We Can't Monitor the SRVFPD Board When News is not Reported

By Ralph Hoffmann

No local print media reports on the SRVFPD Board Meetings. How can the public judge if our Board is making decisions in our best interests? What's more important, illegally sending the name of the incumbent candidate's name to voters at taxpayers expense or unbiased reporting of meetings?

Let's demand to the press and the Board of Directors timely reporting of their meetings. This may prove even more challenging than in the past, as both the "Times" and "Herald" are controlled by the same conglomerate.

"The Times" has a near monopoly of daily print media in Contra Costa County, with 90%+ of the daily readership. As such, it makes its own rules of what stories and which persons to treat favorably, or unfavorably. "In Ralph's opinion, it does this with near total impunity, disregarding governmental rules, journalistic ethics, even the Rights granted by the U.S. Constitution.

A Free Press is essential to our Democratic Republic, as envisioned since the days of our Founding Fathers. The contrary, a monopolistic press, threatens the very ideals of Liberty upon which our country was founded.

No where, in Ralph's experience, is this Totalitarianistic Press more evident in our County than in the lack of critical reporting of key issues of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

Quite simply, one doesn't make these charges against so powerful an established 5th Estate, without incurring, as Mark Twain put it, hatred and scorn, no matter how noble, pure and patriotic the motivations may be. Ralph is no stranger to receiving political retribution resulting from taking stances unpopular to the politically powerful, so makes the above statements with eyes open.

At this point in his life, Ralph simply, in somewhat of a juxtaposition of philosophy, quotes our imcumbent President, "Bring 'em On!"