MCT: Thursday, April 30, 2020

• Light Drizzle
• Covid Update
• Grad Anguiano
• Evelyn McManus
• Grad Kerski
• Opie Hendricks
• Grad Medina
• Exorbitant Lease
• Testy Exchange
• Clematis
• SIP Updates
• Floral Art
• Cookhouse Mayhem
• Willits Sunset
• Bridge Jumper
• Who Rules
• Ed Notes
• Trust Science
• First Wave
• Wear Mask
• Nabbing Thieves
• Chinese Village
• Beach Access
• NY Stickball
• Student Photographs
• Yesterday's Catch
• Economic Weaknesses
• Healing Behavior
• Trump Cult
• Ambulance Drivers
• Rural Broadband
• Horus
• Market Volunteer
• Spiritual Renewal
• Challenging Time
• November Election
• Soft Strong
• Food Cooperatives
• Found Object

LIGHT DRIZZLE will continue this morning across Del Norte and coastal Humboldt Counties. Mild and mostly dry conditions are likely the remainder of Thursday and most of Friday, although some periods of light coastal drizzle will again be possible. Light to moderate rain is expected in many areas Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. (NWS)

MENDO COVID-19 UPDATE from Supervisor Ted Williams [MCN-Announce]

Mendocino County Public Health has performed 1019 tests, resulting in 12 positives, 8 in isolation, 4 recovered, 1 nearly recovered. Primary care tests performed at hospitals, clinics and private offices are not included, except positives, which are reported to public health by mandate. Testing capabilities remain insufficient. Humboldt and Sonoma counties operate their own public health laboratories. We contract with Sonoma County for lab services and Sonoma can process up to 50 tests per day for us. Our public health officer has stated a need of 150 tests per day in order to support maximum reopening. In addition to being blocked by public lab capacity, test kits remain in severely short supply. Not a partisan complaint, just a fact, support from our federal and state governments have not yet allowed our county to scale up testing. Several members of the public have offered assistance in locating testing facilities. I've been hesitant to add chaos, especially in light of questionable non-FDA approved tests reaching the market, but feel free to private message serious leads and I'll follow up. Covelo testing continued today with more planned.

For anyone who missed it, the Tuesday BOS meeting offered greater transparency about next steps. The state has retroactively renamed the current shelter-in-place to "phase 1" with phase 2 being the (May) limited reopening. We await guidance from the Governor, but we believe the limited reopening will include retail and outdoor recreation, shifting the determination from essential/non-essential to low-risk/greater-risk.

• 15 minute video, reopening, business/event categories
• 3+ hour video, full COVID clips
• 3+ hour audio only (by request)

Several people forwarded "locals only" beach/park signs taken in Santa Cruz. Unfortunately, according to officials with Santa Cruz County, these signs were not authorized or backed by a county order, but instead appear illegitimate and unenforceable. In fact, Santa Cruz is a poor example for reopening beaches with social distancing. They have implemented limited hours, blocking off the middle of the day as a means of reducing visitor impact. From what I've heard, the situation falls short of meeting the intended goals. Scratch that example. I've followed up on a number of other shared stories, all with similar conclusions. For example, several shared news of Orange County Supervisors initiating reopening, raising questions about our claim of Public Health Officer authority. Turns out it was essentially more fake news: "Orange County Supervisors Trigger Confusion With Reopening Guidelines".

As discussed on Tuesday and raised by many of my neighbors on the coast, visitors continue to arrive in significant numbers. We made progress in directing our Department of Transportation to begin an effort to place signs at county entrances with polite, but firm language. This discussion now involves state partners and was moving forward this afternoon. I believe the signs will help, but this alone is unlikely to completely mitigate the concern. Law enforcement cannot simply see a foreign license plate and ask visitors to leave. The public health intention is clear with a goal of facilitating greater reopening for local residents, but the implementation is problematic due to limited enforcement models. This is why the parks originally closed and we still don't have a solution. All ideas are welcome, especially best practices from other counties, ideally California counties. If it were as easy as a placard, checking ID or any of the many other suggestions in comments, it would have already been implemented. The challenge is illustrated by identical unresolved concern in visitor destinations across the state. We have asked the Governor's office for assistance. No matter how important Mendocino County feels to us, we represent 0.2% of the state population.

Temporarily, the state has taken control on the beach "problem": "Newsom to order all California beaches closed after seeing SoCal crowds": preview.tinyurl.com/y7er4qpp

Reopening will take place in phases. At each phase, we'll pause to collect and assess impact. As discussed a number of times, the county cannot be less restrictive than the state. In most regards, we do not have local control of the reopening. The State continues to follow the lead of six bay area counties working in alignment (and often in closed session, without pre-release of details to Mendocino). Phase 2 is anticipated to begin the limited reopening in early May with the updated Mendocino County order anticipated between the 8th and 10th. There is no question that the COVID-19 response is divisive with the community split. Some demand immediate restoration to full normal. Others urge for patience and precaution. My effort is to reopen as quick and as safe as possible, mitigating regression. The Board of Supervisors does not actually approve or reject the health orders. By state law, the appointed Public Health Officer creates the order in cooperation with the state. Where I can be effective is in highlighting local knowledge, unforeseen circumstances, unanticipated consequences, uneven application and as a liaison for review of reopening proposals. A transition of health officers in the next month or so is quite likely, but I do not imagine this will shift the strategy.

