Mendocino County Today: Friday, November 13, 2020

Rain | 27 New Cases | Local Food | Sutherland Motor | Barn Sale | Noyo Crossing | Do Better | Caspar Cattle | Zoom Trivia | Sheep | Queenie's Hiatus | Old Noyo | County Notes | Aerial FB | Ed Notes | Esther Sez | Yesterday's Catch | Fierce Pajamas | Whale Breach | Absentee Ballot | Bell Ringer | Prison Update | Bamboozle Capture | Virtual Improv | Racism Protest | NFL Greed | Puppeteers | Trumpy Limerick | Homeless Zooming | Devil Hold | Biden Voters | Cold Deer | GMO Salmon | Found Object

A STRONG STORM SYSTEM is moving across the area today. Widespread beneficial rainfall will be likely, along with gusty south winds and mountain snow. Additional periods of rain will be possible through the weekend into early to middle portions of next week. (NWS)

UH-OH. 27 NEW COVID CASES reported in Mendocino County on (Wednesday and?) Thursday, bringing the total to 1269. 

LOCAL FOODSHED NEWS

Raw Dry Farmed Almonds

Spreadwing Farm in Capay Valley is selling “almost organic” raw, dry farmed almonds which were harvested and shelled in August and September, 2020. We have 2 varieties: Non Pareil and Ne Plus, which we are selling for $10/lb or $90 for 10 pounds. Please let us know by noon on Saturday, November 14th, how much you’d like us to pack for you. Don’t forget to tell us which variety you want or if you want to try both varieties. We will package them in 1 to 5 pound bags, using as few bags as possible unless you specify otherwise. One pound bags make great gifts! You can pick them up during daylight hours in Boonville on Monday, November 16th or later next week. Please contact us with questions or orders: farmers@spreadwingfarm.com Thank you!

Raw Walnuts

Raw shelled walnuts grown in the upper Capay Valley. Mixed Hartley and Serr varieties. Grown with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Hand picked daily, cleaned, dried, shelled, frozen, then final inspection and sorted into 1 pound bags. As with any nut product, be careful of shell fragments. Best kept refrigerated or frozen. Please let us know by noon on Saturday, November 14th, how much you’d like us to pack for you. Please tell us which variety you want or if you want both. You can pick them up during daylight hours in Boonville on Monday, November 16th or later next week. Please contact us with questions or orders: johnobermeier@me.com Thank you!

Local Garlic For Sale

Deep End Farms in Philo has lots of garlic available. It has been grown organically, but we are not yet certified. If you are interested, please text or call Scott at 707-367-7957.

Good Farm Fund's Grant Cycle Now Open

The Good Farm Fund's Winter 2020 Farm Grant Cycle is officially open. Thanks to support from North Coast Opportunities, the County of Mendocino, and many individual donors, this year we are pleased to announce the largest round of farm grant funding in our history, with $80,000 in grants available to support the growth and resilience of local farms and ranches. Apply now at www.goodfarmfund.org/farm-grant-program/

Please Help Mendocino Grain Project Find Our Bundle Thresher!

In January or February we loaned our bundle thresher to someone(s) locally. Sorry to say, Doug's memory has faded and we can't recall who borrowed it. Now we need it and are asking help in getting it back. Please spread the word and contact doug@mendocinograin.net or 707-621-0972. Many thanks!

Want Worm Castings?

Worm castings available. $20 per bag. Each bag contains six gallons of castings. The sandbags are equivalent to a five gallon bucket. The worm beds are micro-amended with a steady dose of crab meal and glacial rock dust. Their bedding contains creek silt and leaf matter mixed into Dirt Cheap's original blend. It's the Soil Food Web in a bag. It's alive! Contact Kim at 707-684-9910. Call or text.

Yorkville Olive Ranch - Bulk Olive Oil

 As a result of the "Pandemic" and in preparation for the 2020 olive harvest in November, we need to clear some of the inventory to provide storage for the new oil. The following sale prices will be available as long as supplies last. Buyers will need need to provide their own containers, ideally, dark glass gallon or half-gallon jugs.

• 2018 Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tuscan Field Blend: $15.00 per 375 ml bottle, only a few remaining
• 2019 Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tuscan Field Blend: $75.00 per gallon or $ 65.00 per gallon for two gallons or more

Call for information or to make an appointment. Please leave a message.

Yorkville Olive Ranch; 23401 Hwy. 128, Mile Marker 38.29; Yorkville, Ca 95494; Tel. (707) 894-053

Bramble Family Farms

Bramble Family Farms has run out of its estate olive oil until January. However, we do still have our Balsamic Vinegar and some Lemon and Garlic flavored California Extra Virgin olive oils. Orders can be placed on our website: http://www.bramblefamilyfarms.net or through our Facebook page @bramblefamilyfarms

Grass fed beef for sale

4 Bar K Ranch in Boonville, CA is selling our premium grass-fed beef for spring of 2021. This is local grass-fed beef, raised in rural Anderson Valley, in Mendocino County, with no shots or hormones, just excellent, lean, grass finished beef. We raise our beef free-range, organically, in a humane, safe, and stress free way. This ensures your beef is the best quality and safest meat, that is raised and sold in the right way. We sell live beef by the 1/4 then ship it to the butcher who then slaughters, ages, cuts, wraps, and freezes it before we deliver your quarter to you. Bones and offal are included at no cost.  Please contact me and I will send our information flyer in an email. It should answer most of your questions, but feel free to call me anytime if you're interested.  If interested please contact Dave Kooyers at dkooyers@gmail.com (707) 895-2325.

