Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, June 1, 2016

• Shiny Things
• Weed Chat
• Coffman Memories
• Forest Visions
• Podva History
• AV Aviation
• Weed Economy
• Realestate Rumba
• Endless War
• Fiscal W
• Vote Box
• Yesterday's Catch
• McNutt Paroled
• Deep KZYX
• Nixon Blush
• Bernie/Warriors
• Propaganda Rules
• Political Reality
• Gorilla Thought
• Art Walk
• Berber Rugs
• Pets!

ITEMS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

by Fred Gardner

At the age of 96, Dr. Henry J. Heimlich had occasion to save a woman who was choking by using the famous maneuver he had developed for that purpose and which bears his name. This is from the report by Christine Hauser in the NY Times:

Since he invented the Heimlich maneuver, Dr. Henry J. Heimlich had spent decades demonstrating the lifesaving technique on people willing to play the role of a choking victim.

But this week, Dr. Heimlich, 96, said he got to do the real thing.

He used the abdomen-squeezing maneuver on Monday night on an 87-year-old woman who was choking at their senior residence community in Cincinnati, popping a morsel of meat out of her mouth.

“I felt it was just confirmation of what I had been doing throughout my life,” he said in an interview on Friday.

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The great journalist Herb Caen once told Alex Cockburn a joke in very bad taste that I have to repeat because of its relevance. "What is the greatest coincidence in medical history?" "I give up." "Lou Gehrig coming down with Lou Gehrig's disease."

Speaking of which, the Times also ran an item recently hedded “Pesticide Exposure May Increase Risk of ALS,” reporting on a study in the journal JAMA Neurology. Patients (156) and controls (128) were analyzed in terms of the extent to which they’d been exposed, based on residence, work histories, and blood tests. “Exposure to pesticides at any time was associated with a fivefold increased relative risk for ALS compared to no exposure,” according to the summary by Nicholas Bakalar.

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Dr. Suzanne Corkin

It is widely known that Dr. William Beaumont learned about gastric physiology thanks to a gunshot wound that exposed the stomach of a man, Alexis St. Martin, whom Beaumont then experimented on for many years, tying morsels to a string and observing the effects of gastric acid, etc. It is not so well known that the relationship was exploitative, and resented by St. Martin.

Dr. Suzanne Corkin made her great discoveries about the physiology of memory thanks to a uniquely damaged patient with whom she had a much different relationship — a friendship. This is from Corkin’s May 27 obituary in the Times:

Dr. Corkin met the man who would become a lifelong subject and collaborator in 1964, when she was a graduate student in Montreal at the McGill University laboratory of the neuroscientist Brenda Milner.

Henry Molaison — known in published reports as H.M., to protect his privacy — was a modest, middle-aged former motor repairman who had lost the ability to form new memories after having two slivers of his brain removed to treat severe seizures when he was 27.

In a series of experiments, Dr. Milner had shown that a part of the brain called the hippocampus was critical to the consolidation of long-term memories. Most scientists had previously thought that memory was not dependent on any one cortical area.

Mr. Molaison lived in Hartford, and Dr. Milner had to take the train down to Boston and drive from there to Connecticut to see him. It was a long trip, and transporting him to Montreal proved to be so complicated, largely because of his condition, that Dr. Milner did it just once.

Yet rigorous study of H.M., she knew, would require proximity and a devoted facility — with hospital beds — to accommodate extended experiments. The psychology department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offered both, and with her mentor’s help, Dr. Corkin landed a position there.

Thus began a decades-long collaboration between Dr. Corkin and Mr. Molaison that would extend the work of Dr. Milner, focus intense interest on the hippocampus, and make H.M. the most famous patient in the history of modern brain science…

In hundreds of studies, up to and even after Mr. Molaison’s death in 2008 at 82, Dr. Corkin provided an extraordinarily detailed picture of his medial temporal region, which contains the hippocampus, and how the surgical lesions affected his memory.

Among many other contributions, her work helped settle a debate about the function of the hippocampus in retrieving and reliving past experiences. Some scientists had argued that once a strong memory was stored, the hippocampus was not critical to retrieving it. Dr. Corkin’s work with H.M. showed that such a memory — getting lost in the woods at camp, say, or hitchhiking across the country — was still partly retrievable without the hippocampus.

She found, however, that the narrative richness of the memory was gone. Loose impressions remained, but the “story” was lost.

Gist memories, she called them.

“She was able to take this single case and do such meticulous work on the anatomy and its effects on memory that it helped settle these questions,” said Morris Moscovitch, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. “That is one hallmark of her work. The other is how much she cared for H.M. She wasn’t merely using him — she became his caretaker, she took care of him like family.”

UNDERSHERIFF RANDY JOHNSON On Medical Cannabis Cultivation Permit

Speaking May 26 on the county’s new medical cannabis cultivation Urgency Ordinance, Undersheriff Randy Johnson warned farmers at the Laytonville Grange: '“If you get caught selling to the black market you are done."