Locally and on the national stage, the reopening has been framed as a debate about how to weigh public health against economic destruction. This is not how I see the situation. I'm hopeful we can avoid expressing animosity with those who hold an opposing view from our own. Try looking through the lens of someone with vulnerable health, who could die as the result of COVID-19 exposure. Try looking through the lens of a business owner, life savings at risk due to the shut down. Both perspectives hold merit. Both situations are extremely stressful. Pandemics are dreadful. We will not come out unscathed, yet somehow we must dig out of the mess together. A component of our success in pandemic recovery is how we treat one another along the way. I see the economy and public health not at opposing ends, but on the same side of the scale. I recognize the hardship of all who are impacted. Please help us to steer away from personal attacks on social media, statements catalyzed by situational frustration and inevitably later regrettable.

More than flattening the curve in California, it seems we postponed the wave(s). Lifting all restrictions abruptly, it would not be a surprise to see a surge of cases, one that would put us back into severe sheltering with a more pronounced and longer order. Across the county, we have 2539 lodging rooms and hundreds of vacation rentals, with a strong concentration on the coast. Try doing the math at 70% occupancy. The number of unique visitors over a month competes with our coastal population. Public Health has not been specific about restrictions on tourism, but it's been unambiguous that tourism is seen as an insupportable risk for phase 2. Ideas about throttling exposure are being discussed, but nothing has been decided. I fully grasp the financial impact on lodging, restaurants, retail, fishing tours, kayak lessons, massage, weddings, caterers and every other intertwined business. Nobody can express precise next steps in detail at this point. We can only talk in probabilities and conditionals. I will be surprised if tourism related businesses significantly open in phase 2. The state has suggested phase 2 will last for perhaps three months.

The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate in the January-March quarter, but this was only a glimpse of the impact and our county will be disproportionally impacted ( tinyurl.com/yctxfas2 ). County staff feels trepidation about forecasting out of fear of being wrong and setting businesses up for failure, but silence also induces business and personal risk. I'll do my best to convey expectations according to what I'm able to absorb from daily meetings. My day began with a conference focused on drafting the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, an exercise fraught with unknowns. For the moment, every path leads to covid recovery.

EVELYN CHRISTINE MCMANUS, 1935-2020

Evelyn Christine McManus was born on October 5, 1935 in Wenatchee, Washington and passed away peacefully in Eureka on April 7, 2020.

Evelyn was 84 years old and is survived by her sons Dave Parris (Nadine), James Mc Manus Jr. (Bobbi), her daughters Lorrie Anderson (Dean), Gigi Wehmeyer (Johnny) and Stephanie Adams (Rick). She is survived by her sister Betty Howell of Sacramento, her grandchildren Shawnatee Parris (Boston), Christine Tyson (Mike), David (DJ) Parris (Taylor), Kevin Anderson, Lindsay Mendes (Nicona), Allen Wehmeyer (Marcella), Misty Nichols (Justin), Jed Adams (Angel), Kelli Adams, Jeramiah Mc Manus, Noah Brown, Tianna Brown and adopted grandson Billy. Evelyn was proceded in death by her husband James Mc Manus, her brother Eugene (Buddy) Stanfield, her sister Ruby Hinthorn (Macy) and her parents Lester and Rosella (Rosie) Stanfield.

Evelyn spent her early years in Wenatchee, growing up with many of her cousins on her fathers side of the family. Although most of the family there were apple grows, her father (Lester) was a mechanic by trade and was well known for his ability to fix anything requiring wheels. Evelyn’s mother (Rosie) was a master welder during the war and was very “hands on deck” with their children. Times were difficult in the ‘30s and ‘40s, so the family decided to pack up and move south to Oregon, where they resided in Cottage Grove for a short period of time. Evelyn and her sister, Betty, had several horses over the years and were very competitive in local fairs and rodeos.

The family soon lifted roots again and moved to Eureka where they purchased a home on 14th Street and raised many animals, including helping a cow give birth to a two-headed calf. Evelyn’s father was very strict with his daughters and would never allow them to date before the age of 18 years old. Needless to say they would sneak out and meet the local boys in the middle of the night without dad’s knowledge.

On one occasion when they were in their teens, their brother decided to take his sisters and several other friends to the Midway Drive-in in his ‘34 Ford. Back then the drive-in charged by the head so the boys decided to hide in the trunk of the car and let Evelyn drive them into the show. Well, being a little mischievous, Evelyn made a plan with the girls in the car to speed down Highway 101 with the boys locked in the trunk and the girls decided to scream just before slamming on the brakes, giving her brother the impression they were about to crash. Needless to say, by the time they opened the trunk her brother was boiling mad!

In 1954, Evelyn was 19 years old when she met a young 21-year-old boy named Dave Parris Sr., who was in Eureka working as a mailman. He won her heart with his charming Southern accent and they married soon after. Dave’s parents lived in Mississippi, and as soon as they learned of the marriage, they immediately traveled to Eureka and convinced a local judge to order an annulment of their son to Evelyn. Dave’s parents then drove Dave back to Mississippi, where he was never to enter California again. It was shortly thereafter that Evelyn discovered she was with child and Dave Parris Jr. was born.

