MCT: Friday, March 6, 2020

• Light Rain
• Uncounted Ballots
• Rubble Rumor
• Virus Precautions
• Protective Measures
• Flu v COVID
• Variety Show
• Opening Night
• Historical Pieces
• Judge Pekin
• VA Suicide
• Ponies Relocated
• Recognizing Val
• Mount Shasta
• What's Blooming
• AV Village
• Gowan Interview
• RQMC Data
• Shelter Project
• Peters Concedes
• B Fiasco
• Faultless Reasoning
• Warren Endorsement
• Yesterday's Catch
• Which Side
• Oh Workers
• Hoisting Nirvana
• Establishment Figure
• Social Ignorance
• Cats Up
• MAC Exhibits
• Dream Opponent
• Dem Losers
• Low Info
• Happening Again
• Calling Artists
• Costco Samples
• Dumbest Thing
• Thoughts/Prayers
• Holy Goats
• Original Joe

LIGHT RAIN is expected today and Saturday, with cooler temperatures through the weekend. A few showers are possible inland on Sunday. Drier and warmer conditions are then expected through much of next week. The next chance for widespread rain will be towards the end of next week. (NWS)

BALLOTS LEFT TO BE COUNTED

March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election

Mendocino County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie announced today (Thursday) that as with every other election, there are ballots left to be processed as part of the official canvass. Mendocino County has 14,732 Vote By Mail ballots to process and 1,575 Conditional Provisional/Provisional ballots to review and process. Our office will update counts after the E+3 deadline (March 6, 2020) and will also have an update on Schools and Special District total breakdowns.

Of the outstanding ballots left to count: the 1st Supervisor District has 2,727; the 2nd Supervisor District has 3,014; and the 4th Supervisor District has 3,730 ballots to count. Per State law, we have 28 days to complete the canvass. The Statement of Vote, which breaks down results by precinct, will be available at that time. If you have any additional questions, please call our office at (707) 234-6819.

(Elections Office Presser)

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EMBRACE THE UNCERTAINTY: WAITING FOR RESULTS DURING CALIFORNIA’S “ELECTION MONTH”

As you read this article, Proposition 13, the $15 billion school construction bond either failed by a historically wide margin, or it didn’t. Likewise, Bernie Sanders bulldozed the competition, beating out California’s second place Democratic finisher, Joe Biden, by hundreds of thousands of votes. Or he didn’t.

calmatters.org/blogs/california-election-2020/2020/03/california-primary-election-results-delayed/

WORD FILTERING THROUGH the endless summer and on into the AVA bunker says the rubble clean-up in central Boonville begins Monday. Might have begun sooner but for the usual confusion in the permitting County bureaucracies. Beginning with the complexities of getting a demolition permit.

NO HUGGSIES, MENDO! According to Mendocino County Public Health Officer, Dr. Noemi [sic] Doohan, not only should you not shake hands but hugs are out, too. If you’re one of those hands on Mendolanders, please restrain yourself. (The ava considers a hugs ban the upside of the virus. The editor still believes he was the victim of a low intensity sexual assault in front of the Boonville Post Office several years ago when a large, overly friendly woman embraced him with one arm while groping his cojones with the other. He still shudders at the memory, which accounts for his quick-draw, preemptive handshake whenever he spots potential huggers approaching.)

DESPITE THE POINTLESS INCLUSION of Democratic Party human bots from Jared Huffman’s office, Jim Wood’s Office, and Mike McGuire’s office, regarded from here as toxic forms of political virus, there wasn’t much new information from Mendo’s Thursday morning corona virus “press conference.” We were told, again, to wash our hands a lot, not touch your face, avoid big events, Dr. Doohan said that 80% of cases will be mild to moderate and that their objective is to mitigate the spread and slow its progression. Dr. Doohan added said that Mendo is not seeing people in the hospital now with “unexplained respiratory illness.” Mendo’s Health and Human Services Director Tammy Moss Chandler said that not only do people need a “go kit” for emergency evacuations, but now they should have a “Stay at home kit” on top of their “go kit” for when/if they get quarantined.

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THE LOCAL ANGLE: The first two cases of the coronavirus were reported in San Francisco today (Thursday) and "Dr. Grant Colfax with the Department of Health said neither patient recently traveled to a destination with an outbreak or had contact with a person known to be infected with the virus. The cases are unrelated and likely the result of "community exposure," Colfax said. “We want everyone to remain calm and continue taking precautions to keep themselves and their families healthy,” Breed said in a statement. “We have been increasing resources and staffing to prepare for the community spread of this virus, and we will do everything we can to protect public health. The City is in regular contact with all hospitals and health facilities in San Francisco, and our health system is prepared to deliver care to everyone in need and provide a coordinated response as additional cases of the novel coronavirus are confirmed.”

DR. COLFAX is the son of Micki and former supervisor David Colfax of Boonville. The two cases are that of a man in his 90s, a woman in her forties. Meanwhile, a cruise ship is anchored off the Golden Gate while several thousand sybarites are tested for the virus.

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UNCLE JOHNNY SAYS, "WAKE UP, MENDO!"

Dear Politicians,

You are not doing enough!! I watch the changes daily/hourly regarding coronavirus and you are still being reactive and not proactive enough. I do not doubt that you are working on this. I get it. BUT, you are not doing enough. I am telling you this, You are not doing enough, fast enough! It is time for a more radical approach. NOW!! Look, I have felt this way for the past couple of months.

