Editor: Wayne Overland First Published 1997
Update: August 19, 2009
Sunnyside City Council District 2 Primary Results
Mike Farmer 299 votes, 56.20%
Jesse Hernandez, Jr. 153 votes, 28.76%
Thomas Warren 78 votes, 14.66%
Friends of Sunnyside Update: August 11, 2009
"STATE OF EMERGENCY"
And Proposed Solutions From The Daily Sun News
The Sunnyside Daily Sun News declares that Sunnyside is in a "STATE OF EMERGENCY" due to our out of control crime problem. We agree that the police chief, acting under guidance from a competent City Council can do more to address the problem. That is why we are advocating for the removal of incumbent members of the Sunnyside City Council. We are happy to include these suggestions for our City's law enforcement policies from the Daily Sun News in our "Solutions For Sunnyside" section.
Bob Story, of the Sunnyside Daily Sun News "Gets It"! He understands that leadership plays a key role in having an effective police force. The following opinion column was published on Friday, August 7, 2009 by the Daily Sun News. We agree with his suggestions, and are re-posting them here.
Story Time
'State of emergency'
By Bob Story
Yakima City Councilwoman Sonia Rodriguez, earlier this week, likened all the recent shootings and gang violence in Yakima as a "state of emergency." She called on city leaders to free up additional funding to combat the problem.
Rodriguez is right on with her description of what transpires on an almost daily basis. It really is a "state of emergency."
Unfortunately for those of us in the Lower Yakima Valley, the problem of gunfire and gang violence isn't restricted to just the city of Yakima. It's happening here at the same alarming rate.
Whatever is being done to bring a halt to all these shootings is not working. We look to our police departments to curb the violence, but it's clearly apparent their efforts are for naught.
I have two suggestions.
First off, it seems to me our police officers are burdened with far too many cases of motorists driving around without liability insurance or operator's licenses. Too much time is being spent on these infractions, not leaving time for our policemen to take on the weightier issues. My suggestion is to get these motorists off the streets so our cops don't have to spend their time dealing with them. This can be accomplished by enforcing municipal code 10.04.080, which allows the police to impound the vehicles of those arrested for not having a driver's license or liability insurance.
Impounding these vehicles shouldn't be an option to our police. It should be a mandatory policy, set down by either the police chief or the city council. Adopting a "zero tolerance" for this type of behavior, I believe, would soon rid our streets of these illegal drivers, and in the process free up time for our police officers to address all the violence that is occurring.
More would be needed, though, so secondly, we need to address the gang violence head-on. I believe we need a special unit of law enforcement officers that does nothing but search out these criminals, working the streets day in and day out in an effort to get these criminals arrested and out of our community and into prison.
But, that would take money. Rodriguez is calling on the city of Yakima to free up money from its general reserve fund to combat this problem. Sunnyside's reserves aren't large enough to fund such a gang task force. I believe, however, that if local residents were asked to approve a special law and justice levy, guaranteed that the extra tax money would only be spent on forming an anti-gang task force with officers trained to take on these types of violent criminals, the community would overwhelmingly support such an endeavor.
It's easy to come up with reasons why these suggestions wouldn't work. I believe it's more prudent to find ways to make them work.
Something needs to be done! Because we aren't getting these criminals off the street at a quick enough pace, it's time to try something different.
Rodriguez is right on when she says we are in a "state of emergency."
August 6, 2009: JUST THE FACTS from The Friends of Sunnyside Newsletter
"Because facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they can not alter the state of facts and evidence."
2nd President of the United States
--John Adams, Argument in defense of the soldiers in the Boston Massacre trials, December 1770
Read More At JUST THE FACTS
Read More At JUST THE FACTS
July 31, 2009: The Friends of Sunnyside is pleased to announce its endorsement of
Mike Farmer
in the District 2 Primary race for the Sunnyside City Council.
Friends of Sunnyside Update: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"LOCAL COMMANDERS MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR CRIME RATES"
- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Read more in our new section SOLUTIONS FOR SUNNYSIDE
- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Read more in our new section SOLUTIONS FOR SUNNYSIDE
"Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
-Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Truer words were never spoken by the late (and great) U.S. president as witness the conduct of the present Sunnyside City Council. Under this City Council, taxes are up, the deficit is up, crime is up, cops are cut, the city manager they hired is fired after less than a year, the City Attorney and Finance Director quit in protest.
