MCT: Saturday, February 1, 2020

• Rain Totals
• Wind Advisory
• Vivian Gowan
• Carol Edgmon
• Narrow-Gauge
• Pinoleville Update
• Living Rough
• Freedom Dying
• Superbowl Prediction
• Land Trusts
• Berkeley Turkeys
• Howe Sues
• Carless Street
• Palestine Promise
• Timeless/Directionless
• SoHum Bootlegging
• BOS Agenda
• Yesterday's Catch
• Disgraceful Hillary
• NFL Grift
• Anti-Sanders Machine
• Civil War
• Homeless Count
• Further
• Schiff Show
• Asylum Suitcases
• Keffeler Scholarship
• Packing Heat
• SF Corruption
• Inland Dems
• Marco Radio
• Found Object

IT'S BEEN A RATHER ODD RAIN SEASON thus far: consistently damp, but not really wet. We've lacked what Boonters call trashmovers. The upper reaches of the Navarro River have remained stubbornly low this winter, hovering down at more summerlike levels. As Marshall Newman noted a few days ago, our rainfall numbers are beginning to look rather droughty. Typically, the wettest months here are December, January and February. These three months should each bring around ten inches for us to attain average rainfall. But January fell well short of the mark.

MONTHLY PRECIPITATION for the 2019-2020 rain season, thus far:

January 2020

• 4.76" Yorkville
• 3.97" Boonville

December 2019

• 12.96" Yorkville
• 7.28" Boonville

November 2019

• 3.12" Yorkville
• 2.19" Boonville

October 2019

• 0.04" Yorkville
• 0.07" Boonville

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YTD (Oct 1 - Jan 31) TOTALS

• 20.88" Yorkville
• 13.51" Boonville

LIGHT RAIN will move across the northern portions of the area today. Snow levels will drop to 1500 feet on Sunday, but snow amounts are expected to be minimal. Gusty ridgetop winds and coastal thunderstorms with small hail will also be possible on Sunday. Cool and dry weather is expected Monday and Tuesday.

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WIND ADVISORY SUNDAY

WHAT: Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.

WHERE: Mainly exposed coastal headlands along the Mendocino Coast, as well as exposed upper slopes and ridgetops across the Northwestern Mendocino Interior, Northeastern Mendocino Interior, Southwestern Mendocino Interior and Southeastern Mendocino County Interior.

WHEN: From 6 AM to 6 PM PST Sunday.

IMPACTS: Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

(National Weather Service)

VIVIAN JUNE GOWAN

Vivian June Gowan, born May 14, 1954 in Petaluma, CA, passed away on January 19, 2020 in Tigard, Oregon. Vivian was diagnosed at the age of 4 with Type 1 diabetes, but did not let that define her; spending her life as an example of breaking beyond boundaries, and projecting her vision and passion to instill the same in others. Her professional career was focused on cardiac care and, in the end, she succumbed to complications of cardiac disease and the toll of diabetes. Vivian is survived by her husband of 36 years, Roland Garrison; Roland's Daughter Dyanna, and Dyanna's sons, Antonio and Diego; her mother, Josephine Gowan of Philo, California; sister Grace (Otilio) Espinoza; brothers Cecil (Sue) Gowan, Henry (Susan) Gowan, Raymond (Karen) Gowan, Carl (Donna) Gowan, and Donald (Sharon) Gowan all of California. Her father, James Gowan, preceded her in death. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Vivian lived her first 18 years in Philo, Ca., on the family farm, and graduated from Anderson Valley High School in 1972. She went on to nursing school in San Jose, Ca. and became an RN. She earned a BS in nursing from the University of Portland (cum laude) in 1991 and her MS and certification as Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) from the Oregon Health Science University in 2004. Vivian retired in 2013 after more than 30 years of nursing. Over that span, she worked as a bedside nurse, charge nurse and as Clinical Nurse Specialist focused on cardiac surgery. She ended her career as the CNS for Kaiser Sunnyside, implementing standards of practice for multiple cardiac units in that institution. During her career in the Portland, Oregon area, she worked tirelessly to advance the profession of nursing. She was involved with the Greater Portland Chapter of American Association of Critical Care Nursing (GPC-AACN), and served in the capacity of president and other offices. Vivian was an excellent nurse. For her, nursing was more than a job, it was a passion. She held herself to a high standard and expected the same of those she trained. She was a strong proponent of the professionalism of nursing and was able to instill that same passion in those around her. Vivian was caring and kind, always interested in how others were doing. She was a great person and will be dearly missed.

Graveside services will be held at Shields Cemetery in Philo, CA, at 11:30a.m. on Saturday, February 8, 2020. Potluck reception to follow at 1p.m. at Anderson Valley Senior Center, Boonville, CA. Services were also held on January 28, 2020 in Portland, Or. for family and close friends.

Donations may be made in her memory to:

• GPC-AACN
• American Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.org
• Anderson Valley Ambulance Association
• M. Cecil and Alice M. Gowan Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County

CAROL SNYDER EDGMON

Carol Snyder Edgmon, 72, passed away Dec 4 in Sacramento. with her son Erick by her side. She was a 1965 graduate of Ukiah High. Carol was an office assistant, health care provider, cosmetologist and cashier. In 1985 she decided to become a teacher taking classes at Mendocino College and Sonoma State to earn her credentials. She began her teaching career in 1990 teaching in Ukiah, Boonville, Potter Valley, Santa Rosa and Lucerne.

Carol is survived by her children Despina Saulmon, Erick Giumelli, grandchildren Kelsey, Meghan, Brandon, Jadon, Rileigh, Conner and 6 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her youngest son, Josh Edgmon, in 1997. She is also survived by her Aunt Arti Frangos, her sister Alice (Steve) Shaffer, Martinazzi cousins: Alex, Mike (Tracy), Steve (Robin); Nick (Tammy) Mashburn, Despina (Mike) Ellsworth; Tsarnas cousins: Mike, Jimmy (Angela), her niece Angie (Ken) DalPorto, nephews Jeff Shaffer, Kenny Shaffer; great nieces Alissa, Jaycee, Gracie, Kenna, cousin Niki Brunson. And many second cousins. She is missed and will remain in our hearts forever.