A year later, Evelyn met a farm boy named Clayton (Butch) McDonald who was from Oregon and they soon fell in love. They were married in Longview, Washington without her parents’ knowledge in 1956. When they returned to Eureka and told her parents about the marriage, her father was beside himself. In addition, Evelyn and the family soon learned the farm boy from Ranier, Oregon was only 15 years old! Course everyone would agree that Butch seemed much older then he originally disclosed. Both Evelyn and Butch were very self-motivated and discovered there was great money to be made in renovating old Eureka homes. They are both credited with buying, renovating and reselling many homes in Eureka in their early years of marriage. They soon decided to have more children. Butch was well known for his carpentry skills and after many years of marriage decided he wanted to move to the state of Washington, where many more job opportunities were being offered. This was not going to be in Evelyn’s plan and quickly decided Eureka was where she wanted to raise her children, so Butch was off to Washington to find his fortune. They would later divorce and Evelyn was again on her own but this time with three children.

Evelyn soon learned that she would have to put her hard-working skills in place now that she was raising three children on her on. She always had an interest in the field of real estate and with her vast knowledge of renovating homes, she concluded this would be a great career. She started studying for the real estate test and finally the big day arrived … the test. She was very nervous especially when she was hearing from local agents that most don’t pass the test on the first try. She often described to her children how confident she was when she completed the test and walked out the door. Her words were clear, “I passed.” After a few weeks of patiently waiting, her confidence served her well … she passed. She was soon welcomed to her new job at “Cutten Realty,” where she worked with and had become good friends with Mark Wahlund and Lee Hobbs. She loved the work and sold many homes in Eureka but learned after many hardships that real estate can be a hard way to make a living. It was very competitive. She eventually purchased a large Victorian home on 8th Street in Eureka, where she rented many rooms to local students and businessman. One day, Jim McManus, a longtime friend from her high school days, decided to rent a room, making it very convenient to walk to his job where he was the sales manager of McCrea Datsun. They built on their past relationship as friends over the years and soon fell in love. Evelyn would often describe how Jim was her true love that took a long time to find. They went on to built a wonderful life by building and renovating several Eureka dream homes over the years and raising all of their children.

Evelyn’s great love was gardening. Several years back, she and Jim purchased a beautiful home on Buhne Street, where her garden became a beautiful site for neighbors and family to gather and admire the incredible blooming flowers all year long. She passed on many of her gardening secrets to her children — especially her daughter, Lorrie. You could pass by Evelyn’s home on any one day and see Lorrie along side of her mother changing and improving the appearance of the garden. Many of her children would describe Evelyn’s connection to her garden gave her a sense of stillness. This was really noticed by her children when they would stop by on a busy day and drop their life experiences on her and she had the ability to always listen first and give a supportive opinion.

In September 2019, Evelyn had a stroke at her home. Over the next several months, recovery was difficult as she lost her movement on her right side. It had always been understood that family would take care of family at home if at all possible and that is exactly what happened. Evelyn’s daughters, Lorrie and Gigi, stepped up to the plate and were by Evelyn’s bedside until she passed away. Although during her fight to live, Evelyn participated in the St. Joseph Hospital Rehabilitation Program, where the staff are to be commended for their excellent care. In the last several weeks, Hospice of Humboldt provided services to Evelyn and the family which can only be described as suburb. They are a caring and professional organization and we are very appreciative. Evelyn had two very special friends which deserve mentioning, too: Pete Belack and Nancy Pfeifer.

Due to the COVID-19 virus precautions, there will be no celebration of life at this time. When the crisis is over, a gathering will be planned to honor Evelyn. In lieu of flowers, please donate to our Eureka Humboldt for Hospice.

OPIE HENDRICKS, 1929-2020

Opie Hendricks passed away on Easter morning at the age of 90 with his family at his bedside. Opie touched many lives, from his business of Opie’s Fine Cars, his community service and his love of life.

Opie was born in Center Ridge, Arkansas on December 14, 1929. He joined the Army in 1948. He moved to California in 1950 and finished his military service with the National Guard in 1953. In 1951 he made his best decision and married his wife, Imogene.

Opie was a confident man — once he put his mind to something, he would make it happen. He had a vision to bring McKinleyville a car lot. In 1968, Opie’s Fine Cars opened its doors and remained a thriving business for over 50 years. One of his iconic phrases was “The coffee is always on up on the hill in McKinleyville.”

Opie was never satisfied with remaining idle. One of his favorite sayings was “Make that dog hunt.” He became involved in Independent Auto Dealers Association of California (IADAC) and was a past president and later went on to become president of the National Independent Auto Dealers Association (NIADA).

Opie was a community figure in McKinleyville, and he loved community service. Opie was president of the Mad River Chapter of Rotary. He was a Grand Marshal of Pony Express Days. He donated a car for Safe and Sober graduation events, and he taught students at local high schools on how to buy a car. He often sponsored Little League teams.

Opie is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 69 years, Imogene; his four children, Dennis Hendricks (Kathi), Greg Hendricks (Karen), Debra Littlefield (Chris) and Michelle Hendricks-Pollace (Dan); his eight grandchildren, Ian Hendricks, Calen Davis, Chris Davis, Sophia Pollace, Lauren Washington, Avery Washington, Dustin Littlefield, Jaycie Littlefield; and two great-grandchildren, Sloan and Zia Coburn.

He is survived by his brother, Wayne Hendricks, and preceded in death by siblings Louise Farrar, Edward Hendricks, Victor Hendricks, Dan Hendricks and Sue Pate.

There is a viewing at Paul’s Chapel on Thursday from 1 to 3. Opie will have a celebration of life at a future date.

MENDO PAYS ALMOST $32k PER MONTH for an unused (so far) vacant nursing home for six months (or more)?