“I’m not throwing anyone under the bus,” Undersheriff Randy Johnson told a standing-room-only crowd at the Laytonville Grange May 26, when he explained how to apply for the county’s new medical cannabis cultivators’ permit.

by Jane Futcher

Mendocino County Undersheriff Randy Johnson told a packed audience in Laytonville Thursday how to apply for a medical cannabis cultivator’s permit under the Urgency Ordinance passed by the Mendocino Board of Supervisors last month.

Johnson said farmers will find “a lot of flexibility this year” in the program this year.

“I’m not throwing anybody under the bus,” he told about 100 farmers, who listened intently to his May 26 presentation at the Laytonville Grange. “When we come out and inspect I don't want to see more than 99 plants.”

Johnson warned that medical cannabis cultivators can expect “no flexibility” in future years, when the county completes its permanent ordinance and state regulations kick in.

Applications for the medical cannabis cultivation program are available from the Sheriff’s Office (SO) and online at http://www.mendocinosheriff.com/.

Johnson spelled out some of the program’s key requirements:

(-) Submission by July 18 of a cultivation application for up to 99 plants (or equivalent square footage) on parcels of 10 acres or more to the Sheriff’s Office (SO) with a non-refundable $1500 application fee.

(-) One initial inspection by the SO (and 3 additional inspections of participating farms).

(-) Purchase of a $50-zip tie from the county treasurer for each plant (if farm is approved). Receipts of purchase must be taken to the SO for collection of zip ties.

(-) Compliance with all county zoning regulations.

(-) Building-permit amnesty to participants who are attempting to correct permit issues.

(-) Optional application to the Agriculture Department for cultivation of up to 25 plants.

(-) Placement of a six-foot metal wildlife fence with locked gate around all cannabis gardens.

(-) Enclosed pesticide and chemical storage.

(-) Submission of valid doctor’s medical recommendation with application.

(-) Parole clearance required for those with criminal records.

(-) Multiple permits to the same farmer are not permitted but may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Multiple permits on the same parcel are not permitted but could in some cases be reviewed.

Johnson said that while he doubts the federal government will investigate the program, his department would turn over farmer information if it were subpoenaed.

Participation in the program will not protect cultivators discovered selling their medical cannabis illegally.

“If you get caught selling to black market you are done,” Johnson said. “And all the information [you submitted] will be provided to help prosecute you. You make every marijuana farmer look bad.”

Johnson said the Sheriff will not require or expect farmers to show proof of compliance with North Coast Regional Water Quality Board regulations or state Water Board use requirements. However, he said, the county will insist on knowing where a farmer’s water comes from.

“Have your paperwork ready if you are drawing out of a creek,” Johnson said.

Many of those attending the meeting appreciated Johnson’s candor and non-threatening manner.

"It was great to start establishing open channels of communication between the program administrators and the community of farmers seeking permits,” said California Growers Association Board President Casey O’Neill of Laytonville after the meeting. “Undersheriff Randy Johnson was very approachable, and as an association the California Growers is in full support of the program.”

PHOTOS: Jane Futcher. Jane Futcher hosts The Cannabis Hour on KZYX FM every other Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

JERRY COFFMAN, ARKY VAUGHAN & JOE DIMAGGIO

by Bruce Anderson

When I first met Jerry Coffman I had just bought a two-bedroom, one-bath house in Boonville. The half-acre was set back off what is now called Anderson Valley Way, conferring on its two-mile length a bland, suburban anonymity which belied the road's improbably vivid history of Indians, five distinct waves of immigrants, freed slaves, movie stars, and ballplayers.

Until 1920, the road through Anderson Valley meandered northwest to Navarro where it jogged almost due north to Comptche then west out to Mendocino and the Pacific. In 1920, the road was cut all the way out to Navarro-by-the-Sea at Highway One and was called the McDonald Highway to the Sea. Like Anderson Valley Way, the grand project paralleling the Navarro River has since been deflated to a prosaic three digits as Highway 128.

I liked to imagine that I'd been standing out on the road at my mailbox in 1930 when the DiMaggio Brothers passed by for a weekend of baseball games in Fort Bragg where Vince DiMaggio had been hired at the mill so he could manage the town team on the weekends, those weekend ballgames being Fort Bragg's primary entertainment through the 1950s. Joe and Dom DiMaggio both roamed the outfield at the old Fort Bragg ball park where a generic chain store now sits.

In the early 1950s, the tract-like houses at the Boonville end of Anderson Valley Way were called “Millionaire's Row” after the mill owners who built and lived in them. Those houses looked rich to the loggers and millhands of 1955.

Jerry Coffman was one of those millhands, and one of the many Oakies and Arkies who, during the post-war logging boom, made Anderson Valley their home. Jerry, who died in 1987, was a central member of the sprawling, and sometimes brawling, Waggoner-Summit clans. Jerry made the Valley his permanent home when he retired from his working life as a millhand. He never married, never missed a Giants game. His favorite ballplayer was, of course, Arky Vaughan.