The W.H.O. has called on all nations to “pull out all of the stops”. Well, I am asking all of our local government officials, what are you doing to pull out all of the stops? Well? In the interest of lives potentially lost, then I demand a higher degree of action. Protective measures. I do not care if these measures are unpopular or lose money. Every single day, every single hour, every single minute that you do not take more serious measures, then you risk the death of your loved ones, others loved ones, and my loved ones. Do not wait until it hits Mendo County. It is all around us and I am not seeing where you are doing enough! And I do not need or wear glasses!

Johnny Keyes

Ukiah

FIGURE THE ODDS

Editor:

Ed LaFrance implies that media and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attention to the coronavirus is “over the top” (“Coronavirus insanity,” Santa Rosa Press Democrat Letters, Sunday). LaFrance attempts to prove this by quoting CDC flu statistics.

Let’s take a closer look.

Twenty-nine million Americans have contracted the flu this season, resulting in 16,000 deaths. That does sound like a lot. Although mortality rates vary among groups, approximately 1 in 1,800 people who get the flu die from complications relating to it.

By comparison, as of this writing, there are approximately 85,000 reported cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with about 2,900 fatalities. This works out to a mortality rate of around 1 in 29. One out of 1,800 compared to 1 out of 29. Which odds do you like?

Add the fact that this virus has just begun to spread, much is unknown about how it is transmitted and there is no vaccine, and there is legitimate reason for concern.

So have the media and the CDC overblown the epidemic? All I know is that complete information about what is going on and what we all should be doing about it is vital. Pretending there is nothing to see here or putting forward misleading statistics are both counterproductive and dangerous.

Mike Beavers

Santa Rosa

AV VARIETY SHOW TONIGHT & TOMORROW

WOW! THE COMPANY STORE KITCHEN OPENED yesterday and look at the crowd. Philo was ready for a gathering place. (Val Muchowski)

MEMORY LANE

Dear Editor:

Thank you for running Richard Tootreese Jeske's "High School Back In The Day." His account of what it was like those many moons ago to go swimming naked during all-boy dips at community and school pools was both funny and thought-provoking. I appreciated his insights into his experience and his way of reminding of us somehow of a somewhat more innocent time. I had somewhat the same experience back in the day going to the local YMCA with my brother and our dad and all of us jumping into the pool bare as the day we were born. It was kind of weird for us, as boys, but then turned out to be strangely okay. I always do appreciate your printing the historical pieces on occasion in the AVA. They do provide a delight to read and are oft-times a pleasing and needed momentary distraction from our current political, social and pandemic virus woes!

Thank you,

Steve Hellman, Instructor of English, Mendocino College

Ukiah

PATRICK PEKIN WRITES:

Well, the election results are in and the outcome is pretty good. I have a great many of you to thank for this, plus lots of people who do not use Facebook. I am deeply honored and humbled. On that point, I intend to remain humble while on the bench and be mindful of all the people of Mendocino County who expect and deserve a fair and respectful judicial officer. I will strive to meet those expectations daily. Thank you all.

A MAN NAMED DOUGLAS COULTER was protesting outside the Veterans Administration offices in Ukiah last week and a reader passed along his complaint:

"VA parking lot suicide that never happened because of censorship by Ukiah California authorities? 7:30 AM Friday, February 7, 2020, a veteran killed himself with a firearm in Ukiah at King's Court VA clinic. Police cover-up firearm death, list it as "coroner incident." VA keeps data from national gun death statistics. Newspaper refuses to cover story even after complaints. Censorship! Do we live in a police state? How many more veteran suicides have been covered up?"

We asked Sheriff Matt Kendall about this incident and he said, yes there was indeed a suicide at the veterans parking lot on February 7 but that there had been a full report and there was no cover-up. The elderly man who committed suicide in his truck at the parking lot left a note at the scene explaining that he didn't want to do it in front of his family, that he had a terminal illness, and that he wanted to do it at the Veterans parking lot because he was confident that the Veterans Administration would notify next of kin and take care of other arrangements as required. Sheriff Kendall said if anyone wants more details they can contact the Coroner’s office supervisor, Lt. Shannon Barney, 463-4080, (Barneys@Mendocinocounty.org) or his assistant Cynthia Bartley (bartleyc@MendocinoCounty.org).

ROBINSON CREEK PONY RESCUE

On Tuesday, March 4th, 2020, Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Animal Control, Mendocino County Search and Rescue along with All Hands Equine Rescue were successful in the relocation of seven Robinson Creek Ponies.

Recently, California Highway Patrol and Animal Control have received multiple calls that the ponies have been obstructing the roadway, causing a hazard to passing motorists.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the Mendocino County Search & Rescue team, along with All Hands Equine Rescue for their vital assistance in the relocation of the ponies.

(Mendocino County Sheriff Facebook post)

PROCLAMATION OF THE MENDOCINO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RECOGNIZING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH HONOREE: Val Muchowski

WHEREAS, in 1981 five women gathered in Philo and started the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) of Mendocino County and they appointed Val Muchowski as the first Chair. Val made a commitment never to say no to an opportunity to promote women and always seek an opportunity to put women at the tables where important decisions were being made; and

WHEREAS, Val was very active in the NWPC, the California Democratic Party and the California Teachers Association (CTA) at the local, state and national levels. She was selected to serve as a Democratic National Convention Delegate in 1988, 1996 and 2000. Val has been honored by CTA receiving the Teacher In Politics award, We Honor Ours award and the Ellen Logue award for Retired Teachers along with being Senator Mike McGuire’s Woman of the Year for the Second Senate District. US Representative Jared Huffman recognize d her work with KZYX as the creator and programmer of Women's Voices acknowledging her 25 years educating the community about real issues that affect women in Mendocino County. He noted her commitment is worthy of the highest commendations; and

