MCT: Friday, May 29, 2020

• Low Pressure
• Five More Cases
• Triple Conjunction
• Jerry Bowers
• Vesuvius Moon
• Accelerated Reopening
• Discontinuing Enforcement
• Philo Church
• AV Testing
• Numerous Buddhas
• Eviction Ban
• Rose Bunch
• Farmers' Market
• Navarro Pier
• OmlerCare
• PA Church
• Ed Notes
• Yesterday's Catch
• Bailout Hoarders
• Save Yourselves
• Big Salaries
• Klobuchar's Record
• Ukiah Church
• Mendocino Wastewater
• Groundwater Input
• Mendocino Church
• NBA Season
• Fireworks Fizzle
• Tokyo Fuji
• K$YX
• Hedges Can't
• Found Object

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM will bring a threat for thunderstorms and heavy rain late tonight through Saturday. Interior high temperatures will cool down substantially on Saturday and then recover on Sunday. (NWS)

PUBLIC HEALTH CONFIRMS FIVE ADDITIONAL CASES of COVID-19 in Mendocino County. Three of the 30 total cases are still under investigation. Please see the dashboard below for the demographic info we have available at this time. Join us for our live Friday On-Line (youtube) Update Friday with Dr. Doohan for more information as it emerges.

SATURN, JUPITER AND PLUTO IN A SKY SHOW [MCN-Announce]

Night owls and astronomy hobbyists can see a beautiful triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto very close together rising in the east about midnight and continuing across the sky until dawn.

Saturn is slightly to the left, then the very bright Jupiter, and little Pluto, not visible without a scope, barely peeking out to the right of Jupiter.

— Nicholas Wilson

JERRY BOWERS

Jerry Bowers, born on November 20, 1941 in Ramona, California passed away on April 14, 2020 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 78. Jerry and his wife, Barbara, moved to Anderson Valley in 1978 after living in England for six years where he was employed as a design engineer. 

In 1977 they had purchased a property in the Valley during a vacation from England in the hopes of someday returning to the States to enjoy a back-to-the land lifestyle. On September 22, 1980, they had a small marriage ceremony in Hendy Woods and since then Jerry and Barbara have lived in the town of Boonville for the last 42 years. For almost 50 years Jerry worked as a design engineer in a wide variety of roles: design engineering, project management and company leadership. He holds six patents in silicon wafer processing. 

As a young boy in his teenage years, Jerry’s interest in engineering led him to work in Yosemite on a road construction project. His interest in learning to fly led him to get a pilot’s license at the age of 19. Later, as he launched his engineering career, he worked for Solar Aircraft in Southern California, Hugle Industries in Silicon Valley, and Asmat in London, England. 

After moving to Anderson Valley, he still traveled back and forth to England as an engineering consultant. In the 1980’s Jerry was appointed General Manager of the Anderson Valley Community Services District where he managed the expansion and acquisition of the Boonville Airport. The Boonville Airport was under County management and the County had decided to close it. The CSD, led by Jerry, decided to purchase the Airport from the County which they did for $1.00. The Boonville Airport has become a vital resource for emergency services in this very rural community and is a source of great fun with the annual Airport Day event. This event is greatly enjoyed by all with potluck food, free airplane rides and a variety of entertainment. 

Jerry also was a founding member of Anderson Valley Public Broadcasting, KZYX, serving as Vice President 1985-1990. 

In his latter years, Jerry particularly enjoyed outdoor model railroading, the Friday Brewery social evening, and petting his cats. 

Jerry is also survived by his three children. Barbara Mathis, Carol Carlson, and Max Bowers, and four grandchildren. He is also survived by his younger brother, Jess Bowers. 

Barbara, Jerry’s wife, would like to thank the generosity and support of the local community of friends and neighbors who have been so graciously kind over the last few years of his illness. Also, she would like to acknowledge the enormous support and assistance from Dr. Mark Apfel and the entire staff of the Anderson Valley Health Center. Without their constant and vigilant attentiveness to Jerry’s condition, it would have been even more difficult to navigate the long road of chemo and long-distance medical care in San Francisco. For this, Barbara is eternally grateful. Barbara and Jerry invite you in support of our essential Valley Health Center to make a donation in his memory. 

HEALTH OFFICER ISSUES REVISED HEALTH ORDER Aligning with Statewide Guidance on New Allowable Activities

Post Date: 05/28/2020 6:00 PM

This week Governor Gavin Newsom announced that counties approved for accelerated reopening can begin to reopen hair salons and barbershops. In addition, statewide Places of Worship can reopen with modifications and in-person protests can occur with modifications. 

In response to these recent State Changes, Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued a revised Shelter-In-Place (SIP) Order today, Thursday, May 28, 2020, reflecting the new Permissible Higher Risk Businesses and related activities. The major changes include: 

• Places of worship, such as churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues may open for limited capacity in-person religious services and cultural ceremonies provided that Statewide Places of Worship Guidance is followed. 

• Funeral Services expanded with strict adherence to the same limited capacity and other restrictions outlined in the Places of Worship Guidance.