“I was born in Caddo Gap, Arkansas, on February 7, 1911," Jerry begins, "ain't a third as big as Philo is now. I was the oldest in a family of eight sisters and a brother, the brother bein' the youngest. My daddy died in 1929, leaving me and my mother to carry on the best we could. Back then there was two sessions of school, one in the winter and one in the summer. They did it that way because the kids had to help out on the farms. I went to around the eighth grade before I went to work. The Depression? Oh, my god! Can't make people now believe what it was like. Couldn't buy a pack of Bull Durham without takin' it off my food. It was a hard depression, had to do a little of everything to live — sawmills, farmin', row croppin', we called it where we raised all kinds of crops you plant in rows — corn, cotton… And there was a little bit of public work later on with the CCC. We did road work all over Arkansas then we disbanded and they shipped us out to Salinas and Monterey on troop trains. I joined the CCC on the first day of July, 1935. I learned marchin', making up the bunk. All the stuff about the Army I knew before the Army ever got me.

“I was drafted in 1942. They took me in at Camp Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas. From there we went to Shine, Wyoming, for boot training. Then to Camp Pendleton out here in California for three days. They loaded us on a ship in San Francisco. We didn't know where we was goin', we just rode the waves till we got there. We landed in Brisbane, Australia. From there we went to Sydney, Australia. I was called a Small Boat Operator. I piloted landing craft mostly. They was gettin' us ready to go to New Guinea. A man there in Australia wanted me to stay and work with him in Australia after the war, pilotin' boats up and down the coast, but bein' as I'm from over here, I didn't know about that. I liked the people there; they was just fine with me. I knew how to operate those old steam boilers. I guess that's how they got me onto the boats. I liked the job, but I didn't care much for the bombs a-fallin'.

“The Japanese was only in there a couple of days before we got there. There wasn't any hand-to-hand fightin' or anything like that. They bombed us, though, all the time at night. Got blowed right out of one fox hole one time. Another time three of us dove in a hole when the bombin' started while we was tryin' to unload a ship. Three of us in a hole not big enough for one. One guy went to prayin'. The bombs were droppin' all around us. But when you got enough points, you got shipped back to the States. I landed in San Pedro. Went back to Arkansas by troop train where I worked in saw mills. I came back to California in 1952. The first time I ever saw Boonville was then, though I worked in Laytonville for five weeks in 1942 before they drafted me. I got 75 cents an hour on that job.

“There was a whole lot of gamblin' in New Guinea, I can tell you that. There wasn't much else to do. I saw crap games where the money was piled high. Money didn't mean anything because there was no place to spend it.

“The New Guinea people used to bring in whole stalks of bananas they'd sell for a pack of cigarettes. They'd always walk single file. One day they showed up, about 14 of 'em, all with bananas. A guy threw a mosquito bomb at 'em and all we seen was their heels. They thought it was a hand grenade!

“They had a couple of big stockades in the part of New Guinea where I was for Japanese prisoners. Every third week I had to load 1300 of 'em onto ships. Never had a bit of trouble from any of 'em. One man without a gun could guard 'em all. Heck, they used to turn 'em out twice a day to go swimmin'.

“In '52 I worked in Buster Hollifield's mill in Philo. Later on, from about 1964 on, I worked out at Hollow Tree, off the Fish Rock Road. In '64 they was payin' around $1.65 an hour. I did most of the jobs in the mill, but mainly I was a oiler. I'd work wherever I could find a shade tree and a coffee pot!”

MONTANA PODVA TELLS ALL!

Montana Podva Background

Montana James Podva, UC Davis, B.A.~1970, is a candidate for Mendocino County Supervisor in the June 7th primary election. Since Mr. Podva entered the race, the incumbent has changed her position and now supports medical marijuana. And thanks to Montana for calling attention to front page gaffe on the official Mendocino County website where the incumbent Carre Brown was misidentified as Dan Hamburg for several years. If elected, Podva hopes to make county government more economically efficient with less cronyism and more transparency.

After graduating from UC Davis, Podva served as an Educational and Leadership Consultant for Sigma Alpha Epsilon National Fraternty in Evanston, Illinois for 2 years before studying History on a masters program at Montana State University. Montana subsequently attended UOP, McGeorge School of Law, and graduated with his Juris Doctor in 1977, while working his way through as an Emergency Planning Analyst for the State of California Resources Agency and the new California Energy Commission. Upon graduation from McGeorge, Podva was hired as a Law Clerk by Justice William O. Douglas at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C. Montana heard every oral argument, including the reverse discrimination by quota case of Bakke v. UC Davis and researched, cite checked and edited the second volume of Douglas' autobiography, "The Court Years". While in D.C. Montana also taught a law school class in "Energy and Natural Resource Law". After Justice Douglas died in 1980, Podva to the California Energy Commission as an Energy Specialist and staff-liaison to the Residential Conservation Service Public Advisory Group which recommended residential building energy conservation standards to former astronaut and Commission Chair Rusty Schweickert and Commissioner Arturo Gandara.

Montana was then asked to serve as Lead Technical Writer of the California Energy Commission's "1983 Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature:Securing California's Energy Future". Upon completion, he reduced his work load to half-time at the Commission while opening his Constitutional Rights Defense law practice on behalf of the local "ma and pa" marijuana growers in Mendocino County. His office was in Willits, but he traveled to Justice Courts in Point Arena, Leggett, Boonville, Round Valley, Ft. Bragg, and Ukiah to represent clients. Montana successfully defended the Constitutional Rights of his clients, often by taking cases on appeal.