From CEO Angelo’s CEO Report, April 28, 2020:

Whitmore Lane Alternate Care Site Update

In March, 2020, the Chief Executive Officer, acting in capacity as Director of Emergency Services, issued an order commandeering a vacant skilled nursing facility located at 131 Whitmore Lane, Ukiah. This facility establishes surge capacity as an emergency protective measure related to the COVID-19 pandemic for emergency congregate shelter and housing for members of the public, including but not limited to housing individuals awaiting test results or in quarantine due to having the virus. The site is leased for six months, with an option to extend. The monthly lease rate of $31,550 is approximately $415 per bed, per month. The building had been vacant for an extended period of time, and work has been completed to re-establish utility services and ensure full functionality. After-the-fact authorization to establish a Capital Improvement Project for this work will be brought to the Board at a forthcoming meeting.

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A READER COMMENTS: 

Mr. AVA,

One of the most interesting moments in Tuesday’s BoS meeting, which you chose to omit, was the Chair of the Board’s authority being challenger by Supervisor McCowen. After Supervisor Williams had been allowed to ask a dozen questions of the MHD, Supervisor McCowen took exception with the Chair not allowing him to do the same, it got rather testy…

Then there was the attempt to slip by a proposed change in the rules for time limits of Supervisor questions and comments. Really Mr. Chair, what’s the rush? Regardless the majority prevailed and they, the other four Sups, got there way.

This was the rub on Supervisor Haschak when he was involved in the Willits school business, a bit of a bully.

MARK SCARAMELLA COMMENTS: We didn’t “choose to omit” this incidental moment in the meeting, we just didn’t consider it very important given the seriousness of the subject at hand. We understand the reader’s unfavorable opinion of Supervisor Haschak, but this little exchange is minor in comparison with his disappointing lack of engagement on so many important issues. 

CLEMATIS

VIA KATHY WYLIE:

Joint Statement of the Seven Bay Area Health Officers on Upcoming Extension and Revisions to the Current Shelter-in-Place Orders

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Later this week, the Public Health Officers of the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara as well as the City of Berkeley will issue revised shelter-in-place orders that largely keep the current restrictions in place and extend them through May. The new order will include limited easing of specific restrictions for a small number of lower-risk activities.

The shelter-in-place orders in effect across the seven jurisdictions are set to expire on May 3, 2020. Thanks to the collective effort and sacrifice of the 7 million residents across our jurisdictions, we have made substantial progress in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, ensuring our local hospitals are not overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, and saving lives. At this stage of the pandemic, however, it is critical that our collective efforts continue so that we do not lose the progress we have achieved together. Hospitalizations have leveled, but more work is needed to safely re-open our communities. Prematurely lifting restrictions could easily lead to a large surge in cases.

The Health Officers will also release a set of broad indicators that will be used to track progress in preparedness and response to COVID-19, in alignment with the framework being used by the State of California. Future easing of restrictions requires that each jurisdiction and various sectors continue to rapidly build critical infrastructure and systems to respond to and control the spread of coronavirus infections and to ensure the health care system’s ability to meet demand.

This global pandemic of COVID-19 is still in its early stages. The virus spreads easily, testing capacity is limited and expanding slowly, and vaccine development is just beginning. We expect to be responding to COVID-19 in our communities for a long time. As effective as our efforts have been, if we move too fast to ease restrictions, the potential of exponential spread could have grave impacts to health and wellness of our residents as well as the economy.

The Health Officers of these seven jurisdictions have been working closely together in leading a unified, regional approach, to protect the health and safety of our residents. Details regarding this next phase will be shared later in the week, along with the updated order.

CULINARY CHAOS IN HISTORY

by Katy M. Tahja

“Drunken Woodsmen Wreck Cookhouse-Raise Hades at Little Valley Camp.” That’s what a headline in the Mendocino Beacon reported in the November 23, 1918 issue. This is the story about cooks and their customers. 

North of Fort Bragg Union Lumber Company had a logging crew in a recently established camp east of Cleone in an extensive stand of fir. Members of the camp got inebriated and destroyed the cookhouse and its contents. Why? The camp cooks were not treating them right. 

Could it have been political action during labor strife? At first, investigators thought it was an International Workers of the World disruption, or an Anarchists contingent with a labor gripe. But no. It was reported as a group of sore-headed Finns who got tanked up extensively in Fort Bragg and decided to take out their spite on the camp cook, who wasn’t treating them right. 

Befuddled and in an intoxicated condition they ran the Chinese cook and his steward out of their cabin, looted it, then turned their attention on the cookhouse. They destroyed all the windows, smashed the wood range and broke all the camp dishes. Then they littered the place with food and provisions, scattering flour, sugar, beans, coffee and more over the floor. They ended up their orgy by shooting up the camp. 

Understand readers that the Marshal came out the next day and corralled the raiders, bringing them to town and lodging them in jail. The miscreants were Charles Waara, John Konu, Otto Saari, Enar Johnson and Issac Jacobsen, the camp boss. 

So what caused the outrage? They’d recently been employed at the Company’s new camp on the Noyo River near Irmulco, where a small bunch of timber was being cut on the railroad right-of-way. 

The Chinese cook at this camp had favored this Finn contingent in every way possible giving them lunches between meals and all the sugar they wanted. When they found they were to be transferred to the coast they endeavored to have the cook transferred also. The Company had already chosen a new cook for the new camp in Little Valley and said NO. This new cook and his steward did not show any special favors to the bunch and they soon waxed sore and decided to run the Chinese out and the rampage resulted. 

