MCT: Friday, October 18, 2019

• Rainy Weekend
• Dylan Found
• Adventist Ambulance
• Cutler Claim
• Peter Peter
• Logging Lawsuit
• Campground Tax
• Doll's House
• Mental Agenda
• Overdose
• Brady Cop
• Dispensaries Tour
• Grammer Horrors
• Mattole Raids
• Rain
• Landline Outage
• Dear Santa
• College Trustee
• Language Nerd
• Child Killers
• Yesterday's Catch
• Violinjazz Concert
• RV Community
• Robert Shibuya
• Unelected Elite
• Fat Burden
• Chestnut Gathering
• Migrating
• Vote Vanishing
• Train
• Sako Platform
• Found Object

ISOLATED SHOWERS will taper off this morning, followed by partial clearing through the day. Rain will return tonight into Saturday morning and again on Sunday. Warmer and drier weather is expected for the first half of next week. (National Weather Service)

FOUND!

Matt LaFever writes: Dylan Kurtek has been found.

BREAKING/DEVELOPING: The Adventists have announced plans to upgrade the Coast Hospital Ambulance department with two new ambulances in Willits. The Adventists are in the process of acquiring a long-term lease arrangement for Coast Hospital as part of the pending arrangement whereby the Adventists assume the managerial reins of Coast Hospital, with their first move being the positioning of two ambulances at the new Howard Hospital in Willits.

DETAILS remain to be worked out. But some insiders think the move will facilitate moving more patients from Coast Hospital to Adventists facilties inland, especially at Willits, depending on medical needs and capacities, and, dare we speculate, ability to pay. Apparently, some of this accelerated patient transfer has been going on already — in both directions — as the Coast Hospital Ambulance shifts some patients inland when called for, and as they deliver patients back to the Coast for post-op recovery.

HOW EVER this develops, it appears to be an upgrade on its face as the Adventists take over more and more control of Mendo’s medical system including ambulance services. As far as we know there is no government approval needed for this to happen. All the Adventists are required to do is notify the LEMSA, in our case the Coastal Valley EMS agency in Sonoma County, with 30-day notice.

THE MOVE will also affect Ukiah Ambulance Service which will now have to re-think their previously announced plans to put a fully-staffed ambulance in Willits.

COAST HOSPITAL Ambulance service manager David Beak told us Thursday that he thinks the move is a positive one which will ultimately improve overall emergency services in Mendocino County. That may well be true. But Mendo has been through a lot of false starts in trying to upgrade the County’s fragile emergency response system. The expansion of the Adventists’ monopoly on medical care in the County has some obvious potential drawbacks. More to come as events unfold.

(Mark Scaramella)

A FORT BRAGG WOMAN named Lisa Whiteside posted a complaint on her Facebook page, which has since been taken down after MSP re-posted it, as did the AVA.

WE HOPE to sort out the complete story, but have since learned that other adults had previously complained of unsupervised male children in the pool's dressing room. The day that this happened more than a dozen small boys were being overseen by a single 8th grader. No one has heard Mr. Cutler's side of the event, which he presented Thursday afternoon in a Ten Mile Court small claims action brought by Cutler against Coast Parks and Rec, the agency responsible for Fort Bragg's Starr Center swimming pool. Parks and Rec had summarily suspended Cutler's access to its facilities two days after the event without asking for his side of the story.

THE EPISODE is nearly a year old, having occurred on November 7th, 2018. The Fort Bragg Police took a report on that following a complaint to them from the boy's mother that her son had been physically disciplined by Cutler. The DA declined to prosecute Cutler on the basis of the police report. Cutler subsequently filed a small claims action against Parks and Rec for, among other things, suspending him from pool access without asking him for his account of what happened. And for reimbursement of the legal fees he incurred during the 90 days it took for Parks and Rec to restore his pool privileges, which they did, belatedly, when Cutler was not charged by the DA.

THE CUTLER CLAIM was heard this afternoon at Ten Mile Court, Fort Bragg, Judge Jeanine Nadel presiding. The Judge took the matter "under advisement."

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST SUED BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS For Allegedly Logging Under Guise Of Roadside Maintenance

Plans for commercial salvage logging in fire-ravaged areas of the Mendocino National Forest have given rise to a federal lawsuit in which a North Coast conservation group claims U.S. Forest Service officials bypassed required environmental scrutiny by improperly framing the work as “roadside hazard tree maintenance” eligible for exclusion from time-consuming review.

pressdemocrat.com/news/10187886-181/mendocino-national-forest-sued-by

FROM SUPERVISOR WILLIAMS:

Mendocino County CEO Carmel Angelo has been installed as President of the California Association of County Executives.

