Local

You can’t (and shouldn’t) believe everything you read.

This month’s North Country News has its regular sprinkling of homey gardening tips, misleading advertisements, and religious contemplations.

It also contains, as always, Vivien Johnson’s woeful flailing spin and desperate grasps at truth and the reality of the water district’s situation. This time, her particularly despicable and  manipulative editorial commentary comes in the form of completely and willfully misquoting herself and Cathy Nelson-Hood at a recent (Dec 20) water board meeting.

This was the marathon seven hour meeting which lasted until around 2am. The primary issue at this meeting was the dismissal of district GM Joesph Sherrill.

After a full slate of open session items, the board retired to closed session to discuss the performance of  Mr. Sherrill, or lack thereof. Once they returned from the closed session portion, a vote was taken and the board decided 3-2 to dismiss Mr. Sherrill as GM. Predictably, Johnson and Nelson-Hood were the dissenting votes. I say predictably because they are they remaining members from the 2008-2010 board that gave Mr. Sherrill a 3 year contract with an 18-month buyout, in direct dismissal of Sacramento County’s LAFCo committee who asked that the board not award any long term contracts before the new board members were seated.

While still in session and on the record, in the discussion after the vote had been taken and the GM dismissed, Johnson and Nelson-Hood had some very divisive, uncooperative and just plain disturbing comments.

In this month’s NCN, Vivien writes;

Cathy Hood did not say that she would “cause the district to go bankrupt.” …

This is what Cathy said “I will do everything in my power to help the water district file bankruptcy…. before being taken over.”

What Cathy Nelson-Hood REALLY said… straight from the horse’s mouth, is:

“I would… and for the rest of my life… until it’s done, I will make sure that this district files bankruptcy.”

Vivien continues by misquoting HERSELF!

She writes in the NCN:

Now my statement “You have made the biggest mistake of your lives when you terminated the general manager. And I will make sure you regret it.”

What she REALLY said, with much more venom and disgust than she alluded to, was:

“So I think, you three, are gonna regret this terribly… and I’ll tell you what.. I’m gonna do everything that I can to make sure that you do.”

So, this disturbing, yet unsurprising development raises a few questions;

First and foremost, why are YOU, dear readers, still reading the North Country News?

More pointedly, why are you still wasting your time to read it when  it’s been proven, now with irrefutable video evidence, that she’s writing what she wants her readers to believe?

She’s not honest. She’s not truthful. She’s not trustworthy. She’s not ethical. To go so far as to blatantly fabricate quotes to sway her readers to her side of an issue that she is personally invested in… is unforgivable. She’s taking this community for a ride. She’s not even giving us the credit of basic intelligence.

She thinks her readers are too stupid to know, or find the truth.

As an advertiser, why are you still doing business with the NCN? Allowing the NCN to represent your business is an endorsement of the poor morals and ethics presented in its pages. Association with the NCN reflects badly upon your business.

As a retailer, why are you still allowing the NCN to be displayed in your place of business? Do you subscribe to the same lack of ethics and values that the NCN promotes every month? Is this the reputation you want your customers to perceive?

11 Comments

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  • John, this is awesome!!! I hope all of Rio Linda & Elverta sees how Vivien twists the words she writes in her trash of a paper! This is what she’s done since she started writing and as it seems, she will not stop until she demolishes our Water District!

    Thank you for getting the truth out to the community, John!

  • Oh, this is very good, I really like it – especially the video clips.
    Good work!

  • Very Good…does anyone have direct access to emails of these businesses or their owners so that this site can be shared with them? The issue has a lot of pictures, etc. of local businesses that I bet have NO IDEA what Vivien is doing.

  • Oh, I’m sure… how else would one explain that the North Highlands hardware store is featured and Rio Linda Hardware is not?

    I’d be willing to bet she just went out and offered to feature these businesses in her paper in the hopes that they would advertise with her in the future, continue to carry the paper in their businesses, and also use a little of their credibility.

    People who advertise in the NCN surely wouldn’t risk their credibility if they knew what she’s been up to. She’s relying on the public’s ignorance and disinterest.

    • I can tell you that Cathy and I have talked several times about Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Protection.There are so many cities and Municipal District that have filed for Chapter 9 protection at this time.I will not try and explain Chapter 9 Protection ,If you really want to know Google Brankruptcy Questions and Answers.Lots of info and how it works.
      Maybe Vivian didn’t print exactly what Cathy said ,but her statement was meant that before the District is taken over by another Water District she would like to see the district file for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Protection I really think that after you all look into it you will agree.
      Before the District get any further in Debt they need to hurry up and hire a GM. The District and us rate payers can not afford Ravi to sit in as Interim GM any longer.I hope that Martin and Vivian will have some answers for us at the next meeting. Time is running out and Ravi’s bill is getting bigger and bigger every minute. Just remember its all of our money.

      • I wish I could believe you, and Cathy, but so many devious, deceptive words have been spoken in those board meetings that there’s a distinct lack of credibility to consider.

        Bankruptcy is an option, but it’s certainly not a preferable option, and it’s not what I would deem the result of a job well done. If bankruptcy is the course taken, the responsibility sits squarely on the shoulders of Cathy Nelson-Hood, Vivien Johnson, Mary Harris, Stephanie Suela, Belinda Paine and Ravi Mehta.

        They’ve bankrupted us. Congratulations?

      • John I just hope and pray that a few of you will see the light soon. I sure wish we could here something from the Grand Jury and DA before its to late. John you have never sat down with Cathy , Vivian,Stephina or Belinda and ask them to tell their side of the story. If you are going to put stuff on the Rio On Line it should be the truth and nothing but the truth. I know that you have put what they both said,but you have not always got your stories straight either. Don’t print what you don’t here or see first hand. You all are trying to destroy an honest person that really want the district to surive. The 3 new board members said they wanted to work as a team. Are They?

    • I know for a fact that Vivien showed up at the Taqueria and took pictures and did not charge for the advertising. However, Martin and his wife and my husband and I eat there frequently – they know us by name – and they now know what Vivien is doing.

  • Water is California’s new “gold.” To that end, it appears the RL/Elv Water District is all washed up! I’ve sat on various Boards and have witnessed endless, personal and political games. The Board needs to look at the big picture, not personaities.
    The overarching question should always be: What is in the best interests of the customer’s served by the RL/Elverta Water Dist?
    That should be the mantra and pledge verbalized by all current Board members before each and every meeting.