WHEREAS, Val encouraged many women to become involved through the years teaching them to step up and move forward. As a dedicated teacher she taught Women’s Leadership classes to advance women in many different political roles and fields of work; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, NWPC became the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition with Val providing the leadership to broaden the scope of outreach to women and continue her political passion by training candidates running for local office, their campaign committees and other members of the public working on ballot measures to be effective in the political arena. She continues to work to make an equitable society and put women in leadership positions locally and at the state level; and

WHEREAS, the 2020 theme of Women’s History Month is “Valiant Women of the Vote” in recognition of the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution officially giving women across the Nation the right to vote and hold office; and

WHEREAS, Val Muchowski is the first recipient of the Bella Abzug - Passion in Politics Award that was presented at the Women’s History Gala Celebration in Mendocino County being recognized for her personal engagement in numerous leadership positions and for 40 years of training women to be involved in the political process.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Mendocino, hereby commends Val Muchowski for her dedication and faithful leadership in encouraging women to have civic voices, to engage and to participate in our democracy.

John Haschak, Chair, Mendocino County Board of Supervisors

MOUNT SHASTA - The Crown of California.

MENDOCINO COAST BOTANICAL GARDENS - BLOOM BLAST

www.gardenbythesea.org

UPCOMING AV VILLAGE EVENTS & CORONAVIRUS INFO

We have a volunteer training Sunday March 8th 3 to 4 pm (right before our monthly gathering) at Lauren’s Restaurant. We ask each new volunteer to complete this short training; please RSVP with our coordinator (contact info below) if you will attend. Please fill out your application before hand - hard copies are available at the Senior Center, the AV Health Center or on our website andersonvalley.helpfulvillage.com/pages/10020-volunteer-application-&-handbookThank

This month’s gathering "Meet Matt Kendall, the new Sheriff!" on Sunday March 8th 4 to 5:30 pm at Lauren's. Refreshments provided. Welcome the new Sheriff and help introduce him to the Anderson Valley! As always, all are welcome! And we are always looking for people to bring finger food, if you would like to bring food to this gathering let us know — thank you!

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Mind Body Relaxation Community Group Monday March 9th 4 pm (RSVP please): Lucinda Walker has graciously offered to continue this wonderful group! Note this group will only happen if there is enough interest - so please Contact her ASAP; Lucinda Walker, MSW/ILS @ mscwalker@att.net (mailto:mscwalker@att.net) to sign up or for further information. It is a wonderful practice for people of all ages. Simple to learn, use and is free and open to everyone! It meets weekly on Mondays from 4 to 5:30 pm at the Teen Center behind the Methodist Church in Boonville, starting March 9th, 2020 and runs to the end April 2020

TERRY GOWAN LIVE

by Mark Scaramella (via Cobb Martin & KZYX)

Long-time Operations Manager for the non-profit MedStar Ukiah Ambulance Theresa ‘Terry’ Gowan was Cobb Martin’s guest on KXYX’s “Mind, Body, Health” program last Tuesday morning. Ms. Gowan is one of the long-time stalwarts of inland Mendo’s emergency response system. Gowan, a Philo resident, frequently helps out responding to Anderson Valley calls when she’s not at work for Medstar in Ukiah.

Medstar has about 40 employees and operates four ALS (with a paramedic and an EMT) ambulances 24/7 and one BLS (EMTs). Willits, Redwood Valley and two in Ukiah. Also BLS ambulance (two EMT) for interfacility transfers between hospitals. Paramedics can give more meds and intervenous injections.

CoronaVirus. Gowan said the best thing to do is wash hands or use hand-sanitizer all the time. “Wearing a mask is not helpful unless someone is coughing in your face which they should not be doing.” Kids too. Use wipes before and after touching ordinary things like shopping carts or after pumping gas.

Mendo College’s Paramedic training program had been a feeder system for Medstar — there are six graduates of that program still in Mendocino County — but it went away in 2011 and "it was a huge hit." Santa Rosa JC and College of Redwoods in Eureka are the next nearest programs, “but it's a commute.: Mendo College, where Gowan teaches a fire safety program among other classes, is trying to re-start their paramedic program by partnering with another school for a satellite program while they work on accreditation. They don't have specific timing yet, but the satellite training program could begin as early as this fall “if things fall into place.” It's about an 18 month program, added Gowan, including classroom time, clinical time and internship. A prospective paramedic needs 480 hours on an ambulance before getting a paramedic license. And generally you need to be an EMT first with some anatomy and physiology classes. So it won’t be any time soon that Mendo College produces a new paramedic for Mendo.

Program Host Aaron Cobb Martin asked Gowan and what she liked about her job as a paramedic:

"I was working in the emergency room and decided I wanted to go to nursing school. At the time Napa College had a bridge program for paramedics to registered nurses. That would've taken me less time than if I went the traditional way. So I got my paramedic license. I was working for Ukiah ambulance (now MedSTAR) as an EMT and I realized I liked working in the field. But when I got my paramedic license I realized I had much more freedom than a nurse does to make my own decisions. I follow the protocols of course, but I don't have to ask a doctor for permission to do something for a patient. And I'm the first one there in their time of need. It's very satisfying to know you are actually helping somebody as opposed to having — and I'm not putting nurses down at all, they do an amazing job and they work some of the same situations that we do — it's just a little different. I like to work on my own and use my brain to figure out what's going on with the patient with the limited resources we have in the back of the ambulance. I don't have a lab to tell me what's going on with the patient's blood work or an x-ray machine. It's kind of like a guessing game to figure out what's going on with your patient by talking to them and seeing what's going on. Every day, every call, every 911 call that comes out, you never know what you're going to see. Just because they tell dispatch one thing when they call 911, that does not mean that that's what's going on with them. So I like to think outside the box and be the first person there for a patient in their time of need."