"Ms. Angelo remains active in statewide associations. Recently she received the 2017 Distinguished Service Award from the California Association of County Executives (CACE). This year Ms. Angelo received the 2018 President’s Award from the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC). While immersed in county administrative issues including Mendocino County’s recovery from the 2017 wildfires and the 2018 wildfires, the largest in California history, Ms. Angelo remains a strong and vocal advocate for small, rural communities."

calcountyexecs.com

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The Mendocino County Fire Chief’s Association and Mendocino County Association of Fire Districts reached unanimous support for the McCowen-Williams proposal to place a Transient Occupancy Tax of private campgrounds (with advisory directing funds to support fire) before voters in March. The proposal calls for 75% of the revenue, projected to be ~$1M annually, to be split evenly between the local fire agencies with the remaining 25% to be allocated based on annual recommendations from the Chief’s association. In some years a portion of the 25% could be best spent on regional training, other years simply divided between the agencies. Recommendation from the people closest to fire and patient care will ensure best use of every dollar and boost rescue services throughout the county. The revenue would be generated from visitors who today do not pay for the emergency services provided (water rescues, cliff rescues, medical aid to lodging, traffic collisions…).

A DOLL’S HOUSE: Final Weekend

Nora is back, but only until October 20th! A Doll's House, Part 2, our current production featuring Pamela W. Allen, Bob Cohen, Lorry Lepaule, and Roxy Seven, closes this weekend.

This beautiful production, directed by Alex Rapport, is a thrilling 90 minutes of crackling dialogue, gorgeous costumes, and a stunning, intimate set. Find out why people are saying that A Doll's House, Part 2 is one of the best things they have seen on our stage! For tickets, call 707-937-4477 or go to mendocinotheatre.org.

Watch the video on YouTube https://youtu.be/vQwfPkgXJiY

MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ACT CITIZEN'S OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AGENDA - October 23, 2019

Committee Members, Community Partners, Colleagues, and Interested Parties:

Attached please find the Mental Health Treatment Act Citizen's Oversight Committee Agenda for the October 23, 2019, meeting.

The agenda packet is now available on the County website:

https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/mental-health-oversight-committee/agendas-and-minutes

Please contact me at (707) 463-4441 if you have any questions regarding this message.

Thank you.

Cassandra Borgna

Executive Coordinator

Mendocino County Executive Office

DA EYSTER INSISTS JONES IS A BRADY COP

The rift between Willits Police Chief Scott Warnock and Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster over Willits' hiring of a former Eureka Police Officer continues to escalate.

northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/a-brady-cop/Content?oid=15438056

SHOPPING FOR POT IN UKIAH

Editor,

Just recently, I made a whirlwind tour of our local marijuana dispensaries. I would like to offer my observations and recommendations.

First, you are running a business. Please be more businesslike. Don’t be more stoned than the clients coming in to purchase your products. It is unbecoming. I have already seen many mistakes made, and wrong information given to clients.

Next, understand what is it that you do. You are selling a drug. Know your products. Be able to discuss your products with intelligence and knowledge. I see that many times, when asked a question, the response is, “Well, I believe it is.”

Your customers are deserving of accurate information from an educated and well informed “budtender” around cannabis products. Not what you necessarily “believe” to be true.

Study your craft. Know what you are talking about, or otherwise you do a dis-service to your profession, your clients, and potentially the reputation of pot dispensaries in general.

And please price your items. Some dispensaries have nice displays of product without a clue indicated as to pricing. This is not only confusing to your clients, but it is also confusing to your employees as well. You’d also be helping seniors who may have lessened eyesight.

At two locations, I was misquoted prices. A quote of $50 on one item became $100 at the register.

Be honest and upfront with your clients. There is no logical reason I can find to keep your prices a secret, unless that is your intention. And being given one price verbally, and then to see it doubled at the register virtually guarantees a no return for your client.

And people/customers DO shop around.

So consider the image of your establishment. Is it clean, inviting, and safe, or would a grandmother be afraid to come in? Grandmothers buy pot products too.

Have your employees dress nicely. Don’t look like you just got out of bed with Cherrios still stuck to your forehead, chocolate sauce all over your collar, and orange fingertips from late night binging on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

CBD is going mainstream hyper-fast, if it isn’t already, and if you expect to keep pace with the trends, then most dispensaries need to up their game. Not all, but most.

Are you a marijuana dispensary, or are you a pot shop?

Are you a “purveyor of the finest vendable cannabis products and accessories” or just a “local reefer joint”? Which one will yield a higher yearly net income?

I would recommend that the owners of local dispensaries go out one day, and visit the other local stores in town. Take a good look at your competition. Look at what you can do better. Then, take a harder look at your client base. Consider that many of your clients are elderly, and I can confirm that they don’t want to go into a place where they feel “uncomfortable” for any reason.