EYES ONLY, ANDERSON VALLEY

Barn Sale: Saturday, November 14, 10 am to 3 pm and Sunday, November 15, noon to 3pm. Christmas decorations, clothing, furniture, linens, toys, household items, books and much more. 12761 Anderson Valley Way in Boonville. Benefits St. Elizabeth Seton, look for banners and signs.

MISSING BENJ & JUDY

To the Editor:

I miss Benj Thomas and Judy Pruden!

In 2010 I was hired by the Unified Board of Directors of Ford Street Project and the Ukiah Community Center to serve as Executive Director. It was difficult to lead the organization through the necessary consolidation of programs in the middle of a recession, but I felt confident I could do the job. Soon I realized, not knowing much about the community was going to be my greatest challenge. In 2014, as I was floundering around, trying to keep the year-round Buddy Eller Shelter open, both Benj Thomas and Judy Pruden reached out to me and offered their help.

Benj was able to explain the different factions that exist in our community. He pointed out what they valued and where their concerns were. He never maligned anyone, even those I imagine he disagreed with. He was trying to help me enhance my understanding, as I was trying to develop a better solution.

Judy wanted to know what I was considering, what I thought might be possible. She was literally looking for ways she could help. She explained the experiences and concerns of the Wagonsellor Neighborhood, while at the same time acknowledging the work of serving people experiencing homelessness needed to be done.

The County’s recent purchase of the motel with COVID funding from the State, to address our shortage of affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness has stirred the homelessness controversy in our community again.

For the record, I co-chair the Mendocino County Homelessness Continuum of Care, and Ford Street has received Continuum of Care CESH funding in support of our Unity Village housing program that serves families experiencing homelessness. After completing the first 10 months of this new program, we served 15 families, six families have been housed, and two families exited for non-compliance. Our cost to provide room and board for these families is $101 a day. All families we serve contribute 30% of their income and agree to sober living environment program rules.

TWK asserts that local homeless service providers need the homeless problem to persist to fund their agencies. Speaking for Ford Street, if homelessness was no longer a challenge and funding for homeless programs ceased to exist, not only would Ford Street remain viable, the business would be money ahead. Revenue from our rentals and AOD programs help to fund our homeless family housing program and the local Food Bank.

As we strive to improve our community during these unprecedented times, let’s honor the contributions Benj and Judy made through their public service and find a way to work through our concerns. It begins with being willing to listen to one another and tell the truth. As Martha Barra said at the last City of Ukiah Planning Commission meeting, “I think we can do better.”

Jacqueline Williams

Executive Director Ford Street Project

Ukiah

AV VILLAGE GENERAL TRIVIA WITH THE COORDINATOR

Tuesday November 17th, 4:30 to 5:30 PM on Zoom

Join us for General Trivia with the AV Village Coordinator and have a little fun and learn some new useful facts?! Please RSVP with the coordinator so we can get an idea of attendance, thank you.

Zoom details for both:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://gmail.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cea1e601922fa82e47579cc80&id=b64b8ca0e2&e=358077c1c9

Meeting ID: 434 337 6734 – Passcode: avv

One tap mobile: +16699009128,,4343376734#,,,,,,0#,,490940# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location: +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 434 337 6734 – Passcode: 490940

Find your local number: https://gmail.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cea1e601922fa82e47579cc80&id=4b85f3e3c9&e=358077c1c9

QUEENIE’S ROADHOUSE CLOSED FOR THE WEEK

Due to the bad weather predicted Queenie's will be closed for the week of November 11th through the 19th. We will reopen on Friday the 20th. Sorry for any inconvenience. 

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COUNTY NOTES

SHERIFF MATT KENDALL STOPPED BY the other day. He said progress is being made on the Crisis Van, aka Mobile Crisis Unit. He expects three units to be deployed eventually, one of which will be on the coast, each unit consisting of a Sheriff’s SUV, a county mental health staffer and a uniformed deputy. 

A COUPLE of experienced Butte County’s Crisis Van program staffers will participate in the hiring process and perhaps conduct some training. Job descriptions “are being written,” and job postings will follow. The units will operate in what Kendall says are the peak hours for 5150 calls, afternoons and evenings. He also expects at least one of the units to be based at the new Mental Health Training Center in Redwood Valley. 

THERE'S been the usual Mendo lag time getting the program underway. It's no surprise that after four months of dithering we're still months away from an operational crisis van. The project is supposed to be reviewed by the Measure B committee in January,

SHERIFF KENDALL also said that he was surprised at the number of evacuees from the Brooktrails “Oaks” fire in September who were in such bad shape that they needed lots of extra help and “lift assists” just to get out of their houses and on the road. Kendall said he thought it had to do with being cooped up without exercise for months. Many of the people who needed help were not that old either, in the 50-60 year old range. But lots more of them needed help than anyone expected. If the fire had been more aggressive, getting the immobile out in a hurry could have been a bigger problem than it was. Fortunately, the Sheriff’s early evacuation order and the slow movement of the fire allowed for an impressively orderly evacuation and no loss of life, no major injuries and only a few structure fires.