In 1992, Montana was popularly elected in the June Primary to the Mendocino County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) where he served as Chair and personally registered over 1,000 new Democrats, 500 in Ft Bragg and 500 between Willits and Ukiah. With his red, white, and blue custom van displaying large decal signs saying: "***VOTE DEMOCRAT: Protect Our Bill-of-Rights !***" on all sides, Podva campaigned throughout Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. As a result he was credited by Chris Neary as being the one person who kept Heather Drum from becoming the Coastal Supervisor by ONE (1) vote! And Margie Handley of Willits who lost her bid for the State Senate against Barry Keene by just 600 votes, was quoted in the Willits News, saying "My hat's off to Montana Podva" for registering those 1,000 new Democratic voters. "Without his efforts, I'd have won this election!". The MCDCC also received a $10,000 reward from the California State Democratic Party for having the highest per capita increase in Democratic voters of the 58 counties.

In 1993, Montana moved to his family almond farm near Arbuckle to be closer to his ailing parents and ran for State Senate in a shortened 4-month special election campaign. Astonishingly Podva received 76,509 votes while spending just over $160,000, while his Republican counterpart, a former Mayor of Redding and Chair of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors received 108,972 votes, but only after campaigning well over a year and spending nearly Three-Quarters of a Million Dollars ($750,000) anti-immigrant campaign. While this showing was quite impressive for having moved into the district just 4 months earlier, Montana may have won the election outright had the State Senate Majority Leader, Bill Lockyear, fulfilled his Senate Chambers Cloak Room promise to provide $50,000 for a tv-video ad release showing Maurice Johannessen acknowledging he himself was an illegal immigrant.

Montana spent the next few years glued to the OJ Simpson televised trial and as as a "guest teacher" substituting in the San Juan Unified School District so he could be readily available to caregive for his loving parents, Jim and Alta Podva, who were suffering from congestive heart failure and emphysema caused by asbestos inhalation from 50 years of working on the railroad. When his Mom and Dad died four days apart in 1997 they were to be buried together "for keeps" as their wedding bands were so engraved. Unfortunately, this did not happen when his dad's body was somehow cremated against his sacred last wish.

Feeling the guilt of betraying his dad's admonishment not to be cremated because "it's the same as burning in Hell, Mont!", Montana poured his energy, anger, and frustration into preparing the lawsuit against the mortuary that had lied to him when he asked to open the caskets at the grave site so he could place some of his parents sentimental World War II love letters inside each wooden casket. Not wanting the empty casket to be discovered, the mortuary owner falsely told him: "I'm sorry. the caskets are sealed shut and cannot be opened". After nearly three years of tedious litigation and a week long trial in Red Bluff, Montana and his three sisters were awarded $750,000, which was then the largest general verdict ever issued by a Tehama County jury.

After the death of his parents in 1997, Montana moved to Petaluma where he was a substitute teacher in the junior high and high schools. He was also hired overnight as a Professor-of-Law by then Empire Law School Dean Patrick Broderick, now an elected Sonoma County Superior Court Judge. He began teaching the following evening. During his decade at Empire, Montana taught Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Business Associations, and Supreme Court History. Podva was voted outstanding professor by the students several times during his tenure and was known for giving them copies of the US and California Constitutions at every graduation ceremony. For more information please call Mr. Podva at 707-694-1516 or email <profpodva@yahoo.com>.

ANDERSON VALLEY’S HIGH SCHOOL AVIATION PROGRAM IN THE 60s:

http://www.airplanesandrockets.com/magazines/high-school-aviation-california-style-june-1968-american-aircraft-modeler.htm

HOW MUCH ARE PEOPLE MAKING IN HUMBOLDT’S BLACK MARKET CANNABIS ECONOMY

https://humboldtunderground.com/2016/05/23/how-much-do-weed-growers-make/

 

INTERESTING ON-LINE TAKE ON POT PRODUCTION, HUMCO:

The role real estate sales play in driving weed production around here? I can think of a maybe typical example: A couple buys a large parcel for 100k with inheritance from their parents' work in (aerospace/corporate law/trust fund), they live there for twenty years, they have a small patch just over the property line. They move to a fiefdom in (Nepal/Nicaragua/Indonesia) and sell the property for (1.2 million/4mil/10mil) to a family from (Ventura/San Diego/New Jersey) who used to work in the corporate office of (Whole foods/exxon/Amazon) they've gotta make the balloon payment, so they put in a bunch of light dep. hoopies, and an indoor. the husband (gets busted/fucks a trimmer/moves to Honduras to surf) the wife opens a (crystal healing/kombucha) shop in Arcata. triggers a divorce. the place goes up for sale again. this time goes for (4 mil./10mil.) and is bought by (National Bank of Bulgaria/semi-pro surfer sponsored by Prahna) and the cycle continues, commissions included.

THE COST OF MEASURE W

Review Of Potential Fiscal Impact To The County From The Ballot Initiative Entitled, “Shall A Charter Commission Be Elected To Propose A Mendocino County Charter?”