• Hair salons and barbershops may open for limited haircut-related services and are required to follow statewide guidance and complete a local business self-certification process at wwww.mendocinocountybusiness.org prior to opening. 

• In-person political protests are allowed with modifications and must adhere to safety measures identified by the State and outlined in the Health Officer’s Order. 

The Health Officer has also expanded the very limited use of Shared Pools subject to the Order’s restrictions for pool-based physical therapy (as prescribed by a medical professional) 

Mendocino County’s revised SIP goes in effect tonight Thursday, May 28 at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place until June 12, 2020. 

The Health Order and a summary of the major changes are available online at https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/novel-coronavirus/health-order. The order is enforceable by imprisonment and/or fine thus we urge all residents to closely read the order and follow it.

In response to questions from the public the Facial Covering Order has been updated to clarify that all persons must wear facial coverings before they enter any indoor facility, or any enclosed open space, besides their residence, while inside any indoor facility or any enclosed open space, besides their residence, except as otherwise specifically provided in this order. In additional, any person preparing, handling or serving food for sale or for consumption by individuals outside of their household, living unit or Social Bubble shall wear a facial covering the entire time while engaged in such preparing, handling or serving of food. Further, employers/business owners and operators shall ensure that employees are wearing facial coverings in compliance with this Order.

BEFORE businesses can reopen, they must comply with State and County guidelines, and file the Mendocino County self-certification form, developed by the County of Mendocino in collaboration with West Business Development Center, found at www.mendocinocountybusiness.org. Healthcare facilities licensed by the California Department of Public Health are exempt from this self-certification requirement. 

More information on Governor Newsom’s resilience roadmap and four-staged plan to reopen California, please visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/. For more information on the businesses/sectors that fall within the various stages of re-opening, please view the Resilience Roadmap Business Sector Chart. The Mendocino County approved attestation is available to view on the California Department of Public Health’s Website. 

For more on COVID-19: www.mendocinocounty.org

Call Center: (707) 234-6052 or email callcenter@mendocinocounty.org

The call center is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

SOCO SHERIFF WON'T....

I am writing to you as your elected Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner. Over the last few weeks, I have heard from many people expressing concern with the perceived overreach of the Sonoma County Public Health Orders and their inconsistencies with our neighboring counties and Governor Newsom’s Public Health orders. I have consistently heard the message that Sonoma County’s Public Health Orders are far more restrictive than the Governor’s Order’s despite the fact that our COVID-19 infection rate is low compared to other counties. With over 23,000 tests conducted, Sonoma County has seen a declining rate of positive tests, from 3% three weeks ago to 2.2% today. As a community we have experienced 4 deaths; I do not want to minimize this fact as any loss of life is tragic and sad.

The first Public Health Order and subsequent Public Health Orders have placed significant restrictions on our freedoms we were not accustomed to in a free society. Most people complied with the Health Orders because they believed, as did I, that the Health Orders were the best solution to the unknown and potentially dangerous situation we were facing with COVID-19. 

Over the last 10 weeks we have learned a lot and made significant progress. The curve has been flattened; hospitals were not overrun with patients; we have dramatically increased testing which verified the infection rate in Sonoma County is under control and decreasing. Yet we continue to see successive Public Health Orders that contain inconsistent restrictions on business and personal activities without explanation. Based on what we have learned, now is the time to move to a risk-based system and move beyond blanket orders that are crushing our community. Simple universal measures can be taken to protect the vulnerable among us and to slow the spread of COVID-19 within Sonoma County. Understanding your risk of infection and consulting with your doctor or health care provider on what prevention measures are best for you is a personal responsibility each of us must take.

Over the last several weeks, I have asked for more information and transparency from our Public Health Department and our Public Health Officer to explain why, with such a low infection rate, we have not moved to a less restrictive, risk based system. I firmly believe the public must be kept informed so we can develop effective public policy and our elected officials can make informed, evidence based decisions, balancing risk against the catastrophic impacts of the Shelter in Place order on our community. Unfortunately, the Public Health Department and the Public Health Officer have ignored my requests and the requests of the media to provide desperately needed information. This lack of transparency and lack of engagement is incredibly disappointing at a time when all levels of government should be working together.

As your elected Sheriff, I can no longer in good conscience continue to enforce Sonoma County Public Health Orders, without explanation, that criminalize otherwise lawful business and personal behavior. Effective June 1, 2020 I am directing all Sheriff’s Office staff to discontinue the enforcement of the Sonoma County Public Health Orders issued by the Sonoma County Public Health Department and the Public Health Officer. Reports of violations, when brought to our attention, will be evaluated against the California State guidelines on a case-by-case basis. Where appropriate, the Sheriff’s Office will use public interactions as an opportunity to educate people on how to mitigate the risk and spread of the COVID-19 infection. Pursuant to this shift in policy, I am directing the Sheriff’s Office Detention Division to refuse the booking arrest of individuals whose sole booking charge is for a violation of the Sonoma County Public Health Order. It is important to understand my decision does not affect enforcement policy or enforcement decisions by other law enforcement or regulatory agencies in Sonoma County; it applies to Sheriff’s Office operations in the jurisdictions we serve.