Seniors are a huge market. Indeed, if the dispensaries really care about a societal change, then they can provide a large discount to senior citizens, as well. This is the “right” thing to do.

Educate your employees. Many employees do not even know the difference between CBD oil and hempseed oil, or the difference between CBD and CBDA, THC, and THCA.

I understand that dispensary employees are not doctors. At the same time, clients are coming in seeking answers and information and it would seem incumbent for all employees to know “what” they are selling, and “why” they are selling it to the general public.

If the local dispensaries do not “UP” their game, in my estimation, then look out. Someone slick, with more money to invest and more of a Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills mentality might open up shop and take all of your business away. Why? Because they engage with their clients more and provide the best information with the best quality product at the best possible price.

Prices on marijuana products are currently quite “high” and by adjusting your “image” you might benefit by getting the high prices that are currently being asked on products.

All stores have their own “vibe.” Great. I am simply advocating for clean, well kept, comfortable, inviting, professional dispensaries with employees that have knowledge around the products that they are selling. That is the reason for this letter. I am recommending that dispensaries “UP” their game.

Prices WILL come down. Competition WILL increase. Therefore, being the best pot dispensary in town will be important to your bottom line. No question. No doubt.

The days of stoners dealing to other stoners is over. Pot/CBD is mainstream, and should be looked at in a more professional light.

And lastly, please have respect for the community in which your business is located. Pushing for the opening of a dispensary near a school or church is simply a bad judgement call, pushing the envelope, and would appear to be quite disrespectful.

This letter to the editor is not a judgment call by me regarding marijuana or its users.

It IS an honest judgement call on how to achieve a more successful, “flourishing and blooming” cannabis business by using a business model based on pride, integrity, honesty, understanding and respect for your clients, your community, yourselves and your occupation.

Just my humble opinion.

Johnny Keyes

Ukiah

AMID WAVE OF POT FARM ROBBERIES, MATTOLE VALLEY RESIDENTS TAKE SECURITY INTO THEIR OWN HANDS

by Ryan Burns

Over the past six weeks or so there’s been a series of late-night cannabis farm robberies in Southern Humboldt’s remote Mattole Valley. Locals say this spate of robberies has been accompanied by some disturbing and suspicious activity.

They’ve seen drones flying low over their properties in the wee hours of the morning and strange vehicles driving aggressively up and down the backroads. One man even reported seeing a group of men in black masks carrying assault rifles.

“It’s plaguing our whole community,” Honeydew resident Sean Stamm told the Outpost in a phone interview this afternoon. The crime spree has reached “borderline epidemic proportions,” he said, with a new robbery or attempted robbery every day or two. “Our community has never seen anything on this level, ever,” Stamm said.

Teresa Davey, another resident of the Mattole Valley (and now a candidate for Second District Supervisor), told the Outpost that the targets seem to be primarily legal cannabis farms — the ones that have been registered with the county and the state, with addresses that are a matter of public record.

”We think people are googling our APN [assessor parcel] numbers and addresses in these rural areas since it’s public knowledge,” Davey said in a message to the Outpost. “It’s happening just about every day, and it’s putting our community in harm’s way.”

Locals have been comparing notes and sharing images captured on motion-sensor cameras in hopes of figuring out who’s perpetrating these crimes.

“They seem like outsiders … coming in with rental cars, we think — all newer-model cars and vans and SUVs,” Davey said.

Stamm said that in at least one instance the perpetrator proved to be a former employee of the farm that was hit.

Regardless, the string of robberies shows no signs of abating, and in an area where law enforcement response time is typically 90 minutes or more, residents have taken matters into their own hands.

“It has come to this point where we have to do something,” Stamm said, “because nobody else is going to — and [the robberies] are not stopping.”

A group of Mattole Valley residents has undertaken nighttime patrols, with neighbors taking turns staying up all night to drive the backroads and look for suspicious activity — “taking photos of people out at 3 in the morning, driving around our hills,” as Stamm put it.

They’ve also done something that, until recently, weed growers in this community never would have dared: They’ve asked the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for help.

It’s not just the long response time that makes folks out here hesitant to call law enforcement. In a community that’s been growing cannabis illegally for generations, the sheriff’s office has long been considered an unwelcome adversary, an agency capable of destroying people’s lives and livelihoods.

But fed-up locals — many of whom have gone legit with fully registered farms — have been voicing their concerns to Humboldt County First District Supervisor Rex Bohn. Bohn passed the stories along to Sheriff William Honsal, and on Tuesday Honsal and Bohn hosted a community meeting at Honeydew Elementary School.

“Rex is my eyes and ears out here,” Honsal told the crowd of roughly 50 people. “I want to get to the point where you’re calling me, too.”