Please call 707-462-6397 for information regarding services to be held later in February.

DURANGO-SILVERTON NARROW-GAUGE RAILROAD

PINOLEVILLE UPDATE

by Bruce Knight

Background: https://www.theava.com/archives/80224

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation has lost the civil portion of this case and is now facing the criminal portion. Hopefully we won't have to wait two more years for the outcome of the criminal trial. Thank you for your time.

Brice Knight, original member of the Pinoleville Rancheria and Pinoleville Trust Land Beneficiary

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Gaming Co. Wins $5.4M Claim Over Tribal Casino Project

By Joyce Hanson Law360 (January 22, 2020, 5:58 PM EST) -- A California federal judge has ruled in favor of a company that claims tribe members lured it into investing $5.38 million in a sham casino project, a decision that frees the company to pursue racketeering claims.

U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick favored JW Gaming Development LLC’s case against Pinoleville Pomo Nation https://www.law360.com/agencies/pinoleville-pomo-nation members, saying Tuesday that the company is entitled to judgment for breach of contract and noting that no casino was ever built. In addition, the judge denied the tribe members' bid for summary judgment to dismiss JW Gaming’s claims that they committed fraud and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Judge Orrick’s ruling focused on the parties’ “warring interpretations” of a 2012 promissory note that memorialized JW Gaming’s $5.38 million investment in the casino project. The judge said he found in favor of the company over the breach claims because tribal defendants including the Pinoleville Pomo Nation, the Pinoleville Gaming Commission and individual members breached the note and unequivocally waived sovereign immunity.

The judge said he was not persuaded by the tribe’s Oct. 16 motion for a quick win https://www.law360.com/articles/1210399, which had argued that JW Gaming enjoyed only a “limited recourse” for seeking repayment because a clause within the note’s contract stipulated that only casino revenues could be used to pay the debt.

“The language of the promissory note and the undisputed facts show that the tribe has breached the parties’ agreement,” Judge Orrick wrote. “Its argument to the contrary rests on the note’s limitation of recourse provision: It asserts that there can be no liability for failure to make payment on the note because there are no casino revenues from which to pay. I disagree. The most reasonable reading of the contract shows that the parties intended for the tribe to repay JW Gaming its investment in the event that no gambling operation was constructed by July 10, 2015.”

Before the judge’s ruling, JW Gaming on Nov. 22 https://www.law360.com/articles/1223068/gaming-co-says-calif-tribe-owes-5-4m-for-sham-casino pressed the court to rule in its favor over the breach of contract claims, saying the tribe had agreed to pay the promissory note from non-casino resources when the casino did not open.

The company rebutted tribe members’ argument that they were required to pay back the interim loan from the “limited recourse” of only two sources — either permanent financing or casino revenue. The recourse provision did not negate the tribe’s duty to pay upon maturity and didn’t nullify the company’s damages from the tribe’s refusal to pay when the casino failed to open by July 10, 2015.

The company's 2018 suit says that from August 2008 to April 2011, JW Gaming paid the tribe $5.38 million as an investment in the Pinoleville Casino Project with the understanding that it was matching investment by the Canales Group LLC, another company involved in the casino project and named as a defendant in the action, according to court filings.

By 2012, however, the casino had yet to come to fruition, and after some dispute, JW Gaming bowed out of the undertaking, agreeing to a three-year promissory note with the tribe and its gambling commission that entitled it to repayment of its investment plus interest, court filings said.

JW Gaming claims it has yet to be repaid for its investment, saying that rather than putting the $5.38 million toward the casino project, the tribe members and Canales used it for personal purposes. This included a $95,000 transfer to a "romantic partner" and a $400,000 transfer to an organization over which two of the defendants have ownership interests, according to JW Gaming.

Greg M. Narvaez, a Fredericks Peebles & Patterson LLP https://www.law360.com/firms/fredericks-peebles lawyer who represents JW Gaming, told Law360 in an email Wednesday that the company is happy with the judge’s decision and plans to move forward with the racketeering claims.

“We are pleased with Judge Orrick’s ruling requiring the tribe to repay the $5.38 million JW Gaming deposited into its accounts,” Narvaez wrote. “We also welcome his decision permitting JW Gaming to continue pursuing its fraud and RICO claims against the tribal officials and their associates.”

The tribe members said in a statement Wednesday that they are not finished with the repayment dispute, saying, "We respectfully disagree with Judge Orrick’s ruling and are analyzing our appeal rights. The arguments of plaintiff’s law firm, Fredericks Peebles & Patterson, which were adopted by the judge, violate longstanding principles of tribal sovereign immunity and represent a threat to tribal self-determination and sovereignty more generally.”

JW Gaming is represented by Greg M. Narvaez, John M. Peebles and Tim Hennessy of Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP.

The tribe members are represented by Rudy E. Verner of Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP https://www.law360.com/firms/berg-hill and Padraic I. McCoy of Padraic I. McCoy PC.

The Canales defendants are represented by Manuel Luis Ramirez of the Ramirez Law Firm.

The case is JW Gaming Development LLC v. Angela James et al., case number 3:18-cv-02669 https://www.law360.com/cases/5b6c600e43701539c21008ab, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California https://www.law360.com/agencies/u-s-district-court-for-the-northern-district-of-california .

(Editing by Peter Rozovsky)

HOMELESS IN WINE COUNTRY

by Jonah Raskin

I’ve been writing about people without a home to call their own long enough to know that they each have their own individual stories. I try not to use the word “homeless” to describe them. It has turned into a cliché that often prevents people who are living relatively comfortable lives from seeing, understanding and feeling compassion for those less fortunate than they. Still, one can’t avoid the word completely. After all, it’s a national and not just a local disgrace. Even in Sonoma County, the land of the millionaire and the Mac Mansion, an estimated 5,000 people are homeless, hungry and living in poverty. Too bad more reporters don’t seek out those who are on the edge, but prefer to talk to county officials and law enforcement.