As an organization, the Sheriff’s Office has rapidly adapted with new operating procedures and protective measures to meet the health needs of the public, our employees and their families. The Sheriff’s Office staff will continue to utilize PPE (personal protective equipment) and other protective measures aligned with California State guidelines. Our detention division has worked tirelessly to prevent COVID-19 from infiltrating our jail, keeping our inmates safe and healthy. Those in law enforcement have educated themselves on these complex and ever changing Sonoma County Public Health Orders. They have exhibited compassion and discretion while interacting with members of the public, assisting those who are unsure or confused on what they can or cannot do under the Sonoma County Public Health Orders. As always, our team of over 650 men and women has impressed me with their commitment and dedication to helping the people of Sonoma County through difficult situations. As your Sheriff, I have been incredibly proud of their efforts and I hope you are too.

Mark Essic, Sheriff, Sonoma County

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, PHILO

BOONVILLE TESTING AVAILABLE

Hello! The clinic is doing another round of surveillance testing for COVID19 next Tuesday from 5-7pm. Anyone interested can email Luiza at lsavin@avhc.org. We are trying to prioritize front line workers, but anyone interested in testing can send an email for more information. Location of testing to be determined.

10,000 BUDDHAS, TALMAGE

EVICTIONS POSTPONED, OPENING PLANNED

by Chris Calder

The Fort Bragg City Council voted 4-1 Thursday night to extend by one month the city's moratorium on commercial and residential evictions, whether or not Gov. Gavin Newsom extends a statewide eviction ban scheduled to expire June 1.

Council members debated the issue intently, with a clear majority at the start favoring ending the moratorium. City Manager Tabatha Miller recommended against extending the ban because, she said, going ahead without state backing could place liability for uncollected rents on the city's shoulders.

The strongest argument for ending the ban, she said, is a judicial order accompanying the statewide Declaration of Emergency over COVID-19, that prohibits eviction proceedings in state courts while the emergency lasts.

That order, she said, protects both businesses and residents from being thrown out probably into 2021. Therefore the city didn't really need to assume the added liability to see local residents and businesses protected, she said.

Later on, Miller stressed that if the judicial order did not prevent evictions during the emergency, she would not recommend ending the local ban.

Those arguments initially convinced, or aligned with, council members Bernie Norvell and Lindy Peters, and Mayor Will Lee, to end the eviction ban.

But council member Jessica Moresell-Haye, later joined by Tess Albin-Smith, argued forcefully against ending the ban. 

Moresell-Haye, who seemed to have talked to the more constituents than her colleagues, and who is part owner of the Golden West Saloon downtown, said some business owners are weighing whether they can continue. Ending the eviction ban, she said, could lead some of them to conclude they can't wait things out.

One notable part of the discussion was that there was absolutely no public comment on the matter, either for or against extending the ban. Moresell-Haye said that she has heard a lot from scared tenants, and nothing from landlords in distress. Partly because of that, she said, she would like the city to "take the calculated risk" — which Miller assessed as “slight” — of extending the ban for one month.

One effect of ending the city ban would be to start a 180-day "timeclock" for tenants to get current on rent. Moresell-Haye said that provision in particular could cause some commercial tenants to decide to quit.

Albin-Smith seconded those arguments and stated firmly that extending the ban "is what we need to do."

Discussion ensued and, in the end, Peters and Lee voted with Moresell-Haye and Albin-Smith to extend the ban. Norvell, who rents a small number of residential units himself, stuck to his original position, saying he worries for both tenants and landlords if rental debt piles up.

Miller said she has been watching for signs of whether Gov. Newsom will extend the state's eviction ban and has seen no indication, with the expiration three days away.

She also noted, answering a question from Albin-Smith, that there is no way to tell how many tenants are using the waivers needed to qualify under the moratorium, but that rough national estimates are that 30% of tenants in the United States did not pay their rent in April.

---

Opening meetings, opening City Hall again…

The council also talked over guidelines for reopening their meetings and City Hall to the public.

A target date of June 22 has been set for the first in-person city council meeting. City Manager Miller said staff has been working through many aspects of the reopened meetings, which will have to comply with COVID-19 guidelines as well as accommodate people with special needs and higher sensitivies to infection.

One idea that came out of the discussion was a “hybrid” meeting: some people — both council members and members of the public — attending in person and some participating via Zoom video conferencing software. All the council members said they sense intense interest among people in re-opening council meeting.

Norvell said he thinks the meetings provide a forum for people to "say their piece… that's a lot of what we do."

Council members also approved closing City Hall to the public on Wednesdays as well as Fridays. They did so based on City Manager Miller's suggestion, especially because Wednesdays are Farmers Market days, which happen literally on City Hall's doorstep, and typically result in very high traffic for the public bathroom in the lobby, as well as the lobby itself.

Under COVID-19 precautions, she said, that would mean a lot of work monitoring and santizing the facilities.

Also, she said, the Friday closure is how city workers' hours have been cut, and Wednesdays could provide “in-service days” for uninterrupted work. The public would still be able to reach City Hall staff by phone or email on Wednesdays, she said.

Council members agreed to the change, noting that protecting City Hall staff from COVID-19 exposure is the primary concern.