On May 17, 2016, the Board of Supervisors received an update from the Chief Executive Officer regarding the legal obligations and fiscal implications should the Charter Commission be formed at the June 2016 Mendocino County Primary Election. This information was presented as a result of Board direction during their April 19, 2016, Board meeting, where the Executive Office was directed to perform an analysis of the fiscal impacts to the County from the ballot initiative. The Executive Office discussed the County’s obligations to fund the proposed Commission and drafting of the Charter, such as administrative support, legal representation, financial support to the proposed Commission, and/or providing meeting space. Based upon the timelines associated with the proposed Charter Initiative being placed on the June 2016 primary election ballot, a thorough analysis of the potential impacts associated with the formation of a Charter County was not performed; rather, the focus of this review was related to the processes to form the proposed Commission and their charge to write the Charter.

The review described that Pursuant to California Government Code, Citizens of a county can put a question on the ballot to determine whether to draft or revise a charter and elect a charter commission using the initiative petition process. If this question receives majority approval, the 15 candidates for the charter commission that receive the most votes will organize into a commission to draft a charter. Should the charter county initiative be passed by the majority voters, the Board could elect to provide funding for certain duties for those members that are elected; however, financial support is not mandated and would be at the discretion of the Board. Estimates were provided regarding estimated elections costs associated with placing such a ballot on the initiative, specifically noting that should the initiative require a special election, the costs would be significantly higher than regularly scheduled election (either primary or general election). For example, the estimated costs to conduct a Special Election would be $100,000-$150,000 depending on the voter turnout. Of notable mention was that once a Charter Commission is elected, they appear to be a County Commission for all purposes. Therefore, it is believed that any Charter they draft or develop that would result in litigation; the County would need to legally defend. This process and fiscal review included scenarios that were based upon minimal, moderate and extended support, ranging in potential costs to the County from $50,000 to $300,000+.

A full copy of the informational update presented to the Board is attached and can also be located on the County’s website at: http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/administration/CEOReports.htm.

Carmel J. Angelo

Chief Executive Officer

NEW BALLOT DROP-OFF BOX

Voters No Longer Have To Get Out Of Their Car To Drop Off Their Voted Ballots!

That’s right – Mendocino County voters can now come to our office located at 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah to drop off their voted ballots and not have to get out of their cars. We have installed a large stainless steel drop-off box in our circular drive-way, on the left hand side of the drive-way (on the island with the light and flag pole) to deposit their ballot. Voters will need to deposit their ballots no later than 8 pm on Election Day – June 7, 2016 for their ballot to be counted. Please look for the stainless steel box with “MENDOCINO COUNTY – OFFICIAL DROP BOX FOR ELECTION BALLOTS…”

If you are not in the Ukiah area, please be sure to mail your ballot by Election Day, June 7th – your ballot must be postmarked by June 7th and we must receive your voted ballot within 3 days of the election, or by June 10th – remember, your ballot needs to be postmarked by June 7th in order for your ballot to be counted and not considered late. On Election Day, June 7th voters can also deliver their voted ballot to any polling place in Mendocino County. Today, May 31st is the last day to request a vote by mail ballot.

If you need a vote by mail ballot – please call (707) 234-6819 today to request it.

For additional information please contact the Elections Office by calling 707 234-6819.

CATCH OF THE DAY, May 31, 2016

AUSTIN CASSIDY, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

RICHARD CAUCKWELL, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

LACY DAVID, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

AUSTIN KISTLER, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

ODESSA ONEIL, Ukiah. Receiving stolen property.

BRIAN PATTERSON, Fort Bragg. Shoplifting.

ADAM PEARSON, Ukiah. Drunk in public.

CRUZ REA, Ukiah. Drunk in public, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

DESMOND SMITH, Willits. Failure to appear.

NORMAN WHITE, Ukiah. Controlled substance, probation revocation.

MCNUTT WINS PAROLE

UKIAH, Monday, May 31. -- State prison inmate Robert James McNutt, age 55 years, was granted parole last week by the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH). Governor Brown now has thirty (30) days to review this decision. The Governor can accept, overturn or modify the BPH decision allowing release. Anybody who would like to weigh in on McNutt's release may call the Governor's Office and/or promptly send the Governor a letter. On behalf of the murder victim's family and the Mendocino County DA, Deputy District Attorney Barry Shapiro attended the parole hearing and offered input arguing against and objections to McNutt's release. The Commissioners were told by McNutt's attorney that he will live in Sonoma County with his fiance, a former drug addict. McNutt was convicted by jury on December 20, 1990 of murdering Ralph Daeschner on April 26, 1990 by gunshot to the head at the Leggett mill yard. McNutt then stole the $1000 in cash from Ralph's income tax refund that Ralph had in his pocket. McNutt took the money so he could purchase methamphetamine. McNutt was sentenced on January 17, 1991 by then-Mendocino County Superior Court Judge James Luther to 23 years to life in state prison. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Luther made the following observation: "I'm convinced from the evidence that I heard at the trial that you are dangerous to society, and that you killed the victim in this case for his money, and there's a great likelihood that you would do it again if you were released." The original trial prosecutor in 1990 was current DA Eyster. Finally, it should be noted that McNutt's latest parole hearing -- previously scheduled for 2017 -- was advanced and moved up a whole year. The BPH Commissioner who caused this to happen then also sat on the two-person panel making the decision last week whether McNutt's release should be ordered. DA Eyster is making inquiry whether such special treatment presents an appearance of impropriety or other conflict that denies victim families due process and an unbiased hearing.

