Mendocino County Today: Monday, March 15, 2021

TEMPERATURES WILL DROP to near or below freezing across much of the area tonight, including near the coast. Dry weather is expected through Wednesday. Another round of rain will arrive Wednesday night and Thursday, along with high elevation snow. Mostly light precipitation will linger into the weekend, mainly north of Cape Mendocino. (NWS)

4 NEW COVID CASES reported in Mendocino County this afternoon.

ANYBODY KNOW THIS GUY? His wallet was found today at the Boonville General Store.

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ANOTHER UKIAH SHELTER PET OF THE WEEK!

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PEOPLE TALK, DON’T LIKE WHAT THEY’RE HEARING ABOUT SUPES’ POT RULES

by Jim Shields

Recent columns have dealt with how the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, with the exception of Third District Supe John Haschak, have tentatively agreed to expand cultivation, effectively removing all caps on pot and open up rangeland to growing weed, despite opposition from the Sheriff, small cannabis farmers, environmentalists, and ranchers.

Last Saturday, Sheriff Matt Kendall appeared on my KPFN radio show and addressed his opposition to expanding weed cultivation into rangeland, and the so-called 10 percent rule where a grower with a minimum parcel size of 10 acres or larger could cultivate up to 10 percent of the parcel area.

Kendall said he believed the Supes are all “good people” but with the exception of Haschak, they don’t understand the implications and resulting economic and social harm of the proposed rule changes. He encouraged listeners to contact the other four supervisors and let them know of their opposition to the intended changes.

Following up on Kendall’s recommendation to get the word out to the Supes about what a bad idea the 10% rule and rangeland proposal are, I thought I’d share some of the comments received from the public on those issues.

• Jim, thank you for your defense of small farms and small family farmers on the 10 percent issue. We’ve lived here for well over two decades, love our remote mountain life with a friendly small town nearby and can’t imagine living anywhere else. It’s a situation rare in todays’ bustling world and one that is worth defending. Your words and staunch support mean the world to us and other rural-living community members. —Laytonville farmer

• I’m so pissed off after your hearing your program with Sheriff Kendall and you guys talking about the Covelo “War Zone.” Murders, 24-7 gunfire, a guy who fired off 200 rounds in a neighborhood with kids, one million pot plants with no permits, one-third of the town burned down and the Supervisors refuse to give the man money to fight back. They’re sick. (5th District Supervisor) Ted Williams says he needs more crime stats before he can approve funding? How long would he need to fund the Sheriff if had that War Zone around his Coast house? —Willits resident

• ‘The only answer is follow the money trail, it starts with greed and it dead ends with greed.’ (3-4-11 column) It’s the same greed that has the coast inundated with vacation rental homes while the workers cannot find housing. The County saw a funding stream for our top-heavy government and chose to allow vacation rentals galore, residents be damned. The submission from Supervisor Williams begins with “California is bracing for drought in 2021.” Yet major expansion of another crop that is water dependent and feeds no one is in the works. Wine and weed with very little food production happening locally will not sustain this county.” —Mr. Wendal, Mendocino County

• “As always Jim great program (“This & That”, KPFN) on Saturday with Sheriff Kendall. Learned a lot and it’s very encouraging he’s against the Supervisors rules that will allow farming on range land and that idiotic 10 percent rule. They’re in partnership with Henry O’s for sure. After your show I sent the county an email telling them to delete those proposals. Thanks again for keeping up the fight. Also thanks to (Third District Supervisor) Haschak for his opposing this also.” —Motor City Mitch, Laytonville

• “Re: Pot’s Money Trail (3-4-11 column) … Here come the water trucks all over the county buzzing around to supply the thirsty plants. The County can’t make money off the small farmers, so consolidation is the goal. That’s how the system works. It’s easier to regulate a few large entities than a lot of little ones. And nobody really cares about how many plants are grown anyways. The ‘small’ grows keep going and the water trucks keep rolling. Technically, you’re not supposed to truck water between planning watersheds due to sudden oak death issues, but nobody pays attention to that. The County and the State regulators only care about the dollars flowing in. Nobody gets busted (unless you’re a real ding-dong). The game continues until the prices change.” — Kirk Vodopals, Navarro

