I know we have pressing matters to tend to. Our homeless need shelter, our sick need care, our schools need resources and our children need to be left a world they can thrive in; a world with clean water and air, with art and innovation, with religious freedom and equality. In fact, these are the very objects of my affection and what I’ve dedicated my life’s work to insuring.

So, I understand busy. Each one of us is occupied in various and numerous ways. We have our “urgents” and our “importants” battling for every minute of our days. There is only so much we can get involved in. Perhaps, our gay friends and their fight for marriage equality will have to wait a bit longer for our attention?

And, I’m gay.

I can only imagine where this issue ranks on your to-do list. But, the truth is, marriage equality is no more a gay issue than slavery was a black issue. In 2010, hundreds of thousands of Americans are being treated as partial citizens. The very men and women we trust to fight our wars, protect our streets, teach our children and heal our sick can’t get married.

I can’t get married. I am an American citizen, living under the same constitution as you, abiding by the same tax laws as you, yet without the same rights as you. Doesn’t that matter?

Marriage matters. It matters in our society. It matters in our laws. It matters in our hearts. Equal rights and equality protection under the law matters. For as long as we allow discrimination in our laws it will remain in our hearts.

I recently heard the story of a Missouri state trooper, Dennis Engelhard, who was killed on Christmas Day. He was helping a motorist when a car driving past lost control, hitting and killing the 49-year old trooper.

Dennis was gay. He had committed his life to his partner of 15 years. After his tragic death, the state denied the normal pension benefits that would have been given to any other spouse. In Missouri there is no legal way for same-sex couples to marry. They are not protected under the very laws that Dennis fought to defend day in and day out. Marriage matters.

There are countless stories like that of Dennis Engelhard being told in a small courtroom in San Francisco, during the Proposition 8 trials. If you haven’t read the arguments for both sides of this issue yet, please spend a few minutes at www.prop8trialtracker.com.

Within the testimonies of each witness and expert one fact prevails. There are societal, psychological, emotional and economic ramifications linked to marriage. Denying marriage to an entire class of people has negative consequences that extend beyond those individuals and impact their families, their friends and their communities. Moreover, denying same-sex couples the right to marry has a negative impact on our economy as a whole. Oppression is oppression no matter what way you look at it and is harmful to society.

I’m writing this editorial as a friend of this community and a firm believer in the values we built our nation’s democracy on. I also believe there is no greater foundation than that of our family, friends and faith. It is that foundation which led me to public service, and has provided the compass needed to negotiate the difficult waters I’ve faced. It is not easy to be gay in America.

But, I am not writing this as a victim. I’m not writing this to stand on a soap-box or run for office. It simply occurred to me that maybe no one has asked you yet; asked you to get involved. If that was the case, I wanted to be the first.

It will take all of us to abolish institutionalized discrimination from our state and federal laws. Only then will we have a nation worthy of our children.

Alexa Valavanis is the chief executive officer of the North Valley Community Foundation; a Northern California-based nonprofit public charity, managing $6.5 million in assets, and serving more than 400 local and international nonprofits, donors and professional advisors, www.nvcf.org. Alexa is currently working on her first non-fiction book about her work and travels in Asia. She is a regular contributor to the Upstate Business Journal and www.chicosol.org. This article was originally published at www.chicosol.org.

By Alexa Leigh Valavanis

There is some very good news coming from Washington regarding the banking industry. The Obama Administration has suggested that the Glass-Steagall Act, or at least some parts of the act, need to be reinstated. I believe it would be good for our country to once again limit the powers of the banking industry. As much as I hope to see this happen, it will be difficult for the current administration to accomplish this because of the power of the banking industry.

On the local front, housing prices in certain areas are on the increase. San Francisco home prices have increased each month for the past seven months. This is a very positive indication that our overall economy is beginning to improve. On a national level, home prices have been flat, which is a huge improvement over the steady decline we have been experiencing for oh so many months.

The Federal Reserve System is holding the federal funds interest rate in the range of zero to one-quarter of 1 percent. At the same time, the mortgage rates on home loans are being held artificially low because the Federal Reserve is in the process of purchasing $1.25 trillion dollars in agency mortgage-backed securities.

If you are feeling like you are not making much progress in the return you have been earning on your stock investments, you are right. The 2000’s have been the “lost decade” for the stock market. This is the first decade since the great depression of the 1930’s that the stock market has not gained value from one decade to the next.