He acknowledged that some locals may still get anxious seeing him in uniform, and he said that as recently as a few years ago this kind of conversation wouldn’t have happened. “We were on different teams, a lot of us,” he said. “[But] we can talk about it now. We’re on the same team now.”

In some ways, the community’s self-reliance may be working against it, Honsal argued. He noted that his department has only gotten half-a-dozen to a dozen 911 calls from Honeydew residents reporting crimes this year. “We are a stats-driven department,” he said. “You guys need to call us. You guys need to let us know when crime occurs here.”

But he also said his department is strapped for resources. “We’re 22 deputies down right now — that’s the reality,” he said. “So I’m having a hard time maintaining our main station, our Garberville office, our Willow Creek office and our McKinleyville office. Those are my focuses right now.”

The goal, once the department is fully staffed, he said, is to have a deputy based in Shelter Cove or the Mattole Valley. In the short term, the sheriff’s office will have overtime patrols working nights in Southern Humboldt, including the Mattole Valley — “because we understand,” Honsal said. “There are people out here looking for crimes of opportunity.”

Most of the time, though, the nearest deputy will still be an hour-and-a-half away. So Honsal spent the bulk of yesterday’s meeting telling local residents how to make their marijuana gardens less attractive to criminals. He compared the situation to McKinleyville residents learning not to leave purses on the front seats of their cars.

“You have to make it difficult to get ripped off,” Honsal said.

He suggested installing fences, motion lights, security cameras and “really strong gates.” He also recommended signage that says there is armed security on the premises, which led a couple of people in attendance to point out that state and federal laws prohibit people from having firearms on property where cannabis is grown.

“There’s a creative way around that,” one woman piped up. Anyone whose cannabis business is organized as a limited liability corporation, or LLC, can register their property in the business’s name and then rent out a portion to themselves as a residence. Then you can then keep the gun in your house and not be in violation of the law.

Honsal was supportive. “You have the right to arm yourself as a citizen,” he said. “You have the Second Amendment. I am a constitutional sheriff.”

Another woman in attendance was hesitant about this suggestion. “There’s lots of people out here with guns,” she said. “We’ve had shotgun shells come through our greenhouse because people thought they were far out in the woods. … It scares me more to say that everyone should be armed and shooting.”

“I’m not saying that everyone should be armed … ,” Honsal responded.”I’m saying you have certain rights as a citizen, as a homeowner, and that [owning a gun] may be a deterrent.”

Then there’s the matter of the drones.

Stamm said people in the valley were initially reluctant to even talk about it among themselves.

“We were skeptical of what we were even seeing,” he said. “I don’t want to be the crazy person spotting drones in the middle of the night.” But as soon as one person spoke up, others admitted that they’d seen the drones, too — humming at low altitude over properties all over the valley.

When the topic came up at yesterday’s meeting, Honsal said state law allows drones to fly over private property, though they have to maintain an altitude of at least 500 feet.

“You have to judge if it’s a security threat or not,” he said. “If you happen to shoot a drone out of the sky because you think it’s a security threat, then they will come after you civilly.” People are also liable if an errant bullet hits a car, building or person. But that doesn’t mean Honsal categorically rejects the idea of shooting down drones.

One woman posed this hypothetical to Honsal: If she were to shoot down a drone that was flying low over her property at 2 in the morning, “you won’t know it unless the owner of the drone calls it in, right?”

“There you go!” Honsal replied with enthusiasm.

Stamm said he thought the meeting went well, and he appreciated Honsal’s advice about how people can fortify their own security measures. Asked if he thinks people will be more likely now to notify law enforcement when their crops are robbed, Stamm said probably so.

“I think [the sheriff’s office] is going to get some more information coming their way, because we really do want help solving this problem,” he said.

But he also plans to continue the late night patrols, even if it means losing sleep.

Honsal has arranged to send a community support organizer to the valley next week to offer even more security tips. It will be like a neighborhood watch meeting, and Stapp said he considers the valley his neighborhood. He and his neighbors plan to protect it. “And if we take out a few of these bad actors,” he said, “hopefully we’ll show the rest of ‘em they shouldn’t be messing around in our valley.”

THE PHONES TOO? WHY?

Editor,

We have lived almost two decades in Bennett Valley and experienced scores of electric outages. We accept periodic power disruptions as a fact of rural life, including water challenges because our well pump can’t function.

Last week, we experienced our first intentional outage. During its 60-hour duration, the leaves on our oaks didn’t flutter except for a few episodes of 10 mph winds. Shutting down power lines where winds are high makes sense, but if we are to lose power during light wind events, our future here will become very primitive.

Our telephone landlines worked in past outages when we plugged in analog phones. During the October 2017 fires, our landlines were our only means of communication because local cell towers failed. During this outage, our landlines were dead. According to AT&T, they failed because PG&E shut off power to the phone company’s facilities. Intentionally shutting down communications facilities during an emergency is simply stupid.