Medstar has a huge response area. From Cominsky station to the south (south of Hopland) all the way up to the Highway 162 turnoff to Covelo going north, to the Lake County line going east, and to approximately mile marker 23 on Highway 20, as well as Anderson Valley. Medstar also responds up to 15 calls a month or so to Covelo when requested. Response times range from two minutes in downtown Ukiah to up to an hour “if we are going to deep Anderson Valley, Covelo, or some places in Potter Valley.”

Gowan said that despite the difficulties keeping ambulances on call on the inland corrider, they’re doing better these days. The City of Ukiah will put an ambulance in service if necessary and Laytonville’s one paramedic ambulance makes a big contribution as well.

Gowan said that emergency rooms these days are “crazy busy.” The Ukiah Emergency Room is seeing about 100 cases a day recently. And “it’s busy everywhere.” “We’re having good weather and people are still having accidents.”

“We’ve been seeing more drug overdoses than we used to,” worried Gowan. “So we’re using Narcan more than we used to.” EMTs and other volunteer fire responders and law enforcement have been trained in using Narcan and they are using them “a lot.” The opioid overdose problem “is huge and it’s just getting worse.” Gowan said that if a family needs to, Narcan can be obtained for personal use over the counter from local pharmacies. Typically, opioid overdoses cause someone to stop breathing leading to cardiac arrest. Narcan essentially gets someone breathing again and in a number of cases a patient may need “repeated doses.” Gowan said that she knows of cases where people are cutting heroin with fentanyl. “That’s a bad situation. Especially if you don’t know that, like when you get your drugs from a different supplier. I have to ask people what drugs they use and whether they got their drugs from their regular supplier. That can be huge. If you buy it from someone other than your usual source, you don’t know what it’s cut with. What’s in that marijuana or that heroin you just bought? I don’t judge. I don’t care, but I need to know before I can fix you. People will say, ‘I’m not using drugs,’ but I have to ask.”

Gowan said emergency responders are trying to use fewer opioids in emergency medicine, but it’s still necessary for pain management. Sometimes these days pain med prescriptions even come with a Narcan package. “We only give Narcan when someone is not breathing enough to maintain life,” said Gowan. “There are no side effects from it, so there’s no harm in using it if indicated.”

“We also have to be aware of combativeness,” added Gowan. “You have just taken away their high and they’re not going to be happy. People have been known to vomit, a withdrawal syndrome. Also seizures are common with patients who use opioids regularly. Narcan will cause someone to go into withdrawal. So you have to watch those symptoms. Hopefully, they’ll start breathing. Take care of the breathing first, of course, then the Narcan.”

Cobb Martin noted that Narcan is a nasal injection and is not too difficult to administer, so people might want to get familiar with it and get a little Narcan training.

Gowan concluded by urging people to volunteer or even enter into an emergency services career. Some higih schools are now conducting entry level training for seniors. Contact your local fire department or Mendocino College for more information.

FROM SUPERVISOR TED WILLIAMS

BoS Agenda - Tuesday, March 10, 1:30pm timed item 6a: (Postponed from two weeks ago)

Discussion and Possible Action Including: 1) Direction to the Mendocino County Director of Health and Human Services to Request Aggregate Patient Outcome Data from Redwood Quality Management (RQMC) and Subcontractors Disseminate with Trends Analysis; 2) Direction to the Chief Executive Officer to Return with Options Regarding a Request for Proposal Process for Adult Mental Health Services; and 3) Direction to the Chief Executive Officer to Return with Estimate of Mental Health Funds Available for Repurpose to Meet Measure B Promises

(Continued from the February 25, 2020, Board of Supervisors Meeting)

(Sponsor: Supervisor Williams)

Recommended Action/Motion:

1) Direct Mendocino County Director of Health and Human Services to request aggregate patient outcome data from Redwood Quality Management Company and subcontractors, disseminate with trends analysis; 2) Direct CEO to return with options for request for proposal process for Adult Mental Health Services; and 3) direct CEO to return with estimate of Mental Health funds available for repurpose to meet Measure B promises.

Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:

The County of Mendocino initiated a contract with RQMC in April of 2016 Prepare the Infrastructure for the Adult System of Care during the transition from Ortner Management Group (OMG) to RQMC. Additionally, RQMC is under contract with the County for the delivery of special mental health services to children and youth under the age of twenty-five. Most recently, in July of 2019, the Board approved an $18,976,733 contract for Redwood Quality Management Company (RQMC) to provide specialty mental health care to Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the indigent on behalf of the County. See Attachment A

Summary of Request:

County administration and the public lack data necessary to gauge outcome success of Redwood Quality Management Company and its array of subcontractors. In order to contemplate future contract terms and to develop a feedback loop for catalyzing continuous improvement, it’s important that we analyze population data and determine trends. Raw data, sanitized of confidential patient information through redaction, can be independently analyzed by county staff and the public. More eyes on the data will provoke questions, engage the public and build trust. To meet our analysis condition of satisfaction, the data must be structured sufficient to quantify the count of unduplicated persons served, duration served and cost per case, count of release plans prepared, count of times particular individuals have returned for further treatment and most importantly, how many patients are more self-sufficient due to the millions of dollars we spent. The data should be sufficient for generating histograms of varied outcome bins over 1 year, 3 years, 5 years and since program inception. Today, we lack transparency in regard to success trends relative to our past efforts, across programs and as compared to our geographic region. We are unable to say with confidence that the program has improved year over year or that we’re exceeding services of other counties per dollar spent. The request for data in and of itself does not cast doubt on the effectiveness of any of our contractor’s programs, but rather, offers us a tool for ensuring we trend towards greater success and spot areas for improvement early. Assuming data has been captured, this request should require nominal effort by our contractors and staff. If we can’t measure it, we can’t manage it. The competitive bidding process is an essential part of a County's budgeting and creates a transparent environment that is open and fair. The process allows public benefit beyond price negotiation by catalyzing discussion about conditions of satisfaction, regular progress reporting and specific service parameter expectations. The County of Mendocino Policy No 1. Section 3.2 captures the spirit of this request by specifying, "Departments shall obtain competitive bids for personal and professional services contracts (defined in section 6.0) over $25,000.” The RQMC contract has been approved by the Board of Supervisors several times since inception without engaging in the competitive bidding process. The Board is urged to request staff to return with multiple Request for Proposal options including single provider and competitive multi-provider approaches.

Mendocino County’s Measure B Mental Health Treatment Act promised facilities and services which might not be financially feasible with the revenue generated by Measure B tax. To assist in scoping projects to fit within financial realities, a timely analysis of how much, if any, of the RQMC contract could be repurposed, to ensure delivery of Measure B promises is important.

SANTA ROSA APPROVES $123 MILLION DOWNTOWN HOUSING/SHELTER PROJECT

pressdemocrat.com/news/10756123-181/santa-rosa-approves-123-million

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY OPPONENT DAN GJERDE for retaining his seat as 4th District Supervisor. Thank you to those who not only encouraged me to run but stood beside me throughout. Best of luck to everyone I encountered at the County level during the course of this campaign. That includes all the candidates in the other District races as well. I am thankful Measure C passed. Our local Coast Hospital appears to now be on solid footing. This campaign has taught me, more than ever, what a special place we have here that we all call home. Bearing that in mind, it is time to turn my efforts back to being the best City Council person I can be for the remainder of my term.

Thanks again,

Lindy Peters

Fort Bragg

JAMES MARMON REMINDS US:

Nancy Sutherland's Statement (September 23, 2016)

I ran across this last night and started thinking about how the Board of Supervisors and their boss Carmel Angelo created the Measure B fiasco after being warned. She was referencing measure AG and AH at the time, but the same incompetence would apply to Measure B.

Nancy's Statement:

My name is Nancy Sutherland, I am the recently resigned chair of the Behavioral Health Advisory Board. I am writing as an informed, concerned citizen of Mendocino County, addressing my concerns with Ballot Measures AG and AH, the Sheriff’s mental health facility sales tax increase. I want to express my appreciation to the Sheriff and the concerned citizens who clearly voiced their willingness to put their money where their mouth is by signing the initiative petition. The initiative is evidence of the public’s recognition that the situation is critical. We as a community must begin to think outside the box for solutions. The County must financially support mental health services.

However, this initiative does not allocate one single dollar for services to our mentally ill friends, family, or neighbors (housed or not housed.) Its sole solution is to raise an estimated $37,000,000 to build an extravagant, unnecessary building or buildings in which mental health services may (or may not) be provided. I repeat, Zero funds for services.

For many years the County has over-relied on an all or nothing approach to the delivery of mental health services. The “all” being hospitalization and the “nothing” being a dearth of community-based outreach, pre-crisis, stabilization and post crisis services.

The 16-bed psychiatric hospital, presumably located in Ukiah is unrealistic. Very few small counties have the resources to maintain a 16 bed psychiatric hospital. Stringent State regulations, the unavailability of professional, experienced, licensed and credentialed 24/7 staff are among the prohibitive issues. The supporters of the initiative have not done a needs assessment or a staffing viability analysis. In fact, they have not consulted the County, in connection with ANY related issue, including Medi-Cal reimbursement and the stability of other mental health service funding sources. They are concerned with a building, not the reality of day to day, hour to hour service provision....

https://www.theava.com/archives/60784#14

Everyone involved should resign too, especially Angelo.

James Marmon MSW

ELIZABETH WARREN ended her presidential campaign today (Thursday) but is not endorsing either of the two remaining candidates - Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders - at least not yet. "Not today. I need some space around this, and I want to take a little time to think a little more. I've been spending a lot of time right now on the question of suspending and also making sure that this works as best we can for our staff, for our team, for our volunteers," she told reporters outside her home in Cambridge, Mass. Warren bowed out after failing to win any states in the Democratic primary process - even losing her home state of Massachusetts. If she endorses Biden, all her huffing and puffing about his general unfitness will consign her to the bottomless bin of the Democratic unprincipled.

CATCH OF THE DAY, March 5, 2020

JOSE CHIHUA, Ukiah. DUI.

PATRICK HANOVER, Covelo. Protective order violation. (Frequent Flyer)

SHAWN JOHNSON, Ukiah. Domestic battery, reckless possession of explosive device on public street or highway.

MATTHEW MAXWELL, Fort Bragg. DUI, suspended license (for DUI), DUI while on probation, probation revocation.