In difficult times like we are now experiencing, people look for a secure place to put their money and a great deal of money has moved into bonds and the bond market. If interest rates begin to move up it will have a very negative impact on the bond market. I have heard the comment made, “we have a bond bubble.”

The most positive movement I see locally is the intensity of the residential real estate market in the entry-level price ranges. It is not difficult to find properties selling in less than 30 days, and many properties are selling in less than a week or two. In my view, this activity is a clear indication that people have money to spend if they think there is value in what they can purchase. It also means that people are beginning to have more confidence in our local economy. As people gain confidence they will once again be willing to spend money.

If you would like to have a detailed account of where our government has been since September of 2008, and in particular what took place at the Federal Reserve, get a copy of, “IN FED WE TRUST,” by David Wessel.

Jack Van Rossum C.C.I.M. is an independent real estate broker in Chico. He can be reached at 530-342-6915 or at jrossum@sbcglobal.net.

By Jack Van Rossum

I’m just grateful we found water on the moon in 2009. If we had waited another month to find ice on the lunar surface I’m afraid the entire decade could have been deemed, ‘The Great Pause’; as in a cease in progress; a stop in forward movement; a freeze.

It began with the great trepidation of Y2K, a fear that now appears more like profound foreshadowing than a likely reality. But who among us, save the doomsayers and the conspiracy theorists, could have fathomed the ‘00s?

Who could have imagined a deception that would start a conflict in Iraq but result in a war with no foreseeable end? Which one of us could have predicted an economic meltdown that would split the citizens of the world’s superpower into those whose nest eggs dissolved and those who would struggle to buy a dozen eggs?
There is no doubt that the ‘00s will be a decade the historians, and poets alike, offer extensive prose. However, when the history books are written, I believe, something will emerge as a far greater consequence to the long-term strength and health of this nation than the economic and institutional mayhem.

Today, we are witnessing a movement, from Maine to California, to deny basic rights to citizens of the United States, while preserving and protecting the same rights for others citizens. Simply put, gays and lesbians do not have the same right to marry and the state-protected benefits that go along with marriage as their heterosexual counterparts.

Allowing the majority to determine the rights of our minorities through ballot measures is a betrayal to our republic. To say nothing about the duplicitous campaign against gay rights that is planting deceit and lies in our town halls across America.

To put it plainly:

1) There is no correlation between the rights of gays to marry and school indoctrination of our children. This is a lie.

2) There is no correlation between protecting the rights of gays to marry and the tax-exempt status of churches. This is also a lie.

Furthermore, regarding the method of popular vote being utilized: When did we decide we could or should give our majority the opportunity to vote on the basic rights of our minorities?

In better words, James Madison’s states in the Federal Paper 51,

“It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”

Consider what progress we would have made in civil rights if it had been contingent on a popular vote? How ludicrous it sounds to ask for a popular vote to determine whether or not to integrate our schools.

Our basic rights are not voted on in America. Our basic rights are not up for election. Our basic rights are not awarded to some citizens and denied to other citizens based on similarities or differences that might exist. That is precisely why we are America!

In the end the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the matter of marriage equality for all U.S. citizens, a ruling that will be based on our U.S. Constitution and not state constitutions or a popular vote.

This is why our courts were created; to protect minorities against the unfair will of majorities. But we know even the highest court of our land, ruled on the wrong side of equality at one time when in 1857 the U.S. Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Robert B. Taney, declared that all blacks—slaves as well as free—were not and could not become citizens of the United States.

So how long will it take to get this right? The winter of 2009 is quickly approaching. The historians are preparing to name and lock up the decade for eternity. So I ask you, what could be more damaging to the future of our nation; a nation built on the very will for freedom and individual rights, than to seize its heart?

There is no war we could wage, no economic meltdown we could suffer, no infrastructure  collapse we could endure that would cause more damage to our nation than to rape (one ballot measure at a time) the very body of freedoms we have fought so tirelessly to have—and to hold.

Alexa Valavanis is the chief executive officer of the North Valley Community Foundation, www.nvcf.org. Valavanis is also a regular contributor to the online publication Chicosol.org. She is currently working on her first non-fiction book about her work and travels in Asia.