• “ … The Board of Supervisors are proposing replacing our hard-won ordinance with a use permit process. This will leave all of the decisions of where, how much, and under what conditions to allow Cannabis operations to the discretion of Planning Department staff … Of particular concern is the provision that would open all of our Rangelands to development, and allow up to 10% of a parcel 10 acres or more in the Ag, Upland Residential, and Rangeland zones to be converted to cannabis. The Farm Bureau does not support this new proposal, the small cannabis grower does not support it, our Sheriff does not support it, and the environmental community does not support it … A change of this scale should be broadly and openly discussed with the community, not sprung on the public and even some board members over the course of a weekend — making a mockery of our local democracy. And considering the magnitude of the expansion plan, the County, at the very least, should do a full Environmental Impact Review (EIR) …” —Ellen Drell, Willits Environmental Center and Sheila Jenkins, County Resident

• “… It is evident to me this is a welling up of a crisis of existence for the community that has had its core threatened by the State of California’s passage of prop 64 and the legalization of cannabis. Everyone can see the times changing. Cannabis grown in secret in the hills has supported the community for generations, and everyone knows that is about to end. Not because of me, or my company, but because California and most of the United States has legalized and regulated cannabis … My success, Henry’s Original’s success does not necessitate anyone else’s failure. The next generation of cannabis will look much different. It will have more rules and regulations, paperwork and taxes. It will require reorganization for many. Some will not make it … Yes, I lease the 101 Ranch. There have been no “native artifacts” or sacred areas disturbed. The 101 Ranch is a privately owned property, and we have followed all compliance requirements to cultivate cannabis there, and on all other locations where we lease or operate. But publicizing unfounded accusations and lambasting myself and my company for the general frustrations felt due to the changes in the cannabis economy is not right, not acceptable, and for myself, personally painful.”—Joshua Keats, Co-Founder, Henry’s Original

• “Jim, this is from 2018 Marijuana Retail Report’s Jaimie Warm (founder of Henry’s Original) interview: ‘In 2015 I partnered with Joshua Keats (co-founder) … just prior to Mendocino implementing their county permits .… We’ve really worked with the county to formulate that. We invited board of supervisors, the AG commissioner, and everybody to our farm and our nursery as well as our retail sites. We were really able to work kind of hand in glove with them so they understood what it looks like … It was nice to get policymakers, let them see what’s happening … We took our farms that were permitted to the county obviously to complete the application process with state licensure for 2018 … As we rolled into 2018 we ended up with 17 licenses … We’re from Mendocino county so we have a lot of genetics …’ As for the influencing of county policymakers, isn’t that illegal? To influence the people who are deciding regulations, for you ? He has continued to lobby policymakers while they ignore the 1000 or so other cultivators (who filled applications). They didn’t misplace Jaimie’s applications. He became the largest permit holder in the county. Stacking permits by using multiple names … Then they pressured them for transferability. Now paying off for them also.” — North County resident

(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, observer@pacific.net, and is also the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org.)

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BOTANICAL GARDENS, FORT BRAGG

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CHRIS CALDER: 

From a Fort Bragg Police Presser: “Sunday morning 01:49 AM, Officers responded to the area of the 500 block of N Main Street, for the report of a structure fire. When Officers arrived on scene, the building was fully engulfed in fire, while threatening other structures. Officers quickly began to attempt to evacuate surrounding buildings. Officers then shut down N Main Street to allow Fort Bragg Fire to quickly and safely knock the fire down. Officers remained on scene until all fire operations were concluded. Officers were told by fire personal that the cause is unknown at this time and nothing suspicious of note was located during fire operations.” 

* * *

It's a little hard to tell what, exactly, but something pretty big burned down on Main St.in Fort Bragg last night. "500 block of N. Main St." is what they say, on the east side. It's not the police department's job to be a newspaper. Unfortunately, somebody didn't get her a** out of bed to cover it. That's what happens when a company leaves one person in a locked, empty office and calls it a newspaper.

BTW, next time you see a City Council person, especially the Mayor, ask them how those downtown fire sprinklers are coming. The ones that have been required by law for at least 30 years and the city keeps letting downtown property owners get by without. Maybe some people would rather collect the insurance money when downtown turns to ashes, than protect the town's heritage? Go on. Ask them.