Recently I traveled along the Joe Rodota trail—a bike and walking path that extends from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol—and looked at the encampment that has been there for months and that the county is upending. It was surprisingly calm given the imminent evacuations. Some people aired out their tents; others scraped mud from their boots. Still others waited to be taken to a temporary shelter in east Santa Rosa, operated by St. Vincent De Paul.

Near the intersection of Highway 12 and Fulton Road, a man I had never seen before, approached me and told me his story, with little if any prompting, though I explained I was a reporter. He said his name was Richard Boals, spelled B O A L S, was on Facebook as Rick Boals, and was right then living at Sam Jones Hall, a shelter on Finley Avenue in Santa Rosa operated by Catholic Charities. Boals didn’t ask for money, food or a place to stay. He seemed perfectly happy to stand in the sun and tell his story and he was eager to have his picture taken. He’s not an average or typical person without a home. No one is. Boals is a wordsmith and here are his words. He’s also, as he told me, a “salesman.”

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“I drove tractor-trailers for forty years and worked for a company that made solar panels. I even started my own business, Tidy Industries. Then the roof caved in. I was hauling stuff for a dude, sheriff pulled me over —this was near my home in Lebanon, Missouri —found methamphetamine and so I went to jail for 34 days. I got a lawyer, told her I didn’t do meth or any drugs. They tested me and I came out negative. But the arrest and the lawyer set me back, and I lost my house and my belongings. I tried to stay with my mom. I love her, and send her money when I can, but I can’t live with her.

"My dad, who was working class, was in the war, got hit by Agent Orange, and then cancer, which is what killed him, not combat in Vietnam. After my dad’s death, there wasn’t much keeping me in Lebanon so I came to Santa Rosa. I had been here before. California is one of the few places in the U.S. in winter where you don’t see snow. The weather is survivable. Right after I arrived here the transmission went out on my truck. I was broke, so I sold the truck for $300 and camped out along Santa Rosa Avenue. I had a propane stove with me and I bought a sleeping bag and a tent. To survive, I panhandled. Someone, I don’t know who—maybe the cops, maybe not— took everything I had. I panhandled some more. One day I collected $281 in two hours. I found that I made more money with a sign that said, ‘Smile, You are Awesome’ than a sign that said, ‘Have a Nice Day.’

"Last November a guy named Patrick who had food stamps invited me to move in with him and I did that for a while. On New Year’s Eve when I was panhandling I made $300. The best place to panhandle is outside the movie theaters in Rohnert Park. One lady gave me a $50 bill. I don’t enjoy panhandling. I’d rather work. I can clean gutters, chimneys, offices and bars. I just did a dirty bar on Mendocino Avenue for Cody Brown. Haven’t you noticed that people like to be clean! When I had my own cleaning company in Lebanon I’d clean a place three times a week for $79.

"Last Christmas I was staying under the bridge at Ninth Street in Santa Rosa where it was dry, but the people who were living there created trouble and so I moved out and went to the bridge nearby under Brookwood Drive. One day a woman lawyer came there, took me in her car and got me a bottom bunk at the Sam Jones shelter. Let me tell you, it’s better to be inside than outside! I get to take a hot shower everyday and they provide a hot meal at night. The other day it was spaghetti. The people out here who have the hardest time are the people on drugs. Some of them would rather be outside than inside because in a shelter they can’t do drugs. They let drugs ruin their lives. You know, God didn’t give anyone limits and some people go way out.

"I’ve never done drugs or alcohol and never will. I’m going to go on and fight the fight for as long as it takes. I tell people out here on the trail, 'You can’t wait. You got to go and make it happen.' Now what’s missing in my life is a woman. I’ve never been married. I’d love to find a woman, but it’s hard when you’re living under a bridge or in a shelter. When I was a truck driver I’d meet women hitchhikers and have some female companionship. But at least I’ve made friends at Sam Jones, which is co-ed. Nothing of mine has been stolen by anyone, not yet anyway. People seem to like me. I’m a good salesman. I can sell anything to anybody. It’s a God-gift."

(Jonah Raskin is the author of For The Hell of It: The Life and Times of Abbie Hoffman and American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ and the Making of the Beat Generation.)

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: Niners by ten in a wild, high scoring, shootout kinda game with the Niners shredding KC's porous defense while our D comes through at all the crucial junctures. Half-time show? The usual — half-naked Mogambo Dancers and "Singers" lip-syncing "Baby, baby, baby" for a half-hour with an oozingly pious tribute to Kobe, but the whole grotesque show, game and all, serving perfectly as a metaphor for these, The Last Days.

ON LINE COMMENT re CT Rowe's Land Trust adventure:

"Very interesting. Sure doesn’t paint Land Trusts in a good light. I too would be skeptical of getting involved with one after reading this. It’s sad that idealism can be turned around and used against landowners, especially against the same family that gifted the easement to the land trust in the first place.

"Going straight to litigation without talking to the family first, and a few times at least, seems very aggressive. Which seems strange to deal so aggressively with any family, but especially to a family that had made a huge donation by gifting an easement of their property. Why are they doing it? I would like to see their response to this.

"I have donated to land trusts in the past, believing in the ideals of conservation, but I doubt I will anymore. Harassing land owners deeply connected to the land and the community goes against the idealism they pretend to uphold."

FRIDAY morning at Marin and San Pablo, Berkeley

BARBARA HOWE SUES

[Previously: https://www.theava.com/archives/103978]

AVA,

As I mentioned in our phone call, attached is former Public Health Director Barbara Howe's claim against Mendocino County.

I am making County CEO Carmel Angelo's mistreatment of Ms. Howe a central issue in my campaign for 1st District Supervisor.

In fact, at Tuesday's "Candidates Forum" at Ukiah City Council Chambers, I likened Angelo's totalitarian management style to take of a "Mafia crime boss".

My comment drew both gasps and soft applause from the audience.

As you know, Ms. Howe is but one person in a long line of people who have been wrongfully terminated by Angelo. Perhaps our County's biggest loss was the talented, former Chief Deputy CEO Alan Flora.

Back to Barbara Howe.