SUPERVISORS TED WILLIAMS AND JOHN HASCHAK were guests on Thursday morning’s KZYX “Cannabis Hour” to give listeners an update on the activities of their Cannabis Ad Hoc committee. Haschak uses the words “trying” and “hope” so much that he’s lost most of whatever credibility on this subject he may have had. The host of the show summarized the opinions of the two committee members as “optimism and honesty,” seeming to agree that what Haschak “hopes” will happen or is trying to do is pretty unlikely. For example, Haschak said he “hopes to work through” the roadblocks that the Department of Fish and Wildlife has put up. He added, ominously, especially with regard to their requirement for “sensitive species reviews” for each permit. Haschak said that some lawyers [sic] from the state’s Department of Research and Planning will participate in an upcoming meeting, which will bring “a new set of eyes and perspectives that may be different” in the interpretation of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements currently being required for every — EVERY ONE OF — the more than 1100 pending applications, not to mention the thousands more they “hope” to come in during “phase 3.” Haschak also said he hopes the state extends the January 2022 deadline on provisional permits after which “they [the permits presumably, not the applicants] done away with.” Haschak also is trying to increase the size limitations on cooperative cannabis grows, coops being his pet preference for how marijuana should be grown, despite the obvious problems that such undertakings involve — especially with pot growers who aren’t exactly known for sustainable cooperation.

WILLIAMS pointed out that complying with CEQA for an individual permit application will cost at least $15k (probably more if the costs of actual compliance are added to the paperwork requirements). And nobody has the staff necessary to process the applications even if the money could be found. Apparently, the state has found one (i.e., 1) qualified biologist to conduct the “sensitive species reviews” that are required. (Not mentioning how many of such reviews the one biologist can handle.) Williams said that Prop 64 more or less assumes that much larger corporate style pot gardens would be able to afford such bureaucratic burdens, but it imposes nearly unattainable burdens on small growers. On top of that, Williams said, even if a local applicant fully complied with everything Mendo currently requires they’d still have to go through a separate state permit process with no guarantee of success. 

“HOW MANY TIMES have we told growers one way and then found out it doesn’t work?” asked Williams. "I feel like I walked outside and fell into a cesspool. … Now we are moving at about 0 mph. The Discretionary (phase 3) model looks better. It would be slow, but at least they’d be moving. Humboldt County is finding out that [processing permits] one by one is a very slow process. If the provisional deadline is extended it would still require more staffing. Humboldt does 70 use permits a year. But we have more than 1100 in line and it would take years. …"

“WE DON’T KNOW where all this will go,” concluded Williams.

WE KNOW...NOWHERE. There are literally thousands of otherwise law-abiding growers throughout Mendo who have no intention of even trying to get legal.

(Mark Scaramella)

ED NOTES

RECYCLING at the Boonville Dump is an early morning affair because the bins fill up fast, very fast. More people are recycling more stuff because they're staying home, and recycling lots of stuff that comes in boxes, esp Amazon boxes. 

USED TO BE we had a modest little recycling center at the Boonville Fairgrounds, but like everything else that used to be in the Anderson Valley the Fairgrounds recycling convenience went away. We heard it went away because the Fairgrounds demanded some exorbitant rent for the otherwise unused space…

JIM GIBSON was startled to find himself driving home behind a river otter scurrying along Mountain View Road not far from Faulkner Park. Jim speculates that its habitat is so dry the disoriented critter was trying to find enough water to comfortably make his home.

ANOTHER sign of our nervous times. A man who lives deep in the hills tried to slow down an habitual speeder, a new-ish guy who didn't seem to understand that outback hill roads aren't designed for giant dude trucks or speeders, being narrow and easily wash-boarded. So one afternoon our guy sees dude-child roaring towards him and boldly steps out in the middle of the road to explain the obvious. Dude-child leaps out of his truck with a handgun and, pointing the weapon at our guy, asks our guy, "Do you want to die?" Well, no. But darned if dude-child didn't do a schizo-180, explaining that he'd suffered serious financial reversals and admitted he hadn't been in his right head in a while. He apologized to our guy and promised to be a better neighbor.

THE FLYNN CREEK neighborhood is abuzz over an episode that saw a big guy hit a little woman. The big guy had been managing the little woman's and her late husband's Flynn Creek property. When the little woman asked the big guy to leave her Flynn Creek property, he punctuated their relationship by punching her. Somehow the big guy felt he was the victim of the little woman and took out a temporary restraining order against the little woman, who took out a TRO against him, too. Big guy is at home near Mendocino, little woman is at home in Fort Bragg. Both parties will slug it out in court.

WE'VE JUST RACKED UP the most daily COVID-19 deaths in six months, as infections and hospitalizations continue to spike to record highs across the country. There were 1,893 deaths on Wednesday, which is the highest number of fatalities since May 8th during the initial peak of the outbreak. New infections across the country hit a record high of 144,133 cases on Wednesday, and the average of new cases is now more than 120,000 per day. The number of hospitalizations across the US also continues to spike to single-day highs with more than 65,000 patients currently being treated. 

BIDEN'S medical guy says it might be necessary to shut down the whole country for six weeks, but Dr. Fauci doubts it will be necessary because the incidence of covid varies from place to place. A Gallup Poll released today reveals that more than half the people polled vowed not to cooperate with another lockdown.

ALTHEA PATTON WRITES: “I don’t buy the argument that because Jeffrey Toobin was a good writer who had worked for the New Yorker for many years that his firing from his job is unwarranted. From the perspective of being a working woman, I cannot imagine behaving the way he did in a work zoom conference. It is inconceivable. Who does this? Privileged men do. I say, give his job to another deserving, talented writer that doesn’t jack off in front of his / her work colleagues. Jizz!. Oops, I mean Jeeez!”

