Veterans, Diamond Crest Cemetery
September 23, 2014
OUR VETERANS
A precious resource
Melody Brawley, Lassen County Director of Health and Social Services, agendized a report on Veterans affairs in Lassen County for the Board of Supervisors September 23, 2014 meeting. The Veterans Service Office is under Health and Social Services.
Click on photo below to see and hear the presentation
The presentation was made by Veteran Services Officer Todd Conner. Mr. Conner operates the Veterans Service Office at 1205 Main Street, Susanville, Ca 96130. The office telephone number is 530-251-8192. This office serves over 3500 Veterans living in Lassen County and is open Monday through Friday.
The Lassen County Supervisors pay Veteran Todd Conner approximately $35,000 a year
The Supervisors were asked to "DO BETTER"
This issue is supposed to be on the next BOS agenda
September 8, 2010
Lassen Rural Bus connection with Plumas County Benefits Veterans
August 24, 2010
Lassen County Times Buries Story on Veterans Clinic Grand Opening
You have to wonder what the Editor Barbara France has against our Veterans?
Dozens attended ????..............there were more than 150 that attended this event. Why did she put this story in the back of the paper and then minimize the event?
August 18, 2010
New Susanville Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic Holds Grand Opening
Over 150 attend the ceremony
August 17, 2010
New Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic Holds Grand Opening Scheduled
110 Bella Way, Susanville, CA
Door to Door bus service is now available to our Veterans, call Lassen Rural Bus at 252-7433
August 16, 2010
Co-operation
Plumas County Transportation Commission approved Lassen Rural Busses going into Chester three times a day/6 days a week
Marty Byrne, PCTC
Larry Millar,LCTC
Veterans can now use the busses in Plumas County to get to the New Veterans Medical Facility in Susanville
July 27, 2010
PLUMAS COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
AND
LASSEN COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
agree to the new Chester bus stop
Plumas County Veterans and the general public will soon be able to catch a ride from Chester to Westwood (Lassen County) and into Susanville. Veterans will transfer ,at the Wal.Mart store, "free" to the Veterans Affairs new medical facility on Bella Way
Bus Schedules are being formulated and will be released to the public soon.
NEXT: Phase III-Sierra County
July 19, 2010
Phase II-Plumas County
Now all we have to do is coordinate public transportation in all five counties.
The new Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility opened in May of this year without service to the "front door" for our Veterans.
After six months, Kan We Help knocked down all of the "roadblocks" set up by Lassen County and the Susanville City Council. and got "FRONT DOOR" bus service, for our Veterans, to their new medical facility.
The 7,000 sq. ft. Veterans Medical Facility [at 110 Bella Way in Susanville, CA] will serve 32,000 Veterans in five counties. Presently, our Veterans have to travel to Reno, Nevada using private cars and vans.
Now all we have to do is coordinate public transportation in all five counties.
Kan We Help member and Secretary, Eileen Spencer, attended the Plumas County Transportation Commission today to ask that the Lassen County buses be allowed to pick up passengers in Chester to ride back to Susanville and that this issue be placed on their August 16, 2010 agenda. This Plumas County Transportation
Commission was not even aware of this new facility.
During the brief KWH presentation, County Supervisor Meacher picked up a magazine and put it in front of his face and County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Sharon Thrall, picked up a small document package and put it in front of her face.
And we thought Lassen County was bad.... .........Susanville Mayor Kurt Bonham and County Supervisor Lloyd Keefer are no longer on the Lassen County Transportation Commission.
The Chairperson, John Larrieu, Mayor of Portola, said he would place the issue on the August 16, 2010 Agenda but this issue should have been brought up at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Spencer explained that she had gone though this process in Lassen County and had spoken to Plumas County's Public Works Director "Marty" a month ago. Spencer was told that any changes to the bus schedule had to go through the Transportation Commission before going to the Board of Supervisors.
"Marty" told the commission that he was supposed to get a letter from Lassen County's Dan Douglas about letting Lassen County busses come in to Plumas County via Chester instead of by the Hamilton Branch bridge. After months, Mr. Douglas has yet to send the letter, any letter!
After yelling at Spencer, Meacher stated that this was not an issue that they could take up and that Kan We Help should contact the Veterans Affairs office in Quincy. This Plumas County Supervisor should know that only the Plumas County Board of Supervisors can make a change in their bus schedules, but he didn't
Phase III-Sierra County, Phase IV-Modoc County, Phase V-Tehama County
June 4, 2010
Kan We Help Gets FRONT DOOR BUS SERVICE FOR VETS TO NEW Veterans Medical Facility
.....despite the shameful indifference by Susanville City Council members, Lassen County Board of Supervisors
and the Lassen County Times Editor, Barbara France
Not one member of the Transportation Commission has been to the new Veterans Clinic
Susanville Veteran Tom Robinson, Army First Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, was the first Veteran to ride the Lassen Rural Bus from his home to the front door of the new Veterans Affairs Diamond View Medical Clinic at 110 Bella Way, in Susanville, CA. According to the Clinic staff, more than 3200 veterans, in four counties (Sierra, Modoc, Plumas and Lassen), have been identified to use this facility.