BOONVILLE FARMERS' MARKET

Join us at the Boonville Farmers' Market this Friday from 4-6pm in the parking area of Disco Ranch.

Please remember to wear your mask and (not or) maintain a 6' distance from others. I have extra masks if you need one. Last week's market was awesome! It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves but we need to get better at maintaining a 6' distance. I know it's weird but we need to work together to keep our community safe and healthy, and to keep our market open. Please self-manage.

Come enjoy a vibrant array of fresh local goodies!

PS. Boonville Barn Collective will be selling strawberries at the market this week!

NAVARRO PIER

THE CARETAKER

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at approximately 11:19 PM, Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a reported assault at an address in the 800 block of Lake Mendocino Drive in Ukiah.

Once on scene, Deputies contacted a 73 year-old male and learned that he had been assaulted by his In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) care worker.

The 73-year old male reported that he and his live-in IHSS worker, Terry Omler, 49, of Ukiah, had gotten into an argument. 

Deputies learned that during the argument, Omler had pushed the 73 year-old male, which caused him to lose his balance and fall onto the kitchen floor in the residence.

The 73 year-old male attempted to brace his fall using his hands and upon impacting the ground, felt an immediate and severe pain in his right wrist and hand.

Deputies learned that Omler left the 73 year-old male lying on the ground, and went to his room and fell asleep.

The 73 year-old male is not able to walk well without assistance and was unable to stand up. Deputies learned the 73 year-old male had to crawl on the floor into the living room where his phone was located, in order to summon law enforcement and medical assistance.

Due to his disabilities, it took the 73 year-old male approximately one hour to crawl into the living room.

Deputies located Omler sleeping in his bedroom and found him too heavily intoxicated from the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Omler was placed under arrest for felony elder abuse resulting in bodily injury and was transported to the Mendocino County Jail.

In accordance with the COVID-19 emergency order issued by the State of California Judicial Council, Omler's bail would have been set at zero dollars. Based on the facts of this case, a Superior Court Judge was contacted, who approved an increased bail to $25,000 from zero dollars.

---

MARK SCARAMELLA NOTES: Terry Omler has a history of prior arrests for domestic assault (2014), Domestic battery, and brandishing (2015), vehicle theft (2017), drunk in public (2017, 2018), and probation revocation (of course). We wonder if the IHSS people do any kind of background check before they allow the Omlers of the County to be paid IHSS workers?

ST. PAUL'S CATHOLIC METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, POINT ARENA

ED NOTES

NPR'S account of last night's civil insurrection in Minneapolis concluded with, "Protesters there are seeking justice…" The rest of the story failed to mention that the family of George Floyd, the murdered man, specifically called for people not to dishonor his memory by looting and burning. Lots of people were peacefully protesting Floyd's death, lots of people saw it as an opportunity to grab free stuff, an old story, as is the fact that millions of people are left out of the dream and totally estranged from what's left of the social order in whose basement they dwell forgotten. Until they burn down the town.

COLIN KAEPERNICK, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback-turned-civil rights spokesman, said this morning that the Minneapolis turmoil is "the only logical reaction" to Floyd's death. "When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd." 

MORE than 40 million new claims for unemployment benefits have been filed in the past two months. Meanwhile, President Twitter whines about how unfair electronic media are to him and his fellow "conservatives." He's talking about banning Twitter, Facebook and other platforms whose young watchdogs are paid small fortunes to weed out "inappropriate" communications which, to the tepidly liberal watchdogs who carry out the censoring, often seems to be anything that offends them. Trump gets trumped a lot, hence his pique. Speaking as a gaffer for I'm surr much of the Gaffer Community, if social media disappeared tomorrow our unhinged population might be that much saner.

TAKE IT AWAY, Esther Mobley, Chron wine writer: "Smith Story ‘The Boonies’ Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2017 ($58, 13.5%): I realize I’ve been writing only about white wine and rosé lately, but I promise I’ve been drinking red wine too. Here’s a great example of why Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley does Pinot Noir so well. This wine, from husband-wife team Eric Story and Ali Smith Story, comes from the so-called “deep end” of Anderson Valley — the valley’s northwestern stretches that are surrounded by redwood trees and get a lot of cool air from the Pacific Ocean. It’s a wine of simultaneous lightness and depth. Translucent and delicate, it nevertheless has a strong, firm frame, with intense notes of black cherry, wet earth and orange peel."

O ESTHER MOBLEY, take my hand and together we'll gambol across the golden summer hills of the Anderson Valley, pausing only to toast the setting sun with $58-dollar pinot, savoring you, the wet earth, black cherry pits, and orange peels!