ED REPLY: Hah! Good one, Althea, but surely Toobin didn’t do it on purpose unless, as they say, he was “testing the limits.” But if he was, he’s crazy, and there’s no indication he’s nuts. On the other hand [sic], erotic triggers are known to vary considerably, but still… I knew a guy who became instantly tumescent at the mere sight of K-Mart smocks, those off-green jobs… Everyone seems more than ordinarily crazy these anxious days. I don't think Toobin deserves to be destroyed over his lamentable lapse. 

JUST IN FROM ESTHER, Esther Mobley, Chron wine writer: 

Estimates of the monetary losses due to the 2020 wildfires in Wine Country are beginning to materialize, and they look significant. The Glass Fire may have cost Napa’s wine industry as much as $1 billion, with $50 million in wage losses for vineyard workers, writes Barry Eberling in the Napa Valley Register.

The mega Constellation-Gallo merger may finally be reaching a conclusion, 18 months after the $1.7 billion deal was first announced. This week, the two companies signed a new agreement with federal regulators that reduces the deal to about $1.03 billion, according to North Bay Business Journal.

In Greece, a winemaker is soaking grapes in salt water before fermentation, part of an effort to recreate ancient styles of wine, Ute Eberle reports in Hakai magazine.

San Francisco restaurants will have to close their indoor dining rooms on Friday after Mayor London Breed announced a rollback in the city’s reopening due to a spike in COVID-19 infections. The Chronicle’s Justin Phillips and Janelle Bitker have the details.

CATCH OF THE DAY, November 12, 2020

MONTE FISK-MCCARTHY, Willits. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

ANGEL MILLER, Ukiah. Parole violation.

MIGUEL RANGEL, Boonville. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

CHRISTOPHER WESS, Domestic battery, failure to appear.

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

by Erik S. McMahon (July 2000)

Identical twin Scotsmen who perform as The Proclaimers once cut a lovely, embittered track titled “What Makes You Cry?”

That’s a fairly easy inquiry for most to answer. Less visceral but more complex is the question of what induces us to laugh.

It’s woefully inadequate to say one has “a sense of humor” and therefore… Oh, enough, already, with the serious stuff. Do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy of Fierce Pajamas. If nothing in this fat tome amuses, you can go to the rope with a dour expression and a clear conscience.

Forget about the East Coast issue. Yes, The New Yorker, under its handful of erudite editors, has occasionally seemed self-satisfied, and disdainful of much that transpires West of the Hudson. But in 1925, founder Harold Ross envisioned his magazine as a “comic weekly.”

Often, it's been just that, and you don’t have to live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to get the jokes.

This collection’s credit list reads like a Wag & Wit Hall of Fame. For starters: Groucho Marx, Steve Martin, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Woody Allen, S.J. Perelman, James Thurber, Ogden Nash, and Mike Nichols.

Also included are selections from accomplished modern smart-asses such as Ian Frazier, Veronica Geng, and Bruce McCall.

Some supposedly serious chin-tuggers let their hair down as well; mouthing off herein are Susan Sontag, John Updike, and Vladimir Nabokov.

There’s a lot to like, within eight loose categories (“Spoofs,” “The Frenzy of Renown,” “The War Between Men and Women,” “The Writing Life,” “A Funny Thing Happened,” “Words of Advice,” “Recollections and Reflections,” and “Verse”).

Picture this. You’re attending one of those Comedy Day festivals, and there are around 140 acts.

Sure, some of them don’t even twitch your lips, but a few will coax out a chortle, and one or two have to generate a guffaw (or it's time to go home).

That’s the deal with Fierce Pajamas. Dip in wherever you like; check out if it's not working.

As an example, some of the “classic” efforts were a mite formal for my taste, but I found a passage from Steve Martin’s “Changes in the Memory After Fifty” simultaneously touching and berserk:

“Let’s say you’ve just called your best friend; Joe; and invited him to an upcoming anniversary party; and then; minutes later; you call Joe back to invite him to the same party again. This does not mean that you are ‘losing it,’ or are ‘not playing with a full deck’ or are ‘not all there’ or that you’re ‘eating with the dirigibles’ or ‘shellacking the waxed egg’ or ‘looking inside your own mind and finding nothing there’ or any of the other demeaning epithets that are said about people who are peeling an empty banana. It does mean; however; that perhaps Joe is no longer on the list of things that you’re going to remember. This is Joe’s fault. He should be more memorable. He should have a name like El Elegante.”

Martin goes on to describe a favored summertime activity: “sit in your garden and try to remember your dog’s name.”

Since we’re on the subject of famous funnymen; how about Woody? I know, I know, I’m with you — I’ve hated the last six or eight films, too. But Allen broke in with great comic chops, at least as recently as 1970, when he wrote “Hassidic Tales, With a Guide to Their Interpretation by the Noted Scholar.”

Mia’s ex also once waxed elegantly philosophical: “Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only for food: frequently there must be a beverage.”

This might be a long shot. Perhaps you have, during an idle afternoon, thumbed through a Lands’ End, J. Crew, or Eddie Bauer catalogue. You may also be a fan of America’s most profane playwright.

If both those apply, let me recommend “Glengarry Glen Plaid,” a parody by Frank Cammuso and Hart Seely.