By Alexa Valavanis

by Jessica Rios

On a recent morning, I rode my bike to work and forgot my keys. Riding home to retrieve them, I decided to stop at Collier Hardware for my favorite Mrs. Meyer’s geranium dish soap. Knowing how unlocked bikes fare in Chico, I hesitated but then leaned it on a parking meter and dashed inside. A familiar male employee in his 70s had been watching out the window from the back of the store. I bought the soap and headed for the door, finding the employee, Eldon, standing at the door watching my bike to make sure it wasn’t stolen.
Service like that can’t be beat. Not only was this an affirmation of the kind of personalized attention you can find at locally owned businesses, it was a reminder of the special traits and wisdom of our elders.
In return, how well does our community value seniors? And how prepared are businesses for the projected growth in Butte County among the senior population?
At the turn of the millennium, people over 60 comprised 19.7 percent of the population in Butte County. By 2050, studies show significant growth in this population with a jump to 27.9 percent. That’s an increase from approximately 40,000 seniors in 2000 to over 120,000 in 2050.
“The aging population will affect the entire community, not just those who are older,” says Joe Cobery, executive director of Passages, a Northstate agency that helps older adults live quality lives as part of the CSU Research Foundation.
Some businesses are responding by targeting marketing materials to baby boomers by offering classes or services. Still, according to Cobery, there seems to be a lack of recognition community-wide that the population is aging. Is new home construction considering the needs of the buyers in 10, 20 and 30 years? Does new construction include accommodations for wheelchairs, scooters and other assistive devices? Are bathrooms and kitchens designed to keep people in their home and to allow seniors to stay independent and reduce the impact on our health care system?
Consider the challenges of capacity in our medical system. Will doctors be able to meet the increased demand of patients whose primary insurance is Medicare? As reimbursement rates remain flat, many doctors are limiting the number of patients they will accept with Medicare because they cannot absorb the increased costs associated with medical care.
Our public transportation infrastructure will need to meet the demand of the growing senior population, many of whom may not be driving in 20 years. If not, how will older adults who are unable to maintain their driving privilege continue to function in the community? Consider the possibility that older adults may continue to drive without a license because there is no other option.
Planning for adjustments to meet the growing senior population not only helps meet the needs of this demographic, it is also ethically considerate and therefore will impress and attract the kind of customers who choose their goods and services consciously. And that’s a demographic that’s growing fast nationally.
Speaking recently at the Center for Economic Development’s Economic Forecast Conference, Randall Kempner of The Council on Competitiveness gave piercing advice to anyone interested in economic development. He simply said, “Value human capital.”
Where “green” and sustainable are currently seeing big expansions in the market, the future will bring a deepening of values-based business practices to include the value of honoring life in all its forms. That means relationships—with employees, customers, children and our cherished elders—and the communication required to sustain them, will be a higher priority.

Jessica Rios is the owner of The Co-Lab, a values-based leadership consulting business based in Chico. She is also co-founder of Think Local, Chico!, a network of locally owned and independent businesses and member of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). You can reach Jessica by e-mail: jessica@theco-lab.com.

By Chris Robbins

Oroville will always be the City of Gold, but now we also want people to know, “The fun starts here!”
A new logo and promotional materials for Oroville were introduced at the Department of Water Resources’ Oroville booth at the Sacramento Sportsmen’s Expo in January. DWR, in conjunction with the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce, developed the materials to represent the whole community.
The new logo and tag line were created by Bob Peterson, a graphic designer for DWR. The logo splits the word Oroville and stacks Oro on top of ville. The tag line is, “The Fun Starts Here!”
Recent efforts by the Oroville Tourism Committee to come up with a new logo and tag line spawned some great ideas, but nothing that appealed to everyone, according to Claudia Knaus, executive director of the Oroville Chamber. This new concept has been, thus far, universally accepted and approved.
“As soon as we saw the logo and heard the tag line, we said, ‘Yes, this is it!’” Knaus said. “We loved it right away, and everyone we have shown it to has loved it. It’s simple, but it’s modern and fresh.”
The Oroville Chamber has already begun using the materials. We have ordered shopping bags, key chains and other promotional items with the new logo on them. The logo is available for local businesses and agencies to use in their efforts to promote the Oroville area.
“We hope the community will embrace these new promotional materials and think long-term,” Knaus said. “We hope this will create an image that we can be proud of for years to come.”
For more information or to obtain a copy of the new logo, contact the Chamber at 538-2542.
Knaus began discussions over a year ago with representatives from DWR regarding updating the agency’s billboards along Highway 99. They had lost their luster and looked dated. Last spring, DWR brought a team of photographers and models to the area and shot more than 7,500 photos of people enjoying the lake and surrounding areas. Peterson used these photos to create new promotional materials, including new banners to replace the billboards on Hwy. 99. The new banners show people of all ages and races enjoying a variety of activities, including fishing, horseback riding, boating, hiking and more. For DWR, this campaign is also a trial for other lakes in the state.