I WAS STRUCK by this history paragraph relayed to us last night by Katy Tahja: “A tribe of filthy gypsies which have been infesting the neighborhood were ordered to move on by the sheriff and they left northward. Property owners along the way should check their chicken roosts for missing stock” the Beacon reported in December 1896…" 

IN ANOTHER LIFE, I lived in a Chinatown tenement whose premises I "managed" in exchange for free rent. One of the tenants was a jolly family of gypsies whose unit was filled with obviously pilfered stuff, random collections of the darndest goods. There seemed to be three families stuffed in the place. The women sold corsages in North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf. They called me "Boss" and never failed to try to sell me something. "Hey, boss, you need a transmission?" A transmission would be leaning up against the livingroom wall. "Your beautiful little wife like a good deal on some jewelry?" A collection of gaudy broaches would be spread out on an unlaundered sheet. "Boss, I got a good deal for you on stereos." Like I'd need more than one. And there would be three or four battered stereos, their wires dangling where they'd been ripped out of their fixtures in a big hurry. Always enjoyed my interfaces with the gypsies, as happy a den of thieves as any in the two buildings I oversaw, both addresses in the 900 block of Sacramento Street teeming with crooks and pioneer '68 junkies.

LAST NIGHT, I mentioned the literal witch hunt that kicked off in Fort Bragg in the early 1980s. Fort Bragg was Mendo headquarters for the evil hysteria that swept the country, beginning with the vilification of the McMartin family of LA who ran a daycare center and alleged hub of Satan's pedo workshop. I was surprised to find several reactions to my recollection, but not all that surprised that the hysteria lives on. The follow two are typical:

‘J’: I used to live in Fort Bragg too and there is a satanic cult still there, they have been trying to kill me for YEARS now, even tho I have been gone now for several years, I can still feel they spells they put on me. The last time I lived there they almost succeeded in killing me but i am not going to tell you how on this sight, email me and i will tell you what happened but not to a newspaper, only to Kelly Orr and I want to remain anonymous, you understand, right?

‘REAL WITNESS’: This article is straight crap!!!! The Orr’s are lying through they’re devilish teeth. And the dip shit that wrote this crap only got the side of 2 fat women that love the hurt children. It had nothing to do with the daughter.

IN LIVING FACT, not that these creeps are interested in facts, there was never, ever a single piece of evidence found anywhere in the country of a Satanist daycare center, or Satanist-inspired chomos, not even in Fort Bragg with its minority population of the drop-fall credulous. Tony Craver was Sheriff at the time. I remember him telling me that it was all a lot of bullshit that occupied too much time of too many deputies. But it did real damage to the women accused.

CATCH OF THE DAY, May 28, 2020

JEFFREY ALEXANDER, Grass Valley/Mendocino. Domestic battery.

CARRIE CORDOVA-DALSON, Covelo. Assault with deadly weapon not a gun, failure to appear, probation revocation.

DANIEL FORD, Lakeport/Ukiah. Parole violation.

JODI HODGES, Ukiah. Brandishing imitation firearm, criminal threats, probation revocation. (Frequent Flyer)

MARIA LITZIN, Covelo. Failure to appear, offenses while on bail.

JUSTIN MALUGANI, Ukiah. Causing a fire of property, tampering with vehicle, disorderly conduct-loitering, vandalism, resisting, probation revocation.

RICHARD MINEAU, Ukiah. Burglary, contempt of court.

TERRY OMLER, Ukiah. Elder abuse resulting in great bodily injury or death.

SEAN STEITZ, Willits. DUI, misdemeanor hit&run, reckless evasion.

TAKE A LOOK what’s going on right now. As of late May 2020 at least 45 million American workers are unemployed. In just two months they have lost $1.3 trillion in income. More than $1 trillion due to unemployed. Another $260B due to shorter hours of work. That’s a wage reduction of -$1.3 trillion! As in all recessions, workers do experience severe wage reduction–in joblessness (no wages), shorter hours of work, cuts and loss of benefits, lower pension contributions by employers, wage theft, etc. etc. So wages do fall, and are falling today faster and deeper than ever. And is business and investors spending and investing given the wage reductions? No. They’re hoarding the $1.74 trillion in Congressional loans and grants bailouts. And hoarding the $650 billion in business tax cuts also in the bailout legislation thus far (which one hears very little about in the media, I might add). 

— Jack Rasmus

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND

by Mitch Clogg

Useless. I feel useless. I’ve practiced all my life, separating the BS from the factual. I have a sense of when a statement begins to stray from the truth. I had a short stint in advertising. Opened my eyes. I had a project to create a booklet for a client, a company that made brushes and stuff from imported fibers for industrial uses. To objectify the quality of the products, we hired a private testing company to do like Consumer Reports does—subject the samples to stress and durability tests. Our products were superior—the more because I eliminated the results that were not glowing and illustrated with charts and drawings and photographs the ones that were.

I’m not proud of this. It was a brief interlude, and my wife had left me with three tiny kids. I had unexpected expenses. It was she who called me from the employment agency where she worked (for about five minutes) to tell me there was this job that had my name on it at an ad agency. Newspaper work didn’t pay well then. I’m proudest that I quit that “dream job” because I felt my soul escaping like breath from a covid patient’s lungs. I quit the job and quit my native city of Baltimore and moved to California for a reboot.

But that’s not the point. The point is that as an ad guy I was expected to casually manipulate the truth. The pay was good, but I found it ugly. I’m less susceptible to propaganda than most people and quicker to spot it. It’s often devilishly subtle. It’s what passes for “news and information” in the United States of America, and it has brought us this low. The Devil, his or her chroniclers say, is the Master Liar and has stinking breath.