And ask yourself: how many tourists are going to drive six hours to come see a stinking pile of rubble? Happy Daylight Savings Time.

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DA HISTORY SERIES – PART IV: DOC STANDLEY

(Compiled by District Attorney David Eyster)

Jeremiah "Doc" Standley was born August 20, 1845 in Andrew County, Missouri, the son of Harrison and Elizabeth Standley. When he was 8 years of age, the family moved from Missouri to settle in California.

Jeremiah married Sarah Chastity Clay in 1868.

The couple had three daughters: Minnie J., Nellie Frances, Jessie N. (Standley) Hildreth and a son William Harrison Standley.

The son, William Harrison Standley, became an admiral in the United States Navy, who served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1933 to 1937. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1941 until 1943.

As a young man William Harrison Standley worked on the ranch of his father Harrison Standley, as well as in the family's hotel, the Ukiah House. The lifelong nickname of "Doc" was earned as a boy after he doctored a sick cow back to health. At 16 he leased a ranch and began raising cattle, later entering school in Ukiah to complete his education.

In 1864, at the age of 19, he was appointed a deputy sheriff in Mendocino County and held that position until 1866.

‘Doc’ Standley then served as a teacher in Ukiah for 5 years before once more being appointed deputy in 1872.

In 1874, laid off from the department due to budget cuts, he leased a sheep ranch, but continued to volunteer his services as a deputy whenever needed.

Standley in 1882 was elected sheriff of Mendocino County and held that position for the next decade.

In 1892 Standley was defeated in his bid for re-election. Still, he continued to serve as a deputy sheriff, working at times as a special detective for Wells Fargo besides ranching.

In January 1896 Standley was wounded while attempting to capture a man who had robbed a stagecoach in the area.

A year later, fully recovered from his wounds, Doc Standley joined in the Klondike gold rush. He settled in Nome, Alaska and engaged in the mining and freighting business, as well as serving as a deputy sheriff. His wife soon joined him, and the couple remained in Alaska until 1902, when they returned home to Ukiah. They remained there for a year or so, before returning to Alaska, this time accompanied by their youngest daughter, Jessie.

In 1908 Standley fell on a staircase and injured his spine. The injury gradually paralyzed him and caused him to go blind.

Sarah and Jessie began the journey to take Doc Standley back home to California. They stopped for a few days of rest in Seattle, and then again in Portland.

On July 8, 1908, while in Portland, Doc Standley passed away. His body was returned home, and he was buried in Ukiah.

During his 30 years of public service Doc Standley became known as one of the great lawmen of the ‘Old West.’ When he died, the editor of the Ukiah Dispatch-Democrat stated that “Doc Standley was one of the best men this country has ever produced. 

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KELLEY HOUSE HAS NEW DIRECTOR

The Kelley House welcomes Anne Semans as its new Director. Anne brings 30 years’ experience from the for-profit world, with a background in marketing, small business management, education, and hospitality. 

She is the author of four self-help books, and has written extensively on parenting, health, and travel. Before moving to Mendocino, Anne lived in San Francisco, where she worked with the groundbreaking, women-friendly, sex-positive, adult toy retailer, toys boutiques, and educators “Good Vibrations” and “Babeland.” 

During her 15 years on the Coast, Anne has cultivated a deep appreciation for the local community and a love of Mendocino’s rich history, as well as the many people who have worked to preserve it. Asked what she looks forward to most in her new role, Anne replied, “I am excited to be working at the Kelley House when the pandemic recedes and we can come together again as a community. I’m looking forward to meeting, in person, the colorful people connected to this organization. Everyone is a storyteller!” 

Her plans for the organization are geared toward helping it regain its footing after having been closed for a year. Looking for additional funding sources, planning ways to re-open safely, expanding the Kelley House tours to satisfy the curiosity of locals and visitors, and documenting the pandemic, are all things on her priority list. “If there’s anything this past year of major social, political, and economic upheaval has taught us, it’s that the historian’s role as truth-teller is vital. We are living history, and it’s important that we record it accurately so that future generations can learn from us.” 