One Chinese man claimed the loss of $125 and the other $85 which disappeared from their cabin when the bunch looted it. The Sheriff came out and the District Attorney planned to prosecute the offenders. One would question if they were ever allowed to work for Union Lumber Company again and how much restitution they had to pay. 

It was said logging camps and sawmills ran on the quality of their cooks. Good food meant happy workers. Bad food and you had problems. But seldom did your preference for one chef over another lead to such mayhem. 

WILLITS SUNSET

NOYO BRIDGE JUMPER

Fort Bragg Police Department Wednesday @ 11:38 am: — On Tuesday, April 28, at approximately 5:50 pm, officers were dispatched to the area of the Noyo Bridge for a report of a subject standing on the opposite side of the safety railing.

Upon arrival, officers observed the male on the east side of the bridge standing on the opposite side of the safety railing. Prior to the officers being able to make contact with the subject he leaped from the bridge and into the Noyo River.

Medical and Fire personnel were requested to respond and officers responded to the north shore of the Noyo River. When they arrived, officers observed a bystander who had a small rowboat had been able to pull the subject on board. He was brought to a nearby dock where medical, fire, and law enforcement officers personnel were waiting.

The subject (a 32-year-old male from Sonoma County) was transported via ambulance to the Mendocino Coast District Hospital for initial treatment and evaluation. He was later transferred to an out of county trauma facility. Mental Health was also contacted and alerted of the incident.

A K-9 belonging to the subject was recovered from the bridge by law enforcement. The K-9 is in good health and was transported to the Humane Society for care.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Anthony Melendez at (707) 961-2800 ext. 169 or at amelendez@fortbragg.com.

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MSP Coverage Tuesday

MSP was listening to the scanner when this incident went down and managed to get a photo "live" of the man rowing the jumper to the dock in his rubber raft from the Sportsman Park camera. Thanks to all who forwarded us photos from the scene:

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Breaking News...

Subject Just Jumped Off Noyo River Bridge

The scanner said (5:53 pm) Fort Bragg Police were out with a subject standing on the "outside of the railing" at the east side of the north end of the Noyo River bridge - then they jumped off the 15-story structure into the river. They left their dog & belongings on the sidewalk.

The subject jumped into the water at the north end of the bridge and was "floating" - and there was a man in a raft attempting to pull him into a raft - the jumper was still alive.

MCDH ambulance #9140 was dispatched and will head to the harbor near the rowing club building. They are asking about the availability of an air ambulance.

At 6:10 pm, REACH 18 said they cannot land in Fort Bragg due to fog but could respond to an area on Highway 20 where there was no fog. First responders said they were "packaging" the patient for transport to the Mendocino Coast District Hospital so the air ambulance was canceled.

More info when we get it...

The last jump off the bridge was a March 25th fatal plunge when a woman jumped from the southern end - onto the rocks.

At 6:36 pm, ambulance #9140 reported they were at the Coast Hospital. They started the transport at 6:16 pm...

(via MendocinoSportsPlus)

ED NOTES

ALL THESE YEARS the secondary school people have been telling us that they're teaching "critical thinking." It seems that millions flunked. Anti-vaxxers are selling misinformation about coronavirus vaccines before one even exists, doing their lunatic best to undermine confidence in what could be our best bet to beat back the beast.

AMONG THEIR wilder claims, anti-vaxxers are claiming that Dr. Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, is blocking cures to enrich vaccine makers. And Bill Gates is alternately planning to use vaccination as cover for his scheme to microchip everyone and/or murder millions of people to relieve population pressures. 

MY FAMILY came down hard on me, the very cynosure of reason, for "not taking the virus seriously" when I merely pointed out that the odds of getting it are very long given our addresses. I've revised my opinion with the ominous news that the infection is popping up in unexpected places and among populations previously thought naturally resistant, people like the young and healthy. Without tipping all the way into teeth-chattering paranoia, I'm washing my hands many times a day and religiously masking up whenever I enter a store. What I find scariest of all is the widespread notion, thanks to the chuckle buddy media especially, that we'll bounce right back at some point to our prior lotus-eating state. The social-economic ramifications of this one are going to be a lot worse than we anticipate. (Please excuse the pontificating. Just saying what it looks like to me.)

DR. FAUCI, for those of you who prefer medical science over the internet equivalent of rattling chicken bones in coffee cans, has said the emergence of a highly infectious disease such as the coronavirus is a nightmare scenario that "keeps me up at night." If he's worried, everyone should be, and everyone should get with the social distancing and isolation programs wherever they are. "What keeps me up at night is the emergence of a brand new infection, likely jumping species from an animal, that's respiratory born, highly transmissible, with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. And, lo and behold, that's where we are right now. And the reason it's so unprecedented, it exploded upon us."

THE GOOD NEWS. The FDA may approve emergency use authorization of Ebola drug remdesivir after Dr. Fauci praised the results of one study as "proof that a drug can block this virus." Which it did with a guy in Washington state who was on the way out when he agreed, in desperation, to allow doctors to try it with him.

THE BAD NEWS. FEMA has ordered 100,000 more COVID-19 body bags to prepare for "worst case scenario" of a second deadlier wave of coronavirus this fall.

MEANWHILE, in Boonville, the ladies at the Anderson Valley Market told me today that a surprising number of outsiders are still passing through, asking questions like, "Is there a hotel around here?" 

