Bits and Pieces: Time To Free Oro Valley

Time to Free Us!
There are a number of reputable studies that show that 50 to 80 times the number of recorded COVID-19 cases are out there; and that these people were either not sick at all or had cases so mild they didn't have to pay attention to it. Guess this isn't such a scary apocalyptic flu after all.

Using even the lowest estimate of 50 unreported to every reported case, the COVID-19 numbers look much less threatening. Perhaps, not threatening at all.

Here's the adjusted numbers:

• You have a 2% of getting sick enough to even worry about it
• .1% is overall mortality rate if you do get it. That means you have 99.9% chance you will be just fine.

Now that we have the data it is clear that only those who are at highest risk should have been locked-down. Those who serve them need to take precautions. The rest of us need to get back to our lives.

Mayor Winfield does not agree with us. Watch his recent video.  It is yet more: "Stay Strong", "We're in this together" pablum.

We are not children. We need to be treated like adults. And we do have the "Bill of Rights".

In his video, Winfield claims that COVID-19 cases in Arizona are increasing. He is wrong. The total number of new cases are flat or decreasing. 250 new case a day in a state of 4  million people does not make for an epidemic. And most days it is far less than that.

The number of cases reported have been spiking up and down because more tests are being done. These people may have it but they are not anywhere near close to being really sick.

Mr. Mayor, there are 4 million people living in this state and a whopping 5,700 cases in total. There are at most 10 cases in Oro Valley and there are 45,000 residents. 

It is insane to imprison 99.9% of the population!

Heat and sunlight kill the virus on any surface in 2 minutes. Open our dog parks. Open our tennis courts. Open our basket ball court. Give us some semblance of progress. 

You can do this. The CDC says that a State can and should be opened on an individual county and town basis.

One size does not fit all. Fight for Oro Valley to be free. Be a leader. We don't need a nanny.

The "excessive noise" police have no standard noise measure
This is from Nextdoor.com. An El Conquistador resident wrote:

"We have our music on in our backyard, we live off the 15th hole. Country music playing, with no vulgar language or anything bad. We have the cops show up for a noise complaint?! Are you kidding me! It wasn’t even 7 pm! The officers were professional and understood our confusion....I am baffled by the ridiculous nature of this situation and the lack of courtesy in this well established neighborhood."

We wonder: What the police were thinking? We wonder why the person who complained, if there was one, didn't simply go over to the neighbor. And why was it necessary for two cops to show up?

The Oro Valley noise ordinance (10-1-4) states: "No person shall negligently make, cause, or permit unreasonable noise." What, exactly, is "unreasonable?" It is not standard of measure. It is entirely subjective. "Unreasonable noise" can be and should be quantified in the ordinance defining decibels within a distance commensurate with zoning of the area. It is easy to establish a standard. Let's do it.

Impersonating LOVE and Winfield
Someone has created a fake LOVE email address (letorovalleyexcel@gmail.com).  If you receive any emails from that address, they were not sent by us. Someone (most likely the same person) has also created a fake Facebook page that appears to be the facebook page of Mayor Joe Winfield and they are sending friend requests to unsuspecting people. Please always check to make sure that the emails or friend requests you receive are actually from LOVE or from Mayor Winfield. It if looks suspicious, disregard it.


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Happy 6th Birthday LOVE

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Happy Birthday LOVE...

This month, February 5 to be exact, marked the 6th birthday of  Let Oro Valley Excel.   We have  made 1,935 postings.   You have made 10,409 comments.

Our postings have included a potpourri of subjects:

•  Our initial posting was about the Oro Valley Marketplace.  It was a letter from  Art Segal about how Vestar  had hoodwinked voters into approving an upscale shopping experience that was never going to be.  Art was right. The Oro Valley Marketplace is anything but an upscale shopping experience.   As Art noted, the residents of our Valley continue to subsidize it by giving away half of the sales tax revenues to the developer for up to $23+ million over 20 years.   That deal is still in effect.  13 years to go.
• The very next day we reported that then citizen, now Council Member Garner, was fighting the utility tax.  Seems that there was never a public hearing on the 2% tax; only on a rejected 4% tax. The 4% tax that was approved by some on Council last spring was merely the completion of the earlier attempt.  It took five years, but it got to 4%.  Now we are stuck with it forever.  Its Oro Valley's version of a property tax, except the voters would have had to approve a property tax. Whereas, only the council had to approve the utility tax.
• Shortly thereafter, we wrote about Rancho Vistoso's lovely crematorium.  It was opposed by the residents.  We didn't like it either.   Yet, it was approved by the then sitting council.

The point?  LOVE was born from conflict.  We didn't like what was going on in Oro Valley. We stood with the people.  We stood against the then sitting council.  

Today, we still stand with the people.  We haven't "sold out." We haven't commercialized.  We have stayed true to our motto:  "Oro Valley News: For And By The Citizens Of Oro Valley Arizona." It means a lot to us.  

Yes. You will find that we are a bit gentler in our postings now than we were then.  Our commenters are even more polite and respectful.  Things have changed.  Today, not one member of that old council is even active in Oro Valley politics.   Now, as opposed to then, there are some people on Town Council who are trustworthy.  Those that aren't are always in our sight.  

What will our 7th year bring?  We pledge to bring you fact-based, contemporary reporting of important Oro Valley related news items.  We pledge to call it as we see it:   To praise the good;  to deny the bad;  to "Let Oro Valley Excel."

Happy Birthday LOVE!

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