Where is the May 15th Voice

The publisher of the Voice had eye surgery for a detached retina on Thursday April 27th. Recovery was expected to take a couple of weeks, but complications have lead to another 3 to 6 weeks of recovery. During this period subscribers will be receiving updates in this format every couple of weeks. What follows below is a summary of the events surrounding the publishing of the Voice and the eye surgery.

The publishing of the first issue of the Voice turned out to be a greater challenge than I thought it would be. On Tuesday April 25th as I rushed to get the paper together, I noticed that I was having difficulty seeing out of my right eye. On Wednesday morning I called my doctor office about 6:30 am to find out when someone would be in the office. Since it would be after 8:00 am before I could talk to anyone I decided to travel downtown to the office of the electronic publishing company that was putting the paper together for me. There I started work on the last page of the paper and reviewed what had been done so far. I called the doctors office and was given a referral to an ophthalmologist, who could see me at 1:00 PM. Between 9:00 AM and 12:30 I was able to finish most of the remaining summary page and transfer it to the publishers computer.

At the doctor's office I waited in the lobby and used my lap top to complete most of the rest of the paper.

The ophthalmologist spent a couple of minutes with me and had his nurse escort me to a retinal specialist on the next floor. I saw the specialist, saw a video on procedures use to repair a detached retina and talked to the specialist. He was blunt, I had to have surgery immediately or lose the sight in my right eye. Surgery was scheduled for the next morning. I was to be at the hospital at 9:00 am and surgery would take place at 11:00 am.

When I went home I completed the last of the summary page and transmitted the copy to the publishers bulletin board. On the way to the hospital the next morning I went by the publishers and reviewed the final rough draft and paid for the work. With the paper on its way I went to the hospital to have the surgery.

I was awake during the surgery, but whatever they were giving me to relax me worked. I felt completely normal and remember talking to the doctor during the one hour surgery. They gave me a couple of pills to relieve the pain before I went home that afternoon. I didn't really feel any pain until Saturday and then it wasn't too bad. My eye was partially filled with a gas to prevent fluid from getting behind my retina. To keep this gas in place at the back of my eye, I would have to keep my nose pointed at the ground for a couple of weeks.

I found it difficult to sleep with my face down, but other than that I went about the business of getting out the thousands of copies of the first issue of the Voice.

I wore an eye patch to protect the eye from being bumped and got many people to drive me around. (Thanks to Arni, Lois Tow, Al Goller, Oleta Lutz, John Webster, Nicki Schlarb and Jane Jensen).

Finally the day came, the gas bubble in my eye was small and it had been almost two weeks since the surgery. Hopefully the doctor was going to give me the OK to look up now. Well the news was not that good. The retina was starting to detach again. The only solution was to refill the eye with gas. This time it would be a gas that would take 3 to 6 weeks to be absorbed instead of 2 weeks. Also for the first time I realized that my vision out of my right eye was somewhat blurry. It can take a month or more before the eye completely heals and you can tell how good your vision will be.

So now I face another 4 to 6 weeks of nose at the ground living. The pressure in the eye the first couple of days caused significant pain. I spent most of the time sleeping. Now it is much better and I am beginning to function again. I have been in to see the doctor daily to get the pressure in the eye measured. The retina is back in place. I am able to read a shampoo bottle label, except for the fine print, through the gas bubble when I put it right up to my eye. So while I guess the next few weeks won't be the most comfortable, I still have a fairly good chance of recovering good vision in my right eye.

After my right eye is well my doctor wants to do laser surgery on the left eye to prevent this from happening to my left eye.

PUBLIC BUSINESS

OPEN ENDED TAX

by Nancy Ralls

In a packed house, with standing room only in the County Board of Supervisors' Chambers, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency board members appeared bored, in spite of the angry crowd. Forty people spoke in strong opposition to an assessment they say will only benefit the developers. Taxpayers are demanding to vote on this issue - so far, to a deaf ear.

According to SAFCA, 250,000 Sacramento County property owners should be assessed to finance levee improvements it claims would benefit 40,000 "wetland" residents.

North Sacramento resident Dot Busher said, " My property is designated wet for assessment purposes. The danger to all the city of Sacramento is that the more development done in the Natomas basin, the greater the damage to all the city."

Fair Oaks resident Don Ralls is president of Citizens Against New Assessment Tax. He said, " The developers want to build in the dangerous flood plain, making the taxpayers responsible for any damages. There is a moratorium on building, due to flood danger. With the assessment, we would assume the responsibility for any flood damage. With the assessment, thousands of new homes will be built in a potential bowl of water."

Assessment amounts could be increased next year - and the next, and each year after that. The only requirement would be a notice in an obscure newspaper.

CANAT has formed a coalition of groups throughout the area to fight this blatant disregard for Proposition 13 and the will of the people. It plans to pack the Grand Meeting Hall, 1215 J Street, May 22, the last day to turn in petitions.

Supervisor Dave Cox is the Chairman of the SAFCA Board. He says he favors a vote of the people. We expect to see him passionately lobbying the other board members to give us our vote.

Dave Cox Supports a Vote

The May 4th updated version of the letter from Dave Cox that was printed in the May 1st issue of the Voice includes the following statement.

"While I do recognize the need the for flood protection, it is my position that the voters should make the decision regarding this assessment."

Gum Ranch Update

In the May 1st edition of the Voice I posed the following question to Donn Reiners:

If this new plan represents an increase in density over that specified in the 1978 ordinance, what are the benefits to Fair Oaks residents of this increased density?

Donn Reiners pointed out that the 1978 Special Planning Area Ordinance called for a maximum 350 units on the 107 acres. If you subtract the 15 acres for the commercial development at the corner Madison and Kenneth, the 313 units planned on the remaining 92 acres is about the same number of units per acre.

Compromise?

The petitioners and a number of neighbors of the Gum ranch have opened a frank dialog with Donn Reiners and land owner representatives with the hope they can reach a compromise they all can support.

Publication Information

The Fair Oaks Voice

Operating out of a small

space at the Mail House

8125 Sunset Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

Mailing address:

8125 Sunset Ave. Box 257

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

916-967-0239

email: fov@sna.com

Publisher: Ken Clement

Editor etc: Ken Clement