ISIAH SILVA-FONNEST, Willits. Controlled substance.

THOMAS TICE, Ukiah. Probation revocation. (Frequent Flyer)

ELIZABETH WARREN: WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

by Norman Solomon

The night before Super Tuesday, Elizabeth Warren spoke to several thousand people in a quadrangle at East Los Angeles College. Much of her talk recounted the heroic actions of oppressed Latina workers who led the Justice for Janitors organization. Standing in the crowd, I was impressed with Warren's eloquence as she praised solidarity and labor unions as essential for improving the lives of working people.

Now, days later, with corporate Democrat Joe Biden enjoying sudden momentum and mega-billionaire Mike Bloomberg joining forces with him, an urgent question hovers over Warren. It's a time-honored union inquiry: "Which side are you on?"

How Warren answers that question might determine the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. In the process, she will profoundly etch into history the reality of her political character.

Facing the fact that her campaign reached a dead end, Warren basically has two choices: While Bernie Sanders and Biden go toe to toe, she can maintain neutrality and avoid the ire of the Democratic Party's corporate establishment. Or she can form a united front with Sanders, taking a principled stand on behalf of progressive ideals.

For much of the past year, in many hundreds of speeches and interviews, Warren has denounced the huge leverage of big money in politics. And she has challenged some key aspects of corporate power. But now we're going to find out more about how deep such commitments go for her.

"After Warren's bleak performance in the Super Tuesday primaries, her associates, as well as those of Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden, say she is now looking for the best way to step aside," the Washington Post reported on Wednesday—and "there is no certainty she will endorse Sanders or anyone else."

A laudable path now awaits Warren. After winning just a few dozen delegates, she should join forces with Sanders—who has won more than 500 delegates and is the only candidate in a position to defeat Biden for the nomination.

The urgency of Warren's decision can hardly be overstated. Sanders and Biden are fiercely competing for votes in a half-dozen states with March 10 primaries including Michigan (with 125 delegates), Washington (89 delegates) and Missouri (68 delegates). A week later, primaries in four states—Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio—will determine the allocation of 577 delegates.

In the midst of these pivotal election battles, Warren should provide a vehement endorsement of Sanders and swiftly begin to campaign for him. Choosing, instead, to stand on the sidelines would be a tragic betrayal of progressive principles.

"Here's the thing," Warren said in a speech to a convention of the California Democratic Party nine months ago. "When a candidate tells you about all the things that aren't possible, about how political calculations come first . . . they're telling you something very important—they are telling you that they will not fight for you."

We'll soon find out whether Elizabeth Warren will fight for us.

(Normon Solomon is co-founder and national coordinator of RootsAction.org. His books include "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death" and "Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America's Warfare State." He is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.)

TWEET by “Joe Biden is the Architect of Mass Incarceration” on Twitter

Oh workers can you stand it?

Tell me how you can?

Will you be a lousy scab

Or will you be a man?

Which side are you on boys

Which side are you on?

THE HAPPY HINDU

Dear America: When Would You Be Willing to Be Serious?

Following a productive day cleaning rooms and doing laundry for incoming guests at the Plumeria Hostel Alternative in Honolulu, Hawaii, I took a bus ride to the Honolulu Beerworks on Cooke Street. Two Hop Island IPA pints followed by a generous shot of the Balvenie 15 yr. old scotch whiskey, put my gentle mind into the highest heaven, and was enhanced by a salmon salad sandwich with potato salad and let's not forget the dill pickle. And then, one more pint of an experimental rye based beer was hoisted. I was so completely satisfied, it was like "walking on light beams" as I exited for a meandering return to my room on Piikoi Street. It is impossible to describe how completely satisfactory this is. And then, I checked out the news on MSN.com. Fuck, are you kidding me? It's either Bernie Sanders (who I am voting for, assuming that he is on the ballot) or a challenger who isn't interested in changing anything, or the Republicans. Good it is that I am identified with the Pure Spirit which is inhabiting the body-mind complex. If you are also thus identified, feel free to contact me. If I have to explain to you why, then it is unnecessary to continue this further. Obviously, I am ready. What would you like to do?

Craig Louis Stehr

Email: craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

Snail Mail: P.O. Box 235670, Honolulu, HI 96823-3511

“I WAS GIVING THEM SOMETHING that they deeply valued, which was hope. And to pull back and become the establishment figure I knew I had to become [in order] to become president was really hard to do. I had to teach them an incredibly unpleasant lesson, which is that people like me don’t win presidencies behaving like that, that you have to deal with reality that includes a whole lot of people who aren’t progressives, who aren’t nice, who aren’t good about human rights… I knew I had to make the turn. And I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t do it.”

— Howard Dean, Democrat

FOX NEWS has an all-out frontal assault on Bernie Sanders’ purported “socialism.” It is a sad statement on the level of ignorance in this country that anyone could take seriously the charge that Sanders is a socialist. What Sanders is advocating is something approaching the social-welfare systems of other economically developed countries and that’s a far cry from the socialism Fox News is using as a boogeyman to frighten conservatives. The “socialism” Fox is decrying is the old-fashioned Stalinist-Maoist kind where all important industries are nationalized, most of the private property of the wealthy is seized by the state, and there are no such things as individual rights and freedoms because the very idea of “individuals” is considered capitalist propaganda.

