Flood waters

The fact that this is the California story doesn't make it a happy one for residents whose neighborhoods have been flooded during recent heavy rainfalls. In Petaluma, homes and businesses near the outlet mall flooded. In Rohnert Park, water filled the streets of the Rancho Verde Mobile Home Park.

In both communities, unhappy residents are looking for someone to blame. Mother Nature appears to be the culprit in Petaluma, where water officials say there was just too much rainfall in too short a period for creeks to handle.

Weather was also the primary factor in the mobile home park flooding -- although the park owner appears to be at fault, too.

According to city officials, Florida-based Sunset Strip Corp. and California-based Indian Springs have been unresponsive to the city's suggestions to reduce flooding in the low-lying neighborhood.

Even worse, it appears that someone in park management is blaming the city for the flood problems -- even though the park's streets are private property and are the owner's responsibility.

Residents whose streets flooded last month and in 2006 are right to be demanding action. But they should be talking to the park owners -- not the city.