It’s subtitled “Excerpts from the New Land Ho! Catalogue, As It Would Be Written by David Mamet,” the entry is slugged ALL HAIL CHINOS! EVERYONE SHOULD OWN A PAIR!, and it goes like this:

“You think chinos are queer? Let me tell you something: Everybody’s queer. So what? You cheat on your wife? Live with it. You own a pair of bell-bottoms? Deal with it. At least these chinos have a fly that stays up, and you’re not paying a hundred dollars for some piece of puke-colored polyester. Right now, you’re asking, What do I want from a pair of pants? Comfort? Durability? A name? An investment? Listen: When you’re in the accident, and they’re cutting off your blood-stained trousers in that emergency room, who cares if you’re wearing an expensive label? MACHINE WASHABLE, TOO!”

The humor in Fierce Pajamas is by no means all of a dark cast, though I confess I ranked some of the edgier efforts especially entertaining.

Comic writing is an art refined and practiced effectively by a very small coterie of lunatics. It is even more remarkable when their product holds up for years, or decades.

For some reason, I found myself entranced with a few lines from Don Marquis’ “Mother’s Home Again,” a twisted but engagingly goofy poem which he penned 74 years ago:

Mothers in the street, Dad!

She is out of jail!

Put morphine in the needles,

And some ether in the ale,

Mother’s home for Christmas,

Mother’s out of jail!

(Fierce Pajamas: An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker. Edited by David Remnick and Henry Finder. Random House, 498 pp., $27.95)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I voted by Absentee Ballot, but not in Pennsylvania. The materials included with the absentee ballot were very explicit that the vote wouldn’t count if the ovals were not completely filled in, and it was not placed inside the signed security envelop which is then placed in the outer mail in envelope. Basic stuff…

But what they don’t tell you is that your Absentee Ballot still may not count if the morons and nincompoops processing your ballot do not follow proper procedures designed to provide a modicum of election integrity. And these Boobs are likely to be low IQ, minimum wage workers who may not be able to follow basic instructions and/or may be flipped out on drugs, high fructose corn syrup, pizza, fast food, the American education system, Social media, or whatever. And that may be best case scenario. 

HEADS UP, DUDES

Dear Editor,

I'm finally off quarantine and back in Northern California’s new reception center. We are no longer being sent to San Quentin for all those waiting for a bus.

This facility is not allowing any hygiene items, food or property from county jails. Everything is tossed out or shipped home at your own expense.

Only five books and personal paperwork, envelopes etc. are permitted. I survived with a tumbler/cup and two hair pics and a palm comb.

They got a full body scanner here upon arrival -- the works! So inmates better prepare accordingly and don't say your boy didn't give you a heads up.

We will be out of here quickly they say -- 30 days. But I ain't holding my breath. Yard six days a week however. Showers three times. And social distancing and masks required.

Overall it's a lot better than Badger/Alpine section for real.

They have radio programs all day long in the day room. Sunday's it's oldies. Monday Spanish. Tuesday country and western. Wednesday through Friday is hip-hop, R&B, and Saturday hip-hop mix.

Of course football and half the cells got TV shots. So lots of fun!

Much love and respect from the dude -- I am that do it!

Ronald Rhea, BM 2728

North Kern State Prison

Facility B, Building 5-224A

P.O. Box 5005

Delano, CA 93216

HIT & RUN THEATER ZOOM SHOW RETURNS

Saturday, November 14 at 6pm details here below

People of the Mendocino Coast and fans of improvisational theatre everywhere! Hit & Run Theater is back with Zoom for another Improv comedy show!

“Hit & Run Under House Arrest! V”--Hit & Run Theater Virtual Improv Show

Saturday, November 14 from 6-7:15pm on ZOOM

Please click the link to join the show/webinar on Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/y3q7dawd

Please note, our Zoom Show is capped at 100 attendees, but you can also click on the following link to live stream our show: http://www.thesnapsessions.com/youtube

No one will be turned away from the YouTube livestream!

Starring Janet Atherton, Mindy Ballentine, Ken Krauss, Jill Lemos, Doug Nunn, Kathy O’Grady, Dan Sullivan, and Robin Warman, with Joshua Raoul Brody from BATS Improv (SF) supplying music! Techmeister will be Marshall Brown of the SnapSessions! podcast.

The Zoom link opens at 5:45pm with the show to last approx. from 6-7:15pm.

You can be either an attendee and supply suggestions, or you can live stream our show! Stay tuned--More details to follow! If you have questions on how to connect, please write doug@thesnapsessions.com or marshall@thesnapsessions.com or ken@thesnapsessions.com

This “Hit & Run Theater Under House Arrest” virtual online show is our gift in these hard times to the audience that has supported us for so many years. If you would like to support our homegrown improvisational comedy, you can send a contribution payable to Doug Nunn at PO Box 1353, Mendocino, CA 95460, including a note to donate to HRT, or via PayPal by sending your contribution to birdhaus@mcn.org labeled “Hit & Run”. We are grateful to you for whatever support you give us, and keep laughing!

SHOULDA BEEN POSTPONED

Editor: 

NFL greed — If there was ever a doubt that all the NFL cares about is revenue, last Thursday night’s game was the clincher. The 49ers, already short-handed by injuries, lost three more of their best players because of the NFL's COVID protocol. The game should have been postponed until Sunday. Both teams would have been better off, but the NFL would have lost the revenue from a prime time national telecast on Thursday. The NFL does not care one bit about player safety (if it did, there would never be Thursday games). Revenue is the only motivator for the NFL. Very sad, indeed.