The list of mistakes goes on and on, inspiring the local newspaper to compare it to a Banana Republic Government.
The Friends of Sunnyside community organization agrees and advocates "throwing the rascals out!" in the fall elections.
Sunnyside, a great community, deserves better government.Citizens who agree or disagree are encouraged to send us their comments and we will post them. "The good, the bad, and the ugly." Which brings to mind another movie title: "A Fist Full of Your Dollars" starring Sunnyside City Council Members.
Following the show biz theme, we are also running a Top Ten list of Council Boo-Boo's (We have decided not to call them Screw Ups) A REAL horror show!. Please send us your list.
The list of mistakes goes on and on, inspiring the local newspaper to compare it to a Banana Republic Government.
The Friends of Sunnyside community organization agrees and advocates "throwing the rascals out!" in the fall elections.
Sunnyside, a great community, deserves better government.Citizens who agree or disagree are encouraged to send us their comments and we will post them. "The good, the bad, and the ugly." Which brings to mind another movie title: "A Fist Full of Your Dollars" starring Sunnyside City Council Members.
Following the show biz theme, we are also running a Top Ten list of Council Boo-Boo's (We have decided not to call them Screw Ups) A REAL horror show!. Please send us your list.
INCUMBENTS NEEDING REMOVAL:
THERESA HANCOCK
DISTRICT 1
JESSE HERNANDEZ, JR.
DISTRICT 2
CAROL STONE
DISTRICT 3
NEW!Solutions For Sunnyside
The Friends Of Sunnyside presents positive actions that can be taken to improve our great city.
"LOCAL COMMANDERS MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR CRIME RATES"
"STATE OF EMERGENCY" and proposed solutions from the Daily Sun News
If you have other suggestions you wish to include in our "Solutions For Sunnyside" please contact us by using the form at the bottom of this page.
"I would be laughing if these Council screw-ups weren't costing us so many thousands of dollars!"
Send Us Your Comments Or Suggest Items For Our List.
Top Ten
Council Boo-Boo's
(Formerly Known As Screw-Ups)
1. Enthusiastically Passed $500,000 Storm Water Tax; Causing A Revolt Among Taxpayers
2. Raised Water Rates 20%
3. Raised Sewer Rates 90%
4. Cut Police Officer Positions As Gang Crime and Shootings Soared.
5. Eliminated Parks And Recreation Department.
6. Closed the Community Center
7. Hired An Interim Attorney Firm: First Month's Bill Was $31,000.
8. Fired City Manager, Hired New One, Fired Him Too, City Attorney and Finance Director Quit In Protest
9. Proposed Hiring Interim City Manager At A Rate Of $200,000 Per Year
10. $1 Million Damage Claim Filed Against Carol Stone's Alleged Abuse Of Her Council Position
Carol Stone
An Apology From The Friends of Sunnyside
On Wednesday, July 29, 2009, Bob Story of the Daily Sun News published an opinion column criticizing ads placed by The Friends of Sunnyside as “tacky”. We would like to formally apologize for running a list of “The Top Ten Council Screw-Ups” in our ads and on our website. It was not our intent to offend anyone on the Sunnyside City Council, or the staff of the Daily Sun News.
In retrospect, and in the spirit of not offending some tender sensibilities, we will rename the list as, wait for it:
The Top Ten Council Boo-Boo's
That is our favorite. Failing that, if anyone still feels slighted, may we offer the following sanitized alternatives:
The Top Ten Council Flubs
The Top Ten Council Goofs
The Top Ten Council Botches
The Top Ten Council Bungles
The Top Ten Council Gaffes
The Top Ten Council Failures
The Top Ten Council Snafus
On Wednesday, July 29, 2009, Bob Story of the Daily Sun News published an opinion column criticizing ads placed by The Friends of Sunnyside as “tacky”. We would like to formally apologize for running a list of “The Top Ten Council Screw-Ups” in our ads and on our website. It was not our intent to offend anyone on the Sunnyside City Council, or the staff of the Daily Sun News.
In retrospect, and in the spirit of not offending some tender sensibilities, we will rename the list as, wait for it:
The Top Ten Council Boo-Boo's
That is our favorite. Failing that, if anyone still feels slighted, may we offer the following sanitized alternatives:
The Top Ten Council Flubs
The Top Ten Council Goofs
The Top Ten Council Botches
The Top Ten Council Bungles
The Top Ten Council Gaffes
The Top Ten Council Failures
The Top Ten Council Snafus