Letter: Give the people reliable info

I had a good laugh at your Sept. 24 article headlined "Ramirez may have broken the rules; but Y.C. council lets mayor off the hook for potential fines," about when the postcards referencing the Hillcrest water issue were sent out.

They were all complicit in sending out the postcards and were all up to their necks in "murky waters." One party should join the mayor and not seek re-election.

This is what should have happened with the water issue:

Tell the people just what the city is trying to accomplish, like planning for growth on the west side of the city as evidenced by the new fire station on Ohleyer Road. To do this we need to increase the available water supply.

Tell us what it will cost to accomplish the project, what the city will pay, and what the residents will pay — not some figures pulled out of the air, and downsized three times to make people feel like they were getting a bargain. What good was the engineering study if you didn't have reliable, straightforward information to pass on to the people? The city tried to mask the size of the water meters that are not required for the pipe line until complaints were lodged. Why install water meters that are not required until 2025? Times and laws are subject to change, why not wait?

Everyone wants clean, safe water and that's exactly what we have. Don't try to build a smokescreen around arsenic levels and whatever else can be imagined. Many communities in California and the rest of the country have temporary increases in arsenic levels during summer months when water tables are usually low.

Be upfront and honest, and you will gain more ground than with deceit and exaggeration.

Ronald Nocher

Yuba City