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Mendocino County Today: Friday, Nov 14, 2014

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THE FISHER FAMILY, clothing moguls, own a big hunk of Mendocino County (and a big chunk of Humboldt County, too) via the Mendocino Redwood Company (and Humboldt Redwood Company). The Fishers are funding the artificial turf presently being installed at the west end of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco where presently there's several hundred yards of gopher holes and clumps of grass on which young people attempt to play soccer. Critics of artificial turf say you can get cancer if you spend a lot of time on it.

I'd say a kid can get cancer a lot faster from sitting among the visuals of school architecture and the chemical stews of his classroom, than he might get from astro-turf, much improved over the years with a lot more cush than it used to have. Turf toe is the big risk from artificial turf, not cancer.

Another group of critics say the west end of the park should remain more or less in its natural state, although the central areas of the park are given over every year to mob scene music concerts that don't belong in parks which, some of us may recall, were designed as respites from the surrounding urban melee.

The west end playing fields, as they are, are unplayable but will be quite busy with a reliable artificial surface. I went out there a couple of times to watch my niece play in a girl's league. Little kids will play anywhere, of course, but that day a little kid twisted her ankle when she stepped in a gopher hole, and that place is all gopher holes. It was the worst surface I've seen in the city. Yup, I'm for artificial turf.

CROCKER-AMAZON PARK is a vast expanse out in the “southeast quadrant” (as the cops say) of the city. For years it was a desert populated only by lurks and dopeheads. Frisco's oligarchs paid for artificial turf and today Crocker-Amazon is a paradise of all-age sport.

MAINTAINING a natural playing field costs a lot of money and manpower. Here in Boonville, the Fairgrounds hosts football games on a field that is also used for rodeos and other hard-on-the-turf events. At a recent high school football game, the referees called a time-out while a particularly deep and hazardous hole was filled. Lots of us wish the Fishers would fund artificial turf for the Boonville Fairgrounds. In its present state, it's a guaranteed trip to the ER and lives of unnecessary knee pain. Basic public amenities are now dependent on the generosity of oligarchs. Instead of taxing them, we now go to them hat in hand to beg for a little giveback.

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THE SUPERVISORS unanimously voted Tuesday to fund a one-year, $160,000 Laura's Law pilot program. Under the 2003 mental health stipulation, the courts can require outpatient treatment, including medication, for the volatile mentally ill.

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AL SAYS CASPAR IS LEAKING

Subject: Sewer Effluent tank next to ocean cliff, Caspar South Water District pictures and request for action
From: "Al Stein" <bugadi@comcast.net>
Date: Thu, November 13, 2014 12:17 pm

The attached picture depicts the cover of the sewer effluent pump tank chamber for the Caspar South Water District.

TankCover

This 5-600 gallon pump tank is connected to about 16,000 gallons of septic tanks about 120 degrees to the left of the first pic and no more than 30 feet away.

Lescure Engineering was shocked to see the location of this tank next to the sea cliff when Mr Loe visited in 2010. The Board of Directors has failed to act on his recommendations to move the pump tank away from the cliff, nor has it given the NCRWCB any explanation why it is disregarding Mr Loe’s recommendation.

A 6” pipe connected the tank to a sea cave in the past prior to 1980 where discharge by gravity occurred.

The tank may be sited above the sea cave. No inspection has been conducted by NCRWCB since 2002. No GPS mapping has been performed. I observed bubbling like a violent geyser in 2010 when large waves entered the sea cave and many others here did as well. Others who have been in the sea cave say it is very large and goes inshore well east of the cliff.

Mr. Loe, Lescure’s Engineer wrote...

Date: November 13, 2014 at 11:40:00 AM PST
To: Alan Stein bugadi@comcast.net

ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS: Effluent Pump Chamber — The effluent pump chamber is allegedly located adjacent to an underlying sea cave. Alan reported observations of mild to violent turbulence and gas eruptions in the effluent pump chamber which coincide with crashing of large waves on the cliff below. The development of a blow hole in the effluent pump chamber is believable as there is another ocean blow hole within 12’ of the effluent pump chamber. One possible explanation for the blow hole is deterioration of the old 6” pipe that used to discharge septic tank effluent to the sea cave. No one seems to know how the old 6” drain was abandoned.