TOTALLY APPROVE THIS ANON MESSAGE: "Apparently it takes about 100 years for people to forget just what and how bad a pandemic can really be. And just like the last one in 1918 and 1919, there's going to be a lot whose memories have faded with time and ideology, who are doomed to repeat the same self-destruction. Masks, people. Masks. It isn't that hard, and it isn't something you might get a second chance on. Remember - this is just the first wave. We can expect from 2-3 more over the next year, year and a half. Get used to it. And have a nice day!"

100 YEARS AGO IN AMERICA: Wear a mask or go to jail.

JUST IN FROM LAKE COUNTY: THREE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED BURGLARIES IN LAKE COUNTY

On Tuesday, April 28, the Lake County Record-Bee published its report on the arrest of 3 local individuals (well known in North Lakeport and Northshore areas which are currently plagued by tweakers/thieves like these) who made the mistake of attempting to rip off someone in the high-dollar enclave known as “Buckingham Park.” 

Sheriff’s deputies were quickly dispatched to the area, where they intercepted the vehicle the thieves were driving, based on a phone call from a “witness.” The report goes on to say that “all three suspects had been ‘captured on surveillance video committing a separate burglary earlier in the morning in Lucerne,’ the sheriff’s office said.” 

Two of the arrestees are well known in the Upper Lake / Nice / Lucerne area; the third (Ms. Berry) has been identified (by nearby neighbors) as the girlfriend of the tweaker-thief gang leader in the Scotts Valley area, annecdotally related to the late 2019 murder of one of their customers from Lucerne — a case that is still “under investigation” by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. 

The Lake County Record-Bee editor was contacted in an email “letter to the editor” about the prolonged lack of response to pleading neighbors in all of the locations mentioned above (some neighbors in Scotts Valley stated that they have been robbed continuously, and been unable to get the local LE agency to even come out and take a look, for around two years). The Record-Bee editor himself was robbed when he lived briefly in Lucerne, over a year ago — prompting him to move to another area in the county; he forwarded the “letter to the editor” along with his own inquiry to the Lake County Sheriff, who responded yesterday by describing the lack of resources he has been explaining in civic and administrative meetings for the same past two years. 

We sympathsize with the LE enforcement agencies, who are now under further operational constraints due to the recent “decisions” made by the California Judicial Council, under which “non-violent” (a.k.a., “serious”) felons must be cited and released using a $0 bail mechanism: newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/judicial-council-adopts-new-rules-to-lower-jail-population-suspend-evictions-and-foreclosures

But we have to object to the obvious favoritism displayed by the SO's immediate dispatching of arresting officers to serve the “better off” Buckingham peninsula residents, while the rest of us are virtually ignored. The “rest of us” are law abiding citizens, some with children or grand children who are vulnerable to the threatening behaviors of aggressive anti-social persons with no respect for others’ rights (let alone the environment). 

We are not the wealthy, we are the hardworking people who follow the rules, pay our taxes, maintain compliance with myriad local “codes” and “ordinances” as best we know how, and strive to help our neighbors and friends as we all struggle through never-ending economic bad times. In other words, “sitting ducks” for the rapatious and often cognitively impaired criminal class. 

And if you look at the arrest records of all three individuals, you will see that these are exemplars of Lake County low-life methamphetamine maniacs. Attempting to grasp a “bigger picture” of this phenomenon, we turned to peer-reviewed, journal published literature, including this helpful wrapup of the nationwide societal plague: ”The Methamphetamine Problem in the United States.” 

[https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103600

And, while searching for outside resources that might be able to assist local agencies, we came across this lovely organization: The “Northern California Regional Intelligence Center,” which hosts a websection devoted to the “High Intensity Drug Trafficing Area” in which our territories are one of 29 groups across the country: whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/HIDTA_2019_letter_Sep2019.pdf

Civilians need not apply — requests for info/help may be submitted only by “NC HIDTA / NCRIC Partners” — i.e., the cops themselves. If these agencies are conducting programs that might lead to meritorious victories for their well-rewarded heroism, it looks like we’re the bait for their taxpayer funded rat traps. 

Betsy Cawn

Upper Lake, California

CHINESE VILLAGE

HAUL ROAD COMMENTARY CONTINUES:

[1] State Parks are not locally controlled. This decision would have to come from the State. Personally, I’m grateful that Mendocino County‘s leaders (and those of most other Northern California counties) are listening to the science and behaving in a responsible manner to keep residents healthy. As of this morning, California has 45,000 cases (not hundreds of thousands). The handful of infections in Mendocino County have all been traced to individuals who brought the virus in from outside. The concern is that if our beaches re-open they will attract visitors from out of the area who will bring the virus into the local population. Even if they all walk the beaches at a safe distance, they will also pump gas, shop in open businesses, toss picnic trash in public bins, use the porta potties, etc. Hard as it is, let’s stay in our "logical selves,” as Cuomo recommends, and stay the course. 

[2] Are there any beaches that are open? It seems counterintuitive that we do not have any beach access and have no known active coronavirus cases on the Mendocino County coast, when beaches are open in other counties in California (Santa Cruz - 124, Ventura - 503, Orange - 2,126) where there are hundreds or thousands of coronavirus cases. I know we don’t want to put our county at risk but it seems like we could open a beach like Ten Mile and be able to keep the appropriate physical distance. 

[3] The Pudding Creek Trestle and the haul road north of it are part of McKerricher State Park. All state parks are totally closed even to hikers and bikers by order of the governor. Same goes for Big River Beach, Van Damme State Park and beach and Navarro Beach. Hope that will change soon. Realistically, chances of spreading the CV in the open air are vanishingly small, especially with face coverings and maintaining proper distancing. 