(District Attorney Press Release)

GOING DEEP AT KZYX

Dear New KZYX Board Members,

In case you're wondering how I got your email address .. I got it from a former KZYX station manager who recently left over 'cronyism' and 'nastiness' at KZYX .. have you gotten his email? .. did you ignore him?

Mr. Azarro, I've never met you .. but I heard your assurance that MCPB would be acting in harmony from now on .. that was at the Point Noyo board meeting .. where the police showed up to take someone away who wasn't.

Mr. Middlebrook .. you sat at a table with me. along with Marco McLean and others .. after assuring us that KZYX would be more transparent in the future .. after five years of Form 990s had been cloaked in secrecy .. by the executive director of KZYX .. who reported to the board of directors .. yeah .. and Mr. Campbell. I've sent many emails your way .. not one of them has gotten a response .. let me tell you a powerful tale .. about the cost of not responding .. for individual directors of a nonprofit corporation thinking they're immune from ignoring people like me .. there's another public broadcasting entity you may have heard of .. it was called MCTV .. they had a board of directors too .. just like you .. and they ignored people too .. just like me .. and they all got sued .. just like you're about to be sued .. by Mr. Dennis O'Brien .. for ignoring people like me .. the outcome of the MCTV lawsuit is public knowledge .. each of those directors had to dig into their individual pockets to pay that judgment off .. not because they'd done anything wrong .. but because they'd ignored people like me ..

I know this may be inconvenient for you .. and certainly unpopular .. but you might want to check your bank balance today .. or that tin can buried in your back yard .. and see if ignoring people like me is really worth it .. while you're at it .. do a simple background check on your fellow board members .. and employees .. see if it lines up with the background listed on their resumes .. if you have one .. if not, you might want to get one ..

A note on dishonest associates .. they might not be able get that resume to you .. in fact, they might even ignore you .. like you're doing .. it's easy enough .. right? .. and about that 'indemnification' clause in your bylaws .. you might want to check the date on them .. just for laughs .. it's dated July 12, 2010 .. then check the Form 990 for the same time period .. where it says that no changes had been made to the governing documents at KZYX for that time period .. thereby removing any so- called protection you may have been relying on .. while you're at it .. you might want to check the bank balances of the people you've been relying on .. or the tin cans buried in their back yards ..

And if you're getting any legal advice, make sure you've got an agreement in place .. to bond that advice .. yeah .. attorneys carry malpractice insurance .. especially big shots like David Hopmann and Eliane Herring .. and for any legal advice, there's something called a letter of opinion .. where you can get that advice in writing .. KZYX has been running afoul of CPB rules for some time now .. after taking millions of dollars in grant money from them .. they're entitled to recover that money .. all of it .. if you've been ignoring them ..

Sincerely,

Scott M. Peterson

Mendocino

* * *

Jesus Christ,

What kind of unhinged madman is this Scott Peterson? Did John Sackowicz contract out his pointless, annoying, counterproductive mau-mauing of the station's hard-working staff and board to him since he lost his board seat? (I'm sure that everyone at the station breathed a great sigh of relief when that happened).

I like the part about John 'leaving because of cronyism and nastiness.' No, Scott, he left only because he was voted out of his position there, and in terms nastiness, there was no one there who could come close to him.

As if the station has nothing better to do than to hunt down every frivolous demand for this and that document that he extortionately demands! Screw him!

What is it about trying to run a simple little public radio station that brings out the power and attention starved crockpots to dog and harass its every move?!

Keep up the good work, you all, and remember; Illegitemis non carborundum.

Best wishes, John Arteaga

* * *

Dear Mr. Arteaga,

I didn't say that John Sakowicz left because of 'cronyism' and 'nastiness' .. that was Raoul Van Hall .. the station’s program director.. one of the 'station's hard working staff' that you referred to .. and he wasn't 'voted out' .. he quit .. which is evident by his current absence on the air at KZYX .. plus his resignation email citing the ‘cronyism' and 'nastiness' I referred to .. check your email if you don't believe me .. it's straight from the horse's mouth .. Mr. Van Hall ..

Nonetheless, thanks for helping to support Mr. Van Hall's point .. about the 'cronyism' and 'nastiness' at KZYX ..

Sincerely,

Scott M. Peterson

Mendocino

* * *

John,

When I wrote the board three years ago to warn them that Sakowitz and others were going to the FCC, I also let them that much of the complaints were not under the preview of that regulatory body. What I did tell them was the real threat came from the CPB, which has regulations concerning good governance, and I advised them at that time that they should take these issues seriously if they wanted to continue to receive the CPB grant.

The CPB requires that the station follows its bylaws and policies. Am I wrong to say that the station has not been following its programming policy? I believe it is easily provable that a handful of people have been making programming and production decisions rather than following board policy.

I have actually written then board, begging them to eliminate the policy if they weren't going to follow it, because ignoring the policy put the CPB grant at risk.