I am concerned that because the ocean blow hole is venting into the effluent pump vault that the vault has the potential to leak into fissures in the cliff or into the sea cave. I recommend that the effluent pump station be relocated well back from the sea cliff as soon as possible, the Otter Point Circle cul-de-sac may be the best location. As an emergency interim repair, I believe the existing vault can be lined in a manner that would eliminate the turbulence and gas eruptions caused by the air blasts into the fluid environment and will also prevent leakage into the sea cave. If lining the pump vault stops leaks into the sea cave the volume of effluent pumped to the leach field may increase. Any effort to provide a lining of the existing effluent pump vault should be considered a temporary short term measure.

Please be advised that about a block N of this tank is a sea lion rookery at the mouth of Caspar Cove and to the S is a Marine Sanctuary.

Please also be aware that a beach heavily used by surfers and divers is in Caspar Cove as well as commercial sea urchin grounds.

Disregarding Mr Loe’s recommendation, the Board did not install a liner in the tank but only plugged the leak to the cave with a concrete or epoxy plug. There is no plan or desire by the Board to move the tank.

At the very least, I request the NCRWCB ask the board to explain on what professional authorities they are relying to disregard both obvious common sense and Mr Loe’s recommendations.

Please let me know what action you plan to take in response to my request.

This tank is located several miles from the San Andreas Fault offshore.

Alan Stein, Caspar

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Nov 13, 2014

Bonson, Breedlove, Cook, Edwards
Bonson, Breedlove, Cook, Edwards

TRAVIS BONSON, Battery of police officer, parole violation.

JON BREEDLOVE, Willits. Loitering.

RONALD COOK, Ukiah. Pot possession for sale, sale, transport, furnish.

WILLIAM EDWARDS, Pot possession for sale, proceeds from drug transactions, resisting arrest.

Green, Hewitt, Moreno, Ramirez
Green, Hewitt, Moreno, Ramirez

JOHNNY GREEN, Fort Bragg. Resisting arrest.

SUZANNE HENNESSY, Willits. Probation revocation. (Photo not available.)

JESSICA HEWITT, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

VERONICA MORENO, Ukiah. DUI.

ALEXANDER RAMIREZ, Fort Bragg. Burglary, probation revocation.

Rossi, Spencer, Taylor, Velazquez, Wilson
Rossi, Spencer, Taylor, Velazquez, Wilson

BRENDA ROSSI, Willits. Probation revocation.

NICHOLAS SPENCER, Willits. False ID, parole violation.

DANIEL TAYLOR, Ukiah. Resisting arrest, violation of county parole, probation revocation.

FERNANDO VELAZQUEZ, Ukiah. Pot possession for sale, sale, transport, furnish.

HEIDI WILSON, Eureka/Willits. Probation revocation.

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BAD BUDGETS = BAD ROADS

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/news/ci_26926249/budget-shortfalls-continue-affect-mendocino-county-roads

MENDOCINO TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR HOWARD DESHIELD ADDS:

The new California Statewide Needs Assessment Project which was unveiled on October 27, 2014 visit www.savecaliforniastreets.org. The report is a collaboration between the California State Association of Counties, the League of California Cities, and the state’s regional transportation planning agencies. California’s local streets and road conditions continue to decline, since the first survey six years ago when the statewide average was 68. Today it’s dropped to 66, which falls into the at risk category. In the next 10 years it is estimated that the local system will have a $78.3 billion funding shortfall. Existing funding for California’s local streets and roads is just $1.7 billion annually but $3.328 billion is needed just to maintain the current statewide average rating of 66. Estimates suggest Mendocino County would need to spend $9 million per year to maintain an existing PCI of 35 extrapolated.

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CREATE A HOLIDAY TRADITION

at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens’ Annual Festival of Lights!