E J McVey

Santa Rosa

A READER SENDS THIS “TRUMPY LIMERICK”

There’s no cause to dread Trump escaping 

An electoral hole that is gaping 

What image makes clear 

We’ve nothing to fear?

It’s Four Seasons Total Landscaping

–– Preet Bharara

THE COMFORTABLE TALK ABOUT DISCOMFORT

Coming Together on the Homelessness Crisis - Virtual Town Hall Meeting

Date: 11/16/2020 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM 

Introduction: On November 16, 2020, at 6:30pm Senator Mike McGuire, the County of Mendocino and City of Ukiah will be hosting a virtual Town Hall Meeting for a community discussion on local efforts to address the homelessness crisis.

Virtual Town Hall Details:

Who: Senator Mike McGuire; Mendocino County; City of Ukiah

What: Virtual Town Hall – Coming Together on the Homelessness Crisis

When: Monday, November 16 at 6:30 p.m.

How to attend: Register in advance for this webinar at https://mendocinocounty.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_56BGCnjfTmO9qwGeX41FnQ. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The webinar will also be streaming live in English and Spanish on the County’s YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/mendocinocountyvideo). 

How to submit your questions and comments: Email your questions and comments in advance and in real time during the virtual town hall to: Senator.McGuire@senate.ca.gov.

For more information, please contact the Executive Office at (707) 463-4441 or ceo@mendocinocounty.org. 

SONOMA COUNTY PROGRESSIVE VOTERS HELPED ELECT JOE BIDEN, NOW THEY WANT SOMETHING IN RETURN

by Phil Barber

Christine Byrne recalls April 8 more vividly than most of the dreadful moments of 2020. That was the day Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont ended his bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

Byrne, a climate activist, had worked relentlessly on Sanders’ candidacy. But her dismay went beyond the disappointment of seeing her political champion sidelined. She was also reluctant to accept the man who became the presumptive head of the Democratic ticket that day: Joe Biden.

“I would say when Bernie dropped out of the race and it became clear Biden was the nominee, for me it was personally some of the darkest days of the pandemic,” Byrne said. “I felt like I had lost any sense of hope or light at all.”

She told friends she would not be voting for Biden, the former Delaware senator and vice president under Barack Obama. She didn’t respect his middle-of-the-road political views, and she couldn’t reconcile the sexual assault accusations against him.

“He’s someone I fought really hard to make sure he would not be the nominee,” Byrne said. “I want Trump out of office, of course. But knowing my vote doesn’t make a difference in California, it was, ‘Nope, I’m not gonna fill out that bubble for Biden.’ He’s actually someone I kind of loathe.’”

Less than seven months later, Byrne was filling out that bubble and depositing her ballot in the Roseland Community center drop box. And she was perfectly at peace with her decision.

All over the United States, progressive voters were making the same determination. Few of them cared for Biden, an old-guard Democrat who has not embraced concepts such as the Green New Deal, "Medicare for All" or defunding police forces. Many weren’t thrilled with his running mate, Kamala Harris, either, citing her harsh treatment of marginalized communities when she was San Francisco district attorney, then California attorney general.

When push came to shove, though, they were motivated by the left’s overriding goal of 2020: to remove Donald J. Trump from office. Progressive voters helped make it a reality, not only casting ballots for Biden but, in many cases, making phone calls or writing post cards to get out the vote in battleground states.

Because of California’s reliably blue vote, Sonoma County did not play a crucial role in the presidential election. But progressives here faced a familiar conundrum on Biden/Harris.

This, after all, was Bernie Country. Sanders captured 33% of the vote in Sonoma County in the Democratic primary in March, compared to Biden’s 24.6%. A total of 32,059 county citizens voted for Biden in that primary. Biden’s November tally here was 177,588 at last count, with an estimated 30,000 ballots still uncounted. That’s a lot of reluctant or disengaged voters coming out of the woodwork to support Biden and Harris.

Sonoma State history major Paulina Lopez was one of them.

It took Lopez, who grew up in Calistoga and is now 25, a long time to wade into politics. A couple of issues provided the push. “The wildfires, that’s what did it,” Lopez said. “And the candidacy of Trump.”

Accelerating fire danger in the North Bay convinced Lopez that politicians weren’t doing enough to fight climate change. She also saw how people of color were disproportionately affected by disasters. She and Byrne both work with a local chapter of the Sunrise Movement, an organization united around climate justice. When Lopez gained citizenship in 2019, she had a chance to take her views to the ballot box. Sanders was an easy choice for her.

Joe Biden? Not her favorite.

“During the Obama presidency with Biden, they were not that good on immigration,” Lopez said. “He can’t hide that under the rug.”

But Lopez had a different reaction to Sanders’ concession speech than Byrnes experienced. She found inspiration in the senator’s still-fiery tone. And she pivoted quickly to Biden, sensing there was no other viable option.

Rowen Dalbey, 19, is another first-time voter who faced a difficult decision. She acknowledges that, focused on work and COVID-19, she didn’t pay a lot of attention to the primary race. Dalbey responded favorably when Biden won the Democratic nomination.

“I remember watching the (first) Obama inauguration when I was in third grade. We watched in class,” she said. “My initial reaction to Biden was, ‘Yay, if Obama likes him, I like him.’ But then I saw pictures of him behaving inappropriately with women. And I don’t know how to put it nicely, but he’s a little spacey. I was a little worried about those two things.”

Dalbey, who is most interested in separating law enforcement from mental health incidents and in providing support for migrant workers during disasters, ultimately put those concerns aside and voted for the Democrat.

