions of refugees; tortured and suspended human rights of thousands of alleged prisoners; etc. At home, Bush has trashed civil liberties and issued signing statements that mock the legislative process.

The DNC calls these “wrongdoings!” We call them impeachable crimes and offenses.

Julie and Dick Krejsa

San Luis Obispo

Rev. Wright’s appeal

If you read between the sound bites or caught the interview with Rev. Jeremiah Wright on PBS with Bill Moyer, you realize what a dynamic, intelligent and caring human being he is. We were so impressed with his work and the far-reaching services the church offers, the actions speaking louder than words, the inspiration—truly God’s intentions.

Yes, Wright has his opinions, but we’re still a free country, and we have the right to choose whom and what we listen to. We find him honest, and the truth hurts those who are guilty.

Arne Setran

Los Osos

Above the pot laws?

I was very impressed by a letter on April 25. It appears to me that Andy Randrup addressed many of the issues that I have had some difficulty understanding when it comes to the question (Why is it a question?) of marijuana dispensaries in San Luis Obispo County.

As he points out, the citizens of California voted in a democratic election to allow for legal access to medical marijuana. As I recall, this was some years ago, and although many counties in the state have instituted appropriate procedures for this to take place and have licensed appropriate dispensaries for it to take place in, San Luis Obispo County continues to resist doing so.

The members of the Board of Supervisors swore to uphold the laws of the state of California when they took office. It seems arrogant for them to decide, no matter what the basis, which of those laws they will permit to be executed and which they will not, regardless of the will of the people of California. At the very least, it seems to me that they have violated their oath of office, and it saddens me that they go to such lengths to ensure that some very sick people do not have access to pain relief.

Loren D. Acord

San Luis Obispo

T here are a number of bills affecting nonprofit groups pending in the Legislature.

It is impossible to list all of them, so I have picked a few to highlight. I am grateful to the California Association of Nonprofits ( www.canonprofits.org ) for its assistance.

• Emergency/Disaster Response: Assembly Bill 2796 would provide limited liability immunity for nonprofit emergency and disaster responders similar to the immunity already granted to governmental responders.

• Wine donations: Of particular interest for nonprofit groups and wineries in San Luis Obispo County is Assembly Bill 1964, which would ease rules for wine donations and increase the number of times per year that nonprofit groups could hold wine fundraising events.

Currently, nonprofit groups can not take possession of wine for sale or auction without a temporary license from Alcoholic Beverage Control. Wineries that donate product are subject to ABC penalties if the nonprofit group has not complied with state law. The bill seeks to ease fundraising through the sale or auction of wine for both nonprofit groups and wineries.

• Bingo: As a fundraising event, it doesn’t cost much to conduct a bingo game. Lately, though, revenue from bingo games has been declining. Three bills are pending that would enhance the appeal of bingo (Assembly Bill 1924; Senate Bills 1328 and 1626).

• Fund Management and Dissolution of a Nonprofit Group: California nonprofit groups that have endowments are currently obligated to protect the original value of an endowment gift, which means that an endowed fund may sit idle if its value has plummeted.

Senate Bill 1329 frees up the charity to spend from the fund what it deems prudent after considering the donor’s intent that the endowment fund continue permanently, the purposes of the fund, and relevant economic factors.

The bill also makes it easier for the state attorney general to dissolve a nonprofit group when it is impossible or impractical for the nonprofit to do it on its own.

• Paid sick leave: Assembly Bill 2716 would require employers to provide paid sick leave to an employee who works seven or more days in a year and prescribes employer and employee rights and responsibilities in regard to sick leave.

• Retirement: CalPERS, the California Public Em-

ployees’ Retirement System, is the largest pension fund in the country. Assembly Bill 2940 creates a way for for-profit and nonprofit group employees to participate in CalPERS.

Tracking legislation can be a full-time job, a staff position many nonprofit groups cannot afford. Fortunately, many professional associations make their members aware of pertinent bills. The California Legislature’s Web site ( www.legislature.ca.gov ) has a “bill search” feature that allows one to track any pending legislation. It is helpful to remember that nonprofit groups can advocate for particular bills within limits; specific guidelines can be obtained from the Independent Sector, www.independentsector.org , the Alliance for Justice, www.afj.org , and the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, www.clpi.org . Barry VanderKelen can be reached at 543-2323 or barry@sloccf.org .