Dazzle your senses as the Botanical Gardens are transformed by thousands of sparkling lights at this community, family-friendly event

MCBGFestival

Fort Bragg, California – October 28, 2014 – Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens 5th Annual Festival of Lights event promises to delight visitors with thousands of glittering lights, creating a spectacular garden of whimsy and wonder. The community light display opens Friday, November 28 through Sunday, November 30, and continues Thursdays through Sundays, December 4-7 and 11-14. Hours are 5:00pm–7:30pm.

Follow a magical path through tunnels of light, find surprises at every curve, and wander along luminaria-lined avenues bordered with enchanted scenes from the most delightful of dreams. From jellyfish to birds and arches of light to luminous mushrooms, discover the magic no matter your age.

Visit the Holiday Sweets Café to purchase light refreshments and beverages or enjoy a light supper provided by David’s Deli. Enjoy the refrains of strolling musicians nightly and shop for unique treasures in our Holiday Store. Keep the memories with a photo taken against a curtain of starry lights.

With an emphasis on family fun and community, Festival of Lights is an annual holiday destination for the whole community. Adult tickets are $10; children age 16 and under are free (must be accompanied by an adult). Advance tickets are available at The Garden Store at MCBG, Harvest Market in Fort Bragg, and Out of This World in Mendocino.

Some area lodgings may offer a discount during Festival of Lights. Please see our website for more information, or ask at the lodging when you phone for a room reservation.

This year’s Festival of Lights Gala will be held Wednesday, December 3, from 5:00pm-8:00pm. This extraordinary benefit raises money so that we can keep Festival of Lights child admissions free. With an array of hors d’ouevres, libations including beer, wine, and champagne, delectable desserts, and music, this special evening culminates in a brilliant fireworks show over the Gardens. $100 per person. Email administration@gardenbythesea.org or phone 707-964-4352 ext. 10 to receive an invitation.

The Botanical Gardens is located at 18220 North Highway 1, two miles south of Fort Bragg and seven miles north of Mendocino. Bring your family and friends to Festival of Lights and celebrate the start of the holiday season. Dress for winter. No pets, please.

For volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, contact the Gardens’ Administration office at 707-964-4352 ext. 10.

Special thanks to Friends of the Gardens, Gardens’ staff and volunteers, and community members, all of whom make this festival possible.

More information at www.gardenbythesea.org.

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is a 47 acre public garden. Our mission is to engage and enrich lives by displaying and conserving plants in harmony with our Northern California coastal ecosystems.

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PRAYER

I knelt and started to pray and prayed for everybody I thought of, Brett and Mike and Bill and Robert Cohn and myself, and all the bullfighters, separately for the ones I liked, and lumping all the rest, then I prayed for myself again, and while I was praying for myself I found I was getting sleepy, so I prayed that the bullfights would be good, and that it would be a fine fiesta, and that we would get some fishing. I wondered if there was anything else I might pray for, and I thought I would like to have some money, so I prayed that I would make a lot of money....and as all the time as I was kneeling with my forehead on the wood in front of me, and was thinking of myself as praying, I was a little ashamed, and regretted that I was such a rotten Catholic, but realized there was nothing I could do about it, at least for a while, and maybe never, but that anyway it was a grand religion, and I only wished I felt religious and maybe I would the next time.

— Ernest Hemingway

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REPUBLICANS TO MEET IN WILLITS — The Mendocino County Republican Central Committee will meet Saturday, November 22, 2014, 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon at the Willits City Hall Conference Room, 111 E. Commercial St., Willits, CA 95490. For further information contact: Stan Anderson, 707-321-2592.

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K30

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AT THE PEAK OF RAIL TRAVEL in the US, 1945, with packed trains due to the war – pmpg (passenger miles per gallon) peaked at 83. So trains can be very efficient, but they have to be jam packed with people. And rail freight is super efficient, something like 480 ton-miles per gallon of diesel. But passenger rail can never be that efficient because people won’t act like freight; they need space to move around, space for dining facilities, space for sleeping on an overnight trip, etc. etc. I’ve seen figures for lightly loaded passenger trains giving a pmpg of less than 20.