While the motivations of the power company and regulators may have been to protect the public, with friends like these who needs enemies?

Craig S. Harrison

Santa Rosa

LATERAL PERSONNEL MOVE

On Oct. 9, the Mendocino-Lake Community College District Board of Trustees welcomed Noel O’Neill to the board as provisional trustee for Area 1, which includes Willits and Fort Bragg. The board vacancy is a result of the recent resignation of Paul Ubelhart, who served on the board for 15 years.

O’Neill ran unopposed for the seat on the board, and was interviewed in a public meeting format at the regularly scheduled October meeting. The board discussed O’Neill’s qualifications following his interview and agreed by majority vote that he would be an excellent candidate to fill the opening.

Board President Robert Jason Pinoli stated, “I am very appreciative to Mr. O’Neill for continuing to serve the public in this very important role as a trustee for area number one. His background will be invaluable to the important work we have before us. I am also pleased that Mr. O’Neill fills the last vacant seat, making our board whole once again.”

O’Neill, a retired licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, has over 35 years of experience working in the behavior health industry, most of which he spent working for Mendocino County Behavioral Health. O’Neill also has ties to Mendocino College, having worked as a part-time academic counselor and instructor from 2001 to 2008. He currently is a council member for the California Behavioral Health Planning Council and serves on the Mendocino County Juvenile Justice Commission. O’Neill is an advocate for student support programs in higher education and due to his background has a familiarity with the unique challenges students sometimes face when going through the college process.

“I am very eager to serve as a trustee on the Mendocino College board representing Area 1, where I have lived for more than half of my life. It is a privilege to both advocate for my immediate community and also support the overall growth and development of this amazing academic institution,” stated O’Neill.

“We are thrilled to have Mr. O’Neill join our college Board of Trustees representing the coast and north county. With so many initiatives guiding us towards improving student success measures, Mr. O’Neill’s proficiency in higher education and behavioral health will enable him to provide valuable input regarding current and future student needs,” said Interim Superintendent/President Eileen Cichocki.

The Mendocino-Lake Community College District Board of Trustees is responsible for the performance of the Mendocino-Lake Community College District, which serves approximately 8,000 students at locations in Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Lakeport, Willits, and online, by providing vital educational services to the various communities in the region.

NO MERCY FOR CHILD MURDERERS

Editor,

Thank you for another one of those stories about these scumbags who kill our girls and then sit on “life row.”

I’m referring to George Dorner’s article of October 9 and many others.

I remember the Ted Bundy case in the 80s. It ended with the electric chair after 30 some women were dead, mostly in Florida. They did the right thing. Thankfully, there are decent people somewhere.

But not our electeds here in California where the child killers sit in TV land and get fed and housed. Our electeds must enjoy some sort of affection for child murderers.

What kind of message does it send to the world that we keep these bloodsuckers alive at our expense?

Please start electing some decent people. There are none in sight.

Thank you,

Tom Madden

Ukiah

CATCH OF THE DAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

BRITTON AZBILL JR., Domestic battery, probation revocation.

MANUEL BELTRAN, Hopland. Cultivation of more than six pot plants, pot possession for sale, conspiracy, resisting.

NATHANIEL CHIM, Fort Bragg. Under influence, parole violation.

CASEY FALLIS, Chico. Failure to appear.

ANTHONY ROJAS, Ukiah. Robbery, conspiracy, probation revocation.

DIEGO URIAS-ARMENTA, Hopland. Cultivation of more than six pot plants, pot possession for sale, conspiracy, resisting.

SWINGING WITH STRINGS:

Jeremy Cohen Violinjazz presents eclectic vision

On Sunday, November 3rd, at 2 p.m., the Ukiah Community Concert Association (UCCA) presents Jeremy Cohen Violinjazz at the Mendocino College Center Theatre. This concert is not included in the UCCA membership subscription, so concertgoers are encouraged to get their tickets early. Proceeds from this special concert will be used to expand UCCA's educational outreach program.

While the violin is not the instrument most closely associated with jazz, its emotional appeal and wide adaptability brings out new nuances and possibilities to this most American of art forms. From the early days of jazz in the 1920s and 30s, musicians such as Eddie South and Joe Venuti employed virtuosic techniques and dynamic improvisations to incorporate violin music into a wide variety of jazz genres. The invention of the electric violin in the 1930s helped the violin hold its own in a big band or jazz ensemble.

The roots of Violinjazz lie in Los Angeles in 1981, when bandleader and violinist Jeremy Cohen began collecting old versions of compositions and arrangements by early jazz violin luminaries such as South, Venuti, and Paul Nero. Cohen began reading through them with pianist Carl Schroeder (Sarah Vaughan’s former pianist) during breaks on their gigs in LA. These impromptu sessions gave birth to Violinjazz. The group's early material consisted of arrangements of the great jazz standards by Carl Schroeder, written in the style of the early violin masters who inspired Cohen.

