READ MORE - Arts For The Schools

6 | Friday, May 20, 2016 | Tahoe World
LIFE & LEARNING
The Breakfast Club comes to Truckee
Special to the Sun
“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are
just better at hiding it, that’s all.”
If you’ve ever seen the 1980s cult movie,
“The Breakfast Club,” then you’ve resonated with this quote, just as we at Arts For
The Schools did.
It has inspired us to create a space that
lets teens and young adults show their
bizarre-ness, their creativity, and their fun.
It inspired us to make our own Breakfast
Club.
The Breakfast Club, a new program
launching under Arts For The Schools,
will be a club that is for youth and by
youth ages 13 to 25, allowing them to collaborate and create art together.
The club will be a space in which local
young adults can learn “on the ground”
techniques from each other, as well as
from professional artists.
A key part of Arts For The Schools’
mission is to provide access to art in our
region, we recognized that, as far as participatory art goes, teens are a bit isolated.
The primary goal of The Breakfast Club
is to provide regional teens with a space,
access and training in curating visual and
performing arts.
We want to encourage teens and young
adults to learn and grow artistically, while
demonstrating to them that their artistic
aspirations can indeed be reached.
We want to establish a network of
artists that will serve as mentors for The
Breakfast Club. However, it’s not just the
mentor-mentee relationship that will benefit the young adults.
By allowing youth to collaborate and
work with each other as equals, they’ll
establish leadership skills that will benefit
them in all other aspects of their lives.
BREAKFAST CLUB, 7
COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES
The Breakfast Club, 1985, was directed by John Hughes
and starred, from left, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio
Estevez, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
“A Government of the People, by the People, For the People”
I
n January, 2016 the Nevada County Board of Supervisors voted to ban outdoor
medical cannabis farming. This was done despite overwhelming opposition made during
public comments. In an act of overreach, the supervisors passed this ban as an urgency
ordinance, choosing not to conduct environmental or fiscal impact studies and effectively bypassing the required 30 day public review period.
At this same meeting, the board voted to place Measure W on the June 7 ballot at an
estimated cost to taxpayers of $70,000. Never before in our county’s history has the
board passed an urgency ordinance and then asked their constituents to affirm it through
the ballot measure process.
Why have the supervisors taken this costly and unprecedented step?
Supervisor Dan Miller explained the board’s purpose for Measure W at a forum held
by the Nevada County Democratic Party on April 4: “The board’s composition is going
to change in the future; this board is dedicated and committed to bring cultivation into
compliance. I’m telling you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.” Miller
also said, “The culture of cannabis is an unwelcome addition to this county.”
“ “
I’m telling you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
The supervisors have claimed Measure W is about hearing “the will of the people”. Are
they really seeking the will of the people or just telling us what we need to hear?
Per the language of the ballot measure, regardless of the outcome of the vote, the ban
remains in place. The board has agreed by non-binding resolution to modify the ban at the
first Board meeting after the election results are confirmed. This would give the board only
two to four weeks to draft a new ordinance. This leaves insufficient time to seek significant
input from all stakeholders, and continues to deny a more inclusive communication process.
Measure W is about much more than growing medical cannabis outdoors. Measure W is
about whether the voters of this county will allow the blatant subversion of the democratic
process.
If Measure W is not overturned by a NO vote
of the people, future boards will be unable to
modify the ban. A yes vote would affirm the ban.
Meaningful changes would require another costly
ballot measure at the expense of Nevada County
residents and tie the hands of future boards.
Allowing Measure W to pass would make this law
unwieldy and nearly impossible to change. This
would leave Nevada County years behind the
California counties who are adapting to shifting
attitudes and new opportunities.
Measure W is apparently about advancing the agenda
of the current Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff, and
the silent interests who support them. This will be at
the expense of our watersheds, the local economy,
our property rights, privacy, and public safety.
- Abraham Lincoln -
I
Economic Impacts
n a staff memo regarding Measure W, County Counsel explained the county
would not conduct a fiscal impact statement, claiming the ban did not constitute a
‘tax or revenue-oriented ballot measure.’
Contributions to our local economy may be difficult to quantify, but anyone who
lives in Nevada County recognizes the hollowness of the County Counsel’s claim.
Not a revenue-oriented ballot measure? Many business owners say this industry is a
large source of support to their hardware stores, restaurants, grocery stores, and other
businesses. Trade professionals estimate that the local industry creates income for
2000 to 5000 county residents. Driving this business out of the area will have a
devastating and noticeable impact on our local economy.
An even greater concern is the potential economic opportunities Nevada County
will be denied if Measure W passes. New state laws enacted in 2015 will regulate all
aspects of the commercial cannabis industry and authorize counties to tax cannabis-related transactions. With a ban in place, our county will lose a significant source
of revenue. Local farmers will be unable to obtain state licenses, become legitimate,
responsible small businesses and positively contribute to the community.
Additionally, the denial of property rights via this ordinance will certainly bring
lawsuits to the county. We have already suffered economically due to this board’s
mismanagement from legal liability connected to the now infamous and shameful
Ridgeline case.
$135 million dollars.
That’s the cannabis industry’s contribution to Colorado’s tax revenue for the year
2015. All of that money was hidden in a black
market economy before the state began to tax
and regulate cannabis.
The social, legal, and economic landscape
around medical cannabis is changing
rapidly in California and across the country.