By contrast, a sedan getting 40 mpg and carrying 4 passengers will get 160 pmpg. And passenger aircraft average about 58 pmpg. Fully loaded passenger buses, at 300+ pmpg, beat everything including trains and planes. Fully loaded passenger cars come next in terms of efficiency, after the buses and ahead of the trains and planes.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/fuel-efficient-transportation-an-overview

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VARIETIES Of CAPITALISM

capitalism-varieties

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AMERICAN PIE

A long, long time ago

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And maybe they'd be happy for a while

 

But February made me shiver

With every paper I'd deliver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn't take one more step

 

I can't remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

 

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

Did you write the book of love

And do you have faith in God above

If the Bible tells you so?

Now do you believe in rock and roll?

Can music save your mortal soul?

And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

 

Well, I know that you're in love with him

'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym

You both kicked off your shoes

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

 

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died

 

I started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

Now for ten years we've been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone

But that's not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

And a voice that came from you and me

 

Oh, and while the king was looking down

The jester stole his thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned

No verdict was returned

 

And while Lenin read a book on Marx

The quartet practiced in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

 

We were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

Helter skelter in a summer swelter

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast

It landed foul on the grass

The players tried for a forward pass

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

 

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume

While the sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance

Oh, but we never got the chance

 

'Cause the players tried to take the field

The marching band refused to yield

Do you recall what was revealed

The day the music died?

 

We started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

And singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

Oh, and there we were all in one place

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again

So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

 

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage

No angel born in Hell

Could break that Satan's spell

 

And as the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The day the music died

 

He was singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

And singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

Where I'd heard the music years before

But the man there said the music wouldn't play

 

And in the streets, the children screamed

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

But not a word was spoken

The church bells all were broken

 

And the three men I admire most

The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died

 

And they were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

Singin' "This'll be the day that I die

This'll be the day that I die"

 

They were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye

And singin' "This'll be the day that I die"

— Don McClean

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AWESOME — Is there any chance — I'm begging here — that we could give a rest to two of the most overused, hyperbolic and absurd words in the current lexicon: 'unbelievable' and 'awesome'? We see something, such as an athletic feat, so it is clearly not unbelievable. Seeing is believing. Awe is so rare that we might experience it once every 10 years or so, not every 10 minutes. OK, so I'm a grouch and I “should get over it.” But I can't.

— John Joss

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MY LAST WORDS TO GEORGE W. BUSH & DICK CHENEY

by Tomas Young: November 30, 1979 – November 10, 2014

(Ed note: Tomas Young, an Iraq war vet turned anti-war activist, passed away in Seattle at the age of 34. Tomas enlisted in the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. Following his training at Ft. Hood, Texas he was deployed to Iraq and paralyzed after being shot through his spinal cord just five days into his first tour. Body of War, a documentary film by Phil Donahue, centered on Tomas’ struggles following his return from Iraq. The following is a letter Tomas wrote to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in June 2013.)

TomasYoung

I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.

I write this letter on behalf of husbands and wives who have lost spouses, on behalf of children who have lost a parent, on behalf of the fathers and mothers who have lost sons and daughters and on behalf of those who care for the many thousands of my fellow veterans who have brain injuries. I write this letter on behalf of those veterans whose trauma and self-revulsion for what they have witnessed, endured and done in Iraq have led to suicide and on behalf of the active-duty soldiers and Marines who commit, on average, a suicide a day. I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all—the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.

Your positions of authority, your millions of dollars of personal wealth, your public relations consultants, your privilege and your power cannot mask the hollowness of your character. You sent us to fight and die in Iraq after you, Mr. Cheney, dodged the draft in Vietnam, and you, Mr. Bush, went AWOL from your National Guard unit. Your cowardice and selfishness were established decades ago. You were not willing to risk yourselves for our nation but you sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women to be sacrificed in a senseless war with no more thought than it takes to put out the garbage.