— M.G. Piety

OPENING TOMORROW! OCEAN WILDLIFE EXHIBIT, LYNN THOMPSON & BUTTON QUINN

The Mendocino Art Center galleries and Gallery Store are opening back up tomorrow after making some improvements, including installing a new floor in our Main Gallery. Check out the new exhibits, March 6-29, daily 11am-4pm:

Ocean Wildlife Exhibit

Buster Dyer • Cynthia Myers • Cleo Vilett • Patrick Doyle

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/MyLasso/MainGallery.lasso

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Lynn Thompson

“Cosmic Creations”

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/MyLasso/GalleryTen.lasso

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Button Quinn

“Sea, Silver and Land”

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/MyLasso/NicholsGallery.lasso

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Second Saturday Gallery Reception & Open Art Studios

March 14, 5pm-8pm

http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/level2/events.lasso#march-reception

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Mendocino Art Center

45200 Little Lake Street at Kasten Street, Mendocino

707.937.5818

http://www.MendocinoArtCenter.org

JOE BIDEN WOULD BE DONALD TRUMP'S DREAM OPPONENT

Donald Trump had the perfect opponent in the 2016 election. Running as a populist billionaire taking on the Washington elite, he couldn’t have asked for a better rival in Hillary Clinton, who carried heavy political baggage and who, for many, personified the so-called establishment. While Trump’s populist shtick was easy to pick apart, Clinton was the wrong person to promote the message she was trying to get across to voters.

truthdig.com/articles/biden-would-be-just-the-challenger-for-trump/

DEMS FORMULA FOR ELECTING REPUBLICANS OVER & OVER AGAIN: Mondale, Dukakis, Kerry, Gore, H.Clinton, Biden.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Talk about your low information voters, eh? SC probably came down to simple name recognition. I like your characterization of Biden. He’d definitely provide four years of comedic relief. Perhaps the Dems will even play up that angle, with blooper reels as campaign commercials? Gerry Ford II. Lovable old curmudgeonly grandpa thing. Challenge fat ass Trump to a pushup contest during the debates. Lots of possibilities there!

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND ARTWORK

We are already looking forward to the 28th annual Art in the Gardens (AIG) at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens! Set amidst the spectacular background of summer floral displays, the day-long juried art event will be held on Saturday, August 1st.

Call For Artists

Exhibiting and selling your original artwork amidst the late summer bloomsat the 28th annual Art in the Gardens. Applications for this juried artevent are being accepted through March 13. Entry details and artist application: gardenbythesea.org/calendar/call-for-artists-aig/

Silent Auction

Calling all sculptors, craftsman, visual artists, or people who just enjoycreating. We are also in need of garden-friendly artwork such as outdoorsculpture, amenities, metal work, benches, archways… you get the idea.The auction will be featured in the Dahlia Garden at Art in the Gardens onSaturday, August 1. Contact Jamie (events@gardenbythesea.org) for moredetails on the commission agreement and how to submit a piece.

OH NO, IT’S THE LOOKOUTS AGAIN!

(From deep outback Mendo to….)

by Larry Livermore

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO I pulled one of the dumbest stunts of my life: I started a band with a 14-year-old bassist who’d never played bass, a 12-year-old drummer who’d never played drums, and considerably older me, who’d been playing guitar for 20 years without ever getting much good at it.

There was no reason to suppose we’d amount to more than a bad joke or worse memory. Not a single friend, family member, neighbor, or stranger seemed to think it was a good idea. Even the kids in the band were dubious, but as is typically the case with kids, they were willing to give it a try. I’m not sure what my excuse was.

As time went on and we showed no sign of going away, people would crack jokes about us getting signed to a big record label, not because we were getting better (though we were, slowly but surely), but because it was yet another way of taunting us about how hopeless we were. Ironically, it was around that time that we started meeting other bands who, while they might have been better than we were, at least didn’t (usually) laugh at us.

We and our newfound friends began playing shows, shows that we mostly had to organize ourselves, and though we didn’t always get a ton of respect from the audiences, at least there were audiences, which was already way ahead of anything we’d dared to dream of. We never got signed to that big record label, but we never expected to, either. Instead, I started my own semi-big label. The Lookouts never sold a ton of records, but some of our friends’ bands sure did.

Most of you know this story already, or at least parts of it. So why am I bringing it up again? No, there’s no reunion tour or new record coming out. Nothing at all has happened in the world of the Lookouts except that I looked at our streaming royalties the other day (they’ve recently been creeping up into the low double digits) and realized that more people are now listening to the Lookouts than came to see us or bought our records during the entire five and a half years we existed as a band.

That’s pretty gratifying, and who knows, maybe in another hundred years, we’ll really start to have an impact. But what got me thinking, not for the first time, was how sometimes doing the dumbest thing possible can have a life-changing outcome, mostly if not entirely for the better?

I’m not exaggerating. Starting the Lookouts, as pointless and self-owning as it felt at the time, has colored and shadowed virtually everything that has happened to me since. If it hadn’t been for that band and what it led to, there would have been no Lookout Records, I never would have moved to Berkeley or London or New York, or traveled around the world, or learned Chinese, or written a couple of books and hundreds of magazine articles. Most likely I’d still be sitting up on Spy Rock picking ticks and twigs out of my beard, which by now would have grown down to my toenails.

I’m not the only one whose life was changed. Our drummer went on to win a few Grammies and is now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Our bassist and I didn’t quite reach those heights, but we produced some songs that are still being heard, sung, and, I daresay, loved, which is an awesome feeling.