I have been ignored.

Now Scott Peterson has discovered this, among other violations, just as I warned the board would someday happen if they did not clean up there act.

This is not some random delusion. This is real.

I would suggest helping the board begin to function in accordance with due diligence, though I warn you that offering such help is typically met with stonewalling. I do not understand why, perhaps you could enlighten us.

Doug McKenty, Elk

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I think it will be Clinton or Trump. Right now the machinery is hard at working to mold one (or both) of them with the proper regard for who is really in charge. They’ve already molded Hillary. $225,000 speech engagements can do that to a person. The question is whether they can control Trump. If they can we might limp through the entire 4 years without anything to terribly important coming loose. If they cannot shape and influence him we are headed for a full-blown constitutional crisis. The first time he tries to get something done (like the wall) and is stymied by Congress or the courts he will resort to all sorts of chicanery including things that would make Nixon blush.

If the Republicans find a way to derail Trump (not likely at this point without unmasking how un-democratic this nation has become) or if he is assassinated, and Hillary is indicted and ditched by her party, then it becomes a November contest of Joe Biden/Bernie Sanders -vs- Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan redux. (or possibly Paul Ryan/John Kasich)

DID THE WARRIORS EXPERIENCE A ‘BERNIE BUMP?’

by Joe Garofoli

And did their historic comeback preview California’s June 7 presidential primary?

An against-all-odds presidential campaign collided with an against-all-odds NBA comeback Monday when Sen. Bernie Sanders — escorted by a police motorcade and the Secret Service — took 10 minutes to roar from his rally in Oakland on Monday to Game 7 at Oracle Arena. He was following the game in his car, and knew the Warriors were down at the half.

As he got out of his car, Sanders said to staffers nearby, “Let's turn this thing around.”

He’s hoping for a massive comeback when California voters cast ballots in a week. A year ago, Sanders trailed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton by 63 points. In a Public Policy Institute of California survey last week, he was in a statistical dead heat.

In the tunnel under the arena, actor and activist Danny Glover, a longtime Bay Area resident and Warriors fan, pulled on a yellow Warriors “Strength in Numbers” T-shirt. Sanders demurred, remaining in his Beltway blue Oxford shirt.

“He’s a Celtic fan,” Glover said. But tonight Sanders is for the W’s? “Yeah.”

After the Warriors won, the political comeback parallels were not lost on Sanders.

“We came in the second half and the Warriors turned it around,” Sanders said. “The Warriors were down 3-1 (in the series) and they turned it around and I think that that’s what we’re going to do, too. A very good omen for our campaign.”

So was it because of him? “Absolutely. No question about it,” Sanders said and smiled knowingly. “What other explanation is there?”

What if they had lost? Warriors fans would have blamed it on the “Bernie Jinx.” That could have cost him 5 points in the polls.

“Hey, in politics,” Sanders said, “you gotta take your shots.”

Sanders sat in Section 108, Row 15, behind the Thunder basket. Good seats, but not the seats of millionaires and billionaires.

“Nah, we never see celebrities up here. They usually get them seats way down there, courtside,” said May Ng, a Warriors season-ticket holder who sat behind Sanders and paid $285 for her seat. (The Sanders campaign declined to say how much it paid other than to say that it would be paid for personally by the senator and that the ticket was purchased from the team.)

(Courtesy, the San Francisco Chronicle)

RULES FOR TV NEWS ANCHORS ON MEMORIAL DAY & EVERY DAY

by Gary Leupp

Memo to staff:

These points should be obvious, but please observe the following basic conventions in your reporting.

(*) Always refer to U.S. soldiers using the possessive pronoun “our.”

(*) Always refer to all of our U.S. troops as “heroes.”

(*) Always refer to their actions in war as “service.”

(*) Always refer to their actions in war as “sacrifice” and their deaths in war the “ultimate sacrifice.”

(*) Always refer to their actions anywhere as “defending our country (or Homeland)” and fighting for “us.” Acknowledge our “debt” to them.

(*) Always, no matter what the cause or war theater, aver that the soldiers are always “defending our freedoms.”

(*) Always express gratitude and appreciation; always thank U.S. soldiers from commanders on down for their “service,” whether in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq or wherever.

Sample model statement, following an interview with a retired general hired as a consultant: “Well, General, we’d like to thank you and all our heroes in the service for your sacrifice defending our freedoms.” Consider this basic etiquette.

Say this sort of thing so often that it gets rooted in the viewer’s mind as the correct default interpretation. The point is to unite people of all political persuasions to accept this correct mindset and show commercial sponsors that our network is appropriately patriotic.

Never affect a position that distances you from our patriotic audience, for example, referring to “the” soldiers (as opposed to “our” soldiers) or avoiding the terminology specified above.

Never suggest that the U.S. military has slaughtered millions of innocent people since 1945, or that this is un-heroic and does not serve the interests of the people of this country.

Never opine that tens of thousands of U.S. troops have in fact died in vain, for wrong or even criminal causes.

Never express empathy for the soldiers who come back from wars feeling anything but heroes, guilt-stricken about the suffering they were forced to inflict, driven to substance abuse and suicide-prone.