In 1986, Cohen left Los Angeles to return to the Bay Area and settled in Berkeley. There he met guitarist Dix Bruce; soon after they began playing with pianist Larry Dunlap and bassist Jim Kerwin, all of whom have accomplished and diverse careers on the stage, in the studio and on the road with Cohen and an array of other musicians.

Cohen has earned nationwide accolades for his electrifying jazz violin performances. Classically trained with Itzhak Perlman and Anne Crowden, Cohen’s eclectic style reflects his respect for a wide range of violinists. He has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras, has recorded several motion picture and television soundtracks including “The Dukes of Hazzard,” and has been concertmaster on recordings with Linda Ronstadt, Ray Charles, and Aaron Neville. He appeared on Carlos Santana’s Grammy-winning CD “Supernatural” and the original “Star Wars” compilation CD with John Williams. On the stage he was the solo violinist in “Forever Tango” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."

Violinjazz dedicates itself to informing audiences about the history of jazz violin in American music. It has recorded Jeremy Cohen: Violin Jazz (1986), A Taste of Violin Jazz (1998), and a tribute CD to one of the greatest jazz violinists of all time, Violinjazz: The Music of Eddie South (2010), celebrated by Jazz Times for its “sheer eclecticism” which “bolsters Cohen's position among today's heavyweights.”

Tickets for Jeremy Cohen Violinjazz are $20 in advance and $25 at the door (adult) and $5 for youth (under 18). Advance tickets are available at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah, Mazahar in Willits, and online at www.ukiahconcerts.org. Free tickets are available at the door to Mendocino College students with ID, space providing. For more information, please call 707-463-2738, or visit UCCA on Facebook and at www.ukiahconcerts.org.

UCCA thanks Schat’s Bakery, Black Oak Coffee, Rivino Winery, and Whaler Vineyard for donating treats to be served pre-concert and during intermission. Special thanks to the Mendocino College Foundation, the Mendocino Arts Club and Mendocino College Recording Arts & Technology, the Mendocino College Art Gallery, and the Mendocino College Culinary Arts Program for their ongoing support and collaboration.

REDWOOD VALLEY COMMUNITY GUILD

We, the Redwood Valley Community Guild, are inviting you to the home of Ed and Ina Dick, Tuesday October 29, 6:30 pm at 15870 Tomki Rd, Redwood Valley, for our regular monthly meeting.

Join us at a fun get together, starting with a potluck and song, to share our stories and build community.

Bring a friend.

Come join our celebration 6:30 pm, Tuesday, October 29th at 15870 Tomki Rd, RV.

For more information, please visit our Facebook page or call/text at 707-478-8557.

ROBERT "KINJI" SHIBUYA

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

In the most general terms this “Deep State” is a way of referring to an unelected governing clerisy, a lot which people deal with on a day-to-day basis and which has fairly high visibility, but some of which exists in the background and which has fairly low or non-existent visibility.

People have got different opinions as to what this Deep State consists of. Some people would include the Donor Class which, as the name suggests, donate a lot of money to both the Democrat and Republican parties and so which has a lot of influence on policy affecting Donor Class interests and similarly on economic and monetary policy. Some people would include so-called “think-tanks”.

Suffice to say that this Deep State, being unelected, has not got a lot of accountability to the average citizen. You can say that there are contending factions inside this Deep State, while others say that there is also a lot of consensus among them as to the shape the world ought to take economically and politically. Some would call this consensus “group-think”, some would refer to it as “cronyism”.

What makes this Deep State dangerous is the power they wield. The Department of Justice is not an organization to take lightly as we’ve seen in the past few years, nor is the FBI, nor the CIA nor the Pentagon. Nor are the plethora of intelligence agencies. They have the power to harass individuals and to up-end and ruin lives. As Chuck Shumer said in an excess of candor, they can get you six ways to Sunday.

It’s not just the average joe or the run-of-the-mill whistle-blower, they have also got the means to harass elected officials, including presidents and the president’s appointees. Some would say what’s been going on since 2016 is in effect an attempted coup to remove a president unpalatable to too many in this unelected elite. Some would day that this Deep State has in the past been down-right lethal in asserting its objections, killing a president and a presidential contender as well as convenient fall-guys. A lot of discretion exists as to who to go after. As Eric Holder said a while back, some interests are “too big to jail.”

In my opinion, what this Deep State does by-and-large, is to direct policy, much of it to the advantage of narrow interests, mostly outlandishly wealthy, some these interests being American, some non-American. They are the advocates for foreign policies which I consider calamitous and investment and trade policies which I consider doubly so because they benefit a small slice of the populace and massively disadvantage the rest.