THE FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK IS "PAUSED" until further notice

"Shelter In Place" - 11th Annual Student Photography Show (May 1-30, 2020)

It is the month of May when Corner Gallery in Ukiah exhibits the works of aspiring student photographers from Ukiah High School. Every year there are over five hundred photographs on display at the gallery. The coronavirus slowed the show this year but it will not stop it. "Shelter In Place" features photographs focused on the effect the virus has had on students' lives. The photographs are displayed in Corner Gallery windows and available for viewing from the sidewalk. Stop by the gallery if you are on a walk downtown (please observe social distancing) or visit our online gallery at photos.app.goo.gl/w3WPTTkzczzfcCMGA

The show goes on.

Corner Gallery/Art Center

201 South State Street, Ukiah, CA

(707) 462-1400 www.cornergalleryukiah.com

CATCH OF THE DAY, April 29, 2020

VINCENT HERNANDEZ, Ukiah. County parole violation.

CASEY IRELAND, Willits. Parole violation.

DEANNA MADRID, Calpella. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, domestic battery, probation revocation.

BILLYJOHN ULLOA, Littlefield/Piercy. Vehicle theft, taking vehicle without owner’s consent, controlled substance.

SHOCKWAVE

In March, as Europe and the US began to apprehend the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic, investors panicked. Financial markets plunged. The rout was so severe that on several occasions in the second and third week of March, normal market functioning was in question. The prices of US Treasuries, the ultimate safe asset for investors all over the world, swung wildly as fund managers, scrambling for cash, sold everything they could sell. In the foreign exchange market, through which more than $6 trillion normally swirl every day, the traffic was all one way: out of every currency in the world, into dollars. No market can function for long like that. Sterling plunged. Even gold was sold off. This was not a banking crisis like the one in 2008, but, had it not been for the spectacular intervention carried out by the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, we would now be facing not only the ravages of Covid-19 and the disastrous social and economic consequences of the lockdown, but a financial heart attack as well. 

Instead, we are experiencing a shockwave of credit contraction. Production and employment have shrunk dramatically. Huge programs of government spending have been set in motion, not to create new jobs but to sustain the economy on life-support. The challenge isn’t merely technical. This is a global crisis, which affects virtually every community on the planet. And it has exposed stark differences between the major economic blocs, such that it is now more difficult than ever to understand how the thing we call the world economy actually fits together.

The three great centers of production, exchange and corporate activity are the US, China and the Eurozone. These economic hubs are tied together through flows of trade, organized through complex supply chains that span the globe. Each of the three hubs has a hinterland extending into neighboring regions in Latin America, East Central Europe, Africa and across Asia. They are all stitched into a global financial system that uses the US dollar as its currency of trade and credit. 

Each of the three hubs has characteristic weaknesses. The worry about China is the sustainability of its debt-fuelled economic growth. The basic weaknesses of the Eurozone are that it still doesn’t have a backstop for its rickety banking system and that it lacks a shared fiscal capacity; what’s more, Italy’s finances are so weak that they continually threaten to upset European solidarity. In the US, the national institutions of economic policy actually work: they demonstrated this in 2008 and are doing so again now. The Fed and the Treasury exert a huge influence not only over the US economy but the entire global system. The question is how they stand in relation to a profoundly divided American society and how their technocratic style of policymaking is received by the know-nothing nationalist right wing of the Republican Party and its champion in the White House.

Over recent years, each of these weaknesses has at various times seized the attention of the fund managers and business leaders who direct global business, and the experts and technicians who advise them. It isn’t a secret that China’s debt bubble, Europe’s divisions and America’s irrational political culture pose a challenge to the functioning of what we know as the world economy. 

What caused the panic last month was the realization that Covid-19 has exposed all three weaknesses simultaneously. Indeed, in Europe and the US the failure of government has been so severe that we now face a public health catastrophe and an economic disaster at the same time. And to make matters worse, Donald Trump appears tempted to juggle the two.

— Adam Tooze, London Review of Books

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I literally cannot believe that anyone could say with a straight face that the daily Trump clown show (a) reflects a president “working hard”, or (b) is anything other than shameless TV time. Even the timing is cynical … 5-7 PM to cut into the evening news peak, and to dampen any fact-checking or criticism. It hasn’t saved one life, and probably cost many. It’s laughable – but I guess to the cult he walks on water – or perhaps bleach. And UV light shines out of his butt.

BROADBAND

Editor,

About four years ago, I went onto the Federal Communications Commission website to offer the following recommendation to extend high speed broadband to rural and underserved communities:

The federal government would provide 100% financing to design, build and connect high-speed fiber-optic lines. States would create agencies to construct these fiber-optic lines and own and maintain them. The last mile connection to governments, education facilities, businesses, nonprofits and residential properties would be done by a local internet service provider.

This would generate business where there was no business for these local companies. They could sell internet and phone services. They would maintain the accounts for a monthly maintenance fee that would go to the state to maintain the fiber-optic lines.

It’s a simple solution with two governments and local businesses.

Installing fiber-optic high-speed broadband lines is expensive, which is why the major internet companies have ignored these areas. The amount of revenue generated doesn’t make financial sense. Underserved communities would be in suburban and urban areas in lower-income areas.

Unfortunately, the FCC ignored my recommendation.