Public Safety and Privacy
T
o justify their crusade against the “cannabis
culture”, the Board of Supervisors have
repeatedly stated that they are receiving a
large number of complaints from constituents. They used this assertion to justify the
ban in January. However, a California Public
Records Request of phone calls and emails to
“
e
y.
y
Tahoe World
Students can submit essays for ‘Sierra Fierce Hope’
Special to the Sun
The Sierra Nevada Alliance
invites regional high school
students to submit essays about
environmental/conservation
issues on the theme of “Sierra
Fierce Hope.”
Inspired by the example of
former Executive Director of
the Sierra Nevada Alliance Jim
Ross, who has created a “Fierce
Hope” blog while living with
cancer, the Sierra Fierce Hope
writing competition welcomes
essays about people working
with deep determination and
courage — fierce hope — to
protect the environment in the
face of major challenges and
obstacles.
To honor Jim and his passion
for the Sierra, as well as his
inspiring example of deep determination in the face of long
odds, we are initiating a Sierra
Fierce Hope Writing Competition for Sierra high school
students. Visit fiercehope.com
to learn more.
Examples include advocates overcoming personal
challenges to fight for environmental causes, or those
working against major institutional challenges (political or
economic powers for example)
to protect something they
cherish.
All high school students
currently enrolled in a school
in the Sierra Nevada region
are invited to submit essays up
to 2,000 words. The Board of
the Sierra Nevada Alliance will
judge all essays. Three essayists
will be awarded cash prizes —
$500 for first place, $200 for
second place, $100 for third
place.
All essays will be placed on
the Sierra Nevada Alliance
website. Essays should describe
the person/people involved in
the board in the weeks leading up to the January meeting showed only a few constituents supporting the ban but an overwhelming number asking for a more thoughtful
and democratic approach.
Additionally, our sheriff and supervisors claim enforcement of the ban is
complaint-driven, and that small farmers who are ‘good neighbors’ have nothing to
worry about. They’ve even gone so far as to invite citizens to defy the ordinance by
claiming: “small grows aren’t the target…. a few plants among your tomato plants
would be okay.” A second Public Records Request revealed that citizens have been
misled about the source of reported nuisance complaints. Many, if not most,
complaints have actually been lodged from the sheriff’s department during helicopter
fly-overs. The number of legitimate complaints from neighbors have been greatly
exaggerated in order to justify the ban and an ever-increasing budget for sheriff
department’s enforcement efforts.
Rather than trying to create proactive policies and strategies to address real
problems, the Board of Supervisors is using misleading and false information to
promote their failed policies. It is no wonder that the Nevada County Civil Grand
Jury recently determined that the board must “raise their awareness of the
importance of public transparency of relationships between the Supervisors and
parties with business before them.”
“ “
We need to get over this idea that these helicopters are violating
someone’s privacy. I think we need to get serious about what
we’re doing here.
The board recently approved an additional $30,000 in taxpayer money for increasing helicopter flyovers. At the February 9th board meeting, Supervisor Nate Beason
said: “We need to get over this idea that these helicopters are violating someone’s
privacy.” Contrary to Beason’s assertion that this surveillance does not violate
anyone’s privacy, these helicopters frighten and annoy when they fly unnecessarily
A well regulated industry
will help to keep drugs
out of the hands of
our youth.
the “fierce hope” environmental campaign, as well as how
the effort inspires them to take
action.
Deadline for submission
of essays is Friday, May 27, at
11:59 p.m. Essays (and any
questions) should be submitted to Jenny Hatch, executive
director of the Sierra Nevada
Alliance at [email protected] or 530- 5424546 ext. 704.
If you are inspired to make a
contribution to help fund prizes
to winning essayists that we are
offering, you may do so at sierranevadaalliance.org/donate.
| Friday, May 20, 2016 | 7
BREAKFAST CLUB
From page 6
Arts For The Schools will provide oversight, direction, coordination, space and resources to The
Breakfast Club. Teens and young adults will lead
the club and ultimately learn, lead, collaborate and
create all curate works.
Arts For The Schools is calling all interested
professional artists to serve as mentors for The
Breakfast Club, and all interested youth ages 13-25
to participate.
Please call our office at 530-582-8278 or email
Eve McEneaney at [email protected].
This article was provided by Arts For The Schools,
a nonprofit that works to fill the gaps in visual and
performing arts education for more than 10,000
children at K-12 schools and provides access to
performing arts excellence for the public. Visit
artsfortheschools.org to learn more.
close to homes. Our sheriff and board seem intent on harassing responsible and
peaceful residents, their children, and their neighbors.
The comprehensive new state laws that take effect in 2018 authorize multiple state
agencies to rein in destructive and unethical behavior in the interest of public safety,
environmental protection, and our quality of life. California has created a framework
for a more responsible and safer medical cannabis industry. Shouldn’t our law
enforcement use its budget, time and energy to focus on real quality of life issues like
methamphetamines, opiates, and violent crime?
The supervisors claim medical cannabis farming is changing the culture of Nevada
County. Yet, cannabis has been part of the culture of Nevada County for at least fifty
years. For the vast majority of this time, farmers and the larger community have
coexisted relatively peacefully. Most of the problems that we face today are due to the
stubborn refusal of our elected officials to adapt to changing realities and govern
fairly. Many of the conflicts around our local cannabis industry could have been
addressed by now if the supervisors had the resolve to bring the community together
to find realistic and sensible solutions.
The instituted ban is in the face of all factual evidence that shows prohibition
exacerbates the very problems at hand. Most of the problems we face today are due
to the refusal of our elected officials to adapt to change. We need regulations,
not prohibition. Regulations will protect our quality of life, keep our
rivers healthy and create good jobs in our community.
Voting NO on Measure W is the right step
to finding solutions that work.
It creates a win-win for everyone involved.
Paid for by the No on W Committee