Angelo, not content to just fire those who would dare to challenge her authority or judgement, would seem to sometimes attempt to proceed to destroy a terminated employee's life and career, as was the case with Ms. Howe.

Barbara Howe is now working in Lake County for a fraction of the salary Ms. Howe made in Mendocino County. I think she directs Lake County's Food Stamps program, and makes 40% of her former salary. I have heard Ms. Howe is in "survival mode" -- that she lives in a van during the week and eats sandwiches. Furthermore, I have heard Ms. Howe is renting her home in the Deerwood subdivision in Ukiah to make her mortgage payment and avoid foreclosure.

Was Barbara Howe's life and career destroyed?

Yes, of course, it was!

Exactly how was it destroyed?

Through a bogus temporary restraining order sought by HHSA Director Tammy Moss Chandler, and all the negative publicity that was associated with that bogus restraining order.

A temporary restraining order was issued by the court, and then a "wanted poster" of Barbara Howe was posted in County buildings advising County employees to call 911, if they saw the "dangerous" Ms. Howe on the premises.

Subsequently, Moss Chandler's application for a permanent restraining order against Ms. Howe was supported by an affidavit by Moss Chandler that was rife with misleading and false claims, and inflammatory language. Herein lies a problem, a big problem, for Moss Chandler. Submitting a false affidavit is a criminal offense and constitutes perjury in most jurisdictions.

In the hearing that followed the application, Superior Court Judge Jeanine B. Nadel threw out both the application and the affidavit.

In my opinion, Moss Chandler should have been charged with perjury.

There are six elements in a case involving a false affidavit.

First, the plaintiff has to show that she swore an oath before an officer of the court or other person, Second, the affiant signed the document intending it to be accepted as true. Third, the plaintiff must show that the plaintiff willfully stated that all statements contained in the affidavit were true when the affiant intended it to be false. Fourth, the material contained in the false statement must often be shown to be material such that reliance upon the affidavit results in damages to the plaintiff. Fifth, the plaintiff was aware that he was under oath when signing the affidavit. Sixth and finally, the plaintiff often has to prove that the defendant had the intent to falsify the affidavit when the plaintiff knew she was under oath.

It is my opinion that Moss Chandler satisfied these six elements.

The question remains: Was Moss Chandler acting at Angelo's direction?

Other questions remain: Why did County Human Resources Director Heidi Dunham resign immediately after Moss Chandler's court appearance? Dunham is not old enough to qualify for her pension. Was Dunham fired? Did Angelo throw Dunham under the bus, much the same way Angelo did to former HHSA Director Stacey Cryer when the Ortner deal blew up?

I'll be asking the Board of Supervisors exactly these questions during public comment at Tuesday Board meeting. I know the Board can't answer because this is pending litigation, but the public has a right to know this lawsuit exists and that disturbing questions need to be asked.

The Board needs to do some serious soul searching. I am copying the Board on this email.

Thank you.

John Sakowicz, Candidate, 1st District Supervisor

NO MORE CARS ON MARKET STREET IN SF!

ILAN PAPPE: “Most Zionists don’t believe that God exists, but they’re quite certain that He promised them Palestine.”

WHEN TIME STANDS STILL IN FORT BRAGG

by Rex Gressett

Is there any public monument in our fair city more revered than the faux antique public clock that stands so proudly just down the street from Fort Bragg Town Hall?

The 9-foot fake cast iron clock is not actually an historical artifact. You can buy a new one that looks just like it. Indeed, public works is considering that option, but many of us hope that they don’t do it. It may not mean that much to the tourists, after all lots of cities have a clock. But residents of our city appreciate the clock just the way it is.

As busy Fort Bragg drives past Town Hall and our broken clock month after month for lo these many years, we have become quietly accustomed to what is widely recognized as the perfect metaphor for our public administration: The broken clock and official Fort Bragg are both in worlds all their own.

Events in the wider world race onward, but the Fort Bragg clock remains comfortingly inviolate — permanently wrong but curiously leaping forward (or is it backward?) at intervals from one incorrect time to another. It will stay at 2:30 for a week or a month and then one day it will leap to 5:15.

How does this happen? Does some not terribly diligent city worker drop by after hours to mischievously move the hands? Is there some mysterious meaning? Is it code? The curious inconsistency certainly imparts a sense of whimsical mystery to our small-town life.

But maybe it means something more. Maybe it’s a good thing.

Perhaps the clock is a gesture of local defiance to a world that runs so miserably on time. Maybe the ruinously expensive "Visit Fort Bragg" website can feature our broken clock to drive home the point that the tyranny of time is happily suspended in our coastal vacation paradise.

Or maybe it's not so good. Maybe it's a statement about a City Council that thinks and says exactly what it wants to and counts on you to believe it. Maybe it’s a monument to permanent Council dysfunction that persists in spite of the city having acquired the most efficient City Manager probably in the nation.

Or perhaps it is the canary in the coal mine, the first sign of imminent failure of public services like a tiny crack in a mighty dam.

The Monday, January 27 City Council meeting suggested all of the above. Mayor Will Lee did not show up. Possibly he was still smarting from the brutal 4-to-1 decision at the last meeting that left the indisputably least popular Mayor in Fort Bragg history grinding his teeth by himself in futile frustration that his unsupportable defense of convicted corporate polluter Autozone got zippo support from any other Council member. Or maybe he was not feeling well.

Except for the rest of the City Council, the clerk and the staff, almost nobody else showed up either. There were five people in the folding chairs. Mayor Will Lee’s relentless suppression of public dialogue, discussion, or input is having its predictable consequence. It always looks very bad when the administrators and Councilpeople vastly outnumber the citizens in attendance.

Monday night, the city council looked on, either in boredom or incomprehension (hard to tell which), as Sarah McCormick explained patiently the import of 20 new laws tossed out by governor Newsom to improve the availability of second units in California.

Newsom's new law was a liberalization of regulations in most places, but Fort Bragg for the most part, already has more accommodating laws than the new state law requires.