It’s obvious Biden couldn’t have gotten elected without young adults like her and Lopez. (The Guardian reported that more than 60% of voters aged 18-29 went for the challenger.) But the same can be said for suburban white women and socially conservative minority voters. Even before the Associated Press and other news organizations projected Biden’s electoral victory last Saturday, factions began carving out political terrain.

Politico reported that on a private conference call among Democrats in the House of Representatives on Nov. 5, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, said if “we are going to run on Medicare for All, defund the police, socialized medicine, we're not going to win” the two Senate seats in Georgia that will be decided in runoff elections. Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California seemed to agree, urging her colleagues to focus on broad issues like the economy and infrastructure.

It didn’t sit well with progressive activists.

“Young voters are the ones who came out for the Democratic Party,” Lopez said. “The fact she made that statement, gave us a feeling of, ‘Ugh, what just happened?’ ”

Not everyone believes that hewing to the center is the safe path for Democrats. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-New York, noted that all the Democratic incumbents who lost seats in the House last week were centrists.

Norman Solomon, a journalist, media critic and left-leaning political activist who lives in Marin County, agrees. He points out that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both courted moderates once in office. It didn’t prevent Republicans from capturing both houses of Congress during their first terms.

“The exit polls are clear,” Solomon said. “A large majority want Medicare for All. A large majority want the Green New Deal. If we’re backpedaling, it’s problematic.”

In effect, the hard work begins anew for entrenched lefties determined to win consolations from a Biden administration. Levels of enthusiasm vary.

“In terms of being heard in ways that might affect policy, my level of optimism is pretty low,” Solomon said. “However, if enough organizing and hell-raising occurs, we might do better than expected.”

Others are hopeful. Many political analysts have noted that, despite the president-elect’s long history of centrism, Democratic primary candidates such as Sanders and Elizabeth Warren helped nudge Biden’s platform leftward, making it perhaps the most progressive in history for an American major-party candidate.

“Biden has already shown he’s willing to listen to progressive organizers,” Byrne said.

And those organizers remain determined to make their voices heard. Many of them tempered their goals this year, uniting to oust Trump. They want something from Joe Biden in return.

“Our priority was to get him into the White House,” Lopez said. “Now, we’re going to put him to work.”

(Courtesy, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

FEDERAL COURT RULES THAT FDA APPROVAL OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW

by Dan Bacher

Federal Court rules that FDA approval of genetically engineered salmon violated federal law By Dan Bacher

San Francisco — A coalition of environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishing organizations and one Indian Tribe has won a huge victory in the battle to stop the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of genetically engineered salmon for human consumption in the U.S.

On November 5, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled <https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/2020-10-05-ecf-285--order-granting-in-part-and-denying-msj_03835.pdf> the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) violated core environmental laws in approving the genetically engineered salmon, according to a press release from the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Earthjustice.

“The Court decided that FDA ignored the serious environmental consequences of approving genetically engineered salmon and the full extent of plans to grow and commercialize the salmon in the U.S. and around the world, violating the National Environmental Policy Act,” the groups stated.

““The Court also ruled that FDA’s unilateral decision that genetically engineered salmon could have no possible effect on highly-endangered, wild Atlantic salmon was wrong, in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The Court ordered FDA to go back to the drawing board and FDA must now thoroughly analyze the environmental consequences of an escape of genetically engineered salmon into the wild,” the groups said.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria concluded:

*"The FDA did not, however, meaningfully analyze what might happen to normal salmon in the event the engineered salmon did survive and establish themselves in the wild. Even if this scenario was unlikely, the FDA was still required to assess the consequences of it coming to pass. This is especially true because the FDA knew that the company’s salmon operations would likely grow, with additional facilities being used for farming. Obviously, as the company’s operations grow, so too does the risk of engineered salmon escaping. Thus, it was particularlyimportant at the outset for the agency to conduct a complete assessment of the risks posed by the company’s genetic engineering project, including an assessment of the consequences for normal salmon if the engineered salmon established themselves in the wild."*

The plaintiffs in the case, represented by the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice, include the Institute for Fisheries Resources, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Cascadia Wildlands, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Ecology Action Centre, Food and Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, Golden Gate Salmon Association, and the Quinault Indian Nation

“Today’s decision is a vital victory for endangered salmon and our oceans,” said George Kimbrell, CFS legal director and counsel in the case. “Genetically engineered animals create novel risks and regulators must rigorously analyze them using sound science, not stick their head in the sand as officials did here. In reality, this engineered fish offers nothing but unstudied risks. The absolute last thing our planet needs right now is another human-created crisis like escaped genetically engineered fish running amok.”

In 2016, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Earthjustice — representing a broad client coalition of environmental, consumer, commercial and recreational fishing organizations and the Quinault Indian Nation — sued the FDA <https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/4317/lawsuit-challenges-fdas-approval-of-genetically-engineered-salmon> for approving the first-ever commercial genetically engineered animal, an Atlantic salmon engineered to grow twice as fast as its wild counterpart, the groups said.

The genetically engineered salmon was produced by AquaBounty Technologies <https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/309/ge-fish/aquadvantage-salmon>, Inc. with DNA from Atlantic salmon, Pacific king salmon, and Arctic ocean eelpout. This marks the first time any government in the world has approved a commercially genetically engineered animal as food.