In our current dilemma, it’s not just the Trumpeters and that cult who lie. The rest of us do, too. It’s hard to accept and integrate the naked facts of what’s going on, especially when getting true undisguised information is as hard to get as pulling teeth. We buy the reassuring BS.

Here’s the truth. Here’s why I feel so useless because I only reach you and other FB friends with a message I would be writing across the sky: We ain’t seen nothing yet. On Chris Hayes’s show on MSNBC an hour ago, he showed part of an animated video that shows the moment-to-moment experience of health workers, made with the help of Columbia University Hospital in New York, real people, live and dying, altered slightly as “cartoon characters” to give slight privacy to the medical staffs and their patients. An ER doc—we see him in the flesh on half the screen as his artist rendering is on the other half—is entirely recognizable. We see him and colleagues attending the dying. “This is not what we do,” the voice-over says plaintively, meaning they didn’t train to stand around and watch isolated people die isolated deaths while their remote families cling tight to each other in indescribable storms of helplessness, longing, shock and grief. Then there was the real doc, telecommuning with Chris Hayes, looking as though he has been drug through a keyhole.

Potent little film!

So I can only say this to you on Facebook and hope you share it and your sharers share it: Many of these exhausted people won’t make it to the end. Medical-facility staffing will plunge as the patient-load roars past The Last Straw. We’re all, sick or well, in for it. In the western states, wildfire season and Covid Return will happen simultaneously. Civil disturbances—people incensed by sadistic, murdering cops, people incensed by the lies of their government, disseminated by the media, people crushed by the spectacle of immigrant kids, refugees, dying en masse in cages on our southern border, the rest of the world in exactly the same convulsion, hurricanes, lessening in force and frequency come fall, but still stalking places already devastated—disturbances in normally calm places as families run through their canned goods and their landlord’s forbearance—they will be disturbed, and we will see it, blinking, aggrieved and scared. 

I hate writing this, but you won’t get the naked truth hardly anywhere, and the truth is practically the only defense, in a very puny arsenal, we have. Please forgive me for being such a Jeremiah, but take this to heart. Save yourselves. If you do all the things you are advised to (by people who are not clad in white leisure shorts and hacking at golf balls, with toadies at their sides who tell him every stroke is a hole in one), if you take all the precautions and insist that your family does, too, you’ll make it through.

If this speaks to you, share it.

WHY CALIFORNIA IS IN TROUBLE:

340,000 Public Employees With $100,000+ Paychecks Cost Taxpayers $45 Billion A Year

forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2020/05/19/why-california-is-in-trouble--340000-public-employees-with-100000-paychecks-cost-taxpayers-45-billion/

AMY KLOBUCHAR, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE AND HER VP QUEST

by Norman Solomon

Eighteen years before Minneapolis police killed an unarmed black man named George Floyd on Monday, Minneapolis police killed an unarmed black man named Christopher Burns. Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar decries the killing of Floyd. Back then, Minneapolis chief prosecutor Amy Klobuchar refused to prosecute city police for killing Burns.

A year ago, the Washington Post published a thorough news article under a clear headline: “As a Prosecutor in Heavily White Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar Declined to Go After Police Involved in Fatal Encounters with Black Men.” Her refusal to seek justice after Burns died was part of a pattern.

With Klobuchar now on Joe Biden’s short list for vice president, the gruesome killing of Floyd has refocused attention on Klobuchar’s history of racial injustice. In sharp contrast to her prosecutorial approach two decades ago, she has issued a statement calling for “a complete and thorough outside investigation” into Floyd’s death and declaring that “those involved in this incident must be held accountable.”

During the first years of this century, with a bright political future ahead of her, Klobuchar refused to hold police officers accountable. And her failure to prosecute police who killed black men was matched by racially slanted eagerness to prosecute black men on the basis of highly dubious evidence.

While Klobuchar has occasionally been subjected to media scrutiny of her record as a prosecutor in Minnesota, she has routinely enjoyed favorable coverage often sliding into outright puffery. In short, much of the media establishment adores Klobuchar and her corporate centrist politics.

When Amy Klobuchar was running for president, corporate media served as her biggest political base. News coverage and punditry often supplied praise, while rarely bothering to delve into her 12-year record in the Senate. Klobuchar’s image as a “moderate” was endearing enough to many powerful media outlets.

When the time came for endorsements from newspapers early this year, Klobuchar scored with big publications like the San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Houston Chronicle. Notably, the New York Times co-endorsed her (along with Elizabeth Warren). In fact, no candidate did better than Klobuchar with daily paper endorsements during the presidential primary season.

Unfortunately for Klobuchar, media elites don’t cast many votes in Democratic primaries and caucuses. Her drumbeat about being a fellow Midwesterner fell flat in Iowa, where she finished fifth in the caucuses with 12 percent. Days later, corporate media went gaga over one-liners she delivered in a debate just before the primary in New Hampshire, where she came in third with almost 20 percent of the vote. But Klobuchar went on to receive only 4 percent in the Nevada caucuses and then 3 percent in the South Carolina primary. Two days later, she withdrew from the race.