Some of the other partners working with the Oroville Chamber to promote the area include the Oroville Tourism Committee, Oroville Downtown Business Association, Oroville YMCA, Feather River Recreation & Park District, City of Oroville, Oroville Economic Development Corporation, other Chambers in the region and a growing list of businesses, service clubs, organizations and government entities.
The Tourism Committee, composed of representatives from a variety of area stakeholders, is in the process of putting together a cell phone tour of the Chinese Temple, Bolt’s Tool Museum, the award-winning Centennial Plaza, the Ehmann Home and the State Theater. The committee also has plans to promote a Greenline tour running from Historic Downtown Oroville up to Oroville Dam and the Visitor Center. They have developed new signage and will repaint the original Greenline.
The Chamber is also working with the City of Oroville and area businesses to bring an FLW Stren Series Fishing Tournament to Oroville. The tournament was scheduled for January, but low lake levels necessitated rescheduling the event for May 14-18. It will bring hundreds of anglers, their family and friends, dozens of tournament organizers and television crew members, scores of spectators and hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Oroville area.
Other projects and events the Chamber is involved in include operating a community calendar, promoting Oroville’s Enterprise Zone, sponsoring dozens of fishing tournaments and presenting, coordinating and/or promoting major community events, such as Feather Fiesta Days, Oroville Salmon Festival, The Bounty of Oroville and more.
“With the challenges we are all facing in 2009, it’s more important than ever for businesses, organizations and communities to pull together,” Knaus said. “Oroville has experienced tough times before, and we’ve survived. We’re not wringing our hands and feeling sorry for ourselves; we’re reaching out and forming partnerships to promote the area like never before.”

Chris Robbins is event, membership and marketing coordinator for the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce and can be reached at 530-538-2542 or e-mail at crobbins@orovillechamber.net.

By Kayla Cook

In December it was predicted that Shasta Community College would be facing a $2 million shortfall in state funding, but on March 11 they found that no cuts would have to be made—at least for now.

The school found that state budget cuts weren’t nearly as deep as anticipated, and that they would be able to rely on reserves and revenue from additional enrollments.

“We’re hoping that with our increased enrollment and hopefully the continued support of the Governor and the state legislator that the community college system will be able to continue operating and providing learning opportunities for all the transfer students and career technical students,” said Gary Lewis, president of Shasta College.

The college farm, fire hall and heavy equipment program were among the list of programs to be cut. The list of potential cuts was released Jan. 23, and the college was met with a large response from community members.

There were many letters written and e-mails sent in support of the programs, Lewis said. There was even input given that helped provide solutions to a few of the school’s issues.

School administrators are still closely watching some of the programs on the list. They are evaluating the operation of the fire hall and options in terms of food service. The farm has also become a moving target due to the water shortage, and although they have decided to continue the program, they will now have to look at ways to utilize much more water than they did in the past.

In the next few months the college is going to be looking at different ways to be resourceful and help preserve the programs, Lewis said.

They will also be analyzing why the student drop-out rate is increasing. The programs start out with a good number of students and by the second semester that number has dwindled a great deal.

Another issue could arise because of the tremendous growth the community college system is seeing. There is an increase in the number of students that are going to community colleges as opposed to CSU, Chico or a UC. At the moment this is positive for the school, but that looks as if it is soon to change.

“The state is decreasing our funding and we have increased enrollment, so community colleges are facing some unfunded enrollment growth, which means we’re teaching students and not getting paid for it,” he said.

Shasta College employees are working to find innovative ways to provide learning opportunities for students and at the same time reduce costs.

“We’re trying to do everything we possibly can to deal with the budget crisis and not let it have a direct effect on student learning,” Lewis said. “We’re trying to tighten the belt as much as we possibly can.”