Anne moved to the Mendocino Coast along with her two young daughters, Roxanne and Lily, in 2005. Her family was introduced to the Kelley House through the Mendocino Grammar School as part of their work teaching kids about California history. “All their projects—building Pomo shelters, model dairy farms, water towers—they brought history to life and helped all of us learn to love and respect the land, our history, and diverse cultures.”

Anne also worked for several years as a local tour guide and credits the Kelley House with innovating one of the best tours of all time. “One of my favorite memories was taking my girls on a Halloween cemetery tour where volunteers dressed up as townspeople buried in Evergreen Cemetery. What frightful fun we had as each of the actors popped out from behind their character’s gravestone and regaled us with their tales.” 

In concert with Museum Curator Karen McGrath, Anne is excited to be a part of the Kelley House’s next chapter. “So many people have poured heart and soul into the work of preserving Mendocino’s past. I’m honored to be part of the next wave.” 

Keep in touch with the Kelley House! Go to kelleyhousemuseum.org to become a member, subscribe to our newsletter, and learn more about Mendocino’s history with our online collections and exhibits.

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DAVID KING ON CULTIVATION: After my post of concerns in regards to cannabis expansion I got a lot of feedback. My gut is telling me the cannabis community I am worried about losing in the transition of the new industry is already gone. It was gone before Prop 64. Personally my community was established well before Prop 215. I found our community to be very insular and I did not mix as much with the new farmers that were more public about being farmers and more inclined to grow bigger. Before prop 64 I wouldn’t even type the word cannabis on the internet for fear it could be used against me. Then with the introduction of the fine system and satellites used to eradicate cannabis, coupled with the passing of Prop 64, I came out of the woods to integrate into the modern cannabis industry. I was shocked, I started seeing pictures of clear cutting for cannabis. I started hearing about farming practices that sprayed poison directly on the flower. Farmers were buying buckets and bottles of salts fertilizers with hippie labels on them and truly thinking they were organic farmers. More than the majority of farmers are using an engineered grow medium made from unsustainable products and grown in a hydroponic fashion. Even if farmers were fortunate enough to have low clay soil and could dig a hole into their ground they just placed the engineered grow medium into it, they were still essentially a hydroponic grower. Adding organic inputs into an engineered growing medium still doesn’t make the medium soil. That said, it is my concern that it is too dangerous to transition the industry from an engineered grow medium to living soil right now because with the learning curve we could lose many farmers in the process. I do foresee a handful of legacy farmers establishing reproducible living soil systems that will produce high quality cannabis with a greatly decreased amount of inputs. These regenerative farms will be used to keep the Mendocino legacy brand moving forward. They will be examples for others to follow. They will have the soil, soil gel, microbial, plant tissue, plant sap tests along with the state mandated tests and operating costs documented to back up their claims. They will be better than what we had in the past and will continue their craft moving forward. 

I have seen the cannabis community change many times. In the 70s if stuff went bad they would bring up LA SWAT. They would come in before dawn. They would spray automatic weapons fire 6 inches above the floor and 3 feet above the floor of the cabins. They all sported Tom Seleck mustaches, silencers larger than their guns and they were still fresh out of Vietnam. Farmers in those days were more than paranoid if they wanted to stay alive. Then the 80s came and they started Operation Sinsemilla, the predecessor to CAMP, it was more aggressive than Camp but not enough. The tide was turning. The opening of SpareTime was a big shocker and it started taking off from there. Then when I read a piece of paper given out by Dennis Peron saying a person had the right to cannabis I was in disbelief. After so many years of hiding I thought he was one of the bravest men that ever lived. Then 215 came out and I held in my hand an ID card issued by Tony Craver with the sheriffs emblem on it to give me protection in court for transporting cannabis to the Bay Area. All of these decades were remarkably different. How Reggae on the River started was not the same as how it ended. Surprising as we start a new decade of growing I find I had already circled back to the 70s style of cultivating with the addition of modern science to back it up as the most efficient form of cultivating that gives you the highest production of secondary metabolites. 

