When the sample ballot for the Nov. 4 election arrived in my mailbox I was appalled to see an “Argument Against” Measure S (the initiative to protect and restore Clear Lake) that consists entirely of half-truths, innuendos and outright falsehoods. 

For example, this unprincipled set of deceptive statements argues that the Board of Supervisors could fund quagga mussel prevention programs and other lake projects by (illegally) “restructuring” the Lake County Vector Control District Board of Trustees and raiding that independent agency’s dedicated funding. 

How ironic that Measure S opponents – who rely heavily on the argument that local government can’t be trusted to spend tax revenues as intended – should propose looting funds levied by a benefit assessment voted by the people for the specific purpose of protecting human beings and animals from serious vector-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus.

The ballot argument claims that Lake County Vector Control District money can be used for invasive mussel prevention because “quagga qualify as ‘vectors’” – despite an explicit ruling by Dr. Vicki Kramer, the chief of the Vector Borne Disease Section of the California Department of Public Health, that “quagga mussels, zebra mussels, algae, and aquatic weed abatement are not considered vectors under the California Health and Safety Code, and that the control of these organisms is not included in the powers that the State legislature has delegated to mosquito and vector control districts.”

For more information about the errors of the Vector Control assertions and a detailed point-by-point refutation of the rest of the Argument Against, please visit www.savethelake.info .

In the meantime, here is the truth:

Measure S will benefit everyone who lives in or visits Lake County: homeowners, landowners, farmers, business owners, seniors, Native Americans, water users. It’s the best investment we can make to safeguard our lake, our communities, and our children’s future. Without it, continuing cycles of noxious algae, weed-choked waterways and the likely infestation of quagga mussels will send water bills soaring, destroy an amazing natural treasure, and ruin our economy and quality of life.

Measure S will be paid by residents and visitors alike, and the cost to individuals will be too small to notice. In return, we will get the resources we need to protect and restore Clear Lake, the heart and soul of Lake County and the greatest asset our community has. No other plausible source of funding exists to develop and implement programs to save the lake.

All Measure S revenues will stay right here in Lake County, and they all MUST be spent on our waterways.

The oversight committee will meet four times a year to review specific projects and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. There will be full public participation at every stage to ensure that the best choices are made.

The truth: A vote for Measure S is a vote for Lake County’s future.

Victoria Brandon lives in Lower Lake, Calif.