The following is an open letter to Mendocino County’s Board of Supervisors regarding the recent decision to relocate the county’s Veterans Service Office from a stand-alone building on Ukiah’s Observatory Avenue to an office in the county complex on Low Gap Road. Read our coverage of the issue here.
Remember opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of MendoFever nor have we checked the letter for accuracy.
To the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
Could I please get an explanation on several issues? The first one is why have we been told that the cost analysis for the move would be shown to us. The CEO’s office has told us several times they had it and would get us copies. Now we discovered that there never was one. How did this occur? Don’t the CEO’s people realize that they will get caught up in their lies.? Was it legal to put these moves into action without an analysis?
Why does it take until the end of March to get this on the agenda? It took a week and a half to toss us out of our 15-year office into the tiny cell-like rooms. I do not need to go into the problems that this has created. There will be a lot more problems/complaints if we wait till the end of March, or longer. Do you realize that the VSO office has been closed for the last two days due to our one VSR being out for medical reasons? This office needs another Veterans Service Representative as promised by several Board Members. I have received several calls from concerned Vets wondering why they cannot seek help. They assumed that I still had answers having been the VSO in the past. I advised them that I did not. The general feeling is that the board has turned their backs on them. The action of the board proves them correct.
Our elected officials have blatantly lied to their constituents, i.e., “The move is being done because Air Quality needs space for storage” and “We will get you another Vet rep” all of which appear to be falsehoods. It appears that the decision was based on the desire to charge Air Quality Control rent money. So, the Vets were thrown under the bus for some rent? The VSO office is one of the few county offices that brings revenue into the county funds. All of you receive reports from the California Department of Veterans Affairs twice a year through your VSO on the money that is received from the state to our county because of the work the VSO did. It was around $119,000 last year. Was that even considered? Were those reports even glanced at?
Why do we even need to get this issue on the agenda/calendar? Mo Mulheron stated that to move us out an agenda was not needed, so why is an agenda item needed to move us back? How can all of you continue to support this extremely unethical way to conduct your business? The right thing to do would be to reverse the decision and move the VSO back into the building on Observatory Ave., Now. If not, the problems will continue to multiply.
As a Veteran and a tax-paying voter, I would like answers to these questions. Real answers this time, please.
Carl Stenberg
USCG BMC ret;
VSO Mendocino County ret
Right On! Semper Fi
Yes, this wrong needs to be reversed! The Veterans needs should come before Air Quality Management. Board of Supervisors, we are all watching. Get with the program!!
Just an updste: I have not recieved one reply from the elected officals.
Each Supervisor should tell where they stand on relocation of VSO.
Don’t hide behind the agenda/calendar and CEO’s office instead of making a statement.
Supervisor Haschak, please let Veterans know where you stand. Thanks.