Andrew Smith

Santa Rosa

FARMERS MARKET HELP WANTED

I am looking for 1 or 2 people to help maintain a safe environment at the Boonville Farmers' Market. You would be our COVID safety team reminding folks to maintain proper social distancing and making sure everyone is wearing a mask. If interested, please email me. This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity ? aforestperson@gmail.com

The market starts this Friday at Disco Ranch from 4-6pm.

SENSIBLE WORDS FROM GRETA KANNE, Willits City Council:

It's been 10 days since I last posted, but that doesn't mean I've been on hiatus. Honestly, I haven't known what to say. Those of you who know me, know I'm not a politician. I'm a Main Street mom & pop business owner who got convinced by Pete Swanton and Victor Hanson to run for city council. In the year and a couple of months that I've sat on the dais, I've done my best to represent our community, to listen with impartiality, and to make decisions that would benefit the greatest number of people.

Despite a couple of Grumpy Gusses, things were going fairly smoothly. Then COVID-19 happened. Right now our city, our business community, our schools, our hospital, and countless households have been totally upended. No one is doing "business as usual".

We all know someone who has said, "The SIP hasn't bothered me in the least - we already KNOW how to be isolated in rural commnunities!" But I believe that not one of us has been truly unaffected by this. We are all feeling various levels of stress and concern.

I'm going to be honest with you: in my best moments I believe we will weather this and that the resilience and self-sufficiency we pride ourselves with having will carry us through. In my worst moments, I feel less confident.

I understand the anger of the people worried about personal freedom and I understand the worry of those who have compromised immune systems. They are both valid points of view.

Sometimes I wish I was an absolutist who know without doubt that my way is the right way. But I'm cursed with the ability to hear both sides and to care for both. Let me tell you, it sucks.

I don't have answers for you right now. Business owners you know PPP is a disaster, EIDL is not going to save you, and no amount of free business counseling is going to make this situation less painful. Parents: I won't even tell you that suddenly becoming a teacher, explaining to your child why they can't go to the park or visit their grandparents is easy to do. It's a crazy ask and you're incredible for attempting it. Front line workers (healthcare, retail, emergency, government) I won't even try to pretend that the stress people at home are feeling, equals what you're feeling learning new ways to do your jobs while constantly worried about exposure.

No one is untouched by this.

Here's what I CAN say: I will keep going. I will keep asking for more and I will keep telling the story of our community to the county, the state and the Feds. I won't always get it right, but I won't give up. You don't either, OK?

NOT IF, BUT HOW: CALIFORNIA PREPARES FOR AN ALL VOTE-BY-MAIL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER

This coming November, every one of California’s more than 20 million registered voters may receive a ballot in the mail — whether they ask for one or not. In fact, many election administrators and advocates say it’s inevitable.

calmatters.org/blogs/california-election-2020/2020/04/california-all-vote-by-mail-november-election-newsom/

FEED SONOMA: AG CO-OPS WILL HELP SAVE THE WORLD

by Jonah Raskin

“Building a new world in the shell of the old.”

– IWW slogan

Co-operation will save the world, and so will co-operatives like “Feed Sonoma,” a farmer-worker owned co-op in the making said to be the first of its kind in the state of California. The California Center for Cooperative Development, which is based in Davis, has been working overtime to sell the idea of co-operatives. Tim Page, the co-founder of Feed Sonoma, calls himself “the facilitator of goodness.” He has bought into the notion of cooperation big time. A bit of a prankster as well as a fellow with bushels of business savvy, he’s performing a hell of a lot of good these days. Once a week for the past six weeks, I have purchased a $35 box with veggies and fruits from Feed Sonoma, which has been growing like crazy during the pandemic.

Like me, thousands of hungry families eager for fresh produce have signed up online for boxes filled with little gem romaine lettuce, radishes, kale, savory spinach, white turnips, spearmint, Valencia oranges and smoked salt which makes everything taste a little bit better. Customers pick up boxes at a dozen or so distribution points, from Healdsburg to the town of Sonoma and all the way to Oakland. With the arrival of summer, there will be strawberries and much more in each and every box.

During the last few weeks, sales have jumped from 90 boxes to 450 and then to 1800. The goal is 4,000. Eighty farmers participate, including Paul Wirtz who says, “Tim makes it financially feasible and leaves it up to me to decide what to grow.”

Joe Hill would join Feed Sonoma, and so would Big Bill Haywood and his brothers and sisters in the IWW.

Page, whom I have known for the past four years, wants to make the world a better place, box-by-box, by vegetable Eighty or so local farmers, from Sonoma to Petaluma and beyond are helping him, as he helps himself, along with the subscribers to FEED Sonoma, and its masked employees who fill boxes twice a week at a big (14,000 square-foot) warehouse near Penngrove. Ever since March, Page has been working 15-hour days, six days a week, and without a sales or a marketing team, though he relies on Instagram and a newsletter to inform customers. Word-of-mouth helps more than anything else.

“We’re not yet perfect,” Page tells me. “Sometimes subscribers get the wrong box and sometimes spinach gets bruised.” “We want to feed all the people,” Page says as we sit in the shade outside the warehouse. “We don’t only want to supply elite restaurants.” Last week Solful, the Sebastopol cannabis dispensary, bought boxes for all its employees. “Sonoma is not the only beautiful place in the world with real agricultural diversity,” Page says. “There are others like it, from the Pacific Northwest to New Zealand. But Sonoma is definitely one of them. We want it to continue to be an agricultural powerhouse.”

(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.)

FOUND OBJECT