Not the best plan?

The Best Family Investors LLC Winery proposed for the corner of Highway 116 and Occidental Road in Sebastopol is on Board of Supervisor's agenda for June 8. New information and reports have been submitted that should give pause to the board and at the very least require that an Environmental Impact Review be performed.

The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region—a division of the California EPA—prepared an eight-page report dated March 1 and submitted it to the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department. It includes copies of correspondence dating back to December 2006.

Here is a direct quote from the report: "The Regional Water Board does not believe that the Mitigated Negative Declaration provides adequate analysis and mitigation of potential impacts to water quality. Without further analysis and mitigation, we do not consider the MND to be sufficient as an environmental analysis." This report discusses serious concerns and lack of mitigation regarding the existing wetlands on the project site and the proposal to "take" the wetland for a winery facility.

This report has never been mentioned in a public hearing.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors took a straw vote on March 2 to approve this project. Is this how the county protects the people? Is this how the county protects our environment? Will the county ignore the EPA? The Board of Supervisors must put the brakes on this project!

An EIR is required if this project is to continue. Attend the meeting on June 8 at 2:10pm. Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 575 Administration Drive, Room 100-A, Santa Rosa.

Eileen Morabito

Sebastopol

Winner Takes All

I'm sorry to see Alastair Bland perpetuate the myth that the Golan Heights is located in Israel. ("Wine? In Israel?" May 19). It's true that the Israelis occupy the Golan Heights, but that's a very different situation, as they're occupying it illegally. Although the Golan Heights is part of Syria, Israel passed a law in 1981 claiming the Golan Heights for Israel; the United Nations has condemned the Israeli claim. Syria has never stopped demanding that the land be returned, and in 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan, while declaring all the legislative and administrative measures taken by Israel in the Golan null and void. In 2008, the U.N. reiterated its condemnation of Israel's actions 161-to-1.

I hope that the otherwise wonderful Bohemian will not continue to perpetuate the myth.

Alice Whitehead Chan

Sebastopol

A new bottom line

Observing the incompetent reaction by BP in response to its oil spill, it is obvious we cannot allow corporations to rule the world. This accident is like the military accidentally dropping a payload of bombs on a city and then apologizing. I saw the movie Oceans last night, and it really helped me grasp the size of this problem on the Gulf Coast.

Verne Martin

Santa Rosa

mmm, Bacon

Have you seen the billboard on Old Redwood Highway between Penngrove and Cotati with a cat and pig almost nose to nose? Not your usual ad for beer, bonds or fast food. The caption reads, "Which do you pet . . . which do you eat? Why?" Something to think about.

Stephen W. Beidner

Santa Rosa

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