Then the finance director took the microphone to deliver the bad news. No Virginia, there is no Santa Claus and yes, Fort Bragg, your city is officially broke.

Not really broke, just $5,000 bucks underwater, but unfortunately, there is no place to go but down, lots of icebergs ahead and no ideas. "We balanced the budget" is the only thing most of the Council has to run on. So how the hell did we go broke?

Councilor Jessica Morsell-Haye's big housing innovation for a community land trust has garnered $130,000 to pay city hall employees to study how that would work, but otherwise is going nowhere. Councilor Tess Albin-Smith has done nothing except buy the biggest lawnmower known to man for her pals at the soccer fields. Councilor Bernie Norvell has been the "real" Mayor in every real sense and does a million things for the city behind the scenes none of which involve city policy. He loves us and he works for us, but he has proposed nothing in the way of policy.

Councilor Lindy Peters only wants to be kicked upstairs to the Board of Supervisors where the real money is — and of the putative Mayor Will Lee, the less said the better.

City administration under Tabatha Miller has been competent and effective. In the development department, Marie Jones sat for decades eating up thousands a week, now two lowly hard workers do the work she never did. And in other departments, some positions have been cut altogether.

Tabatha Miller can manage and take direction if the council had anything to suggest. They don’t, and you can sense the City Manager’s extreme frustration. If the council adheres to the Will Lee "do nothing" model much longer, we will lose her. In the vacuity of leadership, the money ran out like the air out of a balloon.

Much was anticipated in the audit of our local hotels suspected by the Finance Director of cheating on the Transit Occupancy Tax. Consultants were duly hired to ferret out the tax cheating deadbeat hotels, but unfortunately, the hotels were found to be reasonably honest. Mr. Damiani thought that the audit might pay for itself but he was not too firm on the point — $450k in TOT tax revenue a year, properly applied, could make a huge difference.

Councilor Lindy Peters suggested in his own inimitable way that while he himself could not in good concience use the TOT money for anything other than wasting it — as he had promised to do on luring tourists with completely ineffective visit Fort Bragg page. He piously expressed a hope that the rest of the council who had not made any such promise would outvote him. Classic Lindy Peters.

Look forward to a new sales tax proposal. The last one got shot down by a city not noticeably enthusiastic about the council — then.

Now that Mayor Lee has demonstrated a remarkable talent for kicking the public under the bus and our once vibrant city council meetings have become a mandatory "no show," they are going to try it again.

Jessica Morsell-Haye pointed out that if the city does not act on a sales tax, the county will snap up the as yet unexploited difference. But sales tax proposals are always a measure of the electorate's satisfaction with the Council. They are going to talk it over at the mid-year budget meeting. The Council ripped through the rest of the housekeeping on the agenda like a knife through butter. Playing to an empty hall saves a lot of time. Public comments were non-existent on most items and took less than the allotted three minutes the few times any of the five people in attendance spoke.

They went home early. According to the clock outside the meeting, it took no time at all.

ODD, OLD NEWS: BOOTLEGGING IN SOUTHERN HUMBOLDT – REDHEADED BLACKBELT

kymkemp.com/2020/01/31/oddold-news-bootlegging-in-southern-humboldt/

TUESDAY SUPERVISORS AGENDA, Selected Items of Interest

Measure V Enforcement

6c) Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Implementation of Measure V, “Declaring Intentionally Killed and Left Standing Trees a Public Nuisance” (Sponsors: Supervisors Haschak and Williams)

Recommended Action: Discuss implementation of Measure V, "Declaring Intentionally Killed and Left Standing Trees a Public Nuisance"; and provide direction to staff as appropriate.

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Ambulance Workshop

6e) Discussion and Possible Action Including Acceptance of Update from the Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Ad Hoc Committee Regarding Possible Scheduling and Content of a Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors to Hold a Workshop on Mendocino County Ambulance Service Current Conditions and Options for Enhancement

(Sponsor: Fire and EMS Ad Hoc Committee; Supervisors McCowen and Williams)

Recommended Action: Accept update from the Fire and EMS Ad Hoc Committee regarding possible scheduling and content of a Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors to hold a workshop on Mendocino County ambulance service current conditions and options for enhancements; and provide direction to staff as appropriate.

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REPARATIONS FOR (SMALL) POT GROWERS?

“Cannabis Equity Assessment”

6h) Discussion and Possible Action Regarding Allocation of $25,000 for a Cannabis Equity Assessment; Including Direction to Staff to Utilize the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University to Complete a Cannabis Equity Assessment; Draft a Resolution Establishing Cannabis Equity Program Contingent upon State Funding; Submit a Cannabis Equity Grant Application;, and Return to the Board of Supervisors for Approval and Adoption

(Sponsor: Supervisor Williams)

Recommended Action: Approve allocation of $25,000 for a Cannabis Equity Assessment; and direct staff to utilize the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University to complete Cannabis Equity Assessment; draft Resolution establishing Cannabis Equity Program contingent upon State funding; submit a Cannabis Equity Application; and return to the Board of Supervisors for approval and adoption in time for submission by February 28, 2020.

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Background:

Humboldt County Cannabis Equity Assessment August 2019

Abstract: The legalization of Cannabis creates remarkable business opportunities in the future, however not everyone who has made a living in the past is able to thrive in the future. The California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) at Humboldt State University and the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research (HIIMR) collected secondary data to create the assessment. The assessment provides recommendations that will assure assistance is provided to community members that experienced the most harm from decades of criminalization of cannabis and assist them in participation in the legalized industry in Humboldt County.

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“…CAMP raids and the experience of cannabis growers during the era of criminalization of cannabis have left many individuals in the industry with a deeply engrained sense of distrust and fear of government.”

humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/78948/Humboldt-County-Cannabis-Equity-Assessment

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Housing for Homeless?

8a) Authorization for the Homeless Action Ad Hoc Committee (Supervisors Gjerde and McCowen) to Meet With Staff and Community Stakeholders to Develop a Preliminary Expenditure Plan and Submit an Application for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Funding (Sponsors: Supervisors Gjerde and McCowen)

Recommended Action: Authorize the Homeless Action Ad Hoc Committee (Supervisors Gjerde and McCowen) to meet with staff and community stakeholders to develop a preliminary expenditure plan and submit an application for Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Funding.