So at this crossroads in our cannabis culture we have the ability to speak openly and build a new community. The one aspect that never changes in the last 50 years is the inclusiveness of the community. We embraced every race, religion, gender and nationality. I cannot become diversive in this new era. My ideals of cultivation practices are not in line with the majority of today’s legacy farmers. And with the new larger farms I am so worried about I am seeing direct soil planting which I feel is a step in the right direction. I feel we need to be unified and be open to communication from all members of the community moving forward at this historic junction in time. In my last post I called out my concerns with expansion in the future. My concerns about regenerative farming and a circular economy. Today I am calling out my concerns about the legacy farmers, especially those who seek division in the community while farming in an engineered grow medium. If you want to talk the talk of legacy you better be walking the walk. If you want to talk about drawing hard lines in our community I would like to first discuss your sand, silt and clay ratios and where you sourced the materials of your O horizon. If your legacy is mined ancient peat bogs and coir shipped across the world for plants to be fed a large portion of their nutrient uptake through manufactured salts that is not my legacy. I will support all farmers outside, mixed light and inside who strive for regenerative practices and a circular economy.

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BOO HOO, MR. WUSS

On Thursday, March 11, 2021 Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a domestic violence incident in progress at a residence in the 65000 block of Drive Thru Tree Road in Leggett.

Upon arrival Deputies contacted a 34-year old adult male in front of the residence and Sara Godfrey, 34, of Leggett, inside the residence.

Deputies learned Godfrey and the adult male were living together while engaged in a romantic relationship.

Godfrey and the adult male both had been consuming alcoholic beverages and became involved in a domestic argument earlier in the evening. The argument escalated into a physical altercation when the adult male attempted to leave the residence and Godfrey attempted to prevent him from leaving.

Godfrey threw a glass beer bottle at the adult male which struck him on his right shoulder blade area prior to him exiting the residence. Godfrey chased after the adult male and struck him twice in the face with the palm of her hand.

Deputies observed visible injuries to the adult male’s face.

Godfrey was arrested for domestic violence battery and was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where she was to be held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

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UKIAH TIRE SLASHER GOES ON RAMPAGE

On Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 7:48 AM, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Communications Center began receiving 911 calls regarding a female subject armed with a knife in the 200 block of Laws Avenue in Ukiah.

It was reported the female was slashing the tires on numerous vehicles and also chasing people with the knife.

Deputies responded to the area and arrived within a few minutes. Deputies observed a female subject matching the description, who was being pointed out to Law Enforcement by numerous citizens in the area.

Deputies exited their patrol vehicles and ordered the female to stop. Instead, the female began running from Deputies. Deputies could see a folding knife still in the female's hand. Deputies ordered her to stop and drop the knife numerous times and she continued to flee.

Deputies caught up with the female a short distance away, and she continued to ignore commands to drop the knife and get on the ground. The female had a folding knife in her right hand above her head, still in the closed position.

While the female was fixated on two Deputies in front of her, a third Deputy was able to approach the female from behind and push her to the ground. This caused the female to drop the knife and she was safely detained in handcuffs. The female was identified as Kimberlee Thompson, 35, of Ukiah.

Deputies, with the assistance of officers from the Ukiah Police Department, canvassed the area and located 19 vehicles which had their tires slashed.

A total of 46 tires had been slashed on their sidewalls, causing thousands of dollars in damages.

Deputies contacted a 39-year old male subject in the area who was found to be a family member of Thompson's. Deputies learned that Thompson had arrived at the male's residence and threatened to cause him great bodily harm while armed with a knife. After making these criminal threats, Thompson left the residence and began vandalizing the vehicles.

Thompson was ultimately placed under arrest for Felony Vandalism and Criminal Threats.

Thompson was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where she was to be held in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Deputies are attempting to make contact with all of the victim's in this case to obtain estimates of the damage to their vehicles.

If you are a victim of a tire vandalism in the area on this date and have not yet spoken with a Deputy, please contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Communications Center at (707) 463-4086 and reference MCSO Case# 2021-5975.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the officers from the Ukiah Police Department for their assistance with this case.

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UKIAH ARSONIST SETS MOM’S HOUSE ON FIRE

On Saturday, March 13, 2021 at approximately 9:11 P.M. Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the 4800 block of North State Street in Ukiah.

Deputies were advised of a suspicious male subject in the area who was possibly intoxicated and acting strangely.

A Deputy arrived and did not immediately observe anyone in the area matching the provided description.

As the Deputy left the area, Dispatch informed him that the reporting person had called back, and advised the subject had just lit a fire inside of a residence.