I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues. Instead, this war has cost the United States over $3 trillion. I especially did not join the Army to carry out pre-emptive war. Pre-emptive war is illegal under international law. And as a soldier in Iraq I was, I now know, abetting your idiocy and your crimes. The Iraq War is the largest strategic blunder in U.S. history. It obliterated the balance of power in the Middle East. It installed a corrupt and brutal pro-Iranian government in Baghdad, one cemented in power through the use of torture, death squads and terror. And it has left Iran as the dominant force in the region. On every level—moral, strategic, military and economic—Iraq was a failure. And it was you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who started this war. It is you who should pay the consequences.

I would not be writing this letter if I had been wounded fighting in Afghanistan against those forces that carried out the attacks of 9/11. Had I been wounded there I would still be miserable because of my physical deterioration and imminent death, but I would at least have the comfort of knowing that my injuries were a consequence of my own decision to defend the country I love. I would not have to lie in my bed, my body filled with painkillers, my life ebbing away, and deal with the fact that hundreds of thousands of human beings, including children, including myself, were sacrificed by you for little more than the greed of oil companies, for your alliance with the oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia, and your insane visions of empire.

I have, like many other disabled veterans, suffered from the inadequate and often inept care provided by the Veterans Administration. I have, like many other disabled veterans, come to realize that our mental and physical wounds are of no interest to you, perhaps of no interest to any politician. We were used. We were betrayed. And we have been abandoned. You, Mr. Bush, make much pretense of being a Christian. But isn’t lying a sin? Isn’t murder a sin? Aren’t theft and selfish ambition sins? I am not a Christian. But I believe in the Christian ideal. I believe that what you do to the least of your brothers you finally do to yourself, to your own soul.

My day of reckoning is upon me. Yours will come. I hope you will be put on trial. But mostly I hope, for your sakes, that you find the moral courage to face what you have done to me and to many, many others who deserved to live. I hope that before your time on earth ends, as mine is now ending, you will find the strength of character to stand before the American public and the world, and in particular the Iraqi people, and beg for forgiveness.

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COPS ON PATROL IN UKIAH

Winter
Winter

ON THURSDAY, November 6th at about 9:40 AM a Ukiah Police Officer stopped a bicyclist in the 700 block of Waugh Lane. The bicyclist, 48 year old John Wolfgang Winter, told the officer he was on search probation and allowed the officer to search him. Winter then reached into his backpack and removed an object which he tried to conceal from the officer within his hand. Winter refused to reveal the item and turned and tried to walk away. A struggled ensued and Winter tried to place the item into his mouth. Winter tried to elbow the officer and get away but was eventually taken into custody. The item was recovered and found to be less than 1 gram of heroin. Winter was arrested for possessing heroin, resisting arrest, destruction of evidence, and for violating Post Release Community Supervision.

Gayski
Gayski

ON THURSDAY November 6th at about 8:10 PM Ukiah Police stopped a vehicle being driven by 22 year old Benjamin Gayski, of Fort Bragg, in the 100 block of East Gobbi Street. A passenger in the vehicle was identified as 44 year old Cathi Christine Hall, also of Fort Bragg. Gayski was on probation for DUI and vehicular evasion and was prohibited from driving after drinking. Gayski had been drinking and was arrested for violating probation and driving with a suspended driver license. The officer noticed a large amount of “whip-it” nitrous oxide containers in the vehicle, as well as a device used to inhale the gas. Similar containers were located within Hall’s purse. Gayski and Hall were arrested for possession of nitrous oxide. 14-3368

ON FRIDAY November 7th at about 6:45 AM Ukiah Police responded to Beacon Lane for a child found wandering in the street. Officers learned the callers had encountered the 2 year old child walking in the street without shoes or socks, and that the child was upset and crying. Officers were unable to locate the child’s parents and soon met with Child Protective Services. The CPS worker recognized the child and directed officers to the child’s home in the 1300 block of South Dora Street. Officers arrived at the location at about 7:55 AM and encountered 35 year old Jesus Sandoval Garcia as he was near his front door and calling for his child. Garcia appeared to have just awakened and claimed to have last seen the child at about 7:00 AM. Garcia was arrested for child endangerment.

