Abel Maldonado
Go long, Abel. This is our turf, and we’re tossing you, state Sen. Abel Maldonado, an out-of-bounds brickbat for fumbling on fiscal priorities.
At a time when the economy is tanking, California faces a multibillion-dollar deficit, teachers are getting layoff notices, social service programs are shrinking and state parks are threatened with closure — and you’re worried about artificial turf? To the point where you proposed legislation that would require state agencies to spend time and money studying the environmental and public health effects of synthetic and natural turf?
We understand there are concerns about bacteria associated with the increasingly popular synthetic fields. And yes, some football players have come down with nasty infections after sustaining turf burns. Questions also have arisen about possible high lead levels in some synthetic fields, but the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission already is investigating that aspect.
We don’t mean to downplay these worries, but the last time we checked, we didn’t find any reports of mass outbreaks of artificial-turf-induced illness. And with some studies on synthetic turf already completed — and at least one other in the works — aren’t there better uses of the Legislature’s time?
So let’s say we take one for the team and suspend all nonessential studies until California gets back on its fiscal feet. For now, let’s allow school districts and other individual agencies to weigh the relative pros and cons of synthetic versus natural turf. That is, if they can afford any turf at all.
Working it out through the noise
What could have been a nasty brouhaha between a high-end hotel and a popular—albeit noisy—bar in downtown Paso Robles sounds headed instead for an amicable truce.
Guests of the chic Hotel Cheval—across the street from the weekend-rowdy Paso Robles Downtown Brewing Co.—have been complaining that loud mu-sic from the bar is interfering with their sleep. That prompted the city Planning Commission to review the bar’s use permit and call a temporary halt to the amplified music and dancing there until Downtown Brew meets some additional restrictions and requirements.
Instead of griping, owners of the bar offered to take a number of additional corrective steps that include installing glass and sound mufflers to block the noise.
For that, we offer Downtown Brew a toast and a neighborly bouquet. And for guests of Hotel Cheval, we have nightcaps to help them drift off to sleep.
A plume of blooms for Pluma
A wildflower bouquet — of volunteer flowers, of course — for Bill Pluma of Paso Robles, who donates a remarkable 1,500 to 2,000 hours a year to good causes, including the Paso Robles Police Department, senior center, toy bank, Salvation Army — the list goes on. Pluma recently was honored with the Bob Alesi Volunteer of the Year award, named for a legendary volunteer with the city’s police department.
This being National Volunteer Week, we extend our appreciation to all the volunteers of San Luis Obispo County — along with a bank of sunflowers for brightening so many lives.
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