I was trying to picture what it would have been like if, in 1985, a visitor from the future had dropped in on one of our off-the-grid, solar-powered practices to tell us, “Keep up the good work, boys. You may think no one cares now, and you’d be right, but in the year 2020, people around the world will still be listening to your music. You’ll be streaming on Spotify and Youtube, and reporters will be emailing you for interviews about what it was like back in the day, and…”

It would have been complete gibberish, of course. The internet didn’t exist; we barely had enough electricity to plug in our amps, and if the sun didn’t shine for a few days, we didn’t have that. The idea that within our lifetimes we’d be able to instantaneously communicate with millions or even billions of people, that they could gain access to your words or music with the touch of a button … well, we would have sent that guy back to the future in a hurry. “What a weirdo!” I can hear Tre or Kain saying.

But if I’m going to ponder how one dumb move can turn out to be one of the smartest or luckiest things ever, I’ve got to flip the coin over and explain how another dumb move – quite a few of them, in fact – can turn out to be just plain … dumb. And how the heck is a guy supposed to know the difference?

I’m not sure you can. I can’t help wanting to believe that we have a certain amount of intuition – call it a sixth sense, if you want – that lets you know (if you listen very carefully) when your apparent foolishness is really inspiration as opposed to your regular everyday doofishness. And though I can’t say I had a hunch during the early days of the Lookouts that this would lead to something big, by the time we’d been playing for a couple of years and were part of the early Gilman Street scene, I did know, with quiet but almost unswerving certainty, that we had become part of something that, to quote Tim Armstrong, no premonition could have seen.

There have been many times, of course, when I really wanted to do something even though I suspected it was a bad idea, when the whole universe was screaming at me, “Are you sure you want to jump off that cliff?” And more times than I’d care to recall, I went ahead and jumped off that cliff anyway. The fact that I’m still here, let alone in more or less one piece, continues to amaze me.

So doing the dumbest or most futile thing you can imagine doesn’t guarantee success; more often than not the outcome will be somewhere between mediocre and fatal. Yet, if people didn’t occasionally throw caution out the window and say “I don’t care who laughs at me or cries over my bones,” a lot of amazing stuff might never have happened. And if worse comes to worst, there’s still the chance that you’ll qualify for a posthumous Darwin Award.

“HOLY GOATS” GET SEASIDE LODGING AND SWEEPING COASTAL VIEWS

by Cat Spydell

As you drive by the quaint town of Little River on Highway 1 off the picturesque Mendocino coast, keep an eye out toward the cliffs. Off in the distance overlooking the surf, in a field encircled by one of the best panoramic views in the area, you may see a spattering of colorful goats. These are no ordinary goats; in fact they may seem blessed, with their gorgeous view of the ocean, three loyal LGDs (Livestock Guardian Dogs) protecting them, and kind humans coming to care for them daily. They are the “Holy Goats,” and their job is to munch the flammable weeds and dry brush that create a fire hazard in most of Mendocino County. These special goats enjoying the coastal expanse are our local fire prevention angels.

The brainchild of local pastor Matthew Davis, Holy Goats is a community asset to help with the area’s severe fire danger. In 2008 wildfire swept through over 120 locations in the county. Flames crawled nearby through the Philo/Elk/Navarro/Comptche region, reminding residents that there is a risk to living in the countryside among the native flora and grasses that can turn to tinder if ignited. Enter Holy Goats, a win/win solution for all who live in the fire danger zones of Mendocino County: the land owners get goats to trim down their untamed at-risk brush, the goats get free lunch, and the humans help to make sure that the animals and terrain are well-tended.

Holy Goats is becoming a reality a year after the idea was sparked. Working through the non-profit Conception Coast Project led by conservationist Dr. John Gallo, this caring-for-creation plan is gaining traction with local businesses and agencies. In fact, the Mendocino District Cemetery Board allocated a seed gift to get the goats eating. Holy Goats is assembling a low risk, low cost, one-year pilot program utilizing the heroic goat herd for brush abatement in Mendocino County, in order to reduce the possibility of uncontrolled forest fires.

Meet Marigold, a tall black, white, and yellow Nubian goat. She is just one member of the herd that can help a community stay safe during fire season. Marigold is sweet and curious, likes being scratched behind her ears, and enjoys following the humans around who visit. All of the 20 goats, like Marigold, are well cared for by capra guru Elisha Yager and other volunteers. The Holy Goats program even expects a couple of graduate student volunteers from Princeton Theological Seminary to receive a stipend to pitch in and stay with the goats, as well as serve other non-profits in the community, like Mendocino Redwood Retreat, the Woodlands State Park, and California State Parks. There is definite interest in the magical goats of Little River. Speaking of that quaint town of Little River . . . the Holy Goats program would not be possible without the generous encouragement by the owners of the Little River Inn, who gave these blessed goats their sweeping view and a place to call home, when they aren’t busy out in the fields helping others.

If you are interested in receiving an estimate to have the Holy Goats graze on your property, contact 20holygoats@gmail.com.

Additional information:

If you would like to support Holy Goats financially, send tax deductible donations to “Conception Coast Project” with memo line stating “Holy Goats” to: 1241 Willow Street, Fort Bragg, CA. 95437.

“Holy Goats” is a project fiscally sponsored by Conception Coast Project - (a 501(C)3, EIN: 77-0486094) - committed to protecting and restoring the natural heritage and community resilience of our regions through science, planning and community involvement.

Rev. Matthew E. Davis
Pastor, Mendocino Presbyterian Church
P.O.Box 105
Mendocino, CA. 95460-0105
(office) 707-937-5441
(cell) 707-337-9045
gravityofgrace@gmail.com
www.mendopres.org
www.gravityofgrace.com

ORIGINAL JOE