ON FRIDAY November 7th at about 4:20 PM Ukiah Police responded to the railroad tracks near Cherry Street for a group of subjects dragging a male subject, and armed with baseball bats. Arriving Officers located the victim who was being assisted by witnesses, and learned the victim had been riding a bicycle near the railroad tracks when confronted by three males. The subjects suddenly attacked the victim, kicking and punching him, and took his bicycle and cellular telephone. The victim was able to flee and the suspects left his bicycle behind, and fled with the victim’s cell phone. Several subjects were contacted by officers in the area but were not identified by the victim as the suspects.

McGee
McGee

ON FRIDAY November 7th at about 10:10 PM Ukiah Police responded to a residence in the 100 block of Magnolia Street for a vehicle tampering. Officers learned the victim heard noises outside, and saw a person seated in his vehicle. The victim confronted the suspect, who was rummaging through the glove box, and the suspect fled south onto Oak Street. A responding officer located a subject matching the suspect’s description in the 200 block of Low Gap Road, and identified him as 20 year old Mason Allen McGee. The victim positively identified McGee, and he was arrested for prowling and for public intoxication.

Wingert
Wingert

ON SUNDAY November 9th at about 12:05 AM Ukiah Police responded to McDonald’s, at 115 North Orchard Avenue for a hit and run collision. Officers learned a black Pontiac had driven into the drive through and struck the menu board, then fled. Officers were provided a description of the vehicle, and at about 12:15 AM located the vehicle parked in the 100 block of South State Street. The vehicle was unoccupied, but officers soon located the registered owner in the 200 block of North Main Street. It was determined 31 year old Nicole Yvonne Wingert, of Upper Lake, had been driving her vehicle and damaged the menu board at McDonalds’s. Wingert had been drinking, and was found too intoxicated to drive, and was arrested for DUI and hit and run.

Brandon, Franzen
Brandon, Franzen

ON SUNDAY November 9th at about 8:55 PM Ukiah Police responded to Low Gap Park, in the 1100 block of Low Gap Road, for a group yelling and arguing, and who may have fired a gun. Responding officers were advised the suspects were leaving in a vehicle which was located and stopped in the 1100 block of Incline Drive. A high-risk stop was performed on the five occupants, and 21 year old Audrey Aline Brandon, of Redwood Valley, exited the vehicle with a purse. Brandon was instructed to drop the purse on the ground while the stop continued. After the vehicle was cleared of occupants, an officer noticed a handgun in Brandon’s purse, which was found to be loaded. All the subjects admitted to being at the park but denied discharging a firearm. Brandon was arrested for possessing a loaded and concealed firearm, and another occupant of the vehicle, 21 year old Chef Robert Franzen, was arrested for violating parole.

Gonzalez
Gonzalez

ON TUESDAY November 11th at about 4:00 PM Ukiah Police responded to the parking lot at Motel 6, at 1208 South State Street, for a domestic dispute wherein the male apparently pushed the female to the ground. Arriving officers located 24 year old Francisco Enrique Gonzalez, of Ukiah, and 22 year old Kaisha Katherine Jackson, of Redwood Valley, walking in the parking lot. Both subjects matched the reported description, and when Gonzalez saw the officers approaching he immediately placed himself behind Jackson. Gonzalez appeared to be hiding behind Jackson, and officers saw him remove something from his pocket and place it into Jackson’s pocket. Both subjects were detained and it was determined Gonzalez had placed a set of metal knuckles into Jackson’s pocket. Gonzalez denied having done so, and was arrested for possessing an illegal weapon and for violating Post Community Release Supervision. Jackson was found to possess a methamphetamine smoking pipe and was arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia.

