Mendocino County Today: January 28, 2012

PRESERVATION RANCH, the ghastly 1,769-acre forest-to-vineyard conversion proposed for Sonoma County in the Gualala-Annapolis area, has been put on hold, probably permanent hold. The California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) has withdrawn its backing for the ill-conceived project. The Napa-based vineyard company promoting the project is led by William Hill who has gotten money for other vineyard projects, two in the Anderson Valley, from Calpers. The Preservation Ranch proposal galvanized a national opposition because, among other likely destructive environmental effects, it would have harmed the battered Gualala River's struggling salmon and steelhead populations. Hill bought the seriously overlogged 19,652-acre Preservation Ranch property in 2004 for $28.5 million from Willits-based Rich Padula.

JIM HARBAUGH caught some flack last week because Bay Area sports writers didn't like his replies to their dumb questions. A Chron writer named Eric Branch asked Harbaugh what he did after the 49ers’ overtime loss to the Giants. Harbaugh answered, “Is it just California that everybody just wants to know how you feel? Care about what you thought, what you did, how you felt, how your pinky feels. Is that just a California thing? Back where I come from, nobody really cares. In my opinion, it is a California thing.” No, coach, it's an idiot thing, not specific to the Golden State. A couple of weeks ago I heard a radio sports guy tell Harbaugh that the coach needed to spend more time with his family! Worse, the radio jock phrased this preposterously intrusive statement with, "Dude, you need…"

FUN WITH SPAM. The on-line invite was to a UFO Congress. I wrote back, “Tinfoil hats optional?” The UFO people promptly replied, “We prefer no tinfoil hats.” I asked, “Propeller beanies?” No answer.

TO THE PODIUM came applicant Sako

Whom everyone expected to be wacko

But they were all floored

When he told the Board

That he no longer wanted paybacko.