Since then, Klobuchar has risen to the top tier of Biden’s possible VP picks. Her selection would likely be disastrous.

As I told The Hill newspaper recently, “Someone like Klobuchar is anathema to broadening the ticket. If Biden is serious about unity then he’s got to pitch a tent big enough to include progressives.”

Klobuchar’s political record, when it comes to light, simply can’t stand up to scrutiny. While mainstream media rarely seem interested in her Senate record, it has been no less contemptuous of equal protection under the law than her career as a prosecutor.

When the progressive advocacy group Demand Justice issued a “Report Card” about the confirmation votes of Senate Democrats on President Trump’s right-wing federal judge appointees, it explained that the report graded “willingness to fight Trump’s judges.” Elizabeth Warren received an “A,” Bernie Sanders an “A-” and Kamala Harris a “B+.”

Amy Klobuchar got an “F.”

(Norman Solomon is co-founder and national director of RootsAction.org. He was a Bernie Sanders delegate from California to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Solomon is the author of a dozen books including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.”)

ST. PETER EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCH, UKIAH

WHEW!

No COVID-19 found in MCCSD Wastewater

May 28, 2020

Dear Community Members,

Mendocino City Community Services District has been testing our influent wastewater during the month of May 2020, for COVID-19. We have been working with BioBot out of Massachusetts. We understand BioBot was also used by some Lake County Wastewater Treatment Plants. Our testing has been an independent undertaking, to promote safety and help keep our community informed. 

Our District is small, without tourists serve about 1,000 residents, and encompass about one square mile, stretching South to Big River Bridge, North to just before Raven Lane, East to the Mendocino K-8 School, and West to the Pacific Ocean. 

As of May 27th 2020, MCCSD has received negative results, showing no signs of COVID-19 in our influent. We plan to continue our testing into June, but as testing costs are about to increase dramatically we will stop testing unless we are able to find some local, state, or federal funding to help with this. We at MCCSD hope the community finds this information helpful as we deal with the COVID-19 crisis. 

Respectfully,

Ryan Rhoades,

MCCSD, Superintendent

MENDO WATER PERSON SOUGHT

MCCSD seeking applicants for our Public Input Committee

Mendocino City Community Services District

Post Office Box 1029

Mendocino, California 95460

Business Phone (707) 937-5790  Treatment Plant (707) 937-5751  Fax (707) 937-3837

mccsd@mcn.org

Dear Community Members,

The Mendocino City Community Services District is seeking applicants for its Blue Ribbon Public Input Committee to review the District Groundwater Management Program. Whatever your thoughts regarding Groundwater Management, here is another opportunity to be involved and make a recommendation to the MCCSD Board.

To be considered as an applicant, you need to be either a resident within the District, a registered voter within the District, a business owner within the District, or an owner of property within the District. If you meet one or more of these four criteria, submit a letter of interest to the District.

You can mail letters to:

MCCSD

P.O. Box 1029

Mendocino, CA 95460

or by e-mail at: mccsd@mcn.org 

Applications will be accepted from now until the June 29, 2020, Board of Directors Meeting at 5:00 pm. MCCSD welcomes your interest and ideas and we encourage you to apply.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MENDOCINO

WOULD A 2020 NBA CHAMPION EVER BE SEEN AS LEGITIMATE?

by Dave Zirin

George Karl is one of nine NBA coaches who have won over a thousand games in their career. He also has a 40-year reputation as a straight talker, never afraid to ruffle some feathers. When it comes to restarting the NBA season amid the coronavirus pandemic, Karl was in good form, tweeting, “It’s just my opinion and I don’t have all the facts. But, as a huge hoops fan, I think it’s time to call the NBA season. Honors the game better. We stay on a more regular schedule and we can come back healthy and strong next season!”

Such a statement is apostasy at the current moment, as the league hemorrhages revenue. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has committed to reopen at any cost. His current plan is to send everyone to Orlando to resume the season. In an act of corporate synergy, games would be held (without fans in attendance) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, a part of Walt Disney World. Disney owns ESPN, which is a multibillion-dollar television partner of the NBA. The network is desperate for content to broadcast. Everyone wants to cash checks, and if that means having the playoffs take place in a dome in Orlando without fans, then so be it.

But even as the country takes steps to reopen its doors, safely holding NBA basketball games is a hell of a lot more complicated than just saying, “We’re all going to Disney World.” First and foremost, there is the question of the kinds of testing that would be necessary to pull this off. Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner who is also on the Trump commission to reopen sports—a commission that contains no health experts, no union leaders, no women, and no people of color—has said that his team will not participate unless daily testing is possible. But as many epidemiologists, like Dr. Celine Gounder, have stated, supplying constant tests to a multibillion-dollar sports league while frontline workers don’t have enough testing is a moral abomination.

The NBA is well aware that the optics of plentiful testing for players could spell disaster. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said on Tuesday, “Regular testing will be key in our return to play.” He added that it will “not come at the expense of testing front line health care workers or others who need it.” But how the league will guarantee that remains a mystery. In addition to how they will engineer a program of constant testing in an atmosphere of scarcity, it is unclear how this contact sport will manage when players test positive for Covid-19. Will the entire league shut down again, as it did in March when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive? What of the higher risk NBA employees? Coaches over the age of 65? Support staff with health problems? The NBA has no answer for any of this either.