Salazar
Salazar

ON TUESDAY November 11th at about 11:20 PM Ukiah Police responded to a residence in the 700 block of East Gobbi Street for a stabbing. Officers contacted the 69 year old victim, who was bleeding from a significant head wound. Blood had soaked the victim’s clothing and blood was observed inside the residence. The victim reported he’d allowed 59 year old Richard Ronald Salazar to stay with him for a few days as Salazar was without a residence. This evening he and Salazar were watching television, and Salazar had been drinking all day. The two argued, and Salazar stepped outside. The victim realized his vehicle keys were missing and asked Salazar about them. Salazar offered to return inside to search for the keys, and as the victim’s back was turned to Salazar, he struck the victim several times in the head with an alcohol bottle. Salazar displayed a knife to the victim and told the victim he could kill him. Salazar bound the victim’s hands and feet, and then fled in the victim’s vehicle. A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy had spotted the vehicle and stopped it in the 400 block of Burke Hill Drive. Salazar was driving the vehicle, and was arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon, carjacking, unlawful imprisonment, threats, stolen vehicle, and elder abuse.

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Llamas-Ornelas
Llamas-Ornelas

ON SATURDAY, November 8, at approximately 7:56 pm, officers of the Fort Bragg Police Department were dispatched to a report of road rage at Chevron 810 South Main Street. It was reported Maria Llamas, 27 years of age from Fort Bragg was following the victim, her former boyfriend, around town and she had tried to stop his vehicle by jumping on it. A records check revealed Llamas wasn’t to have contact with the victim as a term of her probation. Officers arrived at the scene and determined Llamas had already fled the location. The investigation that followed revealed Llamas located the victim and a female subject at the Cliff House Restaurant. Llamas assaulted the victim by throwing a glass of water in his face. She then followed the victim and the female around town in her vehicle until the Police were called. While following them Llamas blocked the roadway with her vehicle. Officers later located Llamas and placed her under arrest without incident for Domestic Battery, False Imprisonment, Driving on a Suspended or Revoked Driver’s License and Violation of Probation. Llamas was booked at the Fort Bragg Police Department and later transported to the Mendocino County Jail in Ukiah. Total bail listed is $20,000 on the two felonies & two misdemeanors.

(Press release from the Fort Bragg Police Department)

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ATTENTION COAST RESIDENTS!

Mendocino College will be at the Mendocino Campus location, 1211 Del Mar Drive in Fort Bragg on Tuesday November 18th and Wednesday November 19th to offer help with admission, financial aid, placement testing, scheduling counseling appointments, and DRC counseling for the upcoming spring 2015 semester. For more information, please contact Mendocino College, North County Center at 459-6224.

Tuesday November 18th — 10:00am — 1:00pm, 2:00pm — 4:00pm

  • Admissions
  • Financial Aid
  • Online Orientation
  • Placement Testing
  • Scheduling Counseling Appointments

Wednesday November 19th — 10:00am — 1:00pm, 2:00p, - 4:00pm

  • Admissions
  • Financial Aid
  • Online Orientation
  • Placement Testing
  • DRC (Disability Resource Counseling) Counselor

Debra Polak
Dean of Instruction
Mendocino College
(707) 468 — 3009
dpolak@mendocino.edu

2 Comments

  1. Trelanie Hill November 14, 2014

    How about a road fix obligation bond?

    The County can use future tax revenue to pay back the bonds that fix the roads and the interest on the bonds too. It will work just like the pension obligation bond.

    At the end of the fiscal year we can all celebrate having a balanced County budget.

    That’s how County government should work. Borrow money for expenses that should be paid as you go and then let future tax payers pay back the bond.

    Pensions or chuck-holes, why make the choice? just pass it on down to your children and grand children.

    Still think Mendocino County is financially solvent?

    Just my opinion,
    Jim Hill
    Potter Valley

  2. Bruce Anderson November 14, 2014

    We never thought or said the County was solvent. Of course it isn’t, and you’ve neatly stated the prob — public entities everywhere are broke paying pensions.

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