I could go on but I think you get the drift.

ZENI CHESTNUT GATHERING

Saturday, November 2, 2019

No admission cost; bring a potluck dish. Pick your own fresh chestnuts off the ground for $3.50/lb. De-burring the chestnuts on the ground is easier with good boots and gloves. If the nuts are falling well, Zeni will also sell the de-burred clean chestnuts for $4.50. There will also be fresh honey for sale.

The Zeni's 100 year-old dry-farmed seedling trees are a testament to the sustainability of tree crops.

Mendocino Permaculture 38th Annual Chestnut Gathering and George Zeni Memorial Potluck will be held at the Zeni Ranch from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine, on Saturday, November 2, 2019. Our event has now grown into the Zeni Family’s Annual Chestnut Festival. Live bands often appear, so bring your dancing shoes as well as your orchard boots!

Schedule of Events

10:30 am to 4 pm: Chestnut gathering and roasting over the open fire.

11 am: Tour of the ranch by the Zeni family.

12:30 pm: Potluck and music, show and tell of local self-sufficiency.

1 pm: Discussion on what this year has taught us; the drought; the best fruit and nuts.

2 to 4 pm: Chestnuts, music, taste the harvest.

Please bring: Potluck dish (oven available), made from local ingredients if possible, and bring your cup, plate, napkins and utensils.

If you bring a dog, bring a leash and be responsible.

Bring your wine, fruit, nut, or vegetable harvests to show & tell what works for you. Demonstration tables will be available.

Bring cuttings of fruit plants to share: this is the beginning of the season to start dormant cuttings of the easy-to-root hardwood plants. Starting so early gives cuttings plenty of time to root and needs no inputs needed except the rain. Bring labeled, de-leafed cuttings (you can leave the leaf stem on) of these easy-to-root plants: olive, grape, fig, mulberry, pomegranate, quince, kiwi, goji, currant, gooseberry, berries, cherry plum, roses. The leaves often dehisce easily at this time.

Directions: The Zeni Ranch is at 30995 Fish Rock Road at mile marker 15.6 (County Highway 122). From the Coast Highway 1 junction of Fish Rock (5 miles north of Gualala) go 15.5 miles east. From Highway 128 the Fish Rock Road junction is at Hwy 128 marker 36.56, about 7.7 miles east of the Highway 256/128 junction, or 4.7 miles west of Yorkville. Take Fish Rock Road about 13 miles to marker 15.6. Using odometer and mile markers, it's an easy and enjoyable slow drive through a most beautiful and very remote part of the county.

For information call Jane Zeni 895-2309, Barbara & Rob Goodell 895-3897, or Mark Albert 463-8672.

For more information about the Zeni Ranch, see their facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/zeniranch/

THE NUMBER ONE WAY to steal computer votes in America is to unplug the computer. And dumb-ass variants thereof. The problem with computers is that they don’t work. At least not for voters.

Example: In Sarasota in 2006, Republicans held on to the congressional seat vacated by Katherine Harris by a mere 369 votes after new computerized voting machines simply failed to record a choice in the race on eighteen thousand ballots, mostly from Democratic precincts.

The Republican county elections supervisor claims that the eighteen thousand voters simply didn’t want to make a choice. It was the top, hottest race on the ballot; eighteen thousand drove to the polls, went in, then walked out without making a choice. Oddly, this seemed to happen among voters marked BLA in the records, as opposed to the WHI voters.

There’s always the innocent explanation, which is never, in fact, innocent. In some Florida precincts, the BLA precincts, poll workers were given the wrong passwords for the machines so no one could vote.

Read more about how machines can make your vote vanish here: http://www.gregpalast.com/its-magic/

THIS IS MY FIRST CAMPAIGN POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA

I'VE BEEN ASKED…How should the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors (BOS) address the looming budget deficit?

Well, it won't be by "business as usual"…sitting through endless meetings and writing endless memos. We have too much of that in county government already. Look at how Measure B's Psychiatric Hospital Facility (PHF) beds are a non-event. The process is paralyzed. Meetings. Memos.

We must act.

To avoid a budget deficit, the county must act to control costs and increase tax revenues. It sounds simple but it isn't.

HIRING FREEZE…The labor contracts that the county signed this year lock in long-deserved raises for county rank-and-file workers -- and that's a good thing! -- so costs can only be contained by imposing a hiring freeze.

CLOSE THE WEALTH GAP…The county needs to eliminate some highly paid executive and manager positions. We also need to close the "wealth gap". For example, the County CEO makes a total compensation package of over $350,000 a year, including generous benefits. Meanwhile, our home health aides make only minimum wage, $12 an hour, and no benefits.