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Here Comes Meeka

Appointment of new Chair of Behavioral Health (Mental Health) Advisory Board and BHRB rep on Measure B Oversight Committee.

1. Ms. Meeka Ferretta, Behavioral Health

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Hand-held Drug Tester for District Attorney/Cops

4d) Approval of Purchase of TRUNARC Handheld Narcotics Analyzer in the Amount of $ 25,874.14 with Funds from the District Attorney Asset Forfeiture Fund Account; Approve Transfer of $25,874.14 from DA Asset Forfeiture Fund 2110-760220 to DA 86-4370 Equipment; and Addition of Item to County’s List of Fixed Assets.

Background:

The global drug problem is increasing, with trafficking of methamphetamines, heroin, and emerging threats like fentanyl, and carfentanil, impacting communities worldwide. Law enforcement officials need to quickly identify suspected narcotics in the field to help keep drugs, and drug dealers, off the streets. Now with the expanded v1.9 library, the Thermo Scientific™ TruNarc™ Handheld Narcotics Analyzer enables officers, customs, border control, and other personnel to scan more than 498 suspected controlled substances in a single, definitive test.

With the TruNarc Handheld Narcotics Analyzer, the accuracy and reliability of a narcotics and drug test lab are available anywhere you go. With this handheld drug detector, narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens and analgesics are easily identified using lab-proven Raman spectroscopy.

Identifies more than 300 of the highest priority illicit and abused narcotics in a single drug test, saving time and money.

(www.thermofisher.com)

CATCH OF THE DAY, January 31, 2020

JOELLE BURGESS, Ukiah. Disobeying court order.

JASPAR CLARK, Ukiah. DUI, resisting.

GONZALO CRUZ-BARRERA, Redwood Valley. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

EZRA ELLIS, Burglary, assault with deadly weapon not a gun, criminal threats, brandishing.

ARMANDO GARCIA-BARRERA, Ukiah. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

JUAN GUTIERREZ, Ukiah. Resisting/threatening officer.

JEVINS JACKSON, Ukiah. Domestic battery, kidnapping, false imprisonment.

WENDY JOAQUIN, Covelo. Failure to appear, probation revocation.

SHANNON KIDD, Ukiah. Parole violation.

CHELSEY LAUGHTON, Willits. Under influence, failure to appear.

ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ-BRAVO, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

RAUL MEDINA, Ukiah. DUI.

LAUREN SCHMIDT, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

DON WILTSE JR., Laytonville. Parole violation.

HILLARY CLINTON, the butcher of Libya and neighbors, backer of the criminal Iraq war-slaughter, and lucrative toady of Wall Street, now blasts Bernie Sanders, who opposed all the above, and campaigned for her in 2016, before she gave America Trump. Disgraceful!

—Ralph Nader

THE SUPER BOWL WELFARE GRIFT

by Dave Zirin

The Super Bowl is like prom for the 1 percent. When the big game comes to town, it’s accompanied by private jets, parties and nonstop bottle service. That should be enough, but it never is. The bacchanalia also comes festooned with public funds for the NFL, an overwhelming police presence and the removal of the poor. It’s a world of fun on our TVs, but it’s a wrecking ball for local communities.

This year the game is in Miami and the scams are starting to seep into the public consciousness. As the Miami Herald is reporting, the NFL booked $1 million worth of rooms at the J.W. Marriott Marquis hotel and Aventura’s Turnberry resort for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers players and coaches—and sent the city the bill.

Even though the NFL is a gargantuan corporate operation and both teams are owned by billionaires, Miami (where 27% of children live below the poverty line) is on the hook for the hotel accommodations. This is just part of a $4 million welfare package that the city has gifted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who makes ten times that amount in yearly salary. That $4 million does not include the costs of the police and security presence required to host the game.

Rodney Barreto, the chairman of Miami’s Host Committee said to the Herald, “These are basically things we have to do to get them to come. If we’re not doing it, another city is.”

The police presence will be “an extraordinary deployment of law enforcement assets, even by recent standards, in keeping with heightened global tensions and fears of home-grown violence.”

According to Reuters, Super Bowl LIV “is a so-called SEAR 1 event, affording it the highest level of federal resources, including explosive detection canine teams, cyber risk assessments and air security. Coordinated by the U.S. Secret Service, the security force includes operations by the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security.”

In addition, Miami police will lead “lead a massive ground operation with thousands of officers… on foot, horseback, in boats, and in the air.”

While the police roam the city and public dollars flow into the NFL’s coffers, the league is engaging in Kabuki theater charity: their spoonful of sugar to help the poison go down; showy presentations to not look like parasites. The league donated $100,000 to a homeless shelter that will house those displaced from Bayfront Park by the Super Bowl. It sounds nice, but the donation will actually help facilitate their removal from the streets so they’re not an eyesore, or worse, a reminder of the human costs of economic inequality.

In addition, Dak Prescott, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, is being praised for donating 100,000 bowls of Campbell’s Chunky Soup (Prescott’s sponsor) to local homeless shelters. This is the synthesis of commercialism and philanthropy that the NFL adores.

Yet there won’t only be police and soup. There will also be protest.

Residents of the historic Miami Gardens neighborhood along with the Miami-Dade NAACP will be protesting on game day at the site of the Super Bowl, HardRock Stadium, in a fight to stop Formula 1 racing on public streets. The racing circuit has been invited to Miami Gardens by HardRock Stadium and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. F1 racing has been rejected by numerous communities because of environmental impact and traffic concerns. Ross doesn’t have such concerns about the residents in Miami Gardens so they will be using the platform of the Super Bowl to fight back.

They won’t be alone. While private planes will be incoming in great numbers, airport workers in Miami will be protesting low wages and expensive health-insurance costs with a Super Bowl week hunger strike. They are demonstrating against their company, the airline catering subcontractor Sky Chefs. Sky Chefs works with, among other entities, American Airlines. Their Union, Unite Here, is currently in negotiations with Sky Chefs for a living wage. One worker, Ibis Boggiano, said to the Herald, “We are sacrificing our health so that they will hear us.”