There is also the question of how salaries will be determined. The NBPA is weighing the offers, but judging by the comments of union leader Chris Paul, the players are raring to return. Paul said,

“Obviously we want to play. Oh man, we want to play. We want to play bad. And I think that’s a consensus for the guys around the league. We want it to be, obviously, as safe as possible. But the biggest thing is, we miss the game.”

Then there is the most looming question: Would a championship won in this context have even the veneer of legitimacy? Would a season that ends in Orlando with no fans ever matter? Will a season that is a blatant money grab aimed at satisfying the bank accounts of owners, players, and broadcast partners produce a champion worthy of its name?

The answer is that it will be seen as legitimate only if the fans grasp onto this construct and imbue it with their interest. If the fans care—an iffy proposition—all the media naysaying in the world will not matter. But that doesn’t change the fact that we are looking at a cynical, withered end to the 2020 season of the world’s most beautiful sport.

I will welcome the televised distraction, but can’t say that it is anything to celebrate. George Karl is right: It dishonors the game to finish the season in Orlando. But honor has nothing to do with it.

BUT THERE'S STILL YASMIN

2020 Annual Fireworks Display Canceled

It is with a heavy heart that the Point Arena City Council have unanimously decided to forgo the 2020 Annual Independence fireworks display at Arena Cove. The 2020 Independence Parade is also canceled. The decision was reached at the May 26, 2020 meeting of the Council. Independence Weekend is the largest community event on the South Coast, and the decision was not made lightly. Thousands of people are drawn to the area and it is a boon for local businesses. “There are unique challenges of hosting such an event which are at odds with prioritizing the health and safety of our residents and staff,” Mayor Scott Ignacio said. “We need to continue to be cautious, particularly regarding events of this magnitude where the possibility of spread is increased.” Our Independence Weekend will be dearly missed, and we can’t wait for its return in 2021! 

COUGH UP, LIB LABS

KZYX Special 4-Day Fund Drive Kicks Off Thursday, June 4

Greetings! I'm writing to you today with my KZYX PR volunteer hat on. Due to the Covid 19 social distancing rules, the station had to postpone our week-long membership drive that had been scheduled for March. In order to help address the financial shortfall this has caused, we'll be holding a special 4-day drive from Thursday, June 4, through Sunday, June 7. We would appreciate any coverage you might be able to give us about this event. For more information, please contact Marty Durlin or Renee Wilson as per the info at the end of the release. 

Best,

Jerry Karp

---

KZYX to hold 4-day Fund Drive Thursday, June 4 through Sunday June 7. Goal is make up fiscal shortfall from Covid-forced postponement of March drive*

Public radio station KZYX’s work keeping the Mendocino County community informed about the Corona Virus pandemic has continued unabated since the outbreak of the virus. Daily updates from county officials and health professionals, on-air press conferences, interviews and call-in programs have all been part of the station’s daily, unwavering campaign to keep listeners up to date about the latest scientific findings and ever-evolving health regulations.

The pandemic, and particularly the shelter in place and social distancing guidelines, have not left the station itself unscathed. KZYX had to postpone its on-air membership drive, scheduled for March with a goal of $100,000. The station’s expenses, of course, remain undiminished and listener support is more essential than ever.

In light of these factors, KZYX will be holding a 4-day Fund Drive from Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7. For the most part, show hosts will be in the studio, with guests most often connecting via telephone or Zoom. So while the atmosphere may be a bit more subdued than during normal fund drives, listeners will still be able to enjoy the special enthusiasm that helping to support our county-wide public radio station brings to its members and volunteers.

For the past several weeks, the station has been running a “silent fund drive,” whereby each show host mentions the funding situation and asks for new memberships and/or donations. This has brought in approximately two thirds of the funding needed to keep the station afloat during the coming six months, but that final amount is still sorely needed.

“The response from our listeners so far has been amazing,” said KZYX General Manager Marty Durlin. “The Silent Drive has been hugely successful, with hundreds of folks signing up for memberships or sending us special gifts to keep KZYX going. That assistance is crucial, as we really want to focus our efforts and airtime on news and timely information on the Covid-19 virus in our area, as well as providing entertainment for people who have been sheltering at home for months. We thank you, generous listeners, for this outpouring of support.”

KZYX can be found on air at 90.7 FM in Anderson Valley, 91.7 FM in Ukiah and 88.1 FM on the coast. The station streams online at www.kzyx.org and has a smart phone app free for downloading.

For more information, please contact KZYX General Manager Marty Durlin or Membership Coordinator Renee Wilson at (707) 895-2324.

HEDGES ENDS SHORT-LIVED CD12 GREEN PARTY CANDIDACY; PROHIBITED BY FCC RULES

Chris Hedges announced that he won’t be running for Congress in CD12, after all, after being informed that he is not permitted to run for federal office under FCC rules. Hedges had announced his intentions to run on Wednesday.

insidernj.com/hedges-ends-short-lived-cd12-green-party-candidacy-prohibited-fcc-rules/

FOUND OBJECT