03/01/2007: "Volunteers And Donations Needed"

Dear Editor,

I believe in planning ahead and in promoting life safety issues. Many current governmental regulations discourage and intimidate property owners, as well as make it expensive and difficult to cut or trim trees and brush on their own property. Trees and brush create storm and fire safety issues. This last year's storms caused enough loss of life and property damage to make this abundantly clear.

Many counties and cities currently have regulations that require property owners to hire an arborist before cutting trees, even if the property owner feels the trees are a hazard and are clearly endangering lives or property. Most property owners do not even know these regulations exist. When property owners do find out about these regulations, they become fearful and apprehensive about cutting or trimming their trees.

With that in mind, I filed a life safety and property protection initiative with the Secretary of State, Sam Reed. It has been approved by the state Code Reviser, Jeffrey T. Even, and has been given an initiative number of 958. The initiative text is as follows:

Text of initiative 958: An ACT Relating to safety; and adding a new section to chapter 70.01 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTON. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 70.01 RCW to read as follows:
For the safety of human life and the protection of property, Washington state property owners have a right to protect themselves and their property from the hazards of wind and fire caused by trees and vegetation on their property. Property owners have the right to cut down trees or trim brush on their property without being encumbered or regulated by fees, licenses, permits or fines from any state, county, city or other governmental entity. These safety protection rights are limited to trees and vegetation located within an individual property owner's property lines, and limited to a distance of one hundred feet from the property owner's home, other buildings on the property, planned building sites, or utility lines located over or under the property. End
Code Rev/ML:rmh 1 1- 2056.1/07

I am looking for volunteers and donations to form a Political Action Committee to fund and pass safety initiative I-958. We need to collect about 250,000 signatures ASAP. I need your help. Please contact me on how you can help or to obtain a petition. Phone: (360) 378-3776, email: i958@centurytel.net, address: Box 796, F.H., web site- http://yesoni958.squarespace.com/

Sincerely,
Frank Penwell
San Juan island