The demonstration is called “Fast for Our Families.”

On Monday, the workers were joined at a press conference by NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith who said, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that all labor has dignity. Let’s remember, as hundreds of thousands of people descend onto Miami this week, that behind every Super Bowl party and celebration, there are men and women doing the work behind the scenes to be able to feed their families. The NFLPA is proud to stand in solidarity with airline catering this week, and shame on American Airlines for not taking action to make sure they are provided a living wage.”

The Super Bowl more than ever is a microcosm of this country. The Super Wealthy will be oozing from one heavily guarded party to the next, while the hungry hope to be seen amidst the flashing lights and heard above the ceaseless din.

THE CORPORATE GET-BERNIE CAMPAIGN

As the Iowa caucuses approach, corporate media are beginning to panic.

fair.org/home/corporate-media-are-the-real-sanders-attack-machine/

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

“Civil War Two begins in earnest”?

A literal civil war? I cannot picture a shooting war. I just cannot. Disgruntled people, marching around, maybe. Maybe smashing some windows and burning cars. And then what? How would this go? Soccer moms manning the barricades around the Walmart? Cubicle dwellers seizing the radio and TV stations?

CALIFORNIA JUST FINISHED COUNTING ITS HOMELESS — A TALLY SURE TO BE INACCURATE, AND POLITICALLY WEAPONIZED

lostcoastoutpost.com/2020/jan/31/california-just-finished-counting-its-homeless-a-t/

TALES FROM THE CRYPT

by James Kunstler

What a fatal mistake, allowing Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to make himself the face of the Democratic Party. They would have been better off with another scion of Hollywood: the Phantom of the Opera. This grubby seditionist has marched the party into a wilderness of deceit and knavery that taints them all, and when this grotesque impeachment episode is over, a new chapter of consequences will open that should leave the party for dead.

It’s hard to think of a more loathsome figure in US political history than Adam Schiff. General James Wilkinson? Senator Theodore Bilbo? Benjamin “Pitchfork” Tillman? Joseph McCarthy? Hillary Clinton? And that doesn’t count the mere rogues and rascals like Huey Long, Boss Tweed, and George Wallace. A universe of chaos lurks behind Mr. Schiff’s slick Tinseltown façade. The impeachment he led was crippled from the start with violations of process and errors of logic of exactly the kind that drives his party’s Woke hysteria with its assaults on free speech, its vicious “cancel” culture, its reckless race-hatred, its depraved Transsexual Reading Hours, and its neurotic obsession with Russian phantoms — a matrix of beliefs that would embarrass a conclave of medieval necromancers.

Of course, the impeachment was just the latest sortie in a three-year campaign to confound and conceal the arrant misdeeds of a network of government employees in the Departments of State and Justice, the FBI, the CIA, and the remnants of Barack Obama’s White House, who are all connected and all liable for prosecution, not to mention characters in congress such as the co-seditionist Mark Warner (D-VA), who trafficked the Steele dossier around official Washington.

The “Whistleblower” in the current impeachment fiasco was a CIA agent and John Brennan protégé who had worked for Joe Biden both in the US and on trips to Ukraine when he was detailed to the Obama White House. Hunter Biden was known to be a dangerous abscess of grift years before Mr. Trump ever rode down that fabled golden escalator, and the “WB” was present for White House meetings with Ukrainian officials when embarrassing questions about Burisma and the Bidens came up. His supposed right to anonymity is fairytale and the time is not far off when he’ll have to answer for his deeds, whether it’s in a Senate committee or a grand jury.

The Intel Inspector General who ushered him into the spotlight, Michael Atkinson, was chief counsel to the same DOJ officials who signed phony FISA warrants and who ramped up both the dishonest “Crossfire Hurricane” scam and its two-year continuation as the Mueller Special Counsel investigation. All of this activity involved the same gang of top FBI officials, DOJ lawyers, and Lawfare intriguers. It has obviously been a broad attempt to overthrow a president by any means, including plenty of collusion with foreign governments. In a truly just society, this ring would be busted under federal RICO and conspiracy raps, and perhaps they will be.

You can see the next installment taking shape through the last stages of the impeachment fog. Both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader “Chuck” Schumer have declared that “acquittal is meaningless.” Somebody ought to inform them that the hole they want to keep digging is the Democratic Party’s grave. Can there be no Democrats who are nauseated by what has gone down in their name, who understand the damage that has been wreaked by their own leaders, who are sick of re-investing in falsehoods and perfidy?

I guess we’ll find out if the impeachment concludes as expected. If, by some fluke, it happens to proceed to witnesses, the Democrats will rue the day — or the weeks ensuing. They have one hole-card to play: the Joker, John Bolton. Bring him on, I say. The result will be exactly the sort of four-flush that is the specialty of their game. Then let the defense press the appearance of the “Whistleblower” and those connected to him. In the highest kind of court, which this is, is it possible that a defendant will not be allowed to face his accuser? I can’t see any possible legal grounds for that. And if, by some act of legal black magic he is excluded, there is enough to unpack between his confederates and Adam Schiff to not only unravel the premises of the impeachment case, but also pull out the key threads in the greater tapestry of sedition and official criminality dating back to before the election of 2016.

As to the election of 2020, the Democrats are trying like hell to set the stage for disputing and negating it. In fact, that has mostly been the hidden agenda behind this hot mess of an impeachment. They will at least attempt to litigate it into a dangerous state of irresolution. Wouldn’t that be grand? When that happens, Civil War Two begins in earnest.

(Support Kunstler’s writing by visiting his Patreon Page.)