PENSION HYBRID PLAN…Also, the county needs to save on pension costs by shifting to a defined benefits-defined contributions hybrid plan for new employees. The annual savings will be in the millions of dollars.

GUN CLUB…The BOS must conduct an advisability study for continuing to locate the current Ukiah Gun Club in the upscale residential neighborhoods of Vichy Springs. The Guidiville Rancheria is also located here. Is particulate lead dust a public health issue for the residents? Are children breathing lead dust? Is the lead getting into ground water? Two lawsuits currently wending their way through the courts will help answer these questions. At the very least, the BOS should explore leasing BLM land on Cow Mountain and formally operating a second gun club. The gun club could be a source of revenue. Currently, the Ukiah Gun Club has over 1,000 members.

CANNABIS PERMITS…Tax revenues can be increased by overhauling the county's broken cannabis permit program. Currently, only 235 farmers have been permitted out of an estimated 9,000 cannabis farmers in Mendocino County.

First, cannabis needs to be zoned as agriculture, not zoned commercial.

Second, cannabis needs to be a code enforcement issue, not a law enforcement issue. As Supervisor Ted Williams says, cannabis should be "demilitarized".

But if cannabis farmers, do, in fact, have code violations -- except for trespass grows, water theft, hazmat or environmental violations, gang activity, or very large grows -- small, family farmers should get a summons and an abatement lien, but they shouldn't be arrested and their grows chopped down. And they should be given a path to amnesty.

I know that the Sheriff and District Attorney will see things differently, but there's got to be a middle ground…some "softening" of our attitudes on small farmers just trying to support their families. Most often, these farmers don't get rich. Their lives are subsistence-level.

A SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERSHIP…The county should also create an economic development initiative that would help cannabis farmers collectively own and operate their own supply chain, enabling them to sell direct to retail stores and the consumer.

Flow Kana has the supply chain monopoly right now. They're backed by $175 million from a Wall Street vulture capitalist -- Jason Adler -- so if anyone thinks there isn't any money in supply chain, think again. Cannabis is an annual $800 million business in the Emerald Counties.

Yes, $800 million a year. And that's a conservative number.

An ideal business model for building out a supply chain would be a partnership between the public sector and the private sector, in other words, between the county and a farmers co-op.

HUMBOLDT COUNTY…We can do it. If Humboldt County can directly assist cannabis farmers, so can Mendocino County.

Check out this recent article about Humboldt County's initiatives which recently appeared in Kym Kemp's excellent blog, "Redheaded Blackbelt".

I'm quoting verbatim:

Micro-Grants and Loans

First, the Humboldt County Cannabis Micro-Grant & Loan Advisory Committee (CMGLAC) aka the Project Trellis Committee will be accepting applications for micro-business grants beginning Monday, Oct. 14. The deadline to apply is Dec. 16. The total funding for this cycle is $180,000 which will be divided among selected project proposals. The maximum award for individuals is $10,000 and $50,000 for associations and co-operatives.

The micro-business grant program is one component of Project Trellis and is aimed at providing capital assistance and business resources to Humboldt County cannabis businesses. The application forms, instructions and background information are online at the Project Trellis web page.

Local Equity Program

The second opportunity for funding is for the Local Equity Program (LEP), which is aimed at assisting individuals who were negatively or disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis. The Humboldt County Administrative Office – Economic Development Division received word on Wednesday that it was awarded a grant for $1,338,683.13 from the State of California for this program.

The state had $10 million in funding available through SB 1294, and Humboldt was one of just 10 agencies to receive funding. Humboldt received the third largest award, a clear acknowledgement that Humboldt County was hit disproportionally hard by the War on Drugs.

Economic Development will make another announcement when the application period for funding through the LEP is available. For now, businesses interested in applying for the Micro-Grants and Loans program should visit the Project Trellis web page and submit their application by Dec. 16.

“These two programs represent a major investment by Humboldt County into the success of the local cannabis industry, as well as supporting those in our community who were impacted so hard by the War on Drugs,” said Scott Adair, Director of Economic Development.

Scott Adair continued, "Combined with the marketing and promotion piece of Project Trellis, which we just put out to RFP (request for proposal), we feel like there is real momentum behind our local industry.”

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Humboldt County leads the way!

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THE NEED FOR DATA…As a footnote to all of the above, I strongly believe the Mendocino County BOS needs monthly financial reports by department.

Performance metrics also need to be developed for every department.

If departments are routinely over-budget or behind schedule on projects, then department heads need to be replaced.

The county needs to be run like a business. Right now, we have cash reserves of only two weeks. And we have an off-the-books unfunded pension liability of more than $200 million. And that's just one single liability!

John Sakowicz, Candidate, Mendocino County 1st District Supervisor

https://www.facebook.com/jjsakowicz/

FOUND OBJECT