Dan Douglas decided:1) he will not route LRB buses to VA Clinic 2) no room for bus stop on Johnstonville Road, 3) drop Veterans off on side of building because there is no turnaround on the property. Mr. Douglas didn't do anything even after he was told that the original plans put a Turnaround in. It was his job to review the plans for this new clinic, he didn't do that. Then, he ignored requests for the rocks to be removed in front of the turnaround. HE JUST DID NOT CARE, probably because he saw the indifference by the Board of Supervisors and the Susanville City Council members. Just shameful.
On May 17, 2010, KWH member, Eileen Spencer, asked Susanville Fire Chief ,Ted Friedline to arrange for the rocks to be moved that blocked the Turnaround. Safety Codes require a 20' clearance for fire trucks. This turnaround was included in the original plans. The plans have always been available to the public and public "officials"
June 4, 2010
Shameful, diabolical, contemptible, outrageous, disgusting, despicable, flagrant, scandalous, unworthy
Six kings sit on their thrones: L to R: Doug Sayers, Kurt Bonham, Bob Pyle, Jack Hanson, Jim Chapman, Joe Franco ADD: Lloyd Keefer
Not a single Susanville Council member or a single County Board of Supervisor made a phone call, visited the VA Medical Center and actually were offended that their time was wasted on this subject.
They all should have been embarrassed not angry.
Jim Chapman and Jack Hanson did not like being criticized for their indifference. They intend to curb public criticism at future meetings. All because they got caught with "I don't care about this, now go away". Other speakers were given time enough to make their presentations, which was and is the right thing to do.
How arrogant these men were to dismiss this issue. How dare them.
Jack Hanson was the only one that yelled
at a speaker to divert the fact that he hadn't done anything in six months. All six men were offended that "this" subject was brought before them. Maybe they had better things to do. Maybe providing this service was just not important enough for the men on the Lassen County Transportation Commission
The public presentation was orderly and on point. The six Kings
just didn't want to deal with this issue, and haven't done anything
except throw up barriers since the meetings.
Chapman and Hanson's apathy was highly offensive.
Mr. Robinson will not have to go to Reno for medical treatment anymore.
May 10, 2010
We asked nicely for six months but.........
NO "FRONT DOOR" BUS SERVICE AT NEW VETERANS MEDICAL CLINIC?
Dan Douglas
May 10, 2010
Susanville's New 7,000 square foot Veterans Health Care Facility
110 Bella Way, Susanville, California
Property owned and developed by Dale and Linda Soule
But, NO BUS STOP FOR THE VETERANS
Lassen County Transportation Planner,Dan Douglas (above) not the least bit interested in providing door to door bus service, for our Veterans, to the new medical facility at the Transportation Commission's March 8, 2010 meeting. Mr. Douglas claimed that there was no room (below) on Johnstonville Road for a bus stop at the new Veterans Medical Center.
At their March 8, 2010 meeting, the Lassen County Transportation Commission agreed to put the "Veterans Bus Stop" issue on their May 10, 2010 Agenda.
Susanville City Councilmen Doug Sayers and Joe Franco came,to both meetings, empty handed.
(Above) March 8, 2010, Transportation Commission meeting. Left to right: Doug Sayers, Kurt Bonham, Bob Pyle, Jack Hanson, Jim Chapman, Joe Franco
Today, the Lassen County Transportation Project Manager, Cynthia Raschein ttold the Commissioners
that the "Developers" were unwilling to discuss the bus stop at the Medical Center but the County Bus could be routed to stop on the side of the veterans building ( Bella Way) and let the Veterans off there. Our Veterans then could walk down the sidewalk and around the building to the front door. Bella Way is a dead end street and the County would have to negotiate permission from the business, at the end of the street, to turn the bus around in their parking lot.
THIS WAS CYNTHIA RASCHEINS SOLUTION TO PROVIDE BUS SERVICE TO THE NEW VETERANS MEDICAL FACILITY FOR OUR VETERANS.
Dan Douglas & Cynthia Raschein had two months to research
the Veterans Medical Facility bus stop issue for the May 10, 2010 meeting
KWH fact check:
The original plans call for three phases. Phase I is complete. The Developers Phase I provides for a 60' graded turn around that not only Susanville fire trucks can turn around in but the County Buses can turn around in. This plan allows for the Veterans to be taken to the front door of the medical facility the day it opens........
............but the "County" has decided not to use this turnaround ??????????
The sixty foot graded Turnaround for traffic in Original plans
SHOULD WE PROVIDE "DOOR TO DOOR" BUS SERVICE FOR OUR VETERANS in LASSEN COUNTY?..........ask these people;
Dan Douglas (not at 5/10/10 meeting), Cynthia Raschein, Kurt Bonham (not at 5/10/10 meeting), Jim Chapman (not at 5/10/10 meeting), Chairperson Jack Hanson, Bob Pyle (not at 5/10/10 meeting) , Doug Sayers, Joe Franco, Brian Dahle, Lloyd Keefer
December 7, 2009
NO bus stop for veterans
Dan Douglas, Lassen County Transportation Czar, decided that he would not create a bus stop at the new Veterans Medical building. This facility will open in April of 2010 and Mr. Douglas has refused to include this building in the Lassen Rural Bus route.