THE CHILLING PICTURES of suitcases left in a New York insane asylum by patients who were locked away for the rest of their lives

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338714/The-chilling-pictures-suitcases-left-New-York-insane-asylum-patients-locked-away-rest-lives.html

A LEGACY OF CARING CONTINUES

(Community Foundation Presser)

Stories of Giving Back: A Legacy of Caring Continues

by Megan Barber Allende Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation of Mendocino County

The experience of working with family members to set up a memorial fund is often inspiring. When Joyce and Larry Keffeler’s three children chose to remember them shortly after Joyce’s passing with a new scholarship fund at the Community Foundation, the depth of this family’s love and generosity blew me away. People arrived on the Foundation’s doorstep day after day with checks in hand.

Each brought with them a story or memory to share of Joyce’s warm and loving spirit. This outpouring of love was my introduction to Joyce Keffeler, and when I met this week with her three children, Ben, Missy, and Tim, to talk about why they chose to create a scholarship, this impression of caring generosity was reinforced. “Over the past six years our mother interacted with a lot of medical professionals,” Tim Keffeler tells me.

“From the paramedics to the nurses and doctors that cared for her, she was really so grateful for all they did for her. This is part of why in creating this scholarship it was so important to us to include a broad range of medical professions in the criteria.” Indeed, the scholarship will support a student pursuing a degree as a physician, physician assistant, nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, physical therapist, physical therapy assistant, psychologist, paramedic, firefighter, radiology technician, and other 1.5+ or 4+ year medical degrees.

The Keffeler Family Medical Scholarship fund has been established as a way to remember their parents by supporting a Ukiah High senior who is pursuing a career in a medical profession. Medical careers come in many forms. For Larry Keffeler, it comprised the countless prescriptions he filled over 29 years at the family owned and operated Harris Pharmacy. For his wife Joyce, her love and dedication to her family and friends was a balm of its own, nurturing her three children and seven grandchildren with a special joy that radiates still.

“My greatest memory of my mom was how much she cared for everyone around her,” Missy (Keffeler) Schat tells me. “She was selfless. I think about this in my own life.” Missy’s brothers, Ben and Tim, nod enthusiastically. “This was exactly what I was thinking about,” says Tim. “She did so much to bring everyone together, and care for everyone.” “And her cooking,” chimes in Ben. “I’ll miss her cooking.” They all nod.

A fierce love colors their voices as they remember the countless ways she devoted herself to her children, from daily drives to Santa Rosa for gymnastics practice to a family tradition of cooking a special birthday meal for the honored child or grandchild. “These are the things we have to learn to carry on for ourselves, and our children, now that she is gone,” Tim says.

Their parents’ drive to care for others is shared by the Keffeler children. Tim carried on his father’s profession, owning and operating Myers Pharmacy. Missy is a physical therapist, and Ben’s wife Teresa is a nurse. Now their parents will be forever remembered through the generosity of the many friends and family, near and far, that have been donating to the new fund.

“We hope this scholarship will encourage other young people in our community to pursue a degree in medicine, and hopefully return to Ukiah to support their local community,” says Missy. When Joyce and Larry drove their ‘65 mustang to Ukiah in the summer of 1974 to begin working at Harris Pharmacy, they couldn’t have known the legacy they would leave behind. But with each contribution to the Keffeler Family Medical Scholarship Fund this legacy grows, and generations of future Ukiah High graduates will carry on their dedication to care for others. This legacy of caring is perhaps the best medicine of all.

The Community Foundation’s 2020 scholarship program is now accepting applications through March 20th. For further information and applications visit www.communityfound.org.

To learn more about the Keffeler Family Medical Scholarship, or to contribute to the fund, visit our website.

A CULTURE OF CORRUPTION AT SF CITY HALL

A generation of mayors allowed this to happen -- and all it does is help Donald Trump's agenda.

48hills.org/2020/01/a-culture-of-corruption-at-city-hall/

OPERATION OASIS The Inland Mendocino Democratic Club will hold our next regular meeting Thursday, February 13, at 5:30 pm at Slam Dunk Pizza, 720 North State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482. Mark your calendar for the second Thursday of every month. Let’s all join together to make our county an oasis of Justice and Peace. We need your help especially now as we gear up for the 2020 election. Come lend a hand. All are welcome. See us on Facebook and at our website http://inlandmendodems.org

MOTA: GOOD NIGHT RADIO

National Backward Day night!

(The show started at 9pm as usual but we were prepared to begin celebrating National Backward Day in reverse, at the end of National Backward day, of course, just before midnight.)

Friday the 31st of January, I'm reading the show by live remote, with my quizzical marionette-like animated silhouette on the shade of Juanita's apartment, /not/ from the back room of the KNYO performance space at 325 N. Franklin, next door to the Tip Top bar, so consider showing-and-telling in person at KNYO /next/ week, Friday February 7, because that's when I'll be there… Except maybe not. I may stay at Juanita's another week this time. I'll let you know. Deadline to get your writing on tonight's show is about 7pm. If that comes too soon for you, send it whenever it's ready and I'll read it on next week's show, wherever that turns out to be happening.

Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio is every Friday, 9pm to 5am on 107.7fm KNYO-LP Fort Bragg, and 105.1fm KMEC-LP Ukiah. Also there and anywhere else via http://knyo.org and click on Listen.

And at any time of any day or night you can go to https://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com and hear last week's show, and shows before that. By Saturday night the recording of tonight's MOTA will also be there, in the latest post, right on top.

Also as usual you'll find plenty of leftover historical/educational wonders at the weblog to fluff up the fluffy front part of your brain with while you wait for tonight, such as:

Cute little animals with a cast on their broken leg.

https://twentytwowords.com/tiny-hamster-wears-a-tiny-cast-to-help-heal-his-broken-arm/

This is like the alien machine/creature in the hole under the lighthouse in the film /Annihilation/. Except underwater and made out of real fish. It's also like Pilobolus, the dance troupe but without the stretchy bag.

http://misscellania.blogspot.com/2020/01/school-of-fish-working-together-as-one.html

And a prospective Super Bowl ad banned by the National Football League. Nope, they said, no way; that ad goes too far and we will not stand for it. Take your trashy uplifting and inspiring ad somewhere else where they don't have standards like we have.

boingboing.net/2020/01/31/peta-claims-patriotic-super-bo.html

—Marco McClean, memo@mcn.org, https://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

FOUND OBJECT