Ridge Lakes
Mr. Standish and I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park on Wednesday with no game plan. Our original intention was to hike in the National Forest off Hwy 36 near Mineral, but I had forgotten to gas up the car in Red Bluff, so we had to go to Shingletown first. D’oh. Once on Hwy 44, it made more sense to enter the Park from the Manzanita Lake entrance and find a park trail, so we did.
That proved to be a great decision, because just a few miles into the park we saw a black bear cub run across the road ahead. We slowed down when we got there, and he had joined his gorgeous cinnamon colored mama and sibling. We stopped the car to watch them and were grateful that no other cars came until they wandered off.
We’re still not certain which trails are badly fire damaged and which are more or less OK. Pretty much everything west of Hwy 89 is in better shape than everything east. There are pockets of green here and there, but as a general rule, stay on that side of the highway.
There were few people in the park, even though it’s before Labor Day. School starts in early August now and what the heck is up with that? When I attended public school in the Bronx in the 60s and 70s, school started right after Labor Day and ended June 30. That seems like a long school year, but because New York is a melting pot, we got off for all the holidays, not just the Christian ones. Plus we had snow days. Anyway, now the park is practically child-free by mid-August and we geezers don’t miss them at all.
We drove past Kings Creek – which didn’t look too bad but the falls overlook has burned. The Peak Trail was out – we like to do that later in the season. The Bumpass Hell parking lot was packed with families of those lucky kids that haven’t gone back to school yet. We had never done the short 2 mile round trip hike up to Ridge Lakes, so we figured it was time.
Up, up, up
Another good decision – the trail has no fire damage, gorgeous views, and is a good little workout. That one little mile to the lake boasts a 1,045 foot elevation difference. The lake is beautiful, sparsely visited, and has about a million baby frogs, some still sporting their tadpole tails. In some places we had to tip-toe so we wouldn’t squish any. We were human Godzillas.
Brokeoff Mountain from Ridge Lakes Trail
Mt. Diller
Ridge Lakes
Ridge Lakes
Random Igneous formations
Since the hike was relatively short, we had plenty of time to have lunch at Mineral Lodge before they closed for a couple hours before dinner. The Guest Book in the restaurant is always a good read. On the same page as our entry were folks from the U.K., Mali – West Africa, Brooklyn, and plenty from within a 100-mile radius. Delicious food and great service as always.
We always stop when we see a vintage sign with a martini glass
And speaking of service, how do you rank the level of service you receive from Tehama County government? Not individual workers – everyone already knows most of our county employees are working the jobs of 2 to 3 people for less than what one of those jobs should pay. It’s only because they are passionate about the work they do that we have any of them left at all.
But what about entire departments and offices? We are constantly reminded of what the countywide – and global – staffing shortage is doing to services we rely on. The closure of the Corning Social Services office, reduced hours for the public office of the sheriff’s department, and many other offices with public interface close during lunch because they simply don’t have enough staff for overlap.
Now 41 of the available 227 jail beds have been emptied because 20 of 33 allocated positions in Corrections remain vacant. The jail was already overcrowded and now we have that many less beds. The new jail is still in the planning stages. And even when it’s built, who will work there? We can’t fill the positions we have. Were the people occupying those 41 beds let out onto the street? Yikes.
Photo courtesy Red Bluff Daily News
Maybe the county could rent the empty beds out to people of privilege as a “Jail Experience” on Airbnb. We’re looking for new revenue streams, right? Give them nice clean orange jumpsuits, let them wash sheriff’s cars, eat crappy food, etc… Charge them more for “solitary”. The rodeo week paddy wagon could drop the prisoners off there until they “make bail”. Don’t worry, Karen – it’s not real jail.
Actual costume available on fun.com
This situation is not TCSO’s fault. We cannot attract and keep good workers, much less qualified law enforcement personnel, without decent pay. So, what’s decent pay? We will find out Tuesday at 1:30 when the board of supervisors will get a look at the Comp Study that’s been in the works for months. It will show what surrounding counties pay their employees for the same or similar jobs.
If you want to take a peek at it, go ahead and try to download it with your molasses internet. Go to https://tehamacountyca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx, find the Aug. 30 Board of Supervisors meeting and click on Agenda Packet. The Comp Study alone is over 500 pages. How many supervisors do you think will read it?
While you’re there, check out Item #1 in Closed Session. Further negotiations for – drum roll, please – the Courthouse Annex. Another building we don’t have workers to fill. Look, I don’t pretend to have the answers for our problems – I’m not even sure what they all are. But we are in a very dark place and it will take hard work, more revenue, and thinking outside the box to correct the mess created over the past 10-15 years. The two new board members, Pati Nolen and Matt Hansen, are our best chance for a brighter future when they are seated in January.
District 3 Supe-elect Pati Nolen
District 4 Supe-elect Matt Hansen
Operating at a deficit for years and not keeping salaries competitive with surrounding counties is starting behind the 8-ball. An overhaul of the budget and a possible restructuring of departments to eliminate duplicative jobs or processes is a good start. Hiring an actual IT person to streamline the way departments communicate with one another would be good, too. I haven’t kept track of how many software programs we have purchase and discarded because some smooth talking salesperson sweet-talked a department head.
Transparency hasn’t been a priority with our county government. If it was, citizens might have valuable input on how to improve one area or another. People want to help – you just have to ask. It doesn’t make you look weak or incompetent. It makes you look smart and open to fresh ideas. There is a wealth of knowledge and talent in Tehama County. Time to use it to our advantage.