Be aware that exceptionalism is this and every other mainstream network’s official position. Never imply a moral equivalence between our troops and those of any other country, suggesting for example that Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s were heroes fighting for their country in the same way that U.S. forces had been heroes in Vietnam a decade before. Or compare them to the German troops who fought for their country by invading Russia in 1940. Indicate in all your coverage that U.S. troops are unlike all others good by definition.

And never, ever be so foolish as to quote Karl Marx to the effect that the working people in every country really “have no country” to defend—-until they acquire political supremacy.

Such departures from the rules will get you fired and your career will be over in this free country, kept free by our heroes’ sacrifice. Your cooperation is appreciated.

(Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Religion. He is the author of Servants, Shophands and Laborers in in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan; Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan; and Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion, (AK Press). He can be reached at: gleupp@tufts.edu.)

THE SANDERS CAMPAIGN has proven a couple of important things about today’s political reality in the United States.

(1) A substantial number of Americans are interested in redistributing wealth and making government work for the 99 percent.

(2) That is impossible within the current electoral system in the United States.

Ron Jacobs

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK, June 3rd

Join artists and their hosts for an evening of art, music and refreshments as you stroll from one venue to the next; each showcasing local art and artistry. Held in Historic Downtown Ukiah on the first Friday of each month, the First Friday Art Walk is the perfect way to relax your body, mind and soul. This enjoyable evening begins at 5:00 p.m. and promises to delight your senses; all while enjoying the company of others.

For more information contact (707) 462-1400 or 462-6789

Featured Artists and their Host.

(*) Bona Market Place will be featuring photographer, Bev Rae with her amazing Yosemite landscapes, plus fun colorful abstracts by painter Willow LaLand Yeilding of Healdsburg. You'll find Bona Market Place at 116 West Standley Street. (707) 468-1113

(*) Connect Insurance and Ukiah Massage is proud to host Chrystal Thurman for the June art walk. Chrystal is a local Mendocino County resident who currently resides in Redwood Valley. She appreciates the simple things of our community such as water colors, and nature. She reveals her true beauty in her native dream catchers. Additionally it is a large celebration for several of the hosts at 304 N State are celebrating birthdays or office anniversaries. Definitely a location not to be missed!

(*) The Corner Gallery is pleased to showcase, during the month of June, the ACU Chair Affair. A special treat for the June Art Walk is the ceramics of MICA; the Mendocino Inland Ceramic Artists. The Art Center/Corner Gallery is located at 201 South State Street; on the corner of State and Church Street.

(*) Enoteca is pleased to be featuring the unique East meets West artwork of artist Chat Ko. Enjoy a wonderful selection of featured wines being offered for only $5.00 per glass. The Enoteca Wine Bar is located at 106 West Church Street.

(*) The Grace Hudson Museum will be featuring the opening of a new exhibit, 'She Sang Me a Good Luck Song': The California Indian Photographs of Dugan Aguilar. Named after the Heyday book of the same name, the 28 photographs in this exhibit provide an intimate look into the lives of contemporary Native peoples and document the perseverance and renewal of Native California's living, vibrant cultures. The Grace Hudson Museum is at 431 South Main Street in Ukiah and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. For more information please call 467-2836

(*) Mama's Medicinals is new to the First Friday Art Walk and new to the downtown business community. What a perfect opportunity to meet owner Emily Held and see and hear the artistry of Adrianna Oberg and Emily Oberg. Adrian Fisher will be doing Tarot readings, so come see what the future holds. Mama's Medicinals is located at 328 North State Street.

(*) Paradigm will be hosting Stacey Suardika and her oil paintings large and small. Stacey also is part of Tahto vineyards and she and her family will be pouring their wine. There will be wine, snacks and art in the garden at 312 North School Street.

(*) The Ukiah Library presents Interactive Universe Art by Tim Poma. There will be delicious treats by Marionos Pizza and a Book Sale by the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library. The Ukiah Library is located at 105 North Main Street.

LUCY & CHANCE

Lucy would love a lap to cuddle on and a cute cozy bed for her beauty rest. She would make an excellent greeter at your home, and her cute little meow will melt your heart and make you smile. Lucy is very friendly and enjoys human attention, especially chin scratches. Lucy is about 2 years old. Chance is a mixed breed 60 pound, timid, gentle giant. Chance is a friendly fellow, but can be shy and nervous when he first meets folks. He would do best in a home with no small children. Chance must also do a meet and greet with any other dogs before being adopted, to be sure personalities won't clash. Chance is neutered, so he's ready to go home.

The shelter is currently having two special adoption events, June 1-18. Our Senior Dogs (6+ years old) Event is a chance for you to name your own adoption fee. Our June Special Event is for all dogs 1 year and older: all service fees (spay/neuter, vaccinations, etc) will be waived, and the adoption fee will be only $60. (For both sales, Mendocino County residents pay a $25 license fee.) Call the shelter Adoption Coordinator to find out more about our special events, our dogs and cats of the day, and volunteer, sponsor and foster opportunities. The shelter is located at 298 Plant Road in Ukiah. Check out and bookmark our webpage:

www.mendoanimalshelter.com.