AquaBounty recently reported a strong balance sheet going into the fourth quarter of 2020 <https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/premium/business-finance/aquabounty-reports-strong-financial-results-strides-toward-scaling-in-third-quarter-report> and announced that it had selected Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S.A., as its favored site for a future 10,000-metric-ton (MT) land-based salmon <https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/aquaculture/aquabounty-announces-kentucky-as-next-planned-ge-salmon-farm-site>farms. However, the FDA failed to consider and study the environmental risks of what many opponents of genetically engineered salmon call “frankenfish.”

“When GE salmon escape or are accidentally released into the environment, the new species could threaten wild populations by mating with endangered salmon species, outcompeting them for scarce resources and habitat, and/or introducing new diseases,” the groups said. “The world’s preeminent experts on GE fish and risk assessment, as well as biologists at U.S. wildlife agencies charged with protecting fish and wildlife, heavily criticized FDA’s approval for failing to evaluate the impacts of GE salmon on native salmon populations. Yet FDA ignored their concerns in the final approval.”

“This decision underscores what scientists have been telling FDA for years — that creating genetically engineered salmon poses an unacceptable risk if the fish escape and interact with our wild salmon and that FDA must understand that risk to prevent harm,” said Earthjustice managing attorney Steve Mashuda. “Our efforts should be focused on saving the wild salmon populations we already have — not manufacturing new species that pose yet another threat to their survival.”

According to the groups, studies have shown that there is a high risk for genetically engineered organisms to escape into the natural environment, and that genetically engineered salmon can crossbreed with native fish. So-called “transgenic contamination” — where genetically engineered crops cross-pollinate or establish themselves in nearby fields or the wild — has become common. These contamination episodes have cost U.S. farmers billions of dollars over the past decade. In wild organisms like fish, it would be even more damaging.

The Court also rejected FDA’s argument that it “lacked authority” to consider the adverse environmental impacts of GE animals, including the GE salmon. To find otherwise, the Court said, would lead to “absurd possibilities,” like approval of GE animals that could cause serious harm to other life. The Court held FDA had to consider environmental risks in its decision.

“The lawsuit also highlights FDA’s failure to protect the environment and consult wildlife agencies in its review process, as required by federal law. U.S. Atlantic salmon, and many populations of Pacific salmon, are protected by the Endangered Species Act and in danger of extinction,” the groups said.

“Salmon are keystone species and unique salmon runs have sustained people and wildlife for thousands of years. Diverse salmon runs today remain essential to indigenous food sovereignty, sustaining thousands of American fishing families, and are highly valued in domestic markets as a healthy, domestic, green’ food,” the groups stated.

Fawn Sharp, Quinault Indian Nation President, said, “Salmon are at the center of our cultural and spiritual identity, diet, and way of life. It’s unconscionable and arrogant to think man can improve upon our Creator’s perfection as a justification for corporate ambition and greed. Our responsibility as stewards of our sacred salmon demands we aggressively protect their natural habitat and genetics. We applaud today’s court decision; our prayers were answered and justice prevailed.”

“It’s a terrible idea to design genetically engineered ‘Frankenfish’ which, when they escape into the wild (as they inevitably will), could destroy our irreplaceable salmon runs,” said Mike Conroy, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). “Once engineered genes are introduced into the wild salmon gene pool, it cannot be undone. This decision is a major victory for wild salmon, salmon fishing families and dependent communities, and salmon conservation efforts everywhere.”

“Salmon fishermen and women don’t want to see these lab-made salmon in our waters nor in any market or restaurant where salmon is sold,” said John McManus, president of the Golden State Salmon Association. “The federal Food and Drug Administration clearly let America down when it chose to overlook the environmental risk these fish pose.”

“Genetically engineered salmon place wild salmon at risk and set a dangerous precedent for other genetically engineered animals, like cows and chickens designed to fit into factory farms, to enter the food system. We applaud the court for this carefully-reasoned decision,” said Dana Perls, Food and Technology program manager at Friends of the Earth U.S. “All products made with genetic engineering, especially live animals like genetically engineered salmon, should undergo thorough and precautionary assessment for impacts to our health and environment, be properly regulated and clearly labeled before entering the market.”

Fishermen, Tribes, environmentalists and public interest groups have been fighting the approval of genetically engineered salmon for human consumption for nearly two decades.

The Yurok Tribe, the largest Indian Tribe in California with over 6,000 members, in December 2015 banned genetically engineered salmon and all genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) on their reservation on the Klamath River in the state’s northwest region.

The Yurok ban came in the wake of the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision on November 19, 2015 to approve genetically engineered salmon, dubbed “Frankenfish,” as being fit for human consumption.s

On December 10, 2015, the Yurok Tribal Council unanimously voted to enact the Yurok Tribe Genetically Engineered Organism (“GEO”) Ordinance. The vote took place after several months of committee drafting and opportunity for public comment, according to a news release from the Tribe and Northern California Tribal Court Coalition (NCTCC).

This ordinance was apparently the first of its kind in the U.S. to address the FDA’s approval of AquaBounty Technologies’ application for AquAdvantage Salmon.

“The Tribal GEO Ordinance prohibits the propagation, raising, growing, spawning, incubating, or releasing genetically engineered organisms (such as growing GMO crops or releasing genetically engineered salmon) within the Tribe’s territory and declares the Yurok Reservation to be a GMO-free zone. While other Tribes, such as the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation, have declared GMO-free zones by resolution, this ordinance appears to be the first of its kind in the nation,” the Tribe said.

FOUND OBJECT