The Deputy returned to the location and observed a large column of smoke coming from a single family dwelling. The Deputy contacted the reporting person, a 60 year old woman, who was attempting to stop the male subject from leaving the area.

The male subject was identified as Pedro Reynaga, 38, of Ukiah.

Reynaga was observed to be exhibiting signs and symptoms of being under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant and also had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and person.

The Deputy obtained information indicating that the fire was intentionally set inside of the residence by Reynaga. Reynaga lived in the residence with his mother, and the Deputy was unable to determine whether or not Reynaga's mother was currently inside of the residence.

The Deputy forced open the front door in an attempt to check if anyone else was inside of the residence. Due to intense heat and smoke inside of the residence, the Deputy was unable to make entry.

Reynaga's mother later arrived at the residence unharmed.

A Fire Investigator with the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority conducted an investigation and confirmed this fire to have been caused by arson.

Reynaga was placed under arrest for Felony Arson. Reynaga was subsequently booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was to be held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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SUPES SHOULD RETHINK PROPOSED CANNABIS EXPANSION

We agree with Sheriff Kendall, 3rd District Supervisor Haschak, the Farm Bureau, lots of local residents and the environmental community that the proposed new expansion of cannabis growing the Supes want needs a closer look and rethinking.

As far as we can tell, the whole proposal appears to be a quick grab at allowing large corporate growers to get started in the county, supposedly bringing lots of cash with them.

It seems to us that the “cannabis is a budget boon” idea crashed a long time ago. No billions showed up.

This expansion idea would, for the first time, open our County rangelands to cannabis growing. That’s a bad idea. We suspect if some mall developer came to the county wanting to build on rangelands, the supes would not hestitate to say no. Also, this new expansion would allow anyone to develop 10 percent of any property of at least 10 acres in cannabis plants even in residential neighborhoods. Where is the water coming from? Where is the energy for these huge gardens on rangeland coming from? Where is the policing coming from? We know local law enforcement and county staff do not have the personnel to make sure all the growing in this county now is permitted and legal. We think the large commercial growers will move here like a shot knowing that they will be able to get away with just about anything.

This county rejected a ballot measure expanding cannabis growing once already. The Supes should not take it upon themselves to do it without asking the public’s permission. There are plenty of cannabis growers in this county already and if the county made it cheaper and easier to create and maintain mom and pop gardens, they would have fewer illegal grows.

Supervisors, listen to your sheriff, your farm community, your current growers, the environmental community, and put this idea on the shelf.

(On Friday, March 19 at 9 a.m. there will be a Special Meeting of the Planning Commission which will be discussing and making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on this proposal. Contact them at pbs.mendocinocounty.org and your county supervisors at bos@mendocinocounty.org.)

K.C. Meadows, Editor, Ukiah Daily Journal (Courtesy, the Ukiah Daily Journal)

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NO USE PERMITS FOR POT

To the Editor:

On Friday, March 19 at 9 a.m. there will be a Special Meeting of the Planning Commission which will be discussing and making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on a proposed new cannabis cultivation ordinance: the “Commercial Cannabis Activity Land Use Ordinance”. Agenda item: 6B.

The Board of Supervisors is rushing this proposal forward so that they can take advantage of a regulation that allows the County to pass a Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance without environmental review (CEQA) until July 1 of this year.

We would like your help…..

What is at stake?

The Board of Supervisors are proposing replacing our hard-won ordinance with a use permit process. This will leave all of the decisions of where, how much, and under what conditions to allow Cannabis operations to the discretion of Planning Department staff.

This will eliminate the following protections we have in place with our existing ordinance: A prohibition on new operations on the County’s Rangeland Zone. A cap on the size of the grow sites of 10,000 sq. ft. per permit A 2 permits per parcel limitation Protections against tree removal A generator phase out timeline Protections against light pollution.

Instead of strengthening our ordinance, this new proposal will eliminate all of these protections and it will allow for a massive expansion of the size and number of cannabis grows in the county, including large commercial grows through a Use Permit process. Use Permits are issued for a minimum of 10 years with indefinite renewals and accompany the property regardless of the owner. Historically Use Permits in this county are rarely, if ever, monitored by county staff.

Of particular concern is the provision that would open all of our Rangelands to development, and allow up to 10 percent of a parcel 10 acres or more in the Ag, Upland Residential, and Rangeland zones to be converted to cannabis. For example, a 160-acre parcel could have sixteen acres of Cannabis which will be destructive to the small family grower, and it will not be environmentally sustainable.

The Farm Bureau does not support this new proposal, the small cannabis grower does not support it, our Sheriff does not support it, and the environmental community does not support it. And this new proposal is NOT the Vision supported by the majority of citizens of this county, as evidenced by the fact that Measure AF, which proposed cannabis in almost every zoning district, went down to defeat in 2016.

This proposal wholly ignores the recommendations of the Mendocino Climate Action Committee regarding appropriate land use development to meet the need for greenhouse gas reduction and carbon sequestration goals.

It also ignores the goals of our new federal administration which is calling for 30% of our lands to be set aside to try to stem the collapse of our wildlife population from climate change. If we were to continue preserving our Rangelands we would be able to meet that 30 percent goal.

If we hope to have even a semblance of a salmon fishery again we will have to have cool running streams and rivers. Not the hot, shallow, and algae-choked rivers we are seeing now across our county. Our water has already been over-allocated if we hope to meet the challenges of climate change in the years ahead, and unfortunately, Cannabis likes a lot of water and a lot of fertilizer.

Also, there is no proposed funding for a remedy to the spectacular failure of the citizen-driven complaint system of enforcement that we have now. The County does not have the budget, the staff, or the track record to responsibly invite a big expansion of cannabis operations at this time.

A change of this scale should be broadly and openly discussed with the community, not sprung on the public and even some board members over the course of a weekend — making a mockery of our local democracy. And considering the magnitude of the expansion plan, the County, at the very least, should do a full Environmental Impact Review (EIR).

What can be done?

If you aren’t happy with what’s going on with the Cannabis Industry in this county then please let the Planning Commission and the Supervisors know now. Reference the agenda item 6B in your letters. The Planning Commission email: pbs.mendocinocounty.org The Board of Supervisor email: bos@mendocinocounty.org

Thank you,

Ellen Drell, Willits Environmental Center and Sheila Jenkins, County Resident

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MYSTERY LAUNCH IN MENDO BAY

by Tonia Hurst

A drifting skiff and an attentive night watchman kicked off one of Mendocino County’s strangest maritime mysteries one quiet afternoon in 1921.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 13th, had you been looking out to sea, you might have noticed a boat racing towards Mendocino Bay from a distance due west. She pulled into harbor and drew close to the blowhole, where her crew secured her near the southeast buoy.

As dusk fell, four men loaded into a skiff and headed for shore, but instead of using the landing steps at the former slide chute, they beached their skiff on the sand and scrambled up the embankment. Each carried a large suitcase.

They went first to Granskog’s to hire a car, but none was available. At Ellison’s Garage, they found what they needed and pressed on to the north.

By evening, a rising tide set their dinghy adrift and a watchman secured it, but it wasn’t until Wednesday that anyone made an attempt to board the vessel and only then because the moorings had come loose such that the boat would be sucked into the blowhole and destroyed.

On boarding the boat, it was clear that she had been abandoned. A Beacon reporter of the time noted that nothing was left but a half case of eggs, some bacon, and “a portion of meat that was getting decidedly strong.” A map of the California coast was spread out on the table and nearby lay a rifle and a revolver.

The case was reported immediately to Sheriff Ralph Byrnes, a lawman renowned throughout Northern California. He ordered an investigation into the vessel, known as The Petrel, whose homeport indicated she hailed from the greater Seattle area.

At the time of events in question, Prohibition was in force, though Mendocino City had been dry from 1909. Speculation ensued as people tried to determine was the boat a mere rum runner or a drug smuggler, as both operated along the coast with enough frequency to require the surveillance of two Coast Guard vessels.

“It seems probable the little boat in the harbor might have engaged in some venture for apparently she bears no maritime registry number, and her papers are rather cooked up affairs and not the kind that could pass muster with port authorities,” said the same Beacon reporter.

The boat was towed into Russian Gulch and moored until further details unfolded. Valued at $15,000 to $25,000, the Mendocino Lumber Company—whose representative had providing the new mooring ropes for The Petrel—made a claim to salvage the boat, pointing out that it otherwise would have broken loose entirely and been destroyed.

Built to stand all types of weather, The Petrel did indeed successfully ply the coast with drugs and alcohol for the eight months she was in service. Her crew reportedly disappeared from Willits on a train bound for San Francisco. Inquiries into their whereabouts yielded a series of dead ends and The Petrel was sold at auction.

Photograph: The Cahokia, a Coast Guard tug , used to patrol the waters for bootleggers during Prohibition.

(Courtesy, Kelley House Museum)

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CATCH OF THE DAY, March 14, 2021

AUSTIN ANDERSON, Ukiah. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, parole violation.

KILJAN COCHRAN, Gualala. Protective order violation.

DIEGO DELRABAL, Las Vegas/Ukiah. DUI.

GUMERSINDO ENRIQUEZ-FRANCISCO, Potter Valley. DUI.

KENNETH GOODELL, Fort Bragg. DUI, no license.

SHANE JONES, Kelseyville/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

DAVID MARTINAZZI, Clearlake/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

RAYMOND MARTINEZ, Laytonville. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

RENE PANIAGUA-HERNANDEZ JR., Willits. DUI, suspended license for DUI.

PEDRO REYNAGA, Ukiah. Arson of inhabited structure, disorderly conduct-alcohol.

KIMBERLEE THOMPSON, Ukiah. Vandalism, criminal threats.

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MARVIN HAGLER: 1954-2021 

Reports are emerging that boxing legend Marvin Hagler has passed away at 66-years-old. Hagler reigned as undisputed champion from 1980-1987 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest Middleweight champions of all-time. 

RIP Champ.

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I WAS JUST A WILD GUY. I think about all those trips spent at the psych ward, and I wonder, what was that all about? What was wrong with me? I was really disturbed back then. Dealing with fear drives you insane. I was insane during my career. Just madly insane from fear.

miketyson

Boxing is for when you have nothing. There’s a lot of dedication, a lot of pain, a lot of aggravation. I would never want to put that kind of pressure on my children. My son when he was 16, he wanted to be a boxer. I was like, Are you silly? Get out of here! Are you stupid? You go to private school, you go on vacation trips to Europe. You want to be a boxer? You’re a joke man.

You wanna fight some guy like me? I don’t want my kids go through things like that. That’s degrading, some guy like that beating on you.

They don’t understand that shame inspires a lot of success. They don’t have to deal with that kind of shame. It’s a crazy feeling, you just want to be accepted so badly. Imagine that? You just want to be accepted. You just want people to look at you. What kind of mindset is that? You’re a sick fuck. What is wrong with me? Oh man.

All those wild parties, all the good times of being the champ, it has to come to an end. If you don’t bring it to an end, it’s gonna come to its own end, and you may not like it that way then.

I don’t workout anymore. All that stuff reactivates my ego. If I reactivate my ego, if I start to think I’m special, I’m gonna lose in life, I’m gonna lose everything. You realize how insignificant you are without your ego. You realize you’re not really much that you thought you were. I don’t want to do that stuff again. I look at that guy now as somebody who gave me a platform to help me forget about that guy.

All those achievements of the past, youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world? Oh shit, let it go, let it go, let it go. In order to get to the next chapter in life, you have to forget the chapter that came before you, and focus on the chapter ahead of you.

— from Mike Tyson’s interview with Joe Rogan on JRE episode #1227

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IN THEIR ENTIRE GENEALOGICAL HISTORY has the dissolute clan of inbred Germans squatting on the English throne produced one offspring as accomplished as Meghan Markle’s great uncle William “Happy” Evans, the dazzling shortstop for Pittsburgh’s Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues? 

— Jeff St. Clair

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ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

An aspiring monk asked to enter a temple and attach himself to a guru.

“Very well,” said the guru, “but all students here observe the vow of silence. You will be allowed to speak only once in every 12 years.”

After the first 12 years, the student said, “The bed is too hard.” 

After another 12 years, he said, “The food is not good.” 

Twelve more years later, after 36 years of hard work and meditation, he said, “I quit.”

“Good,” snapped